Tarotplane/Kandy Corn/25th Century Quaker/Mirror Man
Mirror Man by the unpredictable and sometimes eccentric Captain Beefheart comprises four long blues jams. They were recorded several years earlier and intended for inclusion in an unreleased double album. (UK:49)
“Here, the group play long blues jams, all but one extending beyond ten minutes in length. Unlike other psychedelic blues from the period, guitar solos are not the focus. Most of the time, the rhythm section propels the action, in a sense foreshadowing the sound later dubbed Krautrock. The result is rather curious, relegating fairly straightforward, often directionless blues jams into otherworldly territory.”
“The material is a mix of blues-rock and psychedelic rock and includes even some jam band feeling which wasn't that typical of Beefheart. I really can't call any of these songs a highlight because they're all very good and none rises above the others in quality.”
“A collection of extremely long blues jams. They do all have that Beefheartian lope but you'd have to be a Beefheart maniac to sit through this. I've had it for many years and I still haven't managed to listen to it all the way through.”
“Four tracks that were proposed for an unreleased double album after Safe As Milk but were not released until much later. It’s a shame as Mirror Man is pretty persuasive in convincing you what an amazing band and vision Beefheart had. The epic jams Tarotplane and the title track see them driving the old blues music in all kinds of directions, fuelled by some incredible drum patterns and whiplash slide guitars. The Captain’s harp and oboe playing adds an interesting dimension to the sound opening things into an almost free jazz context.”
“The absolute pinnacle of psychedelic blues jams. The lengthy numbers are all based on inspired swampy blues grooves, with simple and rare solos, that are primitive and mesmerizing. Slide guitar, lumpy rhythms, the bluesy harp drizzling all over the place randomly, but founded in a blues pattern that never gets boring.”
“I got a little excited when I saw the track lengths on Mirror Man, as I've always wanted to hear the Captain and his band play lengthy compositions. Unfortunately, none of these four tracks go anywhere exciting or adventurous. There's hardly any actual noodling or improvisation, just monotonous repetition. The title track was pretty cool, and I'll regard it as an exception, but the rest are fairly dull.”
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