Doc at the Radio Station
At first listen,Doc at the Radar Stationis cacophonous, atonal, and jagged. It's the same after repeated listenings, but by then the whimsical humor, blissful invention, melodic turnabouts, and even warmth shine through.Doc at the Radar Stationwas the follow-up to the Captain's big comeback record for the punk and new-wave crowd, 1978's merely OKShiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). Some of the songs on the disc were originally written in between Beefheart's two strongest records, 1969's mind-blowingTrout Mask Replicaand 1970's merrymakingLick My Decals Off, Baby.Doc at the Radar Stationwas made with a newly energized, younger Magic Band featuring Eric Drew Feldman,Robert Williams, andGary Lucas. With their help, old man Beefheart was blowing chunks of lyrical beauty ("Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee") and mystical, rollicking, blues-baked skronk ("Run Paint, Run, Run") with the same force asPIL,Pere Ubu, or any other postpunks of the day that adulated the man.--Mike McGonigal