Genre: Alternative
Places I remember: Real Groovy (Auckland)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Tarotplane
Gear costume: The other long one - Mirror Man.
Active compensatory factors: Rarely did the Captain tease out songs into lengthy blues rooted riffermanias. But he does on these Mirror Man tracks.
Given these songs were abandoned at the time, they may never have seen the light of day without the record company (Buddah) being avaricious.
Mirror Man is a kinda weird album even in the weird world of Don Van Vliet. It gets a bad press but it's one I play a lot.
It kicks off with Tarotplane, a lengthy 19 minute blues jam that includes some wonderful harmonica from the Captain. The other three tracks use the same tactics - a basic blues riff that are vehicles for the Captain's startling vocals and lyrics.
Originally recorded in 1967 - it took four years for it to emerge (and even then with a Magic Band photo that is out of date). I'm not sure what the good Captain's reaction was to it at the time but I'm glad it exists.
Where do they all belong? A shiny, bat chain pulling beast is coming!
