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Captain Beefheart discographyStudio albums 13 EPs 1 Live albums 3 Compilation albums 22 Singles 23
The following is a list of official releases by American musician Captain Beefheart . With various line-ups of musicians called The Magic Band, Beefheart released a total of 13 studio albums recorded between 1967 and 1982, after which he left music to concentrate on a career in painting, as Don Van Vliet. His catalogue has since been augmented with extra releases including an EP and various compilations of live material, studio outtakes and greatest hits releases.
In addition to his work with the Magic Band over this period, Beefheart also collaborated with several other musicians, most notably Frank Zappa , a friend from his teenage years with whom he worked intermittently during his musical career.
Year
Title
Notes
Magic Band personnel
Charts
US
UK[ 1]
1967
Safe as Milk
Released on June 29, 1967
Label: Buddah (US), Pye (UK)
John French
Ry Cooder
Alex St. Clair
Jerry Handley
—
—
1968
Strictly Personal
Released in October 1968
Label: Blue Thumb (US), Liberty (UK)
John French
Alex St. Clair
Jeff Cotton
Jerry Handley
—
—
1969
Trout Mask Replica
Released on June 16, 1969
Label: Straight
John French
Jeff Cotton
Bill Harkleroad
Mark Boston
Victor Hayden
—
21
1970
Lick My Decals Off, Baby
Released in December 1970
Label: Straight
John French
Bill Harkleroad
Mark Boston
Art Tripp
203
20
1971
Mirror Man
Released in April 1971 (recorded 1967)
Label: Buddah
John French
Alex St. Clair
Jeff Cotton
Jerry Handley
—
49
1972
The Spotlight Kid
Released in January 1972
Label: Reprise
John French
Bill Harkleroad
Mark Boston
Art Tripp
Elliot Ingber
131
44
1972
Clear Spot
Released in October 1972
Label: Reprise
Bill Harkleroad
Mark Boston
Art Tripp
Roy Estrada
191
—
1974
Unconditionally Guaranteed
Released in April 1974
Label: Mercury (US), Virgin (UK)
Bill Harkleroad
Mark Boston
Alex St. Clair
Mark Marcellino
Art Tripp
192
—
1974
Bluejeans & Moonbeams
Released in November 1974
Label: Mercury (US), Virgin (UK)
Ira Ingber
Gene Pello
Mark Gibbons
Michael Smotherman
Jimmy Caravan
Ty Grimes
Dean Smith
—
—
1978
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
Released in October 1978
Label: Warner (US), Virgin (UK)
Jeff Moris Tepper
Bruce Lambourne Fowler
Eric Drew Feldman
Richard Redus
Robert Arthur Williams
—
—
1980
Doc at the Radar Station
Released in August 1980
Label: Virgin
John French
Jeff Moris Tepper
Eric Drew Feldman
Bruce Lambourne Fowler
Robert Arthur Williams
203
—
1982
Ice Cream for Crow
Released in September 1982
Label: Virgin
Jeff Moris Tepper
Gary Lucas
Richard Snyder
Cliff R. Martinez
—
90
2012
Bat Chain Puller
Recorded in 1976
Label: Zappa
John French
John Thomas
Jeff Moris Tepper
Denny Walley
—
—
Year
Title
Notes
Magic Band personnel
1984
The Legendary A&M Sessions
Released in October 1984
Label: A&M
Features four tracks taken from the band's earliest singles in 1966, and a fifth track recorded in the same year
The Spotlight Kid / Clear Spot (1972)
The Spotlight Kid / Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1973)
Captain Beefheart File (1977)
Music in Sea Minor (1983)
Top Secret (1984)
Safe as Milk / Mirror Man (1988)
Abba Zaba (1988)
Captain Beefheart at his Best (1989)
The Best Beefheart (1990)
Zig Zag Wanderer: The Collection (1991)
I May Be Hungry but I Sure Ain't Weird: The Alternative Captain Beefheart (1992)
A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond (1993)
Zig Zag Wanderer: The Best of the Buddah Years (1996)
Electricity (1998)
Grow Fins: Rarities 1965–1982 (1999)
The Mirror Man Sessions (1999)
The Dust Blows Forward: An Anthology (1999)
The Best of Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band (2002)
Hot Head: Introducing Captain Beefheart (2003)
The Buddah Years (2006)
It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper (2008)
Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972 (2014)
Year
Single
Peak positions
Album
UK
1966
"Diddy Wah Diddy " / "Who Do You Think You're Fooling"
—
The Legendary A&M Sessions
"Moonchild" / "Frying Pan"
—
1967
"Yellow Brick Road" / "Abba Zaba"
57[ A]
Safe as Milk
1968
"Moonchild" / "Who Do You Think You're Fooling"
61[ A]
The Legendary A&M Sessions
"Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" / "Yellow Brick Road"
—
Safe as Milk
"Zig Zag Wanderer" / "Abba Zaba"
—
1970
"Pachuco Cadaver" / "Wild Life"
—
Trout Mask Replica
1972
"Too Much Time" / "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains"
—
Clear Spot
1974
"Upon the My-O-My" / "Magic Be"
—
Unconditionally Guaranteed
1978
"Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" / "Electricity "
—
Safe as Milk
"Hard Workin' Man"
—
Blue Collar Soundtrack
1982
"Ice Cream for Crow " / "Light Reflected Off the Oceands of the Moon"
—
Ice Cream for Crow
Year
Single
Album
1969
"Plastic Factory" / "Where There's Woman"
Safe as Milk
1972
"Click Clack" / "Glider"
The Spotlight Kid
Beefheart may also have performed uncredited (for contractual reasons) on other Zappa albums, including Freak Out! (1966) where he can be detected playing harmonica and singing.
Other collaborations [ edit ]
Ice Cream For Crow (1982) promotional video by Don Van Vliet, Ken Schreiber & Daniel Pearl
Some Yo Yo Stuff (1994) Directed by Anton Corbijn [ 2]
The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart (1997) BBC Documentary
Captain Beefheart: Under Review (2006) An Independent Critical Analysis
^ a b Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band (1964–1982)
The Magic Band (2003–2017)
Studio albums EPs Live albums Compilations Singles Other songs Related articles