I've tried... Oh how I've tried... Tirelessly to 'get' this album, but like two pensioners in bed, after much groaning and straining, it's decided that there's no point anymore. Maybe we'll try again one day, but for now there's simply nothing.
I'm not going to lie, there are parts of the album which I like, they're the parts that aren't simply dissonant rubbish, whilst the purely vocal tracks are interesting, I could probably take verbs and random words from a dictionary and get the same result.
I don't want to simply slate the album, alot of people say you need to listen to it several times, and after sacrificing about ten hours of my life forcing myself to listen to it, I simply cannot enjoy it fully. I read somewhere that for some of the compositions Don Van Vliet (Beefheart) sat down at a piano and played 'things' and then a studio engineer transcribed that onto another instrument, and if you do that, the music's going to simply sound amateur-ish? Especially considering he had no real musical knowledge.
I believe in freedom of expression, and if someone likes this album, fine. I recommend people give it a go, but people talking as if this album has some kind of deep, cryptic message is simply wrong. I will admit however, it captures the spirit of the 60's perfectly. Listen to it and you'll know what I mean.
In summary, while it is incredibly bad, I still think everyone should listen to it, at least once, just to experience it, but for Christ's sake, don't pay for it. That'd only make Don Van Vliet laugh harder. Maybe everyone says this album's good because they feel sorry for the musicians who had to play it...
Maybe I'll try again someday, and if it clicks, there'll be a re-review, until then I'll have a apathetic view towards this... thing.
2/10
For people who hate music.
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