Of all the Beefheart albums this one was the last in line to get a CD reissue. The first CD reissue came out in 1994 but it has been repressed a few times. I'm assuming the mastering is the same for all the CD issues but perhaps the Japan pressing may differ, which they do in some cases.
The only thing I don’t love on this album is the spoken introduction to Trust Us. Always seemed creepy and out of character.
Just found this thread. I'll save how first encountered Captain Beefheart (that wasn't "Willie the Pimp") for when we Don our roly-poly fish heads but going back to Safe as Milk; surreal poetry takes a swim in the blues.
Re: Strictly Personal............. I like the songs, but prefer the outtakes (which I have as Safe As Milk CD bonus tracks). If Mirror Man is part of this discussion, I like the long rambling jams. it's kind of his Grateful Dead album.
It's an instrumental version. It's cool but nothing revelatory. The LP has gorgeous packaging but unfortunately doesn't sound all that great. It's mastered from digital complete with digital glitches!
Just curious. Is this stray track Moody Liz "take 16" mastered from an acetate or from a tape source? I noticed a YouTube video that has another version of this song but it is sort or rough sounding but not terrible by any means.
Safe as Milk is just perfect for my tastes. It has the Captain's uniqueness, but still grounded solidly in the blues. So it is innovative, yet accessible. I also enjoy the A & M Sessions which maybe could have started the thread. Diddy Wah Diddy Who Do You Thing You're Fooling? Moonchild Frying Pan Here I Am I Always Am
There is a mono acetate mix with a lot of phasing. Take 16 is tape sourced and stereo like the other tracks from the sessions. There is no reason it couldn't be released digitally.
From Rolling Stone: The Odyssey of Captain Beefheart: Rolling Stone's 1970 Cover Story (Continued) In Beefheart's absence Bob Krasnow released the album Strictly Personal under his own label, Blue Thumb, without Beefheart's approval. As lawsuits filled the air, Beefheart himself was left in bewilderment. The record had been electronically altered through a process called phasing which totally obliterated the sound which he had been striving to put down. "That's the reason that album is as bad as it is," he sighs when asked about the incident. "I don't think it was the group's fault. They really played their ass off — as much as they had to play off." But despite the electronic and legalistic hanky panky surrounding its production, Strictly Personal is an excellent album. The guitars of the Magic Band mercilessly bend and stretch notes in a way that suggests that the world of music has wobbled clear off its axis. Beefheart's singing is again at full power. In songs like "Trust Us" and "Son of Mirror Man — Mere Man" it sounds as if all the joy and pain in the universe have found a single voice. Throughout the album the lyrics demonstrate Beefheart's ability to juxtapose delightful humor with frightening insights — "Well they rolled around the corner / Turned up seven come eleven/That's my lucky number, Lord/I feel like I'm in heaven." The unfortunate fact about the second album was that few people were able to get into it. Apparently, the combination of Beefheart's musical progress and Krasnow's electronic idiocy made the album too much for most listeners to take. Strictly Personal sold poorly and did nothing to advance the band's popularity. To this day there exists a strange love/hate relationship between Beefheart and Krasnow over the record. Krasnow claims that Beefheart still owes him $113,000 and that as a result of Beefheart's disorganized way of handling money, he has been thrown in jail twice. Beefheart, on the other hand, usually cites Krasnow as a charlatan and pirate — the man most responsible for destroying his career. At other times, both men speak of each other with genuine respect, sympathy and affection. "I'd really like to have him back with me," Krasnow said recently. "He's actually a good man," Beefheart will tell you. Most of the Captain's relationships with those close to him are of this sort. Everybody's despicable villain one day, a marvelous hero the next.
Strictly Personal is another brilliant album. It's the birth of the trademark Magic Band sound. All the phasing and flanging and etc was added with the intention of making the album sound more trendy, but it was all in vain, the band was destined to commercial failure. I must admit I love the maligned Krasnow's production, though. The song sequence flows really well, and some psychedelic effects are great (I can't imagine "Beatle Bones N' Smokin' Stones" without all the studio trickery, even though we have a nice clean version included as a bonus track on Mirror Man). Anyway, I think the performances of the aborted sessions for the second Buddah LP were generally better, and it's a real pity the Brown Wrapper project was left unfinished. Fortunately, we have a lot of material from those sessions to enjoy.
I read somewhere that a pre-vandalized master had been located (in Culver City?) sure hope it comes out someday! it's only 50 years overdue
The Strictly Personal album was liked by Beefheart initially but he dismissed it shortly after since it sold poorly.
