"Lost" Captain Beefheart album Bat Chain Puller finally due out

[Guest]

A long-lost Captain Beefheart album is to finally be released, on what would have been Don Van Vliet's 71st birthday. Bat Chain Puller was recorded in 1976 but shelved later that year, due to a dispute between Frank Zappa and his former manager, Herb Cohen.

Guardian.

The album of the similar name - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) - is made up of different takes of some of the songs destined for the original version of Bat Chain Puller. Other songs from the original Bat Chain Puller were later re-recorded and found their way onto Doc at the Radar Station and Ice Cream for Crow.

Shiny Beast was also thought to have been played back too fast when pressed, causing everything to be higher than originally played/sung.

I've "pre" ordered it from the only place it's currently available - Barksofwill, which is in the US, and you'll pay $11 shipping if you do likewise. No idea when it'll be available on Amazon.

[Lateralthinking1]

Is there a track list yet?

[Bryn]

Guardian.

The album of the similar name - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) - is made up of different takes of some of the songs destined for the original version of Bat Chain Puller. Other songs from the original Bat Chain Puller were later re-recorded and found their way onto Doc at the Radar Station and Ice Cream for Crow.


Shiny Beast was also thought to have been played back too fast when pressed, causing everything to be higher than originally played/sung.

I've "pre" ordered it from the only place it's currently available - Barksofwill, which is in the US, and you'll pay $11 shipping if you do likewise. No idea when it'll be available on Amazon.

Good news indeed, but I think I will wait for gandsmusic to get it in stock. Mind you, it was never really "lost". It's just taken a very long time for it to be released from the vaults.

[Pilchardman]

Mind you, it was never really "lost".

Thread title changed to please pedants. ;)

[teamsaint]

so is there a lot of new material on this album then?

[MrGongGong]

Beefheart at Christmas
a great and mighty wonder indeed

[Pilchardman]

so is there a lot of new material on this album then?

If it is the original unreleased album, there's 3 songs that have never been released before. Four others were rerecorded for Shiny Beast, four were rerecorded for Doc at the Radar Station, and three were rerecorded for Ice Cream For Crow.

[teamsaint]

Beefheart at Christmas
a great and mighty wonder indeed

yup. The rellies are going to lurve a bit of all new beefheart along with " oh come all ye faithful" and "ding dong merrily".
One to retreat to the kitchen with, and enjoy while peeling a very big pile of spuds, i think.

Too late to reach the teamsaint xmas stocking i fear.

i wonder what xmas was like in the Beefheart household, back in the glory days?!

[Pilchardman]

It is said that Bono asked Beefheart to collaborate on a project, and Don wrote back:

"Dear Bongo,

No."