It's a fascinating piece of work, i acquired it aged 17 on the back of seeing the 'ice cream for crow' video on MTV and it scared me to death. I still don't 'get' half of it, i find both 'hair pie' tracks practically un-listenable but i think i'm beginning to understand his genius a little.I'll go with Frownland as the best track.
I think my favorite part of the album might be the juxtaposition of "Well" and "When Big Joan Sets Up." I love how rapidly it transitions from the slow, vocal-only crooning of the former into the instrumental explosion of the latter. For my favorite individual song, however, I'd probably go with "Moonlight on Vermont."
An interesting poll, since this album 1) has a bunch of great tracks and 2) flows together best as a whole, with no one track really dominating the others.
Personally, my favorite is When Big Joan Sets Up. It's not as complex as some of the other tracks, but the sheer force of the song makes up for it. Ella Guru and Veteran's Day Poppy and a bunch of others also deserve consideration.
Which song would you vote for?
Frownland, by a hair. It's the most sustained in the purely visceral and overtly emotional, both areas Beefheart most excels in. The all-over-the-place mad instruments in the background during that song make it one of the greatest songs ever made in my opinion.
In the past, I have also gone with Moonlight On Vermont and Dachau Blues, as well as When Big Joan Sets Up and a couple others.
Hair Pie: Bake 2!
Update: If I could re-vote I would go with When Big Joan Sets Up.
It's a fascinating piece of work, i acquired it aged 17 on the back of seeing the 'ice cream for crow' video on MTV and it scared me to death. I still don't 'get' half of it, i find both 'hair pie' tracks practically un-listenable but i think i'm beginning to understand his genius a little.I'll go with Frownland as the best track.
I think my favorite part of the album might be the juxtaposition of "Well" and "When Big Joan Sets Up." I love how rapidly it transitions from the slow, vocal-only crooning of the former into the instrumental explosion of the latter. For my favorite individual song, however, I'd probably go with "Moonlight on Vermont."
That is my favorite part as well. That whole portion of about 5 or 6 tracks is astounding.
An interesting poll, since this album 1) has a bunch of great tracks and 2) flows together best as a whole, with no one track really dominating the others.
Personally, my favorite is When Big Joan Sets Up. It's not as complex as some of the other tracks, but the sheer force of the song makes up for it. Ella Guru and Veteran's Day Poppy and a bunch of others also deserve consideration.
Which song would you vote for?
Frownland, by a hair. It's the most sustained in the purely visceral and overtly emotional, both areas Beefheart most excels in. The all-over-the-place mad instruments in the background during that song make it one of the greatest songs ever made in my opinion.
In the past, I have also gone with Moonlight On Vermont and Dachau Blues, as well as When Big Joan Sets Up and a couple others.
It is a very tough, close call.