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Background -

In the legendary Captain Beefheart discography, attention usually focuses on the carefully wrought, experimental music heard on Trout Mask Replica. As a consequence, the three stellar albums recorded soon after Lick My Decals Off, Baby, The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot are often overlooked. 

Rhino intends to change that with a four-LP collection that revisits the albums Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) recorded with the Magic Band in the early Seventies. It includes all three albums, which have been remastered for the first time, as well as an entire disc featuring 14 previously unissued outtakes from that era.               

Limited Edition 180g Vinyl 4-LP Collection!
Cut from the Original Analog Masters!

This 180g 4-LP Collection brings together newly remastered versions of "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" from 1970 and 1972's "The Spotlight Kid" and "Clear Spot." This is the first time this music has been remastered. The fourth LP contains outtakes including early mixes, alternate, and instrumental versions of previously unreleased material.

Lick My Decals Off, Baby is the fourth album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in 1970 on Frank Zappa's Straight Records label. The follow-up to Trout Mask Replica (1969), it is regarded by some critics and listeners as superior, and was Van Vliet's personal favorite. Don Van Vliet said that the title is an encouragement to "get rid of the labels," and to evaluate things according to their merits rather than according to superficial labels (or "decals").

The Spotlight Kid is the sixth album by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and the Magic Band, originally released in 1972. It is the only album formally credited solely to Captain Beefheart. Often cited as one of the most accessible of Beefheart's albums, it is solidly founded in the blues but also uses instruments such as marimba and jingle bells that are not typical of that genre. 

Clear Spot is the seventh album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released on LP in 1972.

Features:
• Limited Edition Box Set
• 180g Vinyl
• 4-LP Set
• Cut from the original analog masters
• Fourth LP contains previously unreleased outtakes and rarities
• Liner notes by Rip Rense
• Artwork by Don Van Vliet

Born Don Vliet, Captain Beefheart was one of modern music's true innovators. The owner of a remarkable four-and-a-half-octave vocal range, he employed idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist lyrics, and an unholy alliance of free jazz, Delta blues, latter-day classical music, and rock & roll to create a singular body of work virtually unrivaled in its daring and fluid creativity. While he never came even remotely close to mainstream success, Beefheart's impact was incalculable, and his fingerprints were all over punk, new wave, and post-rock.

Don Vliet was born January 15, 1941 in Glendale, CA (he changed his name to Van Vliet in the early '60s). At the age of four, his artwork brought him to the attention of Portuguese sculptor Augustinio Rodriguez, and Vliet was declared a child prodigy. In 1954, he was offered a scholarship to study in Europe; his parents declined the proposal, however, and the family instead moved to the Mojave Desert, where the teen was befriended by a young Frank Zappa. In time Vliet taught himself saxophone and harmonica, and joined a pair of local R&B groups, the Omens and the Blackouts.

After a semester at college, he and Zappa moved to Cucamonga, CA, where they planned to shoot a film, Captain Beefheart Meets the Grunt People. As the project remained in limbo, Zappa finally moved to Los Angeles, where he founded the Mothers of Invention; Van Vliet later returned to the Mojave area, adopted the Beefheart name and formed the first lineup of his backing group the Magic Band with guitarists Alex St. Clair and Doug Moon, bassist Jerry Handley, and drummer Paul Blakely in 1964. 
In their original incarnation, the Magic Band were a blues-rock outfit who became staples of the teen dance circuit; they quickly signed to A&M Records, where the success of the single "Diddy Wah Diddy" earned them the opportunity to record a full-length album. Comprised of Van Vliet compositions like "Frying Pan," "Electricity," and "Zig Zag Wanderer," label president Jerry Moss rejected the completed record as "too negative," and a crushed Beefheart went into seclusion. After replacing Moon and Blakely with guitarist Antennae Jimmy Semens (born Jeff Cotton) and drummer John "Drumbo" French, the group (fleshed out by guitarist Ry Cooder) recut the songs in 1967 as Safe as Milk. After producer Bob Krasnow radically remixed 1968's hallucinatory Strictly Personal without Beefheart's approval, he again retired.
At the same time, however, Zappa formed his own label, Straight Records, and he soon approached Van Vliet with the promise of complete creative control. A deal was struck, and after writing 28 songs in a nine-hour frenzy, Beefheart formed the definitive lineup of the Magic Band -- made up of Semens, Drumbo, guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo (born Bill Harkleroad), bassist Rockette Morton (Mark Boston), and bass clarinetist the Mascara Snake (Victor Fleming) -- to record the seminal 1969 double album Trout Mask Replica.
Following 1970's similarly outré Lick My Decals Off, Baby, Beefheart adopted an almost commercial sound for the 1972 releases The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot. Shortly thereafter, the Magic Band broke off to form Mallard, and Beefheart was dropped by his label, Reprise. After a two-year layoff, he released a pair of pop-blues albums, Unconditionally Guaranteed and Bluejeans and Moonbeams, with a new, short-lived Magic Band; following another fallow period, 1978's Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) marked a return to the eccentricities of his finest work.
After 1982's Ice Cream for Crow, Van Vliet again retired from music, this time for good; he returned to the desert, took up residence in a trailer, and focused on painting. In 1985, he mounted the first major exhibit of his work, done in an abstract, primitive style reminiscent of Francis Bacon. Like his music, his art won wide acclaim, and some of his paintings sold for as much as $25,000. In the 1990s Van Vliet dropped completely from sight when he fell prey to multiple sclerosis; however, releases like 1999's five-disc Grow Fins box set and the two-disc anthology The Dust Blows Forward maintained his prominence. Van Vliet died of complications from multiple sclerosis on December 17, 2010 in California; he was 69 years old. - Jason Ankeny 

Finally! As of 2014, Lick My Decals Off, Baby, The Spotlight Kid, and Clear Spot had needed a proper remastering treatment for quite some time when Rhino came to the rescue, remastering all three in one fell swoop as Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972. As if that weren't enough for fans, they added an entire bonus disc of outtakes and alternates as well. The albums themselves are fairly different from each other. Lick My Decals followed directly after Trout Mask Replica and is the closest there is to Trout Mask's sonic assault. On the other side, Clear Spot's horn charts, backup singers, and Ted Templeman production were probably catchy enough for actual radio success (well, maybe in a better world). The Spotlight Kid is pitched somewhere in between. However, it's all prime Beefheart. The band is always in sync, Don's voice sounds great (as does his harmonica playing), and it's all got that unique rhythmic sense. The bonus material doesn't disappoint either. It's all from the Clear Spot and Spotlight Kid sessions and sounds fantastic. The alternates of songs that were on the albums are interesting but not revelatory, but hearing these early versions of songs that appeared on later albums is pretty fascinating. This version of "Harry Irene" predates both the Shiny Beast version and the Bat Chain Puller version. The two takes of "Dirty Blue Gene" are quite interesting as well, not just because they're significantly different than the version that ended up on Doc at the Radar Station but also because they're significantly different from each other (the third take is quite a bit more aggressive, with a really cool guitar tone at the end). "Pompadour Swamp" is a great guitar instrumental that ended up as "Suction Prints." It's hard to believe some of these cuts were left off originally, but albums were shorter back in the day. They make this set pretty close to essential for longtime fans (as if the fantastic sound weren't enough). - Sean Westergaard

This is a BRAND NEW & FACTORY SEALED, limited edition 4-LP box set issued by "RHINO / Warner / Reprise Records" in 2014 - a RARE, out of print box set title! 

The box set made by RHINO Records is a highly collectible title from their catalog, featuring - 

Captain Beefheart

4-LP Box Set Title -

Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972

Track Listing -

Lick My Decals Off, Baby
A1 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Lick My Decals Off, Baby - 2:38         
A2 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Doctor Dark - 2:46         
A3 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - I Love You, You Big Dummy - 2:54         
A4 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Peon - 2:24         
A5 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Bellerin’ Plain - 3:35         
A6 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Woe-Is-Uh-Me-Bop - 2:06         
A7 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Japan In A Dishpan - 3:00         
B1 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - I Wanna Find A Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go - 1:53         
B2 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Petrified Forest - 1:40         
B3 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - One Red Rose That I Mean - 1:53         
B4 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - The Buggy Boogie Woogie - 2:19         
B5 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - The Smithsonian Institute Blues (Or The Big Dig) - 2:11         
B6 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Space-Age Couple - 2:32         
B7 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - The Clouds Are Full Of Wine (Not Whiskey Or Rye) - 2:50         
B8 – Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Flash Gordon's Ape - 4:57         
The Spotlight Kid
C1 – Captain Beefheart - I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby - 4:34         
C2 – Captain Beefheart - White Jam - 2:57         
C3 – Captain Beefheart - Blabber 'N Smoke - 2:48         
C4 – Captain Beefheart - When It Blows It Stacks - 3:41         
C5 – Captain Beefheart - Alice In Blunderland - Featuring – Winged Eel Fingerling - 3:55         
D1 – Captain Beefheart - The Spotlight Kid - 3:21         
D2 – Captain Beefheart - Click Clack - 3:31         
D3 – Captain Beefheart - Grow Fins - 3:31         
D4 – Captain Beefheart - There Ain't No Santa Claus On The Evenin’ Stage - 3:13         
D5 – Captain Beefheart - Glider - 4:37         
Clear Spot
E1 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Low Yo Yo Stuff - 3:38         
E2 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man - Arranged By [Horns] – Don Van Vliet, Ted Templeman - 3:45         
E3 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Too Much Time - Arranged By [Horns] – Jerry Jumonville Guitar – Russ Titelman - 2:46         
E4 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Circumstances - 3:11         
E5 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains - 2:57         
E6 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Sun Zoom Spark - 2:11         
F1 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Clear Spot - 3:35         
F2 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Crazy Little Thing - 2:35         
F3 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Long Neck Bottles - Arranged By [Horns] – Don Van Vliet, Ted Templeman - 3:17         
F4 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles - 2:54         
F5 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Big Eyed Beans From Venus - 4:23         
F6 – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Golden Birdies - Bass – Rockette Morton - 1:37         
Out-Takes
G1 – Captain Beefheart - Alice In Blunderland (Alternate Version) - 3:55         
G2 – Captain Beefheart - Harry Irene - 3:33         
G3 – Captain Beefheart - I Can't Do This Unless I Can Do This / Seam Crooked Sam - 2:00         
G4 – Captain Beefheart - Pompadour Swamp / Suction Prints - 4:23         
G5 – Captain Beefheart - The Witch Doctor Life - 5:27         
G6 – Captain Beefheart - Two Rips In A Haystack / Kiss Me My Love - 2:38         
G7 – Captain Beefheart - Best Batch Yet (Track) Version 1 - 2:18         
H1 – Captain Beefheart - Your Love Brought Me To Life (Instrumental) - 3:11         
H2 – Captain Beefheart - Dirty Blue Gene (Alternate Version 1) - 2:52         
H3 – Captain Beefheart - Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man (Early Mix) - 3:59         
H4 – Captain Beefheart - Kiss Where I Kain’t - 2:44         
H5 – Captain Beefheart - Circumstances (Alternate Version 2) - 3:23         
H6 – Captain Beefheart - Little Scratch - 2:57         
H7 – Captain Beefheart - Dirty Blue Gene (Alternate Version 3) - 3:03

Other Information -

• Phonographic Copyright (p) (c) – Rhino Entertainment Company
• Pressed By – Record Industry – 99737
• Remastered At – D2 Mastering
• Mixed At – Timeless Recording Studio
• Manufactured & Marketed By – Rhino Entertainment Company
• Artwork By, Cover [Box, Out-Takes] – Don Van Vliet
• Backing Vocals – Blackberries, The (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Bass – Oréjon (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Bass Guitar [Bassus Ophelius] – Rockette Morton (tracks: C1 to D5)
• Bells [Jingle] – Captain Beefheart (tracks: C1 to D5)
• Drums – Drumbo (tracks: C1 to D5), Ed Marimba (tracks: C1 to F6), Rhys Clark (tracks: C1 to D5), Ted Cactus (tracks: C1 to D5)
• Guitar – Winged Eel Fingerling (tracks: C1 to D5)
• Guitar [Solo], Mandolin – Zoot Horn Rollo (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Lacquer Cut By – Chris Bellman
• Liner Notes – Rip Rense
• Maracas, Piano, Harpsichord – Ed Marimba (tracks: C1 to D5)
• Mixed By – Brian Kehew (tracks: G1 to H7)
• Other [Wings On Singabus] – Captain Beefheart (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Percussion – Ed Marimba (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Percussion [Additional] – Milt Holland (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Producer [For Release] – Bill Inglot, Steve Woolard
• Remastered By – Dan Hersch
• Rhythm Guitar – Rockette Morton (tracks: E1 to F6)
• Slide Guitar [Glass Finger And Steel Appendage Guitar] – Zoot Horn Rollo (tracks: C1 to F6)
• Vocals, Harmonica – Captain Beefheart (tracks: C1 to F6)
• Written-By, Arranged By – Don Van Vliet
• Sticker On The Plastic Wrap: 
"Limited Edition, 180g 4-LP Box Set 
Features The Studio Albums 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby', 'The Spotlight Kid', 'Clear Spot' 
Cut From The Original Analog Masters 
Plus An LP Of Previously Unreleased Outtakes & Rarities, Liner Notes By Rip Rense & Artwork By Don Van Vliet" 
• Here Are Some More Details: 
• LP 1: Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band), Comes With Black Inner Sleeve, Orange Label, Reprise Records R1 6420 / 8122786846 
• LP 2: The Spotlight Kid (Captain Beefheart), Comes With White Inner Sleeve & Lyric Sheet, Orange Label, Reprise Records R1-2050 / 0348781110 
• LP 3: Clear Spot (Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band), Comes With White Inner Sleeve & Cover Sheet, Housed In A Plastic Cover (no regular cover), Backside Of Cover Sheet Has Tracklist And Credits Written On It, Orange Label, Reprise Records R1-2115 / 8122786845 
• LP 4: Out-Takes "Art Is Rearranging And Grouping Mistakes" (Captain Beefheart), Comes With Black Inner Sleeve, Black Label, White Letters, R1 541728 / 8122795862
• Barcode: 081227958626

The title is from the rare RHINO / WMG / Reprise Records series of box sets.

RHINO RECORDS Made in the USA
4-LP Boxed set
Record vintage = limited edition, made in 2014 (out of print)
LP catalog # R1 541728 UPC: 081227958626

CONDITION Details:

The BOX SET is assumed to be in Mint condition. Everything is factory sealed and perfect.

A Short Note About LP GRADING -

Mint {M} = Only used for sealed items. Near Mint {NM} = Virtually flawless in every way. Near Mint Minus {NM-} = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible. Excellent {EXC} = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise. Very Good Plus {VG+} = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always properly clean your LPs before playing them (even for brand new LPs).

The LP is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Do not let this rarity slip by!