Found this on Facebook and the fan page Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Herb Bermann
‘Electricity'
The unsung Beefheartian master poet
Facebook notes "A video I first posted in 2015 of poet and writer Herb Bermann reading his own words for "Electricity", the classic track from the debut Captain Beefheart album Safe As Milk, released in mid 1967. Herb wrote the words for 9 of the 12 tracks on the album, working with Don Van Vliet who admired Herb's writing greatly. Herb also wrote the words for 4 of the 8 tracks on the follow up album Strictly Personal, released in late 1968, but he was not credited on that second album at all."
Youtube notes "THE MYSTERY MAN FROM THE MAGIC BAND: Captain Beefheart Collaborator's Original Lyric Sheets and Stories" is a book by Herb Bermann.
It includes 64 Lyric Sheets, an Introduction by John "Drumbo" French, an Interview by Derek Laskie, a Foreword by Alec Baldwin, and a cover photo by George Herms.
Herb Bermann was credited as co-writing eight of the songs on Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's debut album Safe As Milk (1967); it would have been a completely different record without him. According to one observer:
"[Captain Beefheart] called the guy 'The Poet.' For a while he was positively gagging us all out with it! 'The Poet said…' or 'The Poet is HEAVY, man!' I mean none of us could believe it…. You'd have thought Salvador Dali had walked in!"
Yet Bermann kept silent about Captain Beefheart for almost 50 years—so silent that some people said that Captain Beefheart had invented him. Now Bermann shares his story! Fans will be charmed by Bermann's descriptions of how his songs came to be written. They may also be surprised to learn just which songs he says he wrote. Included is a facsimile reproduction of his original lyric sheets, with dozens more songs that were never produced. Bermann's story reveals previously unpublished information about the early work of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Neil Young and Steven Spielberg. It also introduces us to an artist whose work and influence have been generally overlooked.
Price: $25
Pages: 116
Size: 8.5" x 11"
ISBN: 9780982014011
BRASS TACKS PRESS, here
Copyright ©2015 by Brass Tacks Press
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