Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Safe as Milk

Beefheart's first proper studio album is a much more accessible, pop-inflected brand of blues-rock than the efforts that followed in the late '60s -- which isn't to say that it's exactly normal and straightforward. Featuring Ry Cooder on guitar, this is blues-rock gone slightly askew, with jagged, fractured rhythms, soulful, twisting vocals from Van Vliet, and more doo wop, soul, straight blues, and folk-rock influences than he would employ on his more avant-garde outings. "Zig Zag Wanderer," "Call on Me," and "Yellow Brick Road" are some of his most enduring and riff-driven songs, although there's plenty of weirdness on tracks like "Electricity" and "Abba Zaba." [Buddha's 1999 reissue of Safe as Milk contained restored artwork and seven bonus tracks.] ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alex St. Clair Guitar Andy Morten Producer, Design, Artwork Antennae Jimmy Semens Guitar Arlessa Barnes Project Coordinator Bob Krasnow Producer Bruce Pollock Project Coordinator Captain Beefheart Marimba, Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica Catherine Seligman Project Coordinator Christina DeSimone Project Coordinator Claudia Depkin Archivist Dana Renert Project Coordinator David Richman Redesign Don Paulsen Archivist, Archival Materials Don Van Vliet Arranger Ed Osborne Project Coordinator Elliott Federman Mastering Felicia Gearhart Project Coordinator Gary Marker Engineer, Engineer Glenn Delgado Project Coordinator Glenn Korman Archivist Guy Webster Photography Hank Cicalo Engineer Herb Betmen ? Jeff Cotton Guitar Jeremy Holiday Project Coordinator Jerry Handley Bass Joanne Feltman Archivist Joe Foster Recreation, Producer John French Drums John Platt Annotation, Liner Notes, Reissue Producer Kris Needs Liner Notes Larry Parra Project Coordinator Laura Gregory Project Coordinator Lisa Butler Project Coordinator Mandana Eidgah Production Coordination Mike Ragogna Reissue Producer Milt Holland Log Drums, Percussion Richard Perry Producer Robin Diamond Project Coordinator Robin Manning Project Coordinator Russ Titelman Guitar Ry Cooder Guitar, Bass, Arranger Samson Hoffman Theremin Steve Strauss Project Coordinator Taj Mahal Percussion Tom Tierney Archivist Tom Wilkes Graphic Design