Trout Mask Replica

1969 Art Rock Avantgarde Blues Rock Experimental Psychedelic Rock

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Tracklist

A1 Frownland 1:39
A2 The Dust Blows Forward ‘N The Dust Blows Back 2:04
A3 Dachau Blues 2:21
A4 Ella Guru 2:23
A5 Hair Pie: Bake 1 4:57
A6 Moonlight On Vermont 3:55
B1 Pachuco Cadaver 4:37
B2 Bills Corpse 1:47
B3 Sweet Sweet Bulbs 2:17
B4 Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish 2:25
B5 China Pig 3:56
B6 My Human Gets Me Blues 2:42
B7 Dali’s Car 1:25
C1 Hair Pie: Bake 2 2:23
C2 Pena 2:31
C3 Well 2:05
C4 When Big Joan Sets Up 5:19
C5 Fallin’ Ditch 2:03
C6 Sugar ‘N Spikes 2:29
C7 Ant Man Bee 3:55
D1 Orange Claw Hammer 3:35
D2 Wild Life 3:07
D3 She’s Too Much For My Mirror 1:42
D4 Hobo Chang Ba 2:01
D5 The Blimp (Mousetrap Replica) 2:04
D6 Steal Softly Thru Snow 2:13
D7 Old Fart At Play 1:54
D8 Veteran’s Day Poppy 4:30

Musicians

The Mascara SnakeBass Clarinet, Vocals, Illustration (On Insert Sheet)
Rockette MortonBass Guitar, Narrator
John FrenchDrums (Uncredited), Translated By (Music Score, Uncredited)
Captain BeefheartMusic By, Lyrics By, Written-By, Vocals, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone (Saxophones Played Simultaneously), Horn (Simran Horn), Musette, Saxophone (Simultaneous Tenor & Soprano)
Frank ZappaProducer, Voice (Intro)
Zoot Horn RolloSlide Guitar (Glass Finger Guitar), Flute
Antennae Jimmy SemensSlide Guitar (Steel Appendage Guitar), Effects (Flesh Horn), Lead Vocals, Narrator
Gary “Magic” MarkerBass Guitar
Doug MoonGuitar

Also credited. Design (Album Design): Cal Schenkel. Photography By (Cover): Cal Schenkel. Engineer: Dick Kunc. Technician (Electronic Modification Of Equipment): Dick Kunc. Liner Notes (Insert Sheet Poem): Don Van Vliet. Photography By (Inside & Back Cover): Ed Caraeff.

Release notes

pressing variant denoted by a “P” stamp in runouts.
1st press USA issue, with auto-coupled discs,
‘Straight’ labels with a ‘2’ prefix to STS 1053 cat# & the ‘Straight’/’Bizarre’ address on label radius text.
Vinyl in black ‘Straight’ liners with ‘Bizarre’ address.
6-page, 2-fold white paper insert printed single-color black (folds to 12”x12”), lyrics within. Front has half-tone photo of school-age Don Vliet inside a panel, with legend; “Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart”. Back & inner spread has line illustrations by “The Mascara Snake” [Vliet’s cousin]. Inside facing-page has handwritten ‘Manta Ray’ poem which is under-signed ‘Don Van Vliet’.

Works all contained in unlaminated gatefold sleeve.
(Pasted, no internal glue-tabs)

Errata on labels vs sleeve:
“Moonlight On Vermont” is printed wrongly as “Moonlight In Vermont” on label.
“The Blimp” is printed “The Blimb” (wrongly) & has “(Mousetrapreplica)” suffix on label.
[The intro voice is that of Zappa, recorded via a telephone link to Zappa’s studio - with Antennae Jimmy Semens narrating from Vliet’s script over the ‘phone from the ‘Magic Band house’. A field-to-studio recording, on which was resident on a tape channel the members of The Mothers performing the drum-passage to “Charles Ives” aka “Didja Get Any Onya?”]

Track A4: “Flesh Horn” is a Vliet affectation for the ‘cupped hand’-to-the-mouth (hence flesh), used to create a ‘vocalized horn’ effect.
Tracks A6 & D8 recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders
Remaining tracks later recorded at Whitney Recording Studios (and within ‘The Magic Band House’)

Drummer, John ‘Drumbo’ French, was not credited on this album. (It is now accepted that his transcription of Beefheart’s concepts/score for other band members was fundamental in its production. See notes in ‘Grow Fins’ box set).

One known official single was released from this album in France: