"Electricity" is a song by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, from their 1967 debut album Safe as Milk. Beefheart claimed that A&M Records dropped the band after co-owner Jerry Moss heard the song and declared it "too negative"[4] for his teenage daughter to listen to; Safe as Milk would ultimately be released by Buddah Records. Beefheart's vocal performance shattered the microphone recording him.[5][6]
While Safe as Milk mostly conveyed a blues–rock sound, songs such as "Electricity" illustrated the band's unconventional instrumentation and Van Vliet's unusual vocals.
Critics have said the song foreshadows many of Beefheart's later efforts and praised the song's distorted vocals. Magic Band member Guitarist Doug Moon described the song as "hinting of things to come." Critics also described the theremin in the song as a "ghostly theremin in the most disconcerting way."[7] In the book Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood, "Electricity" is said to be "a very unconventional blues song".[8]
History
While playing "Electricity" at the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival at Mount Tamalpais in 1967, in a warm-up performance for the Monterey International Pop Festival, Captain Beefheart abruptly stopped the song, straightened his tie, and walked off the stage, landing face-first in the grass. He later claimed that he saw a girl in the audience turn into a goldfish. This incident caused guitarist Ry Cooder, frustrated with Beefheart's erratic behavior, to immediately quit the Magic Band; Cooder's departure brought about the cancellation of their scheduled appearance at Monterey Pop.[9]
