I dished out well over a hundred bucks to get myself a pristine copy of the first CD issue of this album (which is now criminally unavailable, leaving the way for bootleggers to make a few bucks), that's how good I think it is. Although I admit I am not yet familiar with Beefheart's later works, I doubt he will ever surpass this album in terms of originality. It continues where Trout Mask Replica left off, but doesn't forget about the melody. It rocks pretty much throughout, the tone is much warmer, yet the Captain's incredible talent with the english language and abstract sense of humor is still on display. I Love You, You Big Dummy is probably my favorite Beefheart song bar none, it's so playful and very catchy (I always catch myself singing it in my head hours after I heard it). An absolute must just to hear how influential this record has been on many of today's artists (Frusciante? US Maple?).