captain beefheart, john french

listening to the vinyl reish of the trout mask replica "house sessions" from the captain beefheart grow fins box set (which i usedta have but sold when i was hungry). as a listening experience, this is considerably more rewarding than hearing 22 takes of "loose" that aren't as good as the one they finally picked to go on funhouse. for one thing, the sound is much bigger 'n' fuller than what wound up on the 'riginal alb, which, as great and unprecedented as it was, still sounded kinda thin. for another, it's now possible to hear what was happenin' instrumentally behind don's occasionally-overwhelming vocalismo. plus it makes for a kinda nice audio verite documentary in the manner of sunburned hand of the man's wedlock, to use a recent (if obscure) example.

at the same time, reading an int with beefheart drummer john french from the brit vanity project site. besides being an outstanding 'n' original percussionist whose polyrhythmic creations bring to mind the crazy, off-kilter stuff howlin' wolf's drummers usedta flog, french also penned the extensive liner notes for the grow fins box (thoughtfully provided in "libretto" form with the vinyl, which i regrettably need a better pair of glasses before i can read) and seems to have done a good job of recovering from his experiences in the cultic atmosphere of the magic band. good writer / incisive commentator, too.