So titled because the original album, simply titled Bat Chain Puller, had to be ditched and rerecorded after a legal tuzzle involving Frank Zappa's manager, Shiny Beast turned out to be manna from heaven for those feeling Beefheart had lost his way on his two Mercury albums.
Then again, what else could be assumed with a song titled "Tropical Hot Dog Night" that sounds like what happened when Beefheart encountered Miami disco and decided to make something of it? When it comes to singing, though, he's still the atypical growler, snarler and more of lore, conjuring up more wonderfully odd lyrical stories than can easily be measured, while the album as a whole gets steadily more and more bent.
"You Know You're a Man" is at once straightforward and incredibly weird when it comes to love and gender, while other standouts include "Bat Chain Puller," a steady chugger that feels like a goofy death march, and the nervy freak of "Owed T'Alex." As for the Magic Band in general, keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman, guitarists Jeff Tepper and Richard Redus and drummer Robert Williams lay down the business with appropriately gone aplomb, as a listen to "Suction Prints" will demonstrate.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Floppy Boot StompDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | Tropical Hot Dog NightMichael Brook | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Ice RoseDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | Harry IreneDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | You Know You're a ManDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | Bat Chain PullerDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 7 | When I See Mommy I Feel Like a MummyDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | Owed T'alexHerb Bermann, Don Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Candle MamboDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | Love LiesDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 11 | Suction PrintsDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 12 | Apes-MaDon Van Vliet | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, Captain Beefheart | Play | 00:40 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 47 mins | 108 MB | |||||
| 47 mins | 299 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Barnes | Liner Notes |
| 2 | Herb Bermann | Composer |
| 3 | Michael Brook | Composer |
| 4 | Captain Beefheart | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Jason Day | A&R |
| 7 | Eric Drew Feldman | Bass, Guest Artist, Piano (Grand), Synthesizer |
| 8 | Bruce Fowler | Trombone |
| 9 | Pete Johnson | Producer |
| 10 | Scott Minshall | Reissue Design |
| 11 | Tom Wegg Prosser | Project Coordinator |
| 12 | Richard Redus | Accordion, Guitar, Guitar (Bass) |
| 13 | Jeff Moris Tepper | Guitar |
| 14 | Art Tripp | Marimba, Percussion |
| 15 | Don Van Vliet | Composer, Harmonica, Producer, Sax (Soprano), Vocals |
| 16 | Robert Arthur Williams | Drums, Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |