Captain Beefheart - Upon The My-O-My

Old Grey Whistle Test '74
The decks were stacked
The wind blew low, the wind blew high
The stakes were low, the stakes were high
Upon the My-O-My
Hands low, hands high,
Ho-ho-ho, hi-hi-hi
Hands low, hands high
Upon the My-O-My
How was I to know she was so shy?
Upon the My-O-My
Across the light, across the night
You can hear the Captain's cry
Hands low, hands high
Upon the My-O-My
Got to make her roll, got to make her fly
Upon the My-O-My
Now tell me, good Captain,
How does it feel
To be driven away from your own steering wheel
Upon the My-O-My . . .

[@jdwfenton]

It's only now, decades later, that many of us are realizing the genius of Capt. Beefheart.

[@marc9089]

Can you explain it?

[@jis87BE]

Jack White acknowledged it already decades ago with a superbe cover

[@delibellus]

he wasn't the genius, it was the whole situation and the people in it. i understood that when i saw samuel andreyev's interviews with the magic band

[@loucat2779]

Oh Captain, My Captain! This is Gold!! The captain at his best!

[@pyannaguy4361]

"How does it feel? ...to be driven away...from your own steering wheel?!" Indeed, Cap'n B...Indeed!

[@missbee7745]

How does it feel to be driven away from your own steering wheel-not good, not good at all... Thnx-Don

[@iadorenewyork1]

I love that line. I have been driven away, and it is mind if scary.

[@caeserromero3013]

There's a thin line between genius and madness. Don always managed to stay on the right side...but it was often a close run thing. What he brought back from the edge was often magical.

[@endlessriver2768]

sums him up perfectly

[@malcolmbeckett9802]

A close run, run thing ❤

[@GamingManual]

Perfectly stated.

[@kmlgraph]

Beefheart and Zappa; two genius masters of prog-jazz rock.

[@powwowdoc]

" The Captain" may not be for everyone's tastes, but if you have ears to hear, he is magic!

[@arneemilbredland2339]

And his Magic Band !!

[@vicente8705]

If you got ears to hear.. YOU GOTTA LISTEN!!

[@gontierfrancois8115]

I listen since his beginning

[@susiefairfield7218]

🎩

[@jonabate6152]

👂🫀

[@samusvikerness661]

That voice is so unique. He could have been anyone but he chose to be the Captain.

[@napomania]

Well said

[@EskimoCanadian44]

The Captain of the Magic Band. Hocus Pocus? Hey Presto!

[@carlclaremboux4519]

This man's music was once in a lifetime if you don't own the albums you really missed out on something special.

[@diavolos2939]

Thank god i missed out

[@woodybowen5362]

I couldn’t agree more. I discovered Don through Zappa & his obvious blues roots I’m such a fan of. I’ve collected every piece of his music I could & am a fan for life. A genuinely original & unique artist ahead of his time & possibly forever.

[@gcangur1]

@@diavolos2939 you know nothing

[@diavolos2939]

@@gcangur1 i know garbage when i hear it !!!!! clown

[@davidwalker5054]

The music industry would stagnate without people like the captain to shake them out of their complacancy

[@MarquisVonLion]

Back in the days , 1968, in Paris, listening to Captain Beefheart...

[@zeus-mt7wx]

Old Grey Whistle Test. So many memories. ❤❤❤

[@babylemonade2868]

His voice is amazing

[@sonjoestar3613]

This is Captain criticizing himself for being commercial on the album ‘Unconditionally Guaranteed’ he is still great even though it perhaps feels bad being driven away from his own steering wheel:( at least he overcame this phase and made albums such as ‘Doc at the Radar Station’ ‘Bat Chain Puller’ and ‘Ice Cream for Crow’ He will always remain my favorite for his unique complex sound and bizzare dada-esque lyrics. Rip Don Van Vliet “Captain Beefheart” you’re always missed and remembered as a great musician and a painter!

[@james96517]

Class

[@fulton_eric_pace]

Agreed!! I was lucky enough to hear stories about Beefheart where I lived right before he passed. The dude was wild and badass from what I heard.

[@nicklawrence3900]

Woah

[@bobterwilliger1310]

He doesn’t need to criticize himself. Guaranteed is his best, “commercial” or not. BTW:All R&R eventually is commercial. It’s the nature of the beast. Peace.

[@sonjoestar3613]

@@bobterwilliger1310 what? i don't agree at all. TMR is very artistic imo, same with Decals, Shiny Beast and Crow, these all have a very artistic feel to them, musically and lyrically, very avant garde, Blue Jeans and Guaranteed are jokes compared to them, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.. He disowned them for a good reason if you ask me, in this song i can hear him crying i don't wanna do this..

[@bogfranklin]

this man was a complete genius

[@michaelodonovan7405]

Looks like he's just been dressed by the Sally Army and he's got that unhinged look in his eyes.... I aspire to be like him so much

[@dizzaztergirl]

Salvation Armani! ;)

[@Leaddevo]

You need to take more drugs, so many more drugs

[@williamr6372]

BIG FAN OF CATAIN BEEFHEART FOR MANY YEARS....

[@VilhelmHammershoi1666]

It's the only worthwhile US band I've heard since it was founded in 1776

[@michaelgpartridge2384]

You may want to look up a little group called “13th Floor Elevators” and amend your statement😉

[@BretHHamilton]

I'll never forget Captain Beefheart saying he thought Frank Zappa had sold out. I love them both.

[@barbaramiddleton7117]

He's crazy that's why i like him.

[@stevegibbons5777]

A crazy genius.

[@barbaramiddleton7117]

@@stevegibbons5777 My husband was a great fan i wasn't until he took me to see him in concert in the sixties changed my mind then.

[@samiam5557]

This is my favorite Beefheart tune.

[@tomgradwell9872]

The great Alex St Claire on lead guitar R.I.P.

[@latexsolarbeef4990]

...this is dean smith...

[@michelletonks2270]

@@latexsolarbeef4990 Yeah, I realised my mistake shortly afterwards

[@owlytimbre9103]

I almost felt the camera flinch at the end. It looked like he did too.

[@danceswithbadgers]

OGWT was a great show. My parents had no idea I was watching stuff like this on my tiny portable black and white TV when I should have been asleep.

[@persvenssonpsychedelicsoun4203]

Great Vocals. Mighty fine Music!

[@Scroticus_Maximus]

He never fails to amuse.

[@robertwhitehouse5557]

The most memorable set I ever saw performed on OGWT.

[@williamhiggins842]

I am so stunned at how good no, how great this band is and I'm almost ashamed to say that I am just getting into the good Captain. I have always been aware of him and his reputation as kinda being how you say: eccentric.It has taken me about fifty years or so to start listening to him on the regular but Jeebus Almighty am I so happy that I finally discovered the Captain and his band.

[@RighteousBrother]

Welcome aboard friend......I'm fifty but was introduced to the good captain in teens.......where has the time gone?

[@michelletonks2270]

William - You are like me. The good Captain passed me by for about 30 years & then ping, I suddenly got it & have been appreciating his genius ever since. No other musical artist has ever had that effect on me.

[@becuzitsthere4484]

Trout Mask Replica

[@davidwaltzer2235]

Yeah I got into him when I saw his obituary in the New York Times and it included a link to Ice cream for Crow and I clicked on it and have been a huge fan ever since. This song is one of my favorites, I know how it feels to be driven away from my own steering wheel

[@beemerron]

I'm 68 and have been listening to him for the last 20 years or so. Beefheart; an acquired taste.

[@Elsa-yo8pi]

I remember taping this as part of a program called. ‘Sound of the70s’. My (school age) kids loved Captain Beefheart and still do. I’ve got ‘safe as milk’ Trout Mask Replica was a bit too much for me. 😁

[@brenda-leehay9219]

The elevation of an art form through pure genius.

[@moppydavycoonsmith3034]

Simply a radiant rarity to have a crazy little thing posted by a distaff formed name commenting clear spot on on Captain Beefheart.

[@moppydavycoonsmith3034]

Further Than We've Gone, Crazy Little Thing

[@goldenagenut]

No one like him and the Magic Band, totally unique. Never too late to discover the Captain.

[@irishbob26]

I was lucky enough to see the remaining magic band play in Dublin a few years ago. AMAZING.

[@petefitzsimons727]

I salute the captain brilliance doesn't come often!!

[@duncansmith69]

An unusually normal guitar solo for a Captain Beefheart song

[@docnelson2008]

The stars are matter, we're matter, it doesn't matter ...Don Van Vleit

[@barnabycross]

No band today can ever match this delivery

[@myway6763]

Don evolved from the extraordinary creative and eclectic group of people in Frank Zappa's orbit during the early to mid 60s in the suburbs of greater LA. He established his own distinctive brand of sound with the song Electricity that was way ahead of its time. In fact, the Captain's music never left the cutting edge. Even when watching his performances today, you'll have a hard time finding a pigeonhole for them, including his relatively commercial period of the mid 1970s. Now we can safely say, there will never be another Captain like Beefheart.

[@Acein3055]

Good music. I liked Don on Bongo Fury and Willie the Pimp.

[@nelsonx5326]

This is incredible!

[@jonhumble7199]

Wired and wonderful. What a tight band.

[@andrewjohnstone963]

Oh Captain you were a riot in your own way you still make me dance 🕺🎶 sing and most importantly you made me laugh a hearty love thank you for all of this ❤

[@scottjackson163]

I love this song, this performance.

[@eb3be66]

Superb....and nice to see the clip without adverts, decent quality footage and sound too, many thanks..

[@TenWilder0]

Surprising that they didn't break down the commercial wall and make a million with tunes like this. The Captain, God rest his soul, never wanted commercial success. But I submit that this track rocks harder, and is more original than any by more popular 70's groups like Led Zeppelin.

[@shawnpuffy]

Bad ass tune Captain!

[@andysaunders8497]

The My-O-Mys is the name of my next band

[@snakewhitcher4189]

The neighborhood skunks are going to great lengths to avoid me here in the Mojave desert. They think my mom is cool though. I'm the one to usually feed them.

[@ianwilkinson4602]

This is as perfect as it gets, what a fantastic performance . Thanks for all the weird music Captain RIP.

[@robappleby583]

The ultimate front man.

[@latexsolarbeef4990]

....excellent band...excellent....

[@endlessriver2768]

i have to listen to this at least 3 times a week, its like a drug!

[@Maldoror200]

..Ooooh...golly gishma(✨️😳💥📞💀)..and, ferdy felchwhistle 😢 ..(I'm to pee at least 5 X a week, on thee carpet ov thee evening asbestos..

[@bradostle584]

the sound of schophrenia i have listened to it all my life, smiey emoji

[@gontierfrancois8115]

I adore this man. I'm ALWAYS singing his songs

[@TimeTraveller010]

I always thought Captain Beefheart and his band were blues men. Dissenters? Eccentric blues man.

[@frankdiscussion2069]

this is my wedding song

[@Jack-vy6uo]

As we write.I miss him and thankfully got to meet him and FZ. Saw them together somehow I still stand.and deliver.

[@HamptonGuitars]

The lead player sure gets a sweet tone out of that LP w the mini humbuckers.

[@shootfirst2097]

Those are some killer silver/turquoise cuffs the Captain's wearing

[@kevinparker9692]

Modern day Howling Wolf, that voice is incredible!

[@caseyjones7404]

Witness the beauty

[@barbarastepien-foad4519]

Capt Beefheart and Frank Zappa ❤❤❤

[@lofi-guy]

Even Beefheart's rubbish spell is twice as good as anyone else can do

[@mikefelix6338]

The diehards called this the “Tragic Band” phase…this song is still a banger tho

[@tomasvanecek8626]

I´ve been there when it was released .. Sugar Bowl :) I was reaching my fingers there.. I was 14 :)) Now.. some folks didnt deserve to be there at all.. like Art Tripp - "When the band finally got our album copies, we were horrified. As we listened, it was as though each song was worse than the one which preceded it." Well, maybe he could play tympani with an orchestra.. but as a drummer for Don, he was lost.. too bad he didnt keep his mouth shut

[@geinikan1kan]

Thanks a bunch for posting this. Wonderful!

[@timjackson5680]

My all time favourite song of his. Oh too be inside his mind.

[@trevorhoward2254]

The Captain and the organist wearing matching rings.

[@johnmccann8319]

Brilliant! Love his antics!🤣

[@uriahturd9695]

I saw the parody called "o postman o mine" first and was so happy to hear the original was so great!

[@schultzdigital1]

I played some beefheart in the car on a first date once...didn't go over well.

[@woopteedeewoopteedye]

Wow. This version is amazing ! Better than the funny lip sync in the Netherlands tv show.

[@Nanook8830]

Such a good song. Great artist!!

[@philippeauffray1179]

On sent que le Captain n'était plus maître de son navire mais qu'il voguait déjà au delà des étoiles...Ciao Capitaine...

[@d_lt5643]

Bien dit.

[@ernestoleitao8684]

He is my captain,,,, good stuff

[@letsfly6503]

the only music from the future!

[@barnabycross]

total conviction total focus.....sunset protocol

[@MrSrc08c]

Ho ho ho. Hi hi hi. Pure lyrical genius.

[@spartanx5806]

love this tune

[@turloghobrien8172]

Jestem podporucznikiem i chciałbym mieć takiego kapitana.

[@jakubbaran28]

Heh. Jedyny w swoim rodzaju, kapitan wszystkich kapitanów. Boss

[@adrithgor7551]

Niby fajny kapitan i w ogóle, ale jak zacznie naparzać w klawiaturę i kazać Ci zagrać to samo na gitarze to będzie przesrane

[@soldtobediers]

How a 16th Century Explorer's Sailing Ship Works

[@timwright8785]

Love beefhart one of a kind

[@susiefairfield7218]

🙌🏼🙃👣❤️‍🔥💨🪶🕶️🎩🎧😋🔥👅 Thank You Captain!!!!

[@rogerfournier3284]

Extremely under-rated!

[@lornebailey1568]

Wonderful !

[@gontierfrancois8115]

From the 2 commercial albums. Bluejeans & Moonbeams + Unconditionnaly Guaranteed. Masterpieces TOO

[@TimJackson-eq6iy]

This is my favorite song of his. Because no record company would release the album for being too weird, Frank Zappa released it on his own label.

[@TheAppalachianYeti]

Ill be damned if this odd shit hasn't grown on me.

[@marshsherrif2824]

proper stuff

[@captainsoul1953]

have it good authority the Captain was a little soused on this recording

[@lowryfern]

A surreal music moment-- ranks with Bowie and Bing's Drummer boy, or the Residents on stage with Conway Twitty

[@nukiepoo]

Excellent!

[@Billykid514]

Genius

[@guitarhole]

I like it . In todays world this would be considered selling out though . Just by the other tracks I've heard by these guys .

[@GetMoreMellow]

Stop talking nonsense numb nuts

[@seed_drill7135]

This was his most conventional album, that's for sure.

[@samarthgrover1996]

Yeah the original magic band who recorded this album got disenchanted by the way album turned out and left the band. He had to put together a new band in a very little time.

[@Rascarrr]

it was considered selling out in the world back then too. still pretty good stuff, though

[@napomania]

Stop making sense ( quoting talking heads )

[@DukesMusic84]

Beefheart was definitely a character. Frank Zappa formed a tight bond with this man, he was willing to tolerate CB's erratic and often drugged behavior.

[@ThyEJ]

Drugged, he didn't work with drug users because they are unreliabe I would know because I am one

[@BreezyandtheBlazers-vd3xw]

What a legend

[@woopteedeewoopteedye]

Wow. Only had seen the Netherlands lips synchronized version, check it out for a good laugh. The shirt was given to him then and found it's way to england for this performance as well.

[@jackbrennan666]

This is magic.

[@rifethompson3389]

god...you can see how it hurts him to be performing at this level

[@cngrinder9423]

could you explain yourself?

[@jasfan8247]

Yes, he got the Crinch

[@marekwojdak7758]

Das war oder ist Super !

[@AndrewJones-jw7xl]

The Captain and Zappa had much in common. They shunned conventional music trends and simply made their own magical music.

[@BrianKlobyGuitar]

Incredibly Mojo Indeed

[@SpaghettiTapes]

The goat

[@ВладимирКомаров-ч3э]

Good band,no doubt.