Man, it always pays to listen to the entire show from start to finish. It is the only place where things I like are actually discussed. Seriously, I can't wait until the topic of Oscar Goldman from the 6 Million Dollar Man comes up one day.
So, I have an answer to a question that nobody asked: "Dammit, what is your favorite Captain Beefheart song?" "Why that would have to be Odd Jobs."
Odd Jobs - Captain Beefheart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHMgHnHSv88 I like this mashed-up version of the song best, because you can hear Beefheart's early piano version flow into full band version and then back out again into the early piano version. Basically, this one captures all of the lore of his compositions and some of his best lyrics.
From what I understand, Beefheart could not read music; instead, he would
whistle,
throw tin ashtrays at walls (
That's the drum solo! Learn it!), and bang at his piano while recording his musings on a tape recorder. Apparently, Beefheart's rough recorded demo for the song can be heard here:
Odd Jobs - Piano Demo. It is quite beautiful to me, even without the words.
I can imagine Don playing away into the recorder what he was hearing in his head...and then his elves (mainly, Drumbo-the-elf and the later elf, Gary Lucas) taking the recording, creating the compositions, the parts, and bringing it to life, while Beefheart would nap and then take credit for the band's work upon waking up. Here is the song as a work in its final version:
Odd Jobs - 2012 remaster. The lyrics, too, are pure poetry. For me, Beefheart's story of Odd Jobs - a hobo who rides a "form-a-heap" bike but "don't come around anymore" with his "candy store" - and his descriptions of the setting, where maybe a child is looking out a window from her perch in the world amid carpet backing, tacky wallpaper, and dead flies collecting on the window sill - are magical. Maybe it is because I grew up in a neighborhood where there were lots of "Odd Job" characters around who would come and go (and go they would by police car, hearse, or the (H)orse) that I find the song, story, and lyrics so compelling.
Finally, for those who have read this far, there is a great John Peel documentary on Captain Beefheart
here. If for nothing else, it is worth hearing
Ry Cooder's story of the "joys" of working with Beefheart.
[Verse 1]The rug ripped up in cloth popcorn ballsThe walls an old candy striped sackIn the corner wrinkled black and whiteA table held up by legsThe peeled back red enamelled mouth of linoleum screamedAt the pasteboard doorA knob rolled off in some corner stickyA curtain blew into a sinkDead flies and newspapersCharred fire brown wings and toast[Verse 2]Hobo ain't been around for some timeThe gate danced without its paint on"Odd Jobs" is written onSpiders were the window's eyesThe sun made them look silverThe little girl from in back of the clotheslineCast a shadow like a crowIt's beak spoke openWhy doesn't old Odd Jobs come around anymoreHe used to ride his form-a-heap bikeAnd his basket was a whole candy storeHe used t'make Xs from door to door link to find why X marks the spotAll the women and the young girls around here
Ask why old Jobs don't come around anymore
Ask why old Jobs don't come on home
And the gate without its paint on danced
And creaked and moaned
[Outro]
Here he comes peddlin' up on his form-a-heap bike
A bag of skin and bones
Spokes were scraping two rust fenders, oh
Dammit wonders if Herb Bermann contributed anything to the lyrics on this one.