Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Dust Sucker

Puller the other one…

Featuring the original recordings of Bat Chain Puller, created with the assistance of Frank Zappa (well, he provided the studio), this is a 2-LP set of “lost” Beefheart recordings. Including outtakes and live recordings, these songs preceded the subsequent, commercially-released Shiny Beast album, itself sub-titled “Bat Chain Puller”, which featured a revised band line-up and a different tracklisting.

This new release is contentious, however. It’s supposed to be the legitimate release of an oft-bootlegged master tape. However, it seems odd that Frank Zappa, whose company apparently still holds rights to the production, is not credited anywhere and the live tracks, which feature absolutely no explanatory details whatsoever, resemble popular bootleg versions out there. Regarding the sleevenotes, Denny Whalley is, in fact, Denny Walley. He also never appeared in the “Bongo Fury Band”, but did appear in the Magic Band, on the Bongo Fury tour. Beefheart fans who don’t own the bootlegs should grab this “official” vinyl, but maybe we should look towards the Frank Zappa Estate for the definitive release version.

Ozit/Morpheus Records | LP 8006 (2-LP)

Reviewed by Paul Rigby
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