...5cd box set o'mostly early prime-era beefheart,four o'which concentrate on beginnins to trout mask, th'last disk is a potpourri o' gear goin up to 81...disks one'n two is live'n demos from 66/68 'n immediately its obvious from trk one that trout mask is inevitable,th'rhythms'n vibes're percolatin straight off...delta blooz from th'deserts o'california mixin with th'heavy R&B grooves from urban inner cities,free jazz blowin manglin'n twistin, ridin on th'garage rockin deranged'n stutterin beat...this stew would gone down solid with th'london marquee crowd,th'beatnix'n turned-on modernists woulda been doin th'cosmic hand-jive whilst trippin in th'giant sunday jelly...these jams based on ancient incantations to th'guardians o'salvation're future signposts leadin to th'pathways o'enlightenment...explodin planets shower th'list'ner with skewered shafts o'jazzbo electric shocks as th'distorted patterns undulate in th'midnight neon o' lonely city sidewalks...th'centre attraction is o'course th'trout mask house sessions where it all comes together...th'hepster flipped out beats from before th'formation o'time rise outta th'primal swamp layered with messed up strings twangin'n clangin thru th'clicks'n clacks...th'last disk is a trawl thru th'seventees with more demos'n live gubbins finishin in 81 when th'good captain decided to give up th'future blooz...a guaranteed wild ride thru th'semi illuminated less travelled by-ways o' underground rockin...for th'layabouts who live in th'basements o'bohemia,for th'reefer'd hooligans who populated th'shady side o' th'street,for th'velvet clad dandy in high dusty garretts amongst th'texts written in strange noodlin poetix...

...elvis had just about fallen off any radar o'culture when 68 rolled around,when th'planet exploded in righteous anger as freedom fighters,students,workers,unemployed,rabble rousers went up against th'oppressor'n came close to winnin in a coupla places but th'status quo prevailed by holdin out some token trinkets'n clubbin cats senseless when th'opportunity arose(99%o' th'time)...th'king was makin movies for a non existant audience,an audience that just faded as th'kings presence became thinner than mountain air, drive ins all over th'southlands just couldn't remember who this elvis was,didn't he make records or somethang?hes not th'beatles is he?were th'type o'question bein asked by th'great unwashed who'd moved on to other delites o' distraction...elvis knew he was losin contact with reality at this point,he knew th'audience has gone elsewhere,times themselves had gone elsewhere with vietnam claimin untold lives,kids strung out on bad drugs'n generally lost in a consumer haze o'fake psychedelia supplied by th'music industry...at about this time dylan was gettin back to a simpler way o' doin thangs ina back to basics post-drug folk fashion only this folk weren't 60s protest or trad.folk still popular amongst a few die hards(no acid rock please we're weirdbeard folkers),th'fabs were startin to get back with th'white album',stones would get in on th'scene with 'beggars', it was time for elvis to get WITH IT, now or never he thought,it was time to COMEBACK cos in some ways it was still th'50s for him,he'd been kidnapped by hollywood in 57'n since that time it was all celluloid as th'gigs diminished'n th'army came in to help calm th'whirlwind he'd created in society,he'd upset th'social strata'n he had to pay...over a few days in late june 68 he taped a teevee special where he sat around groovin with his combo'n threw a few jams down'n generally got th'memphis voodoo spirit to work in th'artificial stage settin...th'attitude o' john lee hooker pervades as th'continuous foot stomp/tambourine thwap rides th'groove as elvis pulls out some early toons'n gives a good natured run thru summonin th'rockroll guardians to deliver his message o''theres good rockin tonight'...this is four disks o' top flight king, elvis is groovin, even in th'fakest o' surroundins, with a script thats as hokey as only hollywood can be,th'king is relaxed(fairly)emanatin th'cool rockin gospel from way back on union avenue...this comeback worked too,allowin elvis to cut some o' his best ever sides in memphis over th'comin months, before he was put on th'concert treadmill by colonel tom who didn't dig this newly aware elvis, tom liked him docile'n reclusive away from fresh ideas that upset th'cashflow...

...very cool archival release from lowell when he was a stoner on th'LA music scene hangin with zappa'n beefheart'n kickin around some top folk rock grooves with touches o' out there blooz expression via th'good captain...th'title trk o' this comp is a truly brilliant teenage take on th'beefheart/howlin wolf vocal gymnastic shreikin, not too many have tried to approximate th'beefheartian growl'n none back when it was fresh on th'club floor...this is mostly th'sound o' folk jangle meets sunshine pop all put thru a prism(LA combo kaleidoscope have th'sound th'factory were lookin for), this is th'sound o' th'sunset strip at midnight with a head full o' acid, just groovin in th'neon reflection...nice flourishes o' psychness via bells jinglin'n sitar twang add to th' feelin o' baskin in a long lost west coast bong haze...th'last four trx come from 68/9'n as such aint as flipped out with th'beginnins o' lowells little feat're pitter pattin ever nearer...trk thirteen is a embryonic 'teenage nervous breakdown'n trk fourteen is kinda like an electric dan hicks groove'n mighty fine it is...

...icy cold'n lonesome, dwellin in th'outer reaches way beyond th'mortal definitions o' existance, from th'darkest past to th'uncertain future nico inhabits a time'n place not on any map or in a time period known to th'keepers o' chronology...driftin on th'ether, motionlessly sailin thru celestial winds under th'watchful eye o' th'guardians o' chaos nico speaks from th'temporal gap that runs between dreamtime'n th'unconcsious, th'hazy untouchable landscapes that few ever glimpse let alone wander freely'n unperturbed...nicos everpresent harmonium is backed by phil manzanera/eno/john cale so a fine stew o' ever unfoldin avant noise is effortlessly swirlin with squeeks, croaks'n moans all meanderin thru, weavin hypnotic patterns from th'netherworld...th'last in a loose trilogy that began with marble index'n desertshore a few years earlier all truly beautiful albums that continue to offer new ways o' thinkin,ways o' viewin th'familiar from unfamiliar positions, late night list'nin indeed...

...th'avant euro wing o' th'velvets'n th'poesy from th'soft machine plus chart visitor(w/roxy music)all get together at th'rainbow in ol'london town to make there presence known'n sell some wares(they're all on island records)...th'LP was released a month after th'gig'n for that time that was quick almost like pickin it up as a souvenir...eno kicks thangs off with a coupla wobbly poprock toons followed by john cales singular take on 'heartbreak hotel' whilst nico brings th'side to a close with her version o' 'th'end', th'jimbo morrison song from th'first doors album...side two belongs to kevin, it was supposed to be his evenin,with five groovy decadent ditties...overall its a cool look at these refugees from th'popworld who were all lookin for a way forward away from th'past into th'light...