AMSTERDAM, april 10th - With the performance last Saturday night by the American Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band in a practically sold out Amsterdam Concertgebouw one of the extremes of the contemporary pop happening got a chance. The musical course which Beefheart is following seems to be derived from the monotonous sound of the Velvet Underground and the bizarre performing art of Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The sturdy Captain (alias Don van Vliet) Beefheart has dedicated himself to producing almost animal-like throat sounds which sometimes slightly resemble the blues.

In any case, with modest musical means blown up to tornado loudness, Saturday night there surely was being performed a spectacular act. Like a musical Dali, Beefheart walked around in a red satin costume with a black cape around his shoulders, growling and conjuring across the stage. Surrounding him were five musicians dressed up as fools of which especially ex-Mothers bassist Roy Estrada held steady the rhythmical helm.

to the left: elliot ingber / winged eel fingerling, [art tripp / ed marimba], roy estrada / oréjon
better in the picture: mark boston / rockette morton, bill harkleroad / zoot horn rollo, don van vliet / captain beefheart
(internet version of upper part of) uncredited picture by gijsbert hanekroot

Drummer Arthur Tripp III, equipped with a sort of fool's cap on some wild hair, banged a load of rhythmics into the hall while discharging battle screams. Casually but dignified the Captain once confided to the audience that he thinks a psychiatrist to be a person "who wants to die in someone else’s life". What about that?! Guitar player Mark Boston - with a straw hat and floral patterned satin suit - constantly circled around his Magic Captain in stealy dances, and perpetrated guitar exhibitionism.

Besides the capers with his roaring stentorian voice Beefheart devoted himself to some free jazz on his soprano sax for a while, or was it just the result of a suddenly arising outburst of anger? The audience showed a lukewarm response to the bombastic, clever fraud. But that’s no real worry for this man who called himself the "master of fake" (see additional note).

PICTURE 5

MARK BOSTON rockette morton
to the left: elliot ingber (winged eel fingerling)
picture by ton damman
 
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