BONGO FURY

Since I'm not a Captain Beefheart fan, I can't compare this to other albums that he has in his discography, and I know I have a hard time listening to an entire album of him by himself, but paired with Frank Zappa during a time ( out of several) when he was doing some great output, and the great band line-up of the time, this makes for an entertaining album. Beefheart's spoken word moments here are a little strange to me, but his regular singing on this album is not to bad. There is humor aplenty on this album, though it is very off the wall, not straightforward as on Shiek Yerbouti. The guitar work on this is simply amazing and the Captain's harmonica is outstanding. For the most part, the parts all fit together nicely throughout.

The highlights here are Carolina Hard Core Ecstasy, Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plains Ahead, 200 Years Old (for the great guitar solo), Advance Romance and Muffin Man (another great guitar solo). The highlights definitely outweigh the low points of the album and it makes it easier to "open your mind" to at least a few of the Beefheart ramblings, which fortunately there are only a few here. The production here is excellent, you almost swear you are listening to a studio album all the way through. (Tracks 5 and 6 and the beginning of 9 are studio, the rest is live). Not the best place to start your exploration into Zappa, but not one to be afraid of either. All in all, this is an excellent addition to any prog rock collection.