01	Party Of Special Things To Do						02:49
	02	Same Old Blues						04:00
	03	Observatory Crest						03:32
	04	Pompadour Swamp						03:32
	05	Captain's Holiday						05:43
	06	Rock 'n Roll's Evil Doll						03:20
	07	Further Thatn We've Gone						05:31
	08	Twist Ah Luck						03:22
	09	Bluejeans And Moonbeams						05:05
	10							00:04

Bluejeans And Moonbeams



Song list:

Party Of Special Things To Do (Don Vliet/Elliot Ingber) 3.12
Same Old Blues (J.J.Cale) 4.00
Observatory Crest (Don Vliet/Elliot Ingber) 3.28
Pompadour Swamp (Don Vliet) 3.27
Captains Holiday (R.Feldman/W.Richmond/S.Hickerson/C.Blackwell) 5.42
Rock and Roll's Evil Doll (Don Vliet/Mark Gibbons/Ira Ingber) 3.09
Further Than We'we Gone (Don Vliet) 5.00
Twist Ah Luck (Don Vliet/Mark Gibbons/Ira Ingber) 3.17
Bluejeans & Moonbeams (Don Vliet) 5.09


Line up:

Don Van Vliet : vocals,harmonica
Dean Smith : guitar and bottleneck guitar
Ira Ingber : bass
Bob West : bass(3)
Michael Smootherman : keyboards and backup vocals
Mark Gibbons : keyboards
Gene Pello : drums
Jimmy Caravan : keyboards and star machine
Ty Grimes : percussions
Produced by Andy Di Martino
This album is dedicated to Denny Rosencrantz

Shopping guide from Justin Sherill:

Leftovers from Beefheart's interim Magic Band in the mid-70's, usually referred to as the "Tragic Band". Buy it if you need to complete your collection. Most will agree that this is probably the worst Beefheart album, though there are a few people who have told me they enjoyed it.

Radar Station's shopping guide:

Well, this is mostly pretty ropey stuff - the only Beefheart album that I wouldn't recommend. It does still have a couple of good moments - Observatory Crest and the tile track are very beautiful tunes, though it's the real clunkers such as Captain's Holiday that really set the tone of the album. It is possible that you can live without this one.



Reviews:

Beefheart: No More Magic - the source, author and date are unknown.



Beefheart: no more magic

Bluejeans and Moonbeams Review


Source and author unknown.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" Party Of Special Things To Do; Same Old Blues; Observatory Crest; Pompadour Swamp; Captain's Holiday; Rock 'n' Roll's Evil Doll; Further Than We've Gone; Twist Ah Luck; Bluejeans And Moonbeams. (Virgin V2023). Producer Andy Di Mantino. Musicians; No details available.

IN MANY ways Beefheart has become the victim of his own achievements. I'm thinking most specifically of "Trout Mask Replica," of course, and the almost visionary status with which Beefheart was endowed by critics who saw that album (with no little justification) as being crucial to the development and extension of rock.

It was certainly an important album, though its importance has yet to be analysed in any relative detail, and it's true that it remains unparalleled by anything that Beefheart has subsequently produced, in the sense that it was a unique and spontaneous expression.

It's inevitable then, that almost all critical opinion and assessment of the Captain's recent work has revolved around that album. Such an attitude is as frustrating as it is inevitable because it is bound to undermine, to some degree, whatever might be of value within that work.

"Unconditionally Guaranteed" for example, was virtually universally criticised because it represented a move away from the apparent complexity of the albums that preceded it. That was true but didn't necessarily make it a bad album. In the context of its own existence, it was a good album, Beefheart might have lost something in the transition, but he was also gaining something, which was easily overlooked by comparing it to former glories.

Having established that, it must now be admitted that even in isolation this present album has some difficulty in justifying its existence. It's difficult to imagine one growing into "Moonbeams" in the same manner as one grew into the last album. Almost without exception it's no more than an echo of Beefheart's former capabilities. The first line of the first song, "Party Of Special Things To Do" with Beefheart growling, "The camel wore a nightie," promises a lot more than the rest of the song, or the rest actually delivers. The band are merely functional, rarely sparking each other into flights of imagination.

Lyrically, the album is simple without being effective or inventive within its own limitations. "Observatory Crest" is fairly pleasant, but isn't really much of a song by anyone's standards. "Captain's Holiday," which closes the first side and is, with J. J. Cale's "Same Old Blues" (nothing special about that) one of the two non-Beefheart compositions on the album, is of very little consequence. "Evil Doll" and "Twist Ah Luck" are a little better but neither, one feels, are particularly memorable additions to Beefheart's repertoire.

The one song that does succeed in demanding and holding your attention is the title track. "Bluejeans and Moonbeams" is both lyrically and musically direct and uncomplicated, with Beefheart's vocals reflecting the essential simplicity perfectly. Spiralling guitars trace and swoop in delicate patterns over a synthesiser and accustic guitar, with a suggestion of strings (a Mellotron, perhaps) drifting in the background.

It's almost worth the price of the album, it's certainly irresistable and I love it. If nothing else, it'll lead you back into the album, and who knows one's initial impression might fade, and be replaced by something more positive. Certainly Beefheart has proven himself too vital an artist to be dismissed on initial reactions. He needs a little more time, perhaps.









Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing


These were very kindly sent to me by 'Sikora1' (sorry I don't have your real name!) . Budding guitarists take note.

1. Listen to the birds. That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

2. Your guitar is not really a guitar Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.

3. Practice in front of a bush Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. Walk with the devil Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employerin terms of who you're brining over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. Never point your guitar at anyone Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. Always carry a church key That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundered Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.

8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. Keep your guitar in a dark place When you're not playin your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.

10. You gotta have a hood for your engine Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.