Afternoon Snack: Smokey Robinson, “Ooh Baby Baby,” & Captain Beefheart, “I’m Glad”

Today I brought my Rickenbacker along to my guitar lesson (as opposed to my bass) just because I felt like playing some guitar, and Steve pulled up this wonderful Captain Beefheart cut, I’m Glad from the album  Safe as Milk.

I have that disc, as well as the seminal Trout Mask Replica, though I have not listened to either of them in years, so I sort of forgot about them. We were working on the arpeggios within the cool progression (played here by Ry Cooder) and at one moment, I stopped dead, looked at Steve, and said, “this is Ooh Baby Baby,” and Steve quickly nodded and said, “yeah, I couldn’t put my finger on it.”

Both are great, and different in their own way, but the crossover is unmistakable; however, you be the judge.

And now the inimitable Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

3 thoughts on “Afternoon Snack: Smokey Robinson, “Ooh Baby Baby,” & Captain Beefheart, “I’m Glad”

  1. I don’t know nearly as much about Captain Beefheart as I should, but always thought his MO was weird. This isn’t weird at all.

  2. I just heard “I’m Glad” for the first time recently on local college radio. At first I thought it was some doo-wop from the 60’s like some of what Zappa did. I think the similarity ends at the ‘ooh baby baby’ and ‘I’m glad’ lines, though. I much prefer the Capt. Beefheart song since I’ve heard The Miracles’ tune way too many times in my life. Plus I really love the Memphis/Muscle Shoals feel of this song as compared to the rigid Motown sound.

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