Mini-Review: Safe as Milk

Captain Beefheart is living proof that Anybody Can Make It in Show Biz. The good captain certainly doesn’t look like a rock star, what with his baggy clothes and Colombo mustache. God knows he doesn’t sound like a rock star. A real rock star doesn’t sing like he has a throat full of gravel. He doesn’t caterwaul the way the captain does.

Yet, somehow, improbably, Captain Beefheart has found a niche in the music world. He’s a freak-rock artist in the vein of Frank Zappa. Beefheart—born Don Van Vliet, in case you thought “Beefheart” was his given name—is best known for bizarre, free jazz-esque songs spiced up with a hint of Delta blues and topped with a suitably psychedelic name. See, for starters, “Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish” or “The Host The Ghost The Most Holy O.”

But before he let his freak flag fly, the captain actually put a fairly straightforward rock n’ roll album—“Safe as Milk.” I grant you that “straightforward” is very, very relative when applied to Captain Beefheart. I dare you to tease some meaning out of a songs like “Zig Zag Wanderer” or “ABBA Zaba.” The chorus of the latter song proudly proclaims “Abba Zaba go-zoom Babbette baboon.” You don’t say!

Underneath all the cryptic lyricism, though, lies some irresistibly catchy rock music. While the words of “ABBA Zaba” might be nonsense, the music—pounding tribal drums and weird, skeletal guitar—will stick in your head until your dying day. As you give up the ghost, you might find yourself unconsciously muttering “Abba Zaba go-zoom Babbette baboon.” That’s how indelible the groove is.

“ABBA Zaba” isn’t even the catchiest song on “Safe as Milk.” A twangy, Duane Eddy style guitar makes “Electricity” instantly unforgettable; the grinding, greasy, garage rock thumping of “Drop Out Boogie,” with the howled chorus of “Get a job, get a job,” is the same. This isn’t music for the faint of (beef)heart. The weirdness might just overwhelm you. But if you can get used to lyrics like “Phos'phrous chimney burnin'/Modern-men's a-learnin'/Time and space a-turnin'/Motor's engine churnin',” I recommend giving “Safe as Milk” a listen.