Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

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5...according to our Business Lady on Thu 28 May, 2009.

Captain Beefheart is king! You know it! I know it! I don't need to go on about it, right? Good. So it's been a while since anything new has reared it's head from the Beefheart's magic archives so i was pleased to find 'Magneticism' - The best of Captain Beefheart and his magic bands in my review pile. 'Magneticism' features some of the finest live performances by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, combining the highlights from two previous releases 'Magnetic Hands' - Live in the UK 1972 -80 and 'Railroadism' - Live in the USA 1972 - 81 with the addition of a bunch of other rareties. It obviously kick ass! Beefheart's vocals are freaky wild and the various formations of the Magic Band band are rocking it hard for the Spotlight Kid. My only gripe is the somewhat rushed looking cover art but that can't be helped as i'm sure it's not been overseen by Beefheart or anyone from his crew. I saw the Magic band (sans Beefheart) perform a few years back! It was totally inspired! They still piss on most of these groups from a great height. If you are interested in the various line-up's of the Magic Band and what they bring to the mix then this will surely interest you.

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'Magneticism’ features some of the finest Live performances by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Bands, combining the highlights from two previous releases ‘Magnetic Hands’- Live in the UK 1972 -80 and ‘Railroadism’ - Live in the USA 1972 – 81 plus unreleased rarities. Led by the enigmatic singer song-writer Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart), his various Magic Bands were obsessively faithful to his musical visions. ‘Live’ they always shone and these joyously cacophonic & unforgettable performances make this a truly historical document, showing one of the great innovative bands of the modern age on staggering form. These recordings also give a broad scope of the Captain’s work with material from every era of his career, reminding us of why even today he is still regarded as one of the most important and influential musical artists of the 20th Century.

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