San Ber'dino

FZ album(s) in which song has appeared

Imaginary Diseases (2006), quoted in Montreal, performed in Montreal, October 27, 1972
One Size Fits All (1975), as San Ber'dino, recorded at The Record Plant, LA, January 8-9, 1975
- same version on Strictly Commercial (1995)
Bongo Fury (1975), guitar lick quoted in Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top, performed in Austin, Texas, May, 1975
- shorter, faded-out version included in the Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band compilation The Dust Blows Forward (1999)
Halloween 77 (2017), as San Ber'dino, performed in NYC, October 30, 1977
Halloween 77 (2017), as San Ber'dino, performed in NYC, October 31, 1977
- same version on Baby Snakes (The Movie) (1979), as San Ber'dino
  - same version on AAAFNRAA—Baby Snakes—The Compleat Soundtrack (2012), as San Ber'dino
Hammersmith Odeon (2010), as San Ber'dino, performed in London, January 25, 1978

Tour(s) on which song is known to have been performed (main source: FZShows, v. 7.1)

June-August, 1974 (MOI)—known quotations: 2 (riff)
October-December, 1974 (MOI)—known performances: 1
September-December, 1975 (MOI)—known performances: 18
January-March, 1976 (MOI Pacific & European Tour)—known performances: 19
September-December, 1977 (North America)—known performances: 6
January-February, 1978 (Europe)—known performances: 5

Comments

Foggy G, "The Songs That Were Played," We're Only In It For The Touring

1974: Makes it's glorious premiere on New Year's, with the music sounding essentially the same- well-rehearsed if not a little more racuous- but the lyrics are quite different. To begin with, they are in the first person ("only one shower, but it don't apply to me"), and thus there is absolutely no mention of Potato-headed Bobby. Definitely worth hearing. [Thanks to Jon Naurin for info then tape]

1975-76: Essentially performed as on OSFA, allowing for obvious differences in instrumentation.

1977-78: Essentially performed as on OSFA, allowing for obvious differences in instrumentation. Belew does a more than adequate job of filling Watson's shoes for the end-of-song ravings. Played as an encore frequently throughout the tour. Essentially played as on the "Baby Snakes" video.

The original lyrics

From Charles Ulrich:

At its premiere performance on December 31, 1974, San Ber'dino had partially different lyrics:

Slobberin' drunk at the Palomino
Got thirty days in San Ber'dino

Now I'm the world's greatest
Dirt-biker romeo
And my fingernails are greasy
So the girls would really know

Up in the desert full of benzedrino
Got thirty days in San Ber'dino

They got forty-four men
Stashed away in Tank "C"
An' there's only one shower
But it don't apply to me

You might think I'm
Dumb an' lonely
Got my wings and
That ain't only
Two percent now
Two percent now
Two percent now
Two percent now

Get away
(What, what, what?)
I don't xxx

Best-est way that
I can feel-o
Punchin' some mama
Who smoked a kilo
Oh my wheel-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o
I'm for real-o

I got thirty days in San Ber'dino
Got thirty days in San Ber'dino
Got thirty days in San Ber'dino
Got thirty days in San Ber'dino
Thirty days in San Ber'dino