This was an informative, quick read about one strange influential album. The book deepened my appreciation for the Captain's work. ( )

Most interesting are the author's personal insights into the album, especially on how listening to it is essentially an individual pursuit. It is indeed not something to spin at a party. In all other regards, though, it seems like a summary of Mike Barnes' excellent biography of Beefheart. I suppose I didn't expect much more from such a thin book, but either the Barnes biography or Bill Harkleroad's Lunar Notes are far better on the subject. ( )

The 33 1/3 series takes great rock and roll albums and discusses them is depth. This entry concerns Captain Beefheart's avant-garde rock classic. Courrier puts the album in its historical context and discusses the genesis of the music, the recording sessions and the critical response to the released album. It's very interesting to read about Beefheart, an untrained musical polymath interact with his highly trained band and producer Frank Zappa. He drew on blues and R&B along with avant-garde jazz masters like John Coltrane and Albert Ayler to make a unique and original music. Beefheart was also a painter and a sculptor and this artistic viewpoint influenced his musical development. He was a bit of a tyrant in dealing with musicians and the recording sessions were always on the verge of breaking down, but somehow everything came together almost magically into one of the most unusual and fascinating albums of the rock and roll era. ( )