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Originally released in 2003, ''Back To The Front'' is Captain Beefheart's legendary group The Magic Band reuniting after 20 dormant years. They first reunited to play some shows and perform at the 2003 ATP festival in L.A., featuring key members John ''Drumbo'' French, Gary ''Mantis'' Lucas, Denny ''Feelers Reebo'' Walley, and Mark ''Rockette Morton'' Boston. Playing classic tracks from all the best albums such as ''Safe As Milk,'' ''Trout Mask Replica,'' ''Lick My Decals Off Baby,'' and ''Clearspot,'' this is something all Beefheart fans must have. Includes the bonus track ''Sure Nuff 'N Yes I Do''.
As a Beefheart freak, I don’t know how I missed this CD the first time around in 2003, but it sounds just as shambolically-yet-precisely mind-zapping in 2019. Helmed by drummer John “Drumbo” French, who played an integral role in arranging Trout Mask, and played on other totally essential Beefheart records, the group of Magic Band alums just tears into these songs like they’re brand-new. And because Beefheart was so good at choosing Magic Band members—even if he didn’t treat them all well-I’m really complimenting this particular iteration by comparing them to the MBs that played on the original records. (I don’t think the members of this quartet ever played in any one MB at the same time.) The revelations on this CD, for me, are Trout Mask’s “My Human gets Me Blues” and “Steal Softly Thru Snow,” which are rewardingly complex songs for just the guitarists, bassist, and drummer without Beefheart and his sax-mangling. Like everyone else who produced Beefheart, Frank Zappa pushed the vocals way up in the mix, so you had to strain to hear the musicians, but on this CD you can hear these songs well-mixed, these two songs in particular played without vocals, and really focus on the magical—they have to call them the Magic Band for some reason—interplay of riffs, melodies, and rhythms within the songs. On other songs, French sings his extra-deep best, honoring Beefheart’s vocal style without copying it—“the new dinosaur’s wearing the old dinosaur’s shoes.” On “Nowadays a Woman’s Gotta Hit a Man,” he croaks it out like a man with two diaphragms, while Guitarist Denny Walley plays a wicked, ear-singeing solo. Props also to Gary Lucas on guitar and Mark Boston on bass. This ensemble, probably with different personnel, has made another album, which I await eagerly. The only bummer about buying these Magic Band CDs from third-party sellers is that French & Co. won’t make any money off the sales. But I’m glad to hear these squid-eatingly boogalicious sounds get new life nonetheless.
