Captain Beefheart - Frownland [Isolated Tracks]

[@SedanChair]

Drumbo: *equations flying in front of his face as he desperately thrashes cardboard-covered drums*

[@floriangeyer1886]

They could perform it identically every time. Structured, disciplined chaos.

[@childwallred]

We’ve all heard the stories of the Trout Mask Replica rehearsals in the desert,one band member said “I can’t listen to it now,it’s too traumatising”! 😂😂😂😂

[@sashcramp2099]

True. I heard them play much of Trout Mask Replica live in the early 70's, after having listened to the album most nights for a year or so. I have a good musical memory and it was note-for note as I recall.

[@GreenManalishiUSA]

​​@@sashcramp2099That's amazing. Do you recall whether they ever performed Frownland live? There are some TMR songs such as Ella Guru or Pachuco Cadaver that almost follow a conventional song structure in terms of having a recognizable, repeatable melody or meter. I imagine that those songs were easier to perform in concert. Frownland, however, is such a complex and intricate piece that it must have been very difficult to play live (although I don't doubt that the Magic Band was capable of doing so).

[@childwallred]

Don and Zappa were special talent,loved in the UK and the rest of Europe,I'm proud I was listening and enjoying this amazing music as a teen! the weed helped too @@sashcramp2099

[@markbrooks7157]

Always amazes me how these musicians were able to learn, memorise and perform Don’s constantly shifting gibberish.

[@charleslangrishl9124]

Because they were musicians. And it wasn't gibberish. Got me!

[@markbrooks7157]

@@charleslangrishl9124 yeah, it was gibberish. Don had no idea about meter or key or how to organise his phrases, leaving it up to French. BTW-I’ve met all of the Magic Band members except for Jeff Cotten. Yes, all amazing musicians.

[@charleslangrishl9124]

@@markbrooks7157 well at least we can agree on one thing. But neither of us are going to move on the other. So we'll have to leave it at that. But both accept the fact that we're all dancing........ if we have any heart in us at all....... along a very fine line.

[@markbrooks7157]

@@charleslangrishl9124 well, we each love TMR so we obviously have good taste.

[@wbertie2604]

​​@@markbrooks7157it's great art AND he had no formal understanding of meter or key. But there has been plenty of great music that didn't abide by Western, classical and conventional ideas of meter or key. It's also worth noting things that were in the zeitgeist of the times such as discovery of African music and polyrhythms, layering of repeated loops of different lengths causing polyrhythms, minimalism, primitivism, free jazz, improvisation using repeated figures, etc.

[@timriley4543]

They'll be talking about this unhinged masterpiece long after we're all dead.

[@newagetapes]

An absolutely mind-bending look into Frownland. Cheers.

[@MagroFrancesco]

John French, one of the best Drummers of ever

[@mountzod]

Incredibly talented

[@williamhines7654]

What of Ed Marimba

[@ronaldchives2486]

He was an incredible drummer, check out beefheart on German tv 🙂@@tomasvanecek8626

[@leerogers9949]

Fascinating stuff. Please do the whole album. Then all the other albums.

[@paulsaxo8754]

Thanks for unweaving this. You have to listen carefully, through all the various changes in metre, but the steady, regular pulse is there. Virtuoso piece of work. And Don's voice - so melodic and soulful. A piece of genius.

[@kanacubana827]

The bass is great

[@enkibumbu]

On its own, it's actually melodic.

[@Ondwurk]

I suppose that isolated tracks are just the new hip way to enjoy trout mask. And yeah I could listen to the whole album this way I love it.

[@johndavison4569]

The isolated tracks are an immense help in transcribing these parts and, in general, figuring out what's going on.

[@laurencebondmiller4298]

One of my all time heroes - Pure Genius Impulse

[@first2letters]

I know this song so well that I can distinguish the handful of clams from intentional notes. But even the clams are glorious and I wouldn’t want to hear it any other way. Thanks for the upload!

[@wretchedheaded7]

what’s hard to hear is mark is actually playing chords on the bass. i think some of the notes unfortunately got mixed out

[@ant2manbee931]

@@wretchedheaded7 Yeah, the algorithms aren't well trained for the idiosyncratic bass playing on Trout Mask. Some of the higher bass notes notes leaks into the guitar parts unfortunately.

[@andrewmoser5539]

Brilliant, my dude! Between this, other Beefheart analysis videos, and that music academic fellow named Sam who interviewed the whole band, I would say that Mr. Don Van Vliet has one hell of a legacy ahead of him!

[@fangednominals1785]

this is amazing, thanks so much for making these

[@andragg]

One of my favorite songs from the album. Thanks so much for posting, I love these isolated track videos. It solves a mystery that has plagued me ever since I first heard Trout Mask Replica in 1971. I've always wondered which guitar track was played by who since both guitarists sounded so similar. Apparently Bill Harkleroad is panned to the left and Jeff Cotton is panned to the right, at least on most of the songs. Also nice to know what guitars they were playing.

[@scottbubb2946]

Love it! Thank you for all your work and for uploading.

[@ashdosen]

I love it! 😍

[@gothgrrl8711]

Honestly i feel like this song is very bluesy if you pay attention, the isolated bass make it even more clear

[@chiarosuburekeni9325]

Wow this is insane. The fact that this shit is intentional is so wild and… awesome to me 😂

[@richb3326]

This is incredible

[@reispurs22]

Cheers for your great work.

[@taye8833]

Thank u for the upload

[@DieGroteske]

wow!

[@PoisonDartFiend]

oh my god. i get it

[@tommythetrain1945]

9:05 always hits this whole song is insane. i want my owwwwn laaand.

[@aakkoin]

John "Drumbo" French on drums and stuff

[@brianmorrison7542]

This is tougher than Classical music to play

[@jackkelly6251]

Was this all taken using AI? If so that is incredible

[@ant2manbee931]

@@jackkelly6251 Yeah, pretty much.

[@blakkat4126]

It's like, all the musicians are playing to completely different songs at the same times. Captain Beefheart lost me when he started doing this avent garde noise.

[@childwallred]

Listen to it stoned! 😏

[@heckinbasedandinkpilledoct7459]

@@childwallredtried that, and it sounded even worse 😂

[@RaiderJay9092]

​@@heckinbasedandinkpilledoct7459shrooms

[@thekapitleschannel]

great!!!!!

[@morriscallihan3751]

John Drumbo French

[@Snardbafulator]

What I'd really like to hear is Flash Gordon's Ape and Japan in a Dishpan from Decals without the damned sax.

[@ant2manbee931]

For Flash Gordon's Ape you can simply isolate the right channel while Japan in a Dishpan without the sax is available here on KZbin, I believe.

[@Snardbafulator]

@@ant2manbee931 Yeah, I recorded one channel into two on cassette for Flash Gordon's back in the day. I don't wanna dis Decals; the album's a masterpiece. But the horns are just so insanely out front in the mix. Glad Hair Pie had a second bake without 'em ;)

[@ant2manbee931]

@@Snardbafulator Yes, I agree. It's good that we can hear the backing tracks on bootlegs at least. Also, Decals it's kinda complicated to isolate, especially the bass. The AI goes into a stroke trying to isolate the bass on this album, since well, it isn't a regular bass playing style. I'm working in another Captain Beefheart album, I might post more isolated tracks.

[@Snardbafulator]

@@ant2manbee931 Mark Boston sounds like a regular bass player in Mallard, but with Beefheart, at least in these two albums, he just thumps and his articulation and evenness leave something to be desired. Like he's self-taught and learned how to play a month ago. Of course it works with Beefheart's music.

[@enkibumbu]

Did French transcribe those drum parts? Seriously?

[@ant2manbee931]

@@enkibumbu I'm not sure if he transposed it, but he's on record saying that he didn't had the time to create the drum parts, meaning that a lot of the songs the drums are improvised.

[@enkibumbu]

@@ant2manbee931 How the hell he could play this stuff in his early 20s? There was no other drummer on Earth with these bizarre yet virtuosic chops. He didn't ride on the hi-hat or ride. He didn't hold down the backbeat with the snare. Where did he get these concepts from. The drumming is astonishing. He may have be more talented than Van Vliet. After all, he had to write down bursts of whistling and disjointed piano riffs by someone who couldn't play the piano. Who's to say French really didn't write 80% of Trout Mask? Maybe he's a humble guy. Saw him once (or twice) live.

[@brianzulauf2974]

What is this witchery it sounds like actual music

[@paoloyellowshark6547]

arf

[@scottbubb2946]

Is that you, Echidna?

[@paoloyellowshark6547]

@@scottbubb2946 she said

[@Juan-wo7zu]

Great googly moogly!