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Moonlight on Vermont

Not to be confused with Moonlight in Vermont (song).
"Moonlight on Vermont"
Song by Captain Beefheart
from the album Trout Mask Replica
Released16 June 1969
RecordedAugust 1968
GenreBlues[1]
Length3:59
LabelStraight, Reprise
Songwriter(s)Don Van Vliet, arranged by John French
Producer(s)Frank Zappa

"Moonlight on Vermont" is a song by Captain Beefheart. It was released on his 1969 album Trout Mask Replica.

The song, along with "Sugar 'n Spikes", was written around December 1967.[2]

The song is one of the most famous from Trout Mask Replica. It was also one of the songs from this era that Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band performed live.[3]

"Moonlight on Vermont" was also released on the live album I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do: Live at My Father's Place 1978. Pitchfork thought the band on that version "folds the cuttingly arrhythmic honks and squawks into traditional blues arcs that are only apparent after the 'riff' is over."[4]

Reception

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Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the song number 8 on their list of Top 10 Captain Beefheart songs, calling it "swampy blues", with the amp turned up to 11.[1]

Rolling Stone magazine also put "Moonlight on Vermont" on their list of Top 10 Essential Captain Beefheart Songs, writing that it was "abstract expressionist".[5]

The music site Get into This called it possibly the best song on Trout Mask Replica.[6]

Classic Rock ranked the song number 3 on their list of the Top 10 Captain Beefheart songs, writing that "Bill Harkleroad excels on guitar as Beefheart builds to a climax, bellowing out 'Gimme dat ole time religion' like a drunken fairground carny."[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Top 10 Captain Beefheart Songs". 15 January 2013.
  2. ^ Captain Beefheart: Under Review. Music Video Distributors. 2006.
  3. ^ "Moonlight on Vermont - Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Linhardt, Alex. "Captain Beefheart: I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Ten Essential Captain Beefheart Songs". Rolling Stone. 20 December 2010.
  6. ^ ""A 20th Century Visionary" - Liverpool prepares to celebrate Captain Beefheart". 26 October 2017.
  7. ^ "The 10 best Captain Beefheart Songs". 15 June 2020.