Captain Beefheart- Dr. Dark

[Fangornn]

oh my.... CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO IT

i want it to penetrate my brain again and again.

weird, but... i feel free when i listen to this song.

[rhythmking10]

"Doctor Dark" one of Beefheart's most amazing compositions ever

Totally bitching from beginning to end, had a go at counting the changing time signatures oh Magic Band how they swing !

Intro Guitar + Drums : 7/8 leads to

Section A 4/4 + B 4/4

C 6/4

D Guitar and Bass 9/8 (phrased 4/8 + 5/8),

E Bridge Riff 2/4, Guitar and HiHat unison 12/8

Reprise A 4/4

Outro Guitar/Bass 6/4

....all in under 3mins ... sweet

[apptarheel]

The Cap'n sounds a little like a demented, alternate-universe Van Morrison at the end of this song

[meltingmedia]

With Trout Mask and Decals released so soon together, both albums helped me survive high school. Some have JD Salinger as teens. I still have Captain Beefheart.

[Ijahknee]

I expect to see Dr Dark soon, after a long wait. This sure aint weird.. NHS understaffed, hence necessity for hooves

[DrOliolioxenFord]

Trafalgar law likes this.

[antifarsas]

jhonny rotten is a great fan of beefheart. can you ask me why?

[Drunkenmo]

@antifarsas Really? Don once commented about how he disliked Rotten's music; calling him a 'schizophrenic'.

[CK2890]

@Drunkenmo thats not true he said he liked rotten but thought sid vicious was schizo

[Drunkenmo]

@CK2890 Ahhhhhh okay; my mole stake. Thanks for clearing that one up.

[godfreyhowatchin]

@Drunkenmo lmfao, that's amazing, considering how much don did for the acceptance and understanding of the schizophrenic mind. If Don hasn't read Deleuze and Guattari I will/would be very surprised....

[Graveyardmosh6]

to me he is the greatest rock musician.

[OrisLover]

Organized chaos...very cool.

[Cunobelinus54]

Good news for everybody who's been wanting a copy of this album, it's now available on iTunes and Amazon for digital download. Still no word on any CD re-issue.

[fastguild2007]

How did he do this? It's like he was waaaayyyyy too ahead of his time or this one for that matter...wonder if people will ever really understand the Captains mind?

[JonP1961]

@fastguild2007

as soon as they do, it will replaced with an even stranger mind ;)

[morpheus1x]

Shed a tear on the meadow lark 'n like! RIP DVV

[hettyblack]

RIP Don! 

[Legolas2112]

God bless you Captain. We will miss you. Goodbye. :-(

[rhodrimarsden]

Stunning bit of music. In bits to hear that DVV died. RIP.

[yoyomrpopo]

R.I.P. Captain

[Skizzer]

It's not often that music confuses oneself. I prefer the Captain over most of free jazz. :)

[RedBryn]

A rare thing, this bloke. A right talented sort, & unique, what's more. Fucking love him.

[bbcart1]

35 years ago I new BH had something special but what...well I do know that this is the only shit this old that I always have to go back and playagain and again in order to remember that BH and the Magic Band is the gift that keeps on giving.

[MsSaxifrage]

Best album ever. Full of eternal delights.

[davidfuckinggogo]

Hoooooves .....

[barismanco]

すばらしい

[flip66515]

Every music school in the world should teach a course in Captain Beefheart

[Pallie25]

I found this album by accident in 1972, It wasn't love at first listen but I was so turned around I knew I had to delve deeper. I think it's Don's best and most impressive work. I was 15 yrs old. I listened to each song 20 or so times each time focusing on one part until I could hear 'em all together. It resolves into quite a sculpture of sound. It is way more than organized chaos. Is he from this planet?

[yesfan951]

God I miss my bootleg of this cd

[ididwhat]

mmmmm....I like this, reminds me of So Many Dynamos!

[williamcholo3460]

OHH YEAHH OH YEAH YEAH YEAH

[oneofthey]

This is condensed energy!

[goldragons]

@oneofthey

best description of Beefeart so far. I've been a very sloooww convert but Zappa's love and appreciation of him and his sheer absurdist energy got me in the end. Beefheart is a monastic daredevil. His original band exhibited extreme discipline.

[moo3992]

my girlfriend HATES!!! this...but i put it on anyway and smirk as i watch her mounting annoyance, rolling her eyes and muttering OMG, OMG... then we hold hands and steal softly thru snow, which is to say we hit the bedroom.  (i think she likes it, but would die b4 she admitted it!) how often can music be dumb and brilliant at once??

i mean that as a complement.

[ZappaMaskReplica]

this song gives me chills

[pibe12345]

just recently discovered captain beefheart. wow was i missing out

[gotears2listen]

Don wanted to wake us all up - break the 4/4 that everyone marched to. For me, the more I listen to this, the more I feel it to be some of the most awesome shit thats ever been laid down. Talk about cookin? Goddam, Beefheart and the Magic Band would play their asses off!

[drazyhoops]

One of his best. Mark Boston's bass is nothing short of... it's absolutely... it's just... god, I don't know what.

[JustOneMeatPuppet]

Amazing song by the good ol' Cap'n. I enjoy showing it to people who generally listen to more accesible music, and seeing their faces twist from the "wtf?"

[KnowKnot]

@JustOneMeatPuppet Oh yes. Especially if you set it up so that there are people they think are "cool" present who will at least PRETEND to get it.

(Actually, I can't say that I "get it," but there's just something about this guy that I can't help but love.)

[yesfan951]

Damn ppls... I'm amazed that 23,000 of you dig a song this obscure. It makes me feel kinda fuzzy inside. : ) Thanx 4 keepin the comments clean!

[Afrobeat100]

@yesfan951

Make it 23.001 , but weird, moi ? :)))

[OrisLover]

@yesfan951 Well guess what, I just added another one just for you!

[chungazrevenge]

@yesfan951 not obscure song for Captain freaks !  never the less glad to see fans !!!

[santaclausiscomin]

@yesfan951 how is this song obscure?

[barrett5169]

wow, beefheart videos are the only ones on youtube that don't turn into massive arguments. Kudos, beef-fans.

I was stoked when I finally found a vinyl copy of this after about a year of searching. years later, it's still one of my favourites.

[alvin5516]

Stunning album.

[mezmiester]

An absolute musical masterpiece!!!!!!!!!

[sirhoon87]

my lord this is incredible i thank my friend steve for showing me the way.

[creditcardable]

YEAH!!!!!!!

[donjgeorge]

Yeeaahh... Dr. Don

[jdubhman]

this is great, not sure If I've heard this

[EMILIOMARENGO]

Beefheart!! Simply magnificent!!

[wannyyydilliamsss]

this is, just possibly, the best song ever "written".

[dantevisceral]

Great to see someone use the word Visceral, particularly as applied to CB which affirms my decision to be Mr Visceral!

[yoursaxman]

"horse click-n-clackin' those hooves makin' sparks"!

[dawncrk23]

Saxman - No big deal, but I think it's "horse clickin' clackin' n' his ol' hooves makin' sparks." Whatever it is, it's pure rock poetry. The Captain's a genius. He's crazy as f***, but he's a certified genius. Mick Jagger and John Lennon are not geniuses, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis probably are, but the Captain is certainly a pure genius, based on his singing, songwriting, lyrics, and painting. 100 years from now, if we manage to last that long, this will be recognized. Visit the Radar Station.

[yoursaxman]

Thanks. dawncrk- your got me listening againt to this great song and it's 0700 here! Beefheart for breakfast? why not?

AAL are geniuses in differant ways- and i mean everyone.

I posted to The Radar Station about oh 7-8 years ago... great site!

[thomascomis]

@dawncrk23 thanks for telling us who exactly is a genius...and who is not. i feel sooo enlightened. i didn't think anyone would figure it out... until i met yooouuu!

[stopthrm]

lol

[morpheus1x]

anyone who wants to be a serious musician has to pass the CB acid test!

[XboxXXX]

hahaha!

[zenforaday]

it's genius and it's beautiful but it also gives be a headache - I don't think I could ever sit down and listen to it.

[yesfan951]

It takes a while to get used to. Unless of course your a weird guy, then it comes naturally.

[ybman]

@yesfan951 or youre really stonned

[rdrgplnz]

@yesfan951 I must say, as with many of my all favorites/life changing records, I couldnt understand shit the first 2 or 3 times I heard this, my brain was collapsed, but I was amazed, astonished, inloved. Never stoped listening to the Don after that.

[notsaved]

@zenforaday and i think it's absolutely gorgeous and listen to it most every day...life's funny like that, i suppose...

[plasticjesus108]

@zenforaday THEN DANCE TO IT

[Nyquistic]

There's life after 4/4 120BPM !!!

[blindbonder]

Quite possibly the greatest album of all time, any artist, ever! The captain is one of the few musicians I started listening to years ago, and he still intrigues me every time I come back to his music. Thank you for this, Ami, Israel

[rotgut]

blindbonder , I feel like you do about beefheart, I first heard him when I was thirteen, I thought he was the real deal then, and I still do, oh by the way, I am fifty two now, and beefheart still rules the court here, "love over gold" is what he told us and he is right. bless van vliet.

[humanfly02]

sounds like the Greatful Dead when they took a very serious acid trip

[squareeyedgit]

I met Rockette and Drumbo when they played at the Shepherd's Bush Empire a couple of years ago, they were both very kind to me considering i was rather drunk and over-excited about sneaking into the aftershow, amazing gig - John French could well be the most inspiring musician i can think of - he decides to play drums like Salvadore Dali and so he just does it! He's got to play guitar on Doc, so he just does it! He's got to be lead vocalist for the Magic Band, so he just does it! Legend!!!!

[wannyyydilliamsss]

This is utter genius. There is no other word for it.

[431516020205]

nobody can hold a candle to the captain! even zappa!! don still rules!!

[yesfan951]

YEAH!!! WOO!!!

[dawncrk23]

4315 - May Zappa rest in peace: he tried and tried, in a very calculated manner, but he could never be as weird and amazing as the Captain. Nor could anyone else. I really hope people look at the Radar Station site to find our more about the Captain. Paintings, lyrics, melodies, his vocal range; nobody compares. You might not like what you hear at first, but sooner or later, if you hang in there, his pure genius will present itself to you, and you will be better off for it.

[Brekky57]

Mmmm Zappa and Beefheart are about tied in my book. Both geniuses. And then we have the Residents...............

[robwyattfan]

@Brekky57 Yep and of course, those are just the American representatives. I think it's equally difficult to ignore This Heat and Pop Group's first records as other seminal expressions of genius. However, I think what makes Beefheart and Zappa stick out from the rest is that they are so individual, it's not the collective power of the ensemble that is their brilliance, it's their individual gifts, which the ensemble luckily did not get in the way of.

[WavyGravy22]

Meh, not so sure about that. I prefer his early stuff frankly.

[noz911life]

@dawncrk23  They still were really good mates ya know !. strange game was played !. That was the captain all the way !.

[hellomizar]

One of my favorite Beefheart numbers.

[yesfan951]

Rockette Morton is a beast!!! WOOO!!! Who here agrees with me?

[wannyyydilliamsss]

I sure do, he's the shit :D

[Broyd]

I'm a bassist and he's my main inspiration. This guy makes me think about dinosaurs stomping around.

[Moorepay]

me i agree

[wordupassholes]

Lol I always thought it was Rocket Martin

[wannyyydilliamsss]

Hahahaha excellent!

[Alvarofz74]

wapper

[yesfan951]

This is seriously his best album, mine is a bootleg cd.

[psychedelicrelics]

Absolutely amazing. Tremendous layering of parts with Dada lyrics. Brilliant!

[TheClugger]

bloody hell.

[dregroyx]

This just gets better and better as the years go by ... I feel like crying when I hear it .... just brilliant ...

[Fran100]

i love beefheart, but i dont really understand zappa even though i really want to like him. does anyone have an explanation for this?

[snuju1]

I can't explain it but concur. Zappa generally leaves me cold.

[chrisburchardt]

That's a shame, friend. for me, Zappa has a truly wicked sense of humour. He just needs a little patience, maybe. Got to say I was bowled over by his excellent German in Sofa.

love

Chris

[lomaspez]

its cause you like rock and blues but dont appreciate jazz

[toztizok]

thats a very black and white answer

[lucien6823]

I think musically Beefheart is wild blues-derived funk and Zappa, for all his virtuosity and technical panache, just doesn't have the groove. Zappa strikes me as a really clever, extremely talented musician, maybe a genius even - but not a likeable chap. He often seems to be sneering at his audience. He's Apollo and in control, where Dionysus Van Vliet is a weird mess, completely out of it, that's to say, a true poet, and a very loveable character. In the end I'm with those guys.

[SockbatReplica]

I love Zappa but he did seem to rush his albums I mean he released too many too fast. He released two three albums a year for thirty years sometimes he was doing four a year. I'm sorry but even for someone as talented as Frank it seems like you can't release music that quickly and still have it to the same quality as if you took your time. Beefheart and The Magic Band rehearsed Trout Mask Replica for a year before they recorded it.

[madchops82]

what the hell is this shit? I like it

[vlietvandon]

there are so many elements in his music...i think that's what throws folks off...you got r&b, pychedelic rock, odd time sign, strange lyrics, and of course the captain!! captain beefheart is a genius!

[seykwesi]

:):):):):):):):)

[JRL10040]

I never appreciated the captain bitd and ftlom I will never understand why. What a dope 9me)

[redape6870]

nonsense to some. profound wordplay to others. i think a combination of both. what's wrong with nonsense? you tell me the meaning of the beatles' "come together" or any of nirvana's songs. it doesn't have to make sense to be good music dude.

[redape6870]

like zappa, waits & dylan, beefheart's music is an acquired taste. it's certainly not for everyone. if there's one thing that beefheart did to leave his mark on the industry was he proved that you can break all the rules of what is conceived as music and still have a compelling piece of audio art.

[tonypix]

i listened to this good old virgin record stores 197?  acid recovery;;;;;;;;

[epenmedi]

I have been waiting for this album to come  back into print for 15 years in the U.S,

whats the deal? why so long?

[dlanodrelda]

Love how he took the style from Trout Mask, self-edited it without sacrificing any of TM's or his originality and made this tight album. Imagine how difficult to arrange this material and then actually play it.

[redape6870]

i never heard this one before! wow it's awesome! in true trout mask style too!

[JOOODYJOOODY]

EYE LOVE YOU YA BIG DUMMY

[Ramentastic]

love this song

[mahoodworm]

Could you upload the whole album please? Since the bastards that be won't officially release it..Thanks for Flash Gordon's Ape and Dr. Dark!

[alargedog]

great song from a great album #####