Portrait of the artist as a young punk
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band — Here I Am, I Always Am
(from the EP The Legendary A&M Sessions, A&M Records 1984; recorded 1965)
Recorded in 1965 at the sessions for Captan Beefheart’s second A&M single, “Moonchild” (which was written by its producer, future Bread frontman David Gates), “Here I Am, I Always Am” wasn’t released until this 1984 EP that collected both of Don Vliet’s early singles. It’s a shame, because this is a fantastic song, one that I think outshines the four songs that did get released at the time. I love the shift back and forth between the waltz tempo of the verses and the punky march of the chorus. And it’s a notable song if for no other reason than it proves once and for all that Captain Beefheart was entirely capable of writing “normal” garage-punk pop songs.
–Stewart Mason
