When Don Van Vliet – better known as Captain Beefheart -- died Friday at age 69, he left behind a lifetime of ground-breaking albums that enchanted, puzzled and disturbed even as they assured his reputation as one of rock’s avant-garde visionaries.

The confusion was at least partially by design. Whether dealing with his band members, record companies or his fans, Beefheart made himself a moving target, impossible to define or fully understand. Yet his self-contained musical logic and outsider spirit influenced countless artists, including Johnny Lydon, Devo, PJ Harvey, Joe Strummer, the Residents, Tom Waits, Pere Ubu and the Fall. These artists, of course, did not sound much like Captain Beefheart. No one could. But his intent – that of being the sole inhabitant of a small, strange, entirely self-constructed world – was hugely inspiring, an artist who refused compromise.

Don Glen Vliet was born in January 1941 in Glendale, Calif. He demonstrated an early affinity for art (sculpture in particular), but began focusing on music after meeting a similarly precocious and gifted young musician named Frank Zappa in high school.

Essential recordings by Captain Beefheart, who died Friday at age 69:

“Safe as Milk” (1967): The Captain’s debut still has one boot firmly planted in his beloved blues, with Ry Cooder contributing stellar guitar. It’s built on riffs, and it rocks -- not a bad place for Beefheart newcomers to begin.

“Trout Mask Replica” (1969): The blues and garage-rock of Beefheart’s youth crash into a surreal world of jagged guitars and zig-zag rhythms. Though it sounds chaotic at points, every note is carefully scripted. A one-of-kind masterpiece.

“Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)” (1978): After drifting for a few years, Beefheart retools his band and reworks the aborted “Bat Chain Puller” to release this comeback album.

“Doc at the Radar Station” (1980): Beefheart rediscovers minimalism, making his leanest album and affirming his relevance to the postpunk generation.

“The Dust Blows Forward: An Anthology” (1999): Excellent two-disc overview of the Captain’s multi-faceted career.

greg@gregkot.com