Today I brought my Rickenbacker along to my guitar lesson (as opposed to my bass) just because I felt like playing some guitar, and Steve pulled up this wonderful Captain Beefheart cut, I’m Glad from the album Safe as Milk.
I have that disc, as well as the seminal Trout Mask Replica, though I have not listened to either of them in years, so I sort of forgot about them. We were working on the arpeggios within the cool progression (played here by Ry Cooder) and at one moment, I stopped dead, looked at Steve, and said, “this is Ooh Baby Baby,” and Steve quickly nodded and said, “yeah, I couldn’t put my finger on it.”
Both are great, and different in their own way, but the crossover is unmistakable; however, you be the judge.
And now the inimitable Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
I don’t know nearly as much about Captain Beefheart as I should, but always thought his MO was weird. This isn’t weird at all.
I just heard “I’m Glad” for the first time recently on local college radio. At first I thought it was some doo-wop from the 60’s like some of what Zappa did. I think the similarity ends at the ‘ooh baby baby’ and ‘I’m glad’ lines, though. I much prefer the Capt. Beefheart song since I’ve heard The Miracles’ tune way too many times in my life. Plus I really love the Memphis/Muscle Shoals feel of this song as compared to the rigid Motown sound.
Missed this on the first pass. This is an awesome combination, and if I ever heard this Beefheart, I forgot it. Sweet!