Experimental and blues rock musician Don Van Vliet assumed the pseudonym Captain Beefheart and released several albums with his Magic Band from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s.

Their music references several genres, from free-form jazz to 1950s bebop. Their 1969 album, Trout Mask Replica, is ranked #58 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Widely hailed as Captain Beefheart's masterpiece, the album contains 28 tracks of frenzied blues. Many of the songs have unorthodox tempos that the band meticulously rehearsed over a period of months.

The album has since taken on a cult status, equally revered and reviled by many. Mojo listed it as the 28th Greatest Album Ever Made and critic Alan Cross ranked it #2 on his "10 Classic Alternative Albums" list.

• 1967: Safe as Milk
• 1968: Strictly Personal
• 1969: Trout Mask Replica
• 1970: Lick My Decals Off, Baby
• 1971: Mirror Man
• 1972: The Spotlight Kid
• 1973: Clear Spot
• 1974: Unconditionally Guaranteed
• 1974: Bluejeans & Moonbeams
• 1978: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
• 1980: Doc at the Radar Station
• 1982: Ice Cream for Crow

• Rolling Stone: Captain Beefheart Biography