This legendary show at a festival for the “National Socialist Party” ,the Socialist Party in Paris France took place alongside other bands such as “Gong” and “Buffy Sante Marie” in front of 10,000 listeners in the rain. It was the only show in Europe in 1977 and is therefore an important document for the collector and fan. Beefheart himself was very fond of his band and the show, which he called “Greatest Hits” set. During the show, songs like “Bat Chain Puller” and “Floopy Boot Stomp” are played, although the album “Bat Chain Puller- Shiny Beast” had not yet been released, but as you know it had been waiting for its release since 1976.
The music. With compositions from several of the band’s albums, this version of the Magic Band is in great form–unfettered but holding everything together–with The Captain Beefheart’s visceral vocals over everything the band is churning out. From the start there’s an intensity that comes only from a band like this-good players with Beefheart in charge.
The show has 26 tracks is probably complete. The sound is perfectly fine, if not pretty good, for a bootleg. You can clearly separate the instruments, understand the announcements and the lyrics, and the live breathers with the audience reactions are part of a live concert for me. In the poems “One Nest Rolls After Another” and “The Dust Blows Forward N’ The Dust Blows Back” performed directly one after the other, the listeners are restless and disturb the lecture by the screams and whistles, they prefer to hear the band play again.
There are many hard-to-reach pieces of “Trout Mask Replica” and one of “Lick Me Decals off Baby” and the captain is thrilled that people dance in the rain. Songs such as “Click Clack”, “Golden Birdies”, “Grow Fins” and “Bigeyed Beans from Venus” are already more accessible and rather “Crowdpleaser”. The “pop-phase albums” such as “Bluejeans and Moonbeams” are completely omitted for the shows.
For me this is a great and important show, which you can also listen to completely .
The recording may seem a little “flat”, without the certain spark or the dymamic’s is in some respects not the best live show available from Captain Beefheart, but for collectors a “compulsory purchase”.
The band is: Beefheart-vocals/sax/gong, Robert Williams-drums/percussion, Eric Feldman-bass/keyboards/synth, Denny Walley and Jeff Morris-guitars/slide guitars, with occasional harmonica from Harry Duncan.
The Fat Angel Sings 