Of the 19 tracks on this CD, the first 12 are demos from 1976 for an album called Bat Chain Puller. Of those 12 songs, 11 were later to be rerecorded for Beefheart's last three studio albums: Shiny Beast (1978), Doc at the Radar Station (1980), and Ice Cream for Crow (1982). Shiny Beast (1978) was subtitled Bat Chain Puller, much as the Beach Boys' title for Smiley Smile pays homage to the abandoned album Smile. This production sound on this early incarnation (1976) of Bat Chain Puller is not great, but the performances are.

The eight-page insert booklet has fun illustrations, collages incorporating ticket stubs and photos of Beefheart and his band. The information it provides is tantalizing because of what's missing. I wish the liner notes had more information - for instance, who wrote them? Where did the art come from? Who discovered the master tapes, when and how? Ken Brooks is thanked for providing information. Who is Brooks? Did the Captain give Brooks the reel-to-reel tape pictured on page 2 of this booklet? And so forth. Sometimes you have to step into the spotlight to communicate.

The last seven tracks are intriguing. "Well, Well, Well" is a studio outtake featuring the voice of Rocket Morton and so could be from 1973. Some live tracks could be the 1978 band. The notes are silent on who was performing, when, and where. If Beefheart handed the tapes over and couldn't provide that information, why not say so in the insert notes?

Fans will enjoy this CD, as I did. Those new to Beefheart should start with one of his classic studio recordings, such as Safe As Milk, Trout Mask Replica, Clear Spot, or Ice Cream for Crow.

I hate to admit that various reviews that suggested that this was a low fidelity disc were intimidating. But how can a Beefheart fan resist the original vision of Bad Chain Puller? The good news is that the rather primitive mix and a predictable light touch of tape hiss does little to distract from the original versions of some of the Captain's great late material. The performances are warm, comfortable and a little more fun. Shiny Beast is a great album, but this stuff that had been hidden away for so long is just about as damn good as we had a right to hope for. Treat yourself.