...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...