81. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Safe As Milk (1967)

Beefheart, meet Fisheye

1. This is a pretty wild album, blending blues, jazz, psych, R&B, and folk rock into a one of a kind sound. Well — perhaps two of a kind is more appropriate; while listening I found myself frequently hearkening back to Frank Zappa, if Zappa were being just a bit more serious about his music. I was unsurprised to find that Beefheart collaborated with Zappa a bunch as well; they’re two peas in a pod.
2. Tunes like “Zig Zag Wanderer” are pretty much your platonic ideal of 60s rock and roll. “Dropout Boogie” and “Electricity” are heavier tunes that recall the great Monks album of a couple years prior. But at the same time, you get traditional delta blues jams like “Sure Nuff Yes, I Do,” and lovely folk tunes like “Autumn’s Child.” Beefheart wants to do a lot here, and most of it lands.
3. It’s something of a trend here; rock and roll has finally exploded in popularity, Dylan’s pushing the boundaries of what folk and rock can be, and artists like Zappa, Beefheart, Buffalo Springfield, and others are now testing those boundaries from song to song. They’re not doing so with a unified mission statement just yet (aside from Sgt Peppers), but you can tell they’re having fun, keeping it loose, looking for the next big thing, and weirder music is on the way.

One Essential Song:

Listen on Spotify: