Name: Ice Cream for Crow
Brand: Virgin
SKU: 336323
Price: 16.84 USD
Availability: InStock

Performer Notes

Personnel: Don "Captain Beefheart" Van Vliet (vocals, harmonica, soprano saxophone, prop horn); Jeff Moris Tepper, Gary Lucas (acoustic & electric guitars, slide guitars); Richard Midnight Hatsize Snyder (viola, marimba, bass); Eric Drew Feldman (synthesizer); Cliff R. Martinez (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Warner Brothers Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California.
Composer: Don Van Vliet.
Personnel: Captain Beefheart (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Don Van Vliet (vocals, harmonica, soprano saxophone, horns, gong, Chinese gong); Jeff Moris Tepper (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, National guitar); Gary Lucas (guitar, slide guitar, National guitar, dobro); Hatsize Snyder (guitar, viola, marimba, bass guitar); Richard Snyder (violin); Richard Midnight (viola, marimba, bass guitar); Eric Drew Feldman (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass synthesizer); Cliff Martinez (drums, washboard, percussion).
Recording information: Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA.
Photographers: Michael Kent Rothman; Anton Corbijn.
Arranger: Don Van Vliet.
After returning to active touring in 1980 on the heels of DOC AT THE RADAR STATION, Captain Beefheart recorded this final album with the last incarnation of The Magic Band. In part constructed from pieces which weren't recorded for its predecessor, as well as numbers which had origins dating back ten years, ICE CREAM FOR CROW is a strong work. It benefits from the seemingly easy interplay of the band members--no small feat given the intricately interlocking rhythms which are a prime feature of The Magic Band's sound in every version ever assembled.
The world-weary photo of Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) which adorns the cover accurately reflects the mood that pervades most of the songs. It comes as no surprise that immediately following the release of this album he retreated to the embrace of nature and the desert, where he focused his energies solely on painting, permanently abandoning composition and performance.

Professional Reviews

Uncut (p.78) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[W]ith the title track's woozy boogie and 'The Past Sure Is Tense' displaying a pleasantly lolloping industry."

Album: Ice Cream for Crow
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ice Cream for Crow
2)	Host, the Ghost, the Most Holy-O, The
3)	Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian
4)	Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat
5)	Evening Bell
6)	Cardboard Cutout Sundown
7)	Past Sure Is Tense, The
8)	Ink Mathematics
9)	Witch Doctor Life, The
10)	"81" Poop Hatch
11)	Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole, The
12)	Skeleton Makes Good

Album: Ice Cream for Crow
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Ice Cream for Crow
2)	Host, the Ghost, the Most Holy-O, The
3)	Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian
4)	Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat
5)	Evening Bell
6)	Cardboard Cutout Sundown
7)	Past Sure Is Tense, The
8)	Ink Mathematics
9)	Witch Doctor Life, The
10)	"81" Poop Hatch
11)	Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole, The
12)	Skeleton Makes Good