Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band

Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, made stunningly original, salacious, and witty avant-rock/blues/jazz from 1965 to 1982, when he abruptly quit the world of music to pursue painting and poetry. Van Vliet, a childhood friend of Frank Zappa, never had it easy with the record industry. Eccentricities notwithstanding, his uncompromising, engaging music has endured the tests of time. In particular, 1969's Trout Mask Replica, produced by Zappa, is regarded as a landmark of experimental rock.With complex time signatures, surreal lyrics and themes, and irregular instrumentation, Trout Mask Replica inspired other musicians to think outwith the conventional structures and rules of rock music.