Savoy Books: The Lives and Times of Captain Beefheart

Not a Savoy book as such but certainly a Savoy production. Like the later books on The Cramps and James Dean, this publication brought together masses of rare archive material, this time from David Britton's collection of Beefheart cuttings and interviews. For many years this was the only book about Beefheart anywhere and the only place the discerning fan stuck with cheap re-pressings could find the lyrics to Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off, Baby (happily restored in the CD reissues). Manchester's Babylon Books was run by the late John Muir, a crucial figure in Savoy history since it was he who suggested that Britton and Butterworth pool their resources when they were both making use of his print facilities (see the Pre-Savoy section). Babylon reprinted this book several times but later editions dropped most of the illustrations. A number of recent books on Beefheart (and the Revenant Records archive collection) have credited Lives and Times solely to Muir, a significant oversight. Without David Britton's input, this book wouldn't exist.

Interior illustrations by David Britton, Bob Jenkins (The Savoy Book) and Savoy shop manager John Mottershead. The inevitable Moorcock influence is evident in the title (Moorcock's The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius was published the year before) and the Elric-styled lettering by Jim Cawthorn.

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