Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's "Trout Mask Replica"

dunno, i've never had a relationship with somebody's record collection

and yet posting one's penis size is inexplicably frowned upon

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Twelveinchesofsnow.jpg

what does a high hat beaver moustache man look like? is it a fur hat? if not, is it a beaverish moustache?

Moustache, I would assume.

it's a thrillingly vague image!

He is (sort of) making up as he goes along too.

was he seeing his own reflection at the time?

then who's the pirate friend?

maybe he's catching two different glimpses of himself, or twizzling a spoon

Frank Zappa (xp)

tbh this is possibly my least favorite Beefheart album (granted I've never listened to the Tragic Band stuff)

amend that - I guess it's better than Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

Perfectly understandable.

TMR is definitely the album I listened to the most times without enjoying while trying to get into it

cosign, except substitute Pet Sounds for Trout Mask Replica.

I know Bill Harkleroad has said he doesn't like the guitar sound, that they were just using some cheap amp, but I've always loved this album sonically, the sound of the four of them playing.

"It's a bush recording. We're out recording a bush."

Did he say that? I remember him saying, when they recorded "Moonlight On Vermont", which was the first thing he recorded with the band and was before the whole TMR saga, that Zappa turned all the knobs on the guitar amp way up and the sound was deafening.

This album rules how can you not love it on first listen?

how is it not enjoyable? It’s so much fun

“where’s the drop”

decals is better tho

Yeah, he said that when they were rehearsing in the house, they were all plugging in to one amp and then when they recorded, it was some solid state amp that he didn't like.

Ah, that's right, a solid state amp, I remember him talking about that.

don't get me wrong I like TMR fine, but I like some of his other records a whole lot more. I think its drawbacks include some of the failings typical of double albums - its overstuffed, with some lesser material mixed in (dumb sex jokes etc.) I don't really love that super-clean solid-state guitar sound. Everything is so clean and dry and close-mic'd that it often feels a bit claustrophobic. Beefheart's horn playing is bad.

If I had to chop it down to just stuff I love it would include all of side 1 (with the exception of Hair Pie - delete both of those actually), China Pig, My Human Gets Me Blues, When Big Joan Sets Up, and Sugar an' Spikes.

as a lil baby listening to TMR for the first time it was not fun bc I had no experience of jazz or blues or cross-rhythms or sense of really any of what they were up to so it sounded like an oppressive mess

I don't remember the first time I heard it tbh

it was definitely the first Beefheart album I was aware of though

"Doc at the Radar Station" was my first Beefheart, borrowed it out of the local library. I owe my first hearing of "Trout Mask Replica", to Phil, the singer out of the Stretchheads(!), he gave me a cassette of his dad's copy - I should point out his stint in the Stretchheads lay some years in the future!

I hated my first encounter with it because I was only into emo shit with heartbreaking melodies at the time.

maybe it's time to finally get into this album. i should probably spraypaint my windows black and crank up the heat if i want the full effect, though.

I wouldn't call the guitars on, say, "Moonlight on Vermont" super-clean.

side 4 was my gateway into this album, still love that whole run of tunes along with most of the rest

(xp) Yes, but that was recorded before the main body of the album - the, er, more problematic material.

also, probably not coincidentally, my favorite track on the album

I think "Sugar 'n' Spikes" and "Veteran's Day Poppy" are from the same session?

i'm guessing i got my first copy second-hand in my first year at college (1978-79), i definitely had it while i was a student

(saw him at the venue in london on the doc tour in i think 1980: doc is probably actually my favourite)

yeah my top 3 are Clear Spot, Doc at the Radar Station, and Safe as Milk

Can't argue with those choices!

Andreyev asks him about the Trout Mask guitar sound here at 43:40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWgfVVbK4bA&t=3484s

ha I was just going to say - if a 30 minute compositional analysis of frownland by a man in a suit&tie sounds like fun to you then hoo boy does samuel andreyev have a treat for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FhhB9teHqU&

He's awesome and it's cool that Harkleroad and French were both appreciative. The MIDI transcriptions he does of the parts are so spot on.

I think the guitars were distorting somewhat on the Zappa sessions, Οὖτις. You can certainly hear it on "Dali's Car."

Guitars sound great on TMR, in fact the production is perfect because it's so straightforward and unadorned.

Trying toi think my chronology with beefheart.
Maybe it was Decals first after hearing the birthday party compared to them. Got it in a not brilliant state on vinyl in mid to late 83. Probably a few of the earlier late 60s lps after that then got given TMR for my 18th Birthday. So I think I had Strictly personal before it.
Odd very untimely stuff but still somewhat rooted in teh late 60s I guess.

Haven't heard the version that the zappa estate released a couple of years ago , is it very different?

OH & it was a record taht had started turning up on lists of the weirdest lps ever recorded by some time in the mid 80s. Which might be a lure in itself.

I can't listen to music from the 60's anymore, it's too old.

it’s not the music that grew old

I meant that very broadly, but it's true that the captain's Richard Brautigan shtick has not aged well.