Captain Beefheart-Clear Spot / Spotlight Kid

Clear Spot / Spotlight Kid

The Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot captures EVERYTHING great about this guy. Not a single weakpoint anywhere.

 

I'll say this- even though the best material here doesn't quite excite me on the same level as the best stuff from Trout Mask Replica, I'd say these two albums combined to make one SUPER disc is actually *more* consistent and entertaining to me personally than Trout Mask Replica the entire way through. But nothing here reaches the high points of say, "When Big Joan Sets Up".

Let's face it- while groundbreaking, TMR isn't exactly the easiest music in the world to get into.

I believe Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot is an easier listen, if only ever so slightly (or maybe I've finally gotten used to the Captain's style and went into this album expecting more of the same, and if you happen to be in the same boat as me -hearing TMR before this one- perhaps you'll find the music fairly easy to get into yourself).

 

The Spotlight Kid captures Captain Beefheart in his insanely creative and brave career period, when he was dabbing in wild experiments and not afraid to hold *anything* back. The guitar riffs, the harmonica that occasionally comes out of nowhere giving the music a southern blues feel, the lyrics that are constantly out of place, and yet, all these things come together and fit in perfectly despite the initial impression that nothing works.

 

His lyrics are written in a way where anyone can get into them, but don't expect them to be anything approaching normal either. He constantly finds ways to throw tricky words into his music, perhaps doing so deliberately as a way to be different from your ordinary normal way most musicians write lyrics.

 

THIS is a fantastic album, and THIS is why I love the good Captain as much as I do. Once you get into this style, you'll learn to appreciate what he's doing and gradually adjust to his HIGHLY unusual and completely unique way of putting a song together.

 

Clear Spot shows signs of Captain Beefheart attempting to write more accessible music, though only on a couple occasions. For the most part the music is quite twisted and strange in the same way as Spotlight Kid and even Trout Mask Replica. Just ignore "Too Much Time" and you'll be alright. While a decent song, it sounds VERY out of place if you ask me.