We’re in the presence of greatness here. Gary Lucas cut his teeth in Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band. This could well mean bugger-all to younger readers but, in the entire history of music, nobody comes close for wildly-surreal lyrics, musical visions bordering on the insane and sheer primeval blues power. Gary played guitar on classic albums like 1981’s Ice Cream For Crow and has done too much since to recount here. Safe to say, he’s carrying on the tradition of his mentor, constantly moving and now plopping his incandescent guitar volleys in the space disco, with the comment, ‘Everybody is so fucking polite. I’m just into making rude noises.’ This EP follows the initial ‘Musical Blaze-Up’ foray from Wild Rumpus, which sees Gary hooking up with Colleen Murphy, aka DJ Cosmo, who holds the distinction of being one of the only outside to play at David Mancuso’s Loft, the very birthplace of clubbing. With roots in psychedelia and disco, this is one hell of a marriage which sees a funked groove set up then sand-blasted by Gary’s guitar, which manages to recall anyone from Link Wray to the Misunderstood with a melody recalling Hendrix’s ‘Third Stone From The Sun’. To cement the cosmic connection, Prins Thomas comes in with a mix which strips down and not only accentuates the groove but some of the most devastatingly-effective guitar pyrotechnics heard all year. At last, the Beefheart connection rears
in club-world and it is indeed magical.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
