LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY

My first album by CAPTAIN BEEFHEART was of course "Trout Mask Replica", which was enough to send me running into the hills. Almost 80 minutes of relentless, experimental music and vocals. There would be some considerable time go by before I would venture back into this band's music. "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" is in a sense the perfect followup to "Trout Mask Replica" as we get a lot of the same boxes being ticked, but this latest one at half the length and being a little less intense and experimental, generally means higher ratings for this one over that legendary previous record.

"Trout Mask Replica" had several Zappa musicians on it, and while that's not the case here, we do get a new drummer in Arthur Tripp who was part of THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION. The album cover says a lot doesn't it? The classy writing of a title that has no class. The band in tuxedos of course. High class music? No! This is the album where the lyrics become much more about sex, and are so dumbed-down. Yes a lot of lyrics about the Captain's big toe, sex on the brain, I get it.

Of the first four albums this is my least favourite with the debut easily being my favourite of those. It wouldn't be until "Shiny Beast(Bat Chain Puller)" from 1978 and the followup "Doc At The Radar Station" from 1980 that the 1967 debut gets bettered. In my opinion. I've mentioned before that I like Beefheart's vocals but man there's way too much of them in general, I get tired of them before that album ends, that's for sure. A lot of short and experimental tunes that are quite bluesy. Fifteen tracks worth 40 minutes and this was CAPTAIN BEEFHEART's first release of the seventies. A tough listen.