Studio album by Captain Beefheart Released February 22, 2012 Recorded 1976 Length 58:00 Label Zappa Producer Don Van Vliet Kerry McNab Captain Beefheart chronology An Ashtray Heart (2011) Bat Chain Puller (2012) The Lost Broadcasts (2012)
Track listing No. Title Length 1. "Bat Chain Puller" 5:07 2. "Seam Crooked Sam" 3:09 3. "Harry Irene" 3:25 4. "81 Poop Hatch" 2:35 5. "Flavor Bud Living" 1:49 6. "Brick Bats" 4:27 7. "Floppy Boot Stomp" 3:57 8. "Chariot (Ah Carrot Is As Close As Ah Rabbit Gets To Ah Diamond)" 1:37 9. "Owed T' Alex" 3:19 10. "Odd Jobs" 5:14 11. "Human Totem Pole (The 1000th And 10th Day Of The Human Totem Pole)" 5:49 12. "Apes-Ma" 0:44 Bonus tracks No. Title Length 13. "Bat Chain Puller" (alternate mix) 5:05 14. "Candle Mambo" 3:25 15. "Hobo-Ism" 8:18 Included are original recordings of songs that had appeared on the albums Shiny Beast (tracks 1/13, 3, 7, 9, 12 & 14), Doc at the Radar Station (tracks 5, 6 & 8) and Ice Cream for Crow (tracks 4 & 11).
Personnel Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) – vocals, harmonica, soprano saxophone John "Drumbo" French – drums, percussion, guitar, music director Denny "Feelers Rebo" Walley – guitar, accordion Jeff Moris Tepper – guitar John Thomas – piano, Rhodes electric piano, Mini Moog Как говорят поклонники Bat Chain Puller "великий неизданный альбом". Был действительно записан в студии, но из-за тёрок с Заппой в свет так и не вышел. Ходит как бутлег (с достаточно хреновеньким для студ. записи качеством). Но! За исключением двух песен (Seam Crooked Sam и Odd Jobs) все вещи отсюда были позже перезаписаны и включены в 3 последующие (они же - последние) альбомы Бифхарта. Интересная деталь: гитарный инструментал Flavour Bud Living здесь исполняет барабанщик Джон Френч. (На альб. Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), 1978 - уже Гэри Лукас). Трек "Carson City" на Shiny Beast.. именуется "Owed T'Alex". After recording the album Bongo Fury with Frank Zappa, Don Van Vliet formed a new Magic Band and began recording Bat Chain Puller for DiscReet and Virgin Records.[2][3] Zappa described the proposed album as Vliet's best since Trout Mask Replica.[3] Vliet co-produced it with Kerry McNab, who also served as the remix engineer on Zappa's album One Size Fits All.[3] Herb Cohen, DiscReet's cofounder and Zappa's business manager, paid for the album's production costs with Zappa's royalty checks, leading Zappa to end his business partnership with Cohen.[3][4] Cohen and Zappa each demanded to be paid an advance by Virgin, leading Zappa to withhold the master tapes, leading Cohen to sue Zappa.
Due to the lawsuit, Vliet rerecorded the Bat Chain Puller tracks for Warner Bros. Records under the title Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller).
In 1982, Cohen settled his lawsuit with Zappa, while Vliet was recording Ice Cream For Crow. Vliet intended to use half of the tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller album on Ice Cream For Crow, but Zappa refused Vliet's request. Vliet biographer Mike Barnes subsequently claimed that Vliet did not want the original album to be released.
On June 24, 2011, Zappa's widow Gail claimed that the original Bat Chain Puller would be released "[t]his year. December most likely"; in December it was announced for release on January 15, 2012, but was delayed and did not ship until February.