Grow Fins: Rarities (1965-1982)

Disc 1
1	Obeah Man 2:47
2	Just Got Back from the City 1:53
3	I'm Glad 3:44
4	Triple Combination 2:48
5	Here I Am I Always Am 3:15
6	Here I Am I Always Am 2:32
7	Somebody in My Home 3:03
8	Tupelo 4:15
9	Evil 2:33
10	Old Folks' Boogie 3:15
11	Call on Me 3:04
12	Sure Nuff 'N' Yes I Do 2:11
13	Yellow Brick Road 1:45
14	Plastic Factory 2:57
Disc 2
1	Electricity 3:42
2	Sure Nuff 'N' Yes I Do 2:57
3	Rollin' N Tumblin 11:08
4	Electricity 3:54
5	Yer Gonna Need Somebody on Yer Bond 6:25
6	Kandy Korn 4:21
7	Korn Ring Finger 7:23
Disc 3
1	Untitled 1 4:59
2	Untitled 2 8:18
3	Hair Pie: Bake 1 5:04
4	Hair Pie: Bake 2 2:44
5	Untitled 5 1:04
6	Hobo Chang Ba 2:02
7	Untitled 7 1:57
8	Dachau Blues 2:06
9	Old Fart at Play 1:23
10	Untitled 11 1:01
11	Pachuco Cadaver 4:08
12	Sugar 'N' Spikes 2:40
13	Untitled 14 1:00
14	Sweet Sweet Bulbs 2:30
15	Frownland Take 1 2:51
16	Frownland 1:52
17	Untitled 18 1:10
18	Ella Guru 2:33
19	Untitled 20 0:08
20	She's Too Much for My Mirror 1:30
21	Untitled 22 0:35
22	Steal Softly Through Snow 2:22
23	Untitled 24 1:51
24	My Human Gets Me Blues 2:53
25	Untitled 26 1:05
26	When Big Joan Sets Up 4:32
27	Untitled 28 0:04
28	Untitled 29 0:56
29	China Pig 4:14
Disc 4
1	Blimp 5:09
2	Herb 1:06
3	Septic Tank 0:51
4	Over Dub 5:26
Disc 5
1	My Human Gets Me Blues 3:54
2	When Big Joan Sets Up 6:12
3	Woe-Is-Uh-Me-Bop 2:46
4	Bellerin' Plain 3:23
5	Black Snake Moan I 1:01
6	Grow Fins 5:09
7	Black Snake Moan II 1:49
8	Spitball Scalped Uh Baby 9:12
9	Harp Boogie I 0:53
10	One Red Rose That I Mean 1:45
11	Harp Boogie II 0:53
12	Natchez Burning 0:43
13	Harp Boogie III 0:50
14	Click Clack 2:49
15	Orange Claw Hammer Version 4:36
16	Odd Jobs 5:10
17	Odd Jobs 5:08
18	Vampire Suite 3:46
19	Mellotron Improv 1:22
20	Evening Bell 0:54
21	Evening Bell 2:15
22	Mellotron Improv 2:19
23	Flavor Bud Living 1:14

Barnes & Noble

Captain Beefheart was the most radical rock 'n' roller of the '60s. Lou Reed and Iggy Pop may have renovated classic rock 'n' roll by giving it a fresh coat of primitive noise, but Beefheart grabbed the music by the cookie puss and shook it like nobody's business. Applying wild-eyed free-jazz rhythms to Delta blues and giving the whole mess a frenzied, garage-rock passion, Beefheart made recordings throughout the '60s, '70s, and early '80s that still sound groundbreaking. This five-CD set (and accompanying 112-page booklet) offers outtakes, demos, live music, and -- a must for fans -- two discs of demos from the legendary sessions for 1970's oddball grail TROUT MASK REPLICA. Though sound quality varies, watching Beefheart emerge as a mid-'60s mutant garage rocker to become one of the most imaginative rock composers ever is a pleasure no serious rock fan can live without. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

An unprecedented project in the rock field: a five-CD box set of unreleased material by a cult artist that never had anything close to a chart hit. Of course Captain Beefheart is the ultimate cult artist, and one with a following so rabid (if limited) that the compilation has a wider audience than many would anticipate. Despite the impressive chronological span and variety of demos, live performances, backing tracks, and outtakes, be cautioned that this is not a best-of or ad hoc career overview. A good deal of the tracks (some of which have long been available on bootleg) are of slightly substandard or low fidelity, and Beefheart's most significant work is ultimately contained on his numerous official releases. However, this is an important addition to his catalog, and one that many of his fanatics will find essential, though it won't do much to convert the casual fan due to the difficult nature of much of the material. Disc one, with live cuts and demos from 1966-67 that include a few songs recorded on Safe as Milk, is certainly the most interesting and accessible of the quintet. Disc two is more shambling and experimental, with its assortment of 1968 live performances. Disc three is for the hardcore: home-recorded (though in okay fidelity) run-throughs of Trout Mask Replica material from 1969, without vocals. Disc four is for the harder core: 12 more minutes of Trout Mask home sessions, plus enhanced-CD live performance footage from 1968-73. CD five is an interesting, erratic assortment of live, radio, demo, and work tape material from 1969-82, fidelity varying from good to poor. The liner notes are exceptionally detailed, with many first-hand quotes by band members and much historical narrative by frequent Magic Band drummer John French. Richie Unterberger