A rare live session of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band which was (save one track) completely unbroadcast at the time, is finally set for release on June 18th.

By 1972, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band were well established in the cult of rock music. In 1969, they had already released what many people consider their magnum opus, Trout Mask Replica, which is now widely considered one of the greatest and most original, experimental albums of all time. In 1970, they released their most commercially successful record, Lick My Decals Off, Baby, which was Beefheart's personal favourite, and similarly experimental. Beefheart was (and still is) heavily regarded by his following as an unpredictable genius with a true talent for originality, but relations between him and the Magic Band were beginning to fray, as they had to put up with the Captain's strange and sometimes abusive behaviour.

So came an interesting period in the bands history. In 1972, they released two albums of noticeably more conventional material, in an attempt to gain more commercial success. Reactions to these albums were mixed, panned by some critics, and they did not sell well. However, such as Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band were, it led one reviewer to comment: "Beefheart at his worst still has something more than most groups at their best." You can find that review here.

That year, the group went on tour of the UK and Europe, even playing twice at London's Royal Albert Hall. During the European leg of the tour, they stopped off at Beat Club Studios in Bremen, Germany, to film a live session intended for later broadcast. Out of this session, only one song was ever broadcast: the remaining tracks, were lost. The material here is varied: one track dates back to Trout Mask Replica, whilst another wouldn't be included on an album until Clear Spot some eight months later. Now for the first time all the material from these almost unknown sessions will be made available.

The track listing is as follows:

1. Mascara Snake (Bass Solo)
2. Click Clack 1
3. Click Clack 2
4. Golden Birdies
5. Band Intros
6. I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby 1
7. I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby 2
8. Steal Softly Thru The Snow
9. I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby 3

You can buy it here.