The Magic Band – Don's Birthday Party

(Disc 1 Brown marbled vinyl, Disc 2 Pink/red marbled vinyl, both 180gm)
Yellow-tinted/sepia cover image, taken from Anton Corbijn black & white photo of Beefheart in desert (during "YoYo Stuff" filming).
(This image was interpreted into an unimpressive stylized color illustration on the covers of 2nd & 3rd pressings, which contained grey & plain black 180gm vinyl respectively)

Recorded live, 15th January 1981, during Vliet's birthday party performance with The Magic Band at "The Showboat" Theater , Seattle, Washington, USA

The recording is in excellent mono.

(Notes from the back sleeve- which credits "The Showbox", rather than the correct "Showboat"):
"Nowadays A Woman's Got A Hit
Not Head
Veterans Day Poppy
Ashtray Heart
Sheriff of Hong-Kong
Dirty Blue Gene
Best Batch Yet
One Red Rose
Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Doctor Dark
Bat Chain Puller
And other tales of transmutation from the
Mojave Magic Man".

"Recorded at the Showbox, Seattle on January 15th, 1981, Don Van Vliet's 40ieth Birthday.
Many Happy Returns".

Comment: "Captain Beefheart doesn't care that much for music... Of course he doesn't! He's a visionary. A witchdoctor! In another age he would have been just a poet. He has too much dignity to become a guru in this. So he does music. Why?"

CB: "As an irritant. What would somebody this smart be doing it for other than this? I like poetry and things like that. Maybe I'm a cook. Or an alchemist, maybe. Who knows? I'm just getting started with the spells I do.

But I have a beef in my heart about the things they've done in this world. Since I was born I've been aghast, stunned... Why didn't they put Band-aids on the flaw? Why didn't human beings study and fix these things? I don't know.

I'm trying to do all I can and I have been all of my life. And I thought there would have been more happening by now. I thought that 'Trout Mask' might do something to break up that catatonic state. That's why I did it, to take the labels off... get rid of the labels and let's see what's going on. But they do more bom... bom... bom. I'm so sick of that mama heartbeat! Hey, listen... I don't want my heart to attack me! I would never treat my heart that way. Never."

Comment: "The score at this point is about even. The world hasn't woken up and Don Van Vliet hasn't gone to sleep. Come to think of it, that puts him ahead. And if you have ears, you have to listen to him. He can make you want to rattle your cage, and rattle everybody else's cage too; Sellotape their eyes open and remove all the labels, grab them by the neck and rub their faces in the heat of existence.
Captain Beefheart is a primal current, almost a folk artist. He trusts his instincts..."

CB: "All the time."

Comment: Do they ever let you down?

CB: "Many times."

Comment: "But you still trust them?"

CB: "Sure I do. Friends don't mind just how you grow. I made friends with me a long time ago"

Runouts are etched.
Released in the 80's.