Initially intended to be an experimental double album, sanity and sensibility eventually came to the legendary Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band and instead of leaving it as it was, the group decided to cut out the filler and deliver this single album in 1968. This album was not seen as highly regarded as the album release before it or the release after it by the group. This was primarily due to the production and sound effects, of which the Captain himself (Don Van Vliet, birth name) was not a fan. Regardless, these guys were still hot commodity back in 1968 and this is considered one of their better releases. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear where it takes us.

Ah Feel Like Ahcid begins with some loose sounds, and the Captain launches into some Blues wailing with Psychedelic lyrics. This is a bit weird, but bear in mind that this was the late 1960s. Eventually, harmonica and odd-sounding guitars enter. This is experimental and unusual but sounds as fresh and enjoyable as anything else from this era. This is obviously drug-influenced and sounds like Muddy Waters/Howlin’ Wolf on drugs. This frankly unusual-sounding tune about plus-sized women and other strange ideals lays the path down for Kid Rock’s own agenda of chasing USA BBWs decades later. Weird yet wonderful, this ends with the recorded sound of a heartbeat.

Safe As Milk launches into a straightforward and weird Blues-based Rock jam. This sort of music is designed to clearly out weird everyone in the business of making Psychedelic Rock at the time. A strange, strange tune to hear, this music will no doubt go down in history as the most abnormal but enjoyable sounding tunes out there. A very wacky tune, but one can actually hear that, despite its discordant oddity, this music is pure genius. The sounds and music throughout, along with the surreal lyrics and sound effects based production are awesomely surreal to listen to. If you want music to freak out your friends or raise eyebrows, this is perfect for that cause. A weird guitar solo is present here, with a slide of sorts. This tune really should have been on the debut album of the same name. The second half has a random set of sounds and a drum solo, followed by dramatic vocals. Some clacking percussion follows, and this tune sounds weirder than Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The irregularities of this music are like a Salvador Dali painting: surreal with little sense. The dramatic drum rolls that follow have a ton of flanger added to them. This continues on for a bit, sounding like an LSD trip set to music. This eventually concludes with some random guitar sounds, before wrapping up. Very Psychedelic and bizarre.

Trust Us is eight minutes long. Some proto-EDM styled sound effects are throughout the start of this tune, with some spoken word lyrics to match along with electric guitars. This quickly launches into a very odd-sounding tune that sounds far out. This song is excellent, however, for all its oddity. Regardless, this launches into a pseudo-instrumental piece, with some drug-inspired and interesting lyrics and music throughout. Without sounding outright horrid, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band reveal themselves to make an album that is extremely druggy. The guitars and musical sensibilities here are much more like West Coast Psychedelia than the traditional Blues Music basis that you may expect. Some interstellar sounds are present throughout this tune, along with some treated and furious drumming to listen to. Towards the middle is a chanted pseudo-chorus section, before a breakdown occurs. In any case, this does sound magically wonderful, in a messed up way. Violining and electric guitar feedback are present in the middle of this tune, sounding very bizarre. There are various multitracked sections with artistic and productive flair throughout. The sounds are very futuristic, even for a 1968 album. The second half picks up in intensity and pace and sounds very different yet awesome. This is an album for those who think that Blues is too boring, Rock is a sell-out and Psychedelia is not arty enough. In any case, this is a good song for those of you who loved the offbeat of the music, so to speak. A great listen in its own way. The outro has some whispered chanting that is gradually mixed in, followed by a distantly mixed radio-sounding Blues jam by these guys. A clever, original and imaginative listening experience. Very, very cool.

Son Of Mirror Man – Mere Man begins with some loose electric guitar picked parts, some ghostly electronic sounds and enters into an unusual piece of music. This quickly enters into the unusual neo-Blues Music at hand that sounds deliciously awesome. This certainly isn’t the greatest album ever, but Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band deliver a rewarding audio trip for us, even many decades later on at the time of writing. The deep, growling Blues screaming by the Captain and the very weird music by His Magic Band are a fantastic weird combination of sounds. The music here, although not as good as other tunrs at the time, still has a great deal of Psychedelic promise about them. The music fades out weirdly in the midsection, before resuming in a very unusual way. The flanger-affected drums are certainly unusual sounding, but this was the late 1960s, mind you. Some weird effects drenched electric guitar emerges in the second half with synchronised harmonica and weird vocals. Again, very different. This extended jam piece continues for well over five minutes in length, and the mixture of vocals, guitars and sound effects sounds really different. This is mixed out at the end with some strange electronic sounds. Odd.

On Tomorrow begins with some palm-muted guitars and rolling drumbeats. This is a good listen, from the start. It sounds fresh and different and is a bit more normal than the music that had come before. Captain Beefheart sings well, and he delivers his usual Blues influenced Psychedelic Music for you to hear. This again, isn’t the best music from the era, even for the Hippies. It does have potential, along with originality and character throughout. A short and different tune to listen to. Good even if this isn’t great to listen to. Some excellent Fender-styled guitars are present here, and the music throughout is a good winner of a listening experience. A forward-thinking listen from the late 1960s, with chanting and varying musicianship throughout. This song is very enjoyable, all the way through to the final section of the song, which has some weird slide guitar that is dual-tracked. Different. It segues into the next song.

Beatle Bones ‘N Smokin’ Stones begins with warped backwards guitar parts and quickly enters into a strangely surreal tune. This obviously is a stab at the main two bands of the time that were hugely popular: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It is a mockery of some of the trippy Beatles work, namely Strawberry Fields Forever. A different and interesting song to listen to, this music has some interesting studio editing and some sounds that are very different, including reversed cymbal hits and other neat tricks done on production. There is a false ending in the second half before this tune resumes. Captain Beefheart’s vocals are injected with a strange emotion that can be heard. A good listen, and the ending has a ton of reverb, followed by an unusual conclusion.

Gimme Dat Harp Boy is a weird Country Blues-styled piece of music from the start. It quickly has harmonica entering, and sounds very oddball. The music here is very eye-opening and different, just like a hallucinogenic drug trip. This sounds bizarre with offbeat-sounding guitars, harmonica galore and Captain Beefheart’s Bluesy vocals. There is no harp here, unlike what the song title suggests. The music is beyond weird, not necessarily bad, just so odd that it takes some patience and understanding. All in all, another cool piece of music. The harmonica is the centre piece to this song, and it is a good more traditional listen nonetheless from these guys. This album is for the weirdest of the weird, all the same. If you dig being more of a cult music fan than what The Velvet Underground promised, look no further. Very strange to hear. The second half has an interesting jam section, and the music throughout is interesting, even if at times it is difficult to understand. Another good listen, but probably not a great listen. The outro sounds very innovative, taking traditional Blues Music to the next dimension. Weird yet wonderful.

Kandy Korn sounds awful at the start, with some vocals wailing away. Soon into it, a thunderous set of sounds enter. This quickly enters into another bizarre song about candy. Very strange and unusual, the musicianship and performance here is a good one, however. The music here hasn’t aged brilliantly well but sounds different nonetheless. The mixture of guitars and other sounds here is interesting, intelligent and quirky. There are some synchronised guitars and drums in a rapid-fire way throughout. A good listen, but Psychedelic Rock has been done much better elsewhere. There are more reversed cymbals on this tune in the midsection, with some warped and processed vocals. For all its interesting sonic sounds, this could have been bettered. In any case, this music goes on for some time, sounding way more different than anything that yes, even The Beatles could have thought of. This sadly, is more of a sonic exercise than a jaw-droppingly amazing piece of music. Yes, these guys did have potential but it is somewhat lost on this album. In any case, this song concludes with feedback, cymbals and a dark conclusion, before the Captain sings his last song section.

This is a very different musical listening experience that bravely attempts to take on the orthodox in music and destroy it forever. Having said that, this is not the greatest album made, nor is it even the greatest album that Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band created. Still, as long as you have an open mind, this music may suit you. Should you listen to this album anyway? Possibly, it depends on whether you approve of music being totally weird or not.

A different experience, but it could have been better.

6/10