Captain Beefheart - Under Review [DVD]

Captain Beefheart Under Review seems to attempt two approaches at once, and at times loses its way deciding which path it should stick to. On the one hand this is a serious programme which focuses on reviewing the albums chronologically, intent on telling all sides of the Beefheart story (except, unsurprisingly, Don's) and allowing the numerous interviewees ample screen time to discuss either their own work or their opinions of those works. On the other, it details (through the voice-over specifically) the career path and rough biography of the man. Therefore we get a programme both painstakingly specialised and one which attempts to explain every single album and each shift in musical direction, which will be both too detailed for the average viewer, and perhaps unbalanced for the true afficianado.

It's great to see Magic Band members, from Elliot Ingber to Moris Tepper and Gary Lucas, discussing the work that they were involved in, but somehow the second half of this lengthy documentary loses its way by focusing as much on an album like Bluejeans and Moonbeams or Clear Spot than it does on Trout Mask and Lick My Decals Off, Baby. This means that the second half noticeably fails to keep your interest, especially when band members themselves (from Ira Ingber to Moris Tepper) are voicing their disappointment at the works to which they contributed. There also seems to be a lack of any real attempt by the critics assembled to define exactly what Beefheart was trying to do with music (Bob Dylan biographer Clinton Heylon gets closest, but they all seem unable to approach the subject MUSICALLY.)

There are some real plus points, though - John French and Rockette Morton take us through their drum and bass parts to Electricity and Hair Pie, ex-engineer and friend of Don, Gary Marker, adds great deatil to the recording processes of the early works, and there's some fantastic footage of the band through their numerous incarnations (although the 80s Paris footage looks rather muddy). There's also a terrifically edited montage to Dr. Dark, and some interesting stylistic devices (band members in bizarre locations, musical stings to introduce new interviewees).

In the end, this is a great package overall - an in-depth programme that grapples with explaining what made Beefheart different and significant. That it fails at times is perhaps to be expected - even the Magic band members themselves don't seem to know.

This is a real gem. Ive never seen the BBC progamme many fans speak of but this documentary for me really gets to the heart of the matter. What more could u want than most of the magic band [would have been nice to see Ry Cooder however]talking about Don and the recording of the records, some cool live footage from different eras [id only seen the old grey whistle test performance of 'upon the my oh my' before so this stuffs a real treat]and some fairly good commentary [particularly from Mike Barnes who wrote the Beefheart biography]. OK, OK, Don himself would have made it a 10 out of 5 programme, but i dont think thats ever going to happen now, so this could be the best possible were going to get

buy, watch and enjoy...

I have found my new favourite band. Thanks partly to this documentary, thanks mostly to the astounding talent and audacious genius of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

I watched this documentary because I wanted to learn about Beefheart. I'd heard of him, I'd heard of his reputation but I'd never heard his music; and wanting to hear it without committing to buying a record, I rented this from one of those online DVD clubs. Only now have I found that I already have a friend who has "Safe As Milk", the first Beefheart album, but he never thought to mention it until I started going on about how brilliant the band is.

It seems like about 40 minutes of this documentary goes by without any music being played - except early single "Diddy Wah Diddy". All the interviewees start harping on about how brilliant the music is, and I'm sat there going, "play some then! play it! I want to hear!" Mercifully we do get to hear some of this music. And it is astounding. The moment I hear it, I realise that this is what I've been looking for. It's exactly the music I like. It's exactly the music I'd like to make, but I'm not visionary enough.

Immediately (more or less) after watching this film I bought 4 Captain Beefheart records. So far I've only listened to 2, but I'm a busy boy and I have bought other records too. I am obsessed, obsessed I tell you, OBSESSED!! The Flaming Lips have been my favourite band since 1999. I told my best friend that I have found my new favourite band - hang on, I actually told him, "I have found YOUR new favourite band" - he said, "what, you like them more than the Flaming Lips?" Well, I'm not sure about that yet, but I've been obsessed with the Lips for 8 years. I need something new, even if that something new is something old. I've found it thanks to this DVD. It includes some terrific footage, really gets in depth with the musicians about the recording process, which I really appreciate as a musician myself, and is quirky in it's way too - John French answers all his questions into a telephone that is nailed to a tree. In reciprocation I fetched my telephone over and picked it up to pretend I was talking to him whenever he came on. I probably shouldn't have told you that. "Who is this loon?!?" You're asking. Hey, just trying to have a bit of fun. Sorry!

Now, I expect most people that watch this film are Beefheart fans already, so I can understand a little disappointment on their part. No, the man himself isn't interviewed, there's not even any old interview footage, and he cuts such a fascinating character that you can't help but be a little disappointed that he doesn't make an appearance when so much depth has been included in every other way.

Some of the reviewers also complain about some of the "reviewers". Again, this I can understand: after all, you're already Beefheart fans, and as such you're clearly fairly knowledgeable about music and have no doubt formed your own opinions about the Captain's important works. You don't need to be told. Well, I did. I needed a starting point, and this film provided it. It is fairly exhaustive, covering all the albums, giving me an idea of which ones are amazing, and which merely "good compared to music in general". Don't hold any disdain for this film. It has helped me to become one of you, and now I can open up my mind and discover a whole world of music that has existed through nearly my entire life that I didn't even know of before.