Trout Mask Replica

Sometimes too weird, but I couldn’t stop listening. The blues touches kept me in it.

165/1089 - I admit I am biased with this album. I was sick when I first listened to this and a couple seconds in I started laughing and it put me in a good mood for the rest of the album. The music sucks (to listen to, they're playing everything competently!) but it sucks in a very intriguing way, more than any contemporary classical piece from Boulez on could do. It helps that there are hints of accessibility here and there for example the last track having a nice jazzy vamp. I sincerely enjoyed my first experience listening to this album.

Ok this is a really strange combo of styles. Feels like a time traveler from 2005 went back to 1967 and recorded a bunch of random demos. The electric guitar instrumentals sound really good even today in 2025. A lot of the other stuff sounds like sound effect tracks for movies or something. But its not just noise, there's almost a progressive rock type vibe going on as well. --just looked itup, is psychedelic, which makes a lot of sense now. 4/5 because theres just so much lore and interesting sounds like this going on at the same time as the popular generic sounds like the british invasion stuff.

Horrifying. I liked it. It took crazy assholes in the ‘60s a lot of acid to invent the music we like now. It felt ridiculous, but primordial! and…sick!

Okay so I'm pretty sure I "got" it and while I'm not under the illusion that this is all amazing, there's souch here that I'll definitely be coming back to this one!

De las veces que lo escuché, es la primera que logro entenderlo. Y eso es mérito suficiente. Dentro de poco poder apreciarlo como la obra maestra (o la psyop) que probablemente es.

Always enjoyed the absurdity of Captain Beefheart.

Is this grating? Yes. Is it absurd? Certainly. Is there magic somewhere in it? Absolutely. Now what can we glean from the absurd? It transports us to a different place. We gain access to words we wouldn’t have thought to put next to each other, a yell we may not be able to make because we have neighbors. Escape. Then again, maybe this band is just trolling us.

Trout Mask Original.

Wild

Zappa knew what he was doing.

Also dissonant, but somehow in a way I appreciate better. Was surprised at how much I noticed their influence on RHCP

Weird and often wonderful

weiss nanig öb ich mich sött freue okkkke ivh freu mich nöd nei also wenns eso wiitwrgaht wird das eifach e experience sii wo ich happy wird sii, dass ich sie nur 1 mal mach ABER es isch e experience no fehlt mier aber de roti fade, ich han vhaos ja rig na gern aber rifach verschm instrument wo durrenand spieled weniiiger sini atimm hani aber na gern! hahaha d brite spinned amigs echt, wiso isch das ide charts uf nr. 21 gsi?? ella gutu findi actually no cool!!! HAHAHAH ganz ehrlich ich han zu 100% zerst abkauft, dass sie als sample e dütschi airwaves-werbig würded innetue (ja kei ahnig öbs das dete scho geh het aber es hett passt) uiii jz ischs ahstrengend oke ich lueg kei comments meh, die simmer zu pretentious hahahaha hait pie hani iwie no chönne öppis ahfange? bzw. öppe ab de hälfti ui de schluss isch iwie creepy? moonlight on Vermont het actually gwüssi element wommer chan als... meh oder weniger konventionells lied bezeichne??? ahh china pig heter ufem nokia uufgno! sind das gad pro-trans lyrics gsi?? ahh ja mit lyrics wärs ganze sicher nomal chli andersch aber han ganz whrlich kei nerve HAHAHA de ahfang vo pena HAHAHAHAHA DAS ISCH JA SOOO UNHINGED OMG ICH LIEBS HAHAHAHABABABA aso ganz ehrlich dass das vo 69 isch findi scho insane omg ich lieb die schrei und wie de beefheart mengisch tönt, wie wenner kei ahnig het, was er als s nächst wird sege hahaha nei würkli die chline pausene, wie wenner churz müsst überlege, hmm was für nonsense mussi jz is mikrophon schreie hahahah heter sich versproche und eifach wiitergsunge?? chammer das dadaistischi musig nenne? ohh s letschte lied hani gern! s isch echlii zemmehängender als anders hahahah ich han iwie mega spass gha, am ahfang ischs hii und daa ahstrengend gsi, aber iwie cheggtmer de sound? weiss nöd. weiss nüt nach dem album

Very unique album truly one of it's kind. It's similar to my pal foot-foot in the way that there'll never be another album similar to it.

Trout Mask Replica is probably the biggest cult album in rock history. Some people think it is the biggest racket ever recorded on record, others can sit there for hours listening in ecstasy to the demented dadaistic delta blues that the Captain has immortalized on this disc. This cult status is due not only to the controversial music but also to the stories that circulate about the recording of this album. Captain Beefheart refused to wear headphones during the recording of his vocals to it's never in sync with the music, and is said to have lived in isolation with the Magic band for more than a year to prepare the recording of this album, almost starving the band. Then only to record the entire 80-minute album in an 6-hour session. It blasted through all conventions. Trout Mask Replica has been influential mainly by acting as a catalyst for freer thinking within the rock context, by opening up so much unexplored territory. It pushed the boundaries and it's a fascinating cabinet of curiosities of unparalleled creativity. And apart from the opener I actually don't mind listening to this at all.

I've been holding off scoring this for a few days to see how it sits with me. I think I've arrived at a conclusion, having listened to it end to end three or four times. I hate it; it's one of the worst things I've heard, but it's oddly compelling. I love it, but it drives me crazy. Possibly deserves five stars just for the phrase "fast and bulbous" which makes me giggle each time. Fuck it, four stars. I may amend to five in the future.

Gotta agree with Lester Bangs here: it wasn't ahead of its time - it stands outside time. Therefore its almost impossible to separate the legend, its orignal impact and the music. I find myself listening to it both as groundbreaking music from the 60s and at face value in 2020s simultaneously. The line between pretension and over-indulgence and creative-mad-genius is apparently measured by a hair's breadth in my case. The abrasive dissonance, the sillyness, the meandering structures, the fact that it goes on and on, in most cases should not work, but even in the most dense chaos of songs like "Frownland" have me trying to solve the mystery of where it's going, where it's coming from and why it works at the same time it absolutely doesn't.

Fast and bulbous indeed. I can definitely appreciate why this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but It's quite enjoyable once you get underneath the thorny surface. Like Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky, what seems to be utter nonsense leaves itself open to many delightful interpretations. You have to be quite good to do something so strange that is willingly dense and lacking in universal appeal. I do admit to being a fan before hearing this thanks to a love of the album Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). That's my five star Beefheart album.

They look like accountants or thereabouts, but sound like voodoo or something. Incredible, brilliant, bonkers album.

Very creative, weird, and unique. While this is a tough listen, I think it is quite impressive.

# Trout Mask Replica: An Avant-Garde Mirage in the Desert of Conventional Rock Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s *Trout Mask Replica* (1969) stands as one of the most polarizing artifacts in rock history—a double album that simultaneously repels and mesmerizes, a work that dismantles musical norms with the ferocity of a desert storm. Recorded under Frank Zappa’s production and released during the twilight of the 1960s counterculture, the album is a labyrinth of fractured blues, free-jazz dissonance, and Dadaist poetry. Its legacy lies not in commercial success but in its uncompromising vision, challenging listeners to confront the boundaries of what music could be. This review dissects the album’s lyrical absurdism, musical anarchism, lo-fi production, thematic preoccupations, and enduring influence, while weighing its merits against its deliberate inaccessibility. --- ## Lyrical Architecture: Surrealism as Social Commentary Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) crafted lyrics that oscillate between grotesque imagery, childlike whimsy, and cryptic social critique. The opening track, “Frownland,” bellows, *“My smile is stuck / I cannot go back to your Frownland”*—a sardonic rejection of societal conformity, where “Frownland” symbolizes a world stifled by emotional repression[2][4]. Van Vliet’s words evoke the folkloric strangeness of Delta blues, as in “China Pig,” where a destitute narrator pleads, *“I asked her for water / She gave me gasoline”*—a direct nod to Howlin’ Wolf’s blues tradition, refracted through a psychedelic lens[2]. Tracks like “Dachau Blues” confront historical atrocities with surreal horror: *“Skeletons be dancin’ in the ovens / Dyin’ in the ovens”*[2]. Here, Van Vliet’s bass clarinet wails like a mourning siren, juxtaposing the absurdity of human violence against disjointed instrumentation. The lyrics’ non-linear structure—part Beat poetry, part nursery rhyme—creates an unsettling tension between levity and gravity. “Moonlight on Vermont” subverts the idyllic imagery of its titular state, painting a portrait of rural decay: *“The air’s so sticky / It could paste a poster on a fence”*[2]. Such lines exemplify Van Vliet’s knack for blending Americana with absurdist critique, rendering the familiar grotesque. --- ## Musical Deconstruction: Blues Fragmented Through a Prism The Magic Band’s performance on *Trout Mask Replica* is a masterclass in controlled chaos. Guitarists Bill Harkleroad and Jeff Cotton, bassist Mark Boston, and drummer John French (dubbed “Drumbo”) rehearsed Van Vliet’s compositions for months in isolation, achieving a telepathic interplay that masquerades as improvisation. The album’s 28 tracks eschew traditional rock structures, instead weaving polyrhythms, atonal guitar lines, and off-kilter time signatures into a tapestry of calculated dissonance[2][3]. “Frownland” opens with guitars clashing in 7/4 and 4/4 simultaneously, their jagged riffs colliding like shards of glass[2]. “Hair Pie: Bake 1” features a saxophone squall over a lurching rhythm, evoking Albert Ayler’s free-jazz eruptions[2]. Yet beneath the cacophony lies a bedrock of Delta blues: “China Pig” channels raw, slide-guitar minimalism, while “Sugar ‘n Spikes” interpolates Miles Davis’ *Sketches of Spain* into its frenetic sprawl[2]. Van Vliet’s harmonica and growling vocals anchor the chaos in blues tradition, even as the band deconstructs it. The Magic Band’s virtuosity is most evident in their ability to navigate Van Vliet’s labyrinthine compositions. As Fred Frith noted, the music *“is completely controlled all the time”* despite its anarchic veneer[2]. Tracks like “Ella Guru” pivot between staccato guitar bursts and lilting melodies, showcasing a precision that belies their surface-level disorder. --- ## Production Aesthetics: Lo-Fi as Artistic Statement Produced by Frank Zappa, *Trout Mask Replica* embraces a raw, unpolished sound that amplifies its avant-garde ethos. Recorded partially in a makeshift studio in Van Vliet’s rented house, the album’s lo-fi production captures the claustrophobic intensity of the Magic Band’s rehearsals. Zappa’s approach was hands-off, allowing Van Vliet’s vision to dominate—a decision that resulted in moments of jarring immediacy, such as the unedited studio chatter in “The Blimp”[3][4]. The production’s intentional primitivism—distorted vocals, untreated instruments, and minimal overdubs—heightens the album’s surreal atmosphere. On “Pena,” Van Vliet’s vocals bleed into the red, his growl overpowering the tinny guitar lines. Conversely, “Veteran’s Day Poppy” strips the arrangement to a lone bass clarinet and whispered poetry, emphasizing the album’s dynamic range. Critics have debated whether Zappa’s minimalist approach was visionary or negligent, but it undeniably reinforces the album’s anti-commercial stance[4]. --- ## Thematic Undercurrents: Surrealism, Americana, and Alienation *Trout Mask Replica* is steeped in the surrealist tradition, where dream logic supplants narrative coherence. Van Vliet’s lyrics juxtapose absurdist vignettes—a “fast ’n bulbous” camel (“Fast and Bulbous”) or mice in cold-water flats (“Sugar ‘n Spikes”)—with biting social commentary. The album’s title itself is a nonsensical amalgam, reflecting Van Vliet’s disdain for literal interpretation[2][4]. Themes of environmental decay and cultural hypocrisy permeate tracks like “Moonlight on Vermont” and “Dachau Blues,” where pastoral imagery is corrupted by industrialization and historical trauma. Van Vliet’s America is a hallucinatory wasteland, populated by “neon meat” and “skeleton keys”—a critique of postwar consumerism veiled in surreal metaphor[2]. The album also grapples with artistic alienation. “The Blimp” mocks the music industry through a garbled phone call, while “Steal Softly Thru Snow” laments creative stagnation: *“The dust devils play / In the moon’s debris”*[2]. Van Vliet positions himself as an outsider, howling against the commodification of art. --- ## Influence and Legacy: From Cult Oddity to Canonical Classic Though initially dismissed as unlistenable, *Trout Mask Replica* has become a touchstone for experimental artists. Post-punk bands like The Fall and Pere Ubu adopted its dissonant guitars and fractured rhythms, while Sonic Youth cited its influence on their noise-rock explorations[3]. The album’s disregard for genre conventions paved the way for art-rock eccentrics like Tom Waits and PJ Harvey, who channeled its raw, theatrical energy. In jazz, musicians such as John Zorn and Henry Cow drew inspiration from its polyrhythmic complexity and collective improvisation[2]. Even hip-hop producers have sampled its cacophony, recognizing its percussive ingenuity. The album’s cultural footprint extends beyond music: visual artists like Raymond Pettibon and David Lynch have echoed its grotesque surrealism. --- ## Pros and Cons: A Double-Edged Sword **Pros**: 1. **Innovative Composition**: The album’s fusion of blues, free jazz, and avant-garde remains unparalleled in its ambition[2][3]. 2. **Lyrical Originality**: Van Vliet’s poetry blends humor, horror, and social critique with singular vision[2][4]. 3. **Cultural Impact**: Its influence on experimental music and art legitimizes its status as a groundbreaking work[3][4]. **Cons**: 1. **Deliberate Inaccessibility**: The abrasive sound and lack of melodic hooks alienate casual listeners[1][4]. 2. **Exhausting Length**: At 79 minutes, the album’s unrelenting chaos can feel self-indulgent[1][3]. 3. **Production Limitations**: The lo-fi aesthetic, while intentional, often undermines the music’s complexity[4]. --- ## Conclusion: The Mask’s Unyielding Gaze *Trout Mask Replica* is less an album than an auditory Rorschach test—a work that demands engagement on its own terms. Its genius lies in its refusal to compromise, challenging listeners to find coherence in chaos. While its confrontational style ensures it will never be universally loved, its audacity secures its place in the pantheon of avant-garde masterpieces. As Van Vliet snarls in “Pena”: *“A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast ’n bulbous—got me?”* The answer, perhaps, is irrelevant; the question alone defies the mundane, and in that defiance, the album triumphs.

On the one hand, you would have to be insane to have this on regular rotation. But on the other, I respect the fact that it's completely unique as a work of art in music. I would definitely listen to Pachuco Cadaver, Moonlight on Vermont and Sugar N Spikes if I was in the mood for a laugh. And the more I listen, the more impressed I am with the skill required to pull this off. Particularly from the drummer, who did a fantastic job to tie together all the disparate parts. This would get a 5 for being so memorable but I'm subtracting 1 point because it's way too long, the mixing is terrible and the I don't like the sketches/poems/spoken word parts.

Non mi ha mai preso troppo ma respect

A demented, surreal, often humorous mixture of music, effects, and spoken word that apparently takes multiple (6 or 7) listens to assimilate. It's well known that The Simpsons creator Matt Groening first heard it , hated it but persisted and changed his view and so it became one of his favourite records. I do agree it's (probably) an uncanny arty masterpiece with meaning hidden in its deep depths. But to get to that viewpoint would take a lot more time and patience than most people can reasonably spare. Depending on that investment, it may well be amongst the best or worst records you'll ever hear. Not to get too philosophical but one of life's valuable lessons is that if you swim through a sewer, the wine waiting for you at the other end tastes all the more sweeter. Or to put it another way, if life was always perfectly 'nice', we would get bored. We need challenges and to experience pain as much as joy to avoid stagnation and boredom (note to Putin; that doesn't mean you go and start a war with your neighbour). Anyway, I can see why people hate this, I can also see why people like this. And while I can't say I fully enjoyed it, I did enjoy the concept, the general weirdness and some of the music is actually quite brilliant.

Before this project I knew nothing of Captain Beefheart besides having heard of the band. I enjoyed Safe as Milk and was happy to dive into this one, double album length and all. I was pretty iffy on it until Ella Guru which seems brilliant to me, and then pretty iffy again. There's stretches like the extended musical outro of Pachuco Cadaver that are complex and interesting and wildly original. But then it sinks into unlistenable cacophony in danger of doing my head in. The back half of When Big Joan Sets Up is pretty amazing. I couldn't do it all in one go but I did ultimately conquer it. I like this better than the Zappa I had a few days ago, Freak Out!; it is harder on the ears but way less pretentious and judgey. I would normally give something both great and terrible 3 stars but this is bravely great and terrible, so 4 stars. But it isn't going into frequent rotation!

As a huge Tom Waits fan I was into this. Super weird, super funny. Definitely not for everyone.

How to talk about this glorious mess of an album? It's like THE weirdo album of which I think the weirdness comes more from how long it is and how much it throws the listener into weird vignettes for every song, one song might be a manic jam or the next Captain Beefheart singing by himself or the next they are fooling around and you hear Frank Zappa's voice. It's no wonder this album is so notoriously offputting, it's intentional trying not to be a cohesive piece of music, hell, coherently PERFORMED music too, twice now I felt in a trance listening to this thing because of how easy it is to get lost in its small songs going on for 74 mins, and if you are riding along its weirdness then you just sink into them because (or at least I think) this album feels like the place where so many other musical weirdos in the future got ideas for songs. I'm convinced Jack White got ideas for his music listening to Veteran Day's Poppy which only got stronger knowing Third Man re-released this album. I think to say this album is "weird" or "unusual" is obviously true and important for what the record is and its intentions but even more is seeing it as this jumping off point for many other weirdos to do it too.

On tää vitun erikoinen mutta myös tosi hyvä! 4/5

Puuh olipahan kokemus tämä 80 minuuttia. Osa kokeiluista tuntuu aika puolivillaisilta, mutta toisaalta kiva että tällaista musaa on listalla. Osa biiseistä on jopa ihan hyviä, ja arvostan pelotonta ja humoristista otetta, joka tässä on otettu. 4/5

GSK day 1, substituted the album with I’ve Been Expecting You by Robbie Williams. Great album that was, not worth a biopic, but Strong and Millennium are great songs.

i went into this knowing it was an influential album for many of the weirdest musicians and artists i respect, but i don't think i've ever heard any of the tracks. i expected this to be much closer to outsider music, but it was more like talented musicians playing very freeform/avant-garde jazz rock, so that was cool. a lot of the songs sound like pure chaotic cacophony at first, but their charm and interesting/funny lyrics start to grow on you. this album isn't afraid to just be a weird piece of art that lacks any inherent pretentiousness or pandering to try to sell records. i'm glad we live in a world where this could be made. i did have to pause halfway through so i could clear my mind and focus on work, and these tracks really demand your attention for it to not just feel like noise. but this was a neat album and fully worthy of being on this list. favorites: frownland, the dust blows forward 'n the dust blows back, ella guru, pachuco cadaver, my human gets me blues, pena, well, sugar 'n spikes, steal softly thru snow, old fart at play, veteran's day poppy

fast and bulbous

This is the most difficult double album to work through on this list. Its' eccentric legacy is mired in abuse, confusion, and disgust by a great many. What makes this album incredible is that it is essential to our modern society. The ultimate mind meld between Zappa and Beefheart, performed and recorded in a way that could not easily be replicated. It's not easy, but between the themes, musical exploration and fusion, sheer absurdity, and existence as art, it is THE Art Rock Monolith. 3.5/5, five more listens to go

Bonkers. Not his best album. Prefer the more song-based efforts, but there is nothing that sounded quite like this at the time, and it has influenced so many, notably Tom Waits and Pop Group. I don't play this often, but when I do, I always hear something new.

4.0

Ah, the infamous Trout Mask Replica. Had briefly dipped into this one before but for only like 1.5 songs and now that I'm at the closing riff of "Veteran's Day Poppy"... well, why not? Basically? There's certainly been music in this list here that I've found more challenging or "unpleasant" - Trout Mask Replica seems a fuckton more significant, interesting and 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 than e.g. The Residents' album I had before. There are some pretty cool things going on past the first impression of cacophony. The odd funky bops, even. The problem is that I just don't think there really is that much of a fabled reward waiting for me after repeated listens. Or that I feel like I want to find it as I now know what a toxic affair this album's creation was. Still, and bottom line, happy to have had this today. Exciting piece of culture.

Can't deny it's weird. That's what great about it. It's also why it's not for everyone. Favorite song: she's too much for my mirror.

Unpleasant. But oh so good. I have OG vinyl on this.

Truly unique manic expression of experimentalism. An avant-rock masterpiece, strange outsider music, total bullshit? That’s for the listener to decide. I consider myself fairly open-minded, but even I need to get over that initial reaction of “what the fuck is this shit!?!” When Frownloand comes on. But if you can get past that, there some truly interesting stuff here. Closely listening can be intensely stimulating, potentially overstimulating, as you try to keep up with what’s going on. But when you lock in on the right places, there can be amazing things found…I think. Or does it just feel amazing because you had to work to find it? There’s also shit that makes no sense. These dudes certainly made their own album in their own uncompromising way and I respect that. There’s a lot of talent behind this chaos. But it’s also deeply challenging and that’s a lot for 78 fucking minutes…now at this point this is probably my longest review and I still don’t know where I stand on this album.

All you need to know going in is that this is one of David Lynch’s favorite albums.

Well, points for trying and there’s some genuinely cool stuff here. But also this is a lot. Putting 3 stars feels honest because it’s the average of 1 and 5 stars which is the experience but I’ll add a star for the ambition.

Most people find stuff like this a difficult listen and can't see past the noise. I get that, the drumming was excellent, like a not stop pounding rhythm driving the chaos forward. To play guitar like that takes a lot of practice and planning and certainly not straightforward, these two elements were the genius of this album. The vocals added to the whole experience. They were a massive influence of the Fall so I was hardly going to dismiss this as people throwing instruments around, you've got to look past that and admire the daring attempts at something completely new.

"Trout Mask Replica" is the third studio album by American band Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. Stating the obvious, this double-sided album is classified as experimental combining elements of R&B, garage rock and blues with fee jazz and avant-garde composition. This album is also noted for its unconventional musical style (polyrhythmic, multi-octave vocals and ploytonality) and as one of the most challenging albums of the 20th century. I'll say! The album was produced by Frank Zappa. Captain Beefheart is Don Van Vilet and plays woodwind and brass instruments and is the lead vocalist. His Magic Band includes Bill "Zoot Horn Rollo" Harkwood (guitar), Jeff "Antennae Jimmy Semens" Cotton (guitar), Mark "Rockette Morton" Boston (bass), John "Drumbo" French (drums) and Victor "The Mascara Snake" Hayden (bass clarinet). The album did poor commercially in the US but hit #21 in the UK. Critically, the album is considered Beefheart's masterpiece and in 2010, it was also put into the National Recording Registry for its artistic significance. "Frownland" opens the album. What sounds like bluesy, out of tune guitars and a weird drum beat. Beefheart singing and it appears like he's singing to an entirely different song. I think he's going on about the counterculture and commenting on the normal world. "Moonlight on Vermont" has a grinding rhythm. Screeching, bluesy dual guitars. Guttural vocals. Hey, I might getting into this. "Pachuco Cadaver" brings the funk and adds a groove. This song actually makes musical sense. Beefheart is talking about a woman and a car. "Sweet Sweet Bulbs" adds a prominent bass in a blues-soaked song. Interesting guitars and dare I say a hypnotic song. Swirling guitars give "When Big Joan Sets Up" a rockin' vibe. There's the bass clarinet. The song stops and the pace picks up. They've entered Grateful Dead territory. What the hell was this? Calling this weird is an understatement. High-pitched dscordant, layered guitars with weird notes. Beefheart singing what appears to be randomly. Some of these songs make the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star" sound like the most melodic of songs. Theres a bluesy undertow. The album gets more jazzy as it progresses and I started to find the beauty in chaos somehow. Beefheart's lyrics are trippy but I know there's a deeper meaning in some of these songs. This album was obviously influential to various artists like Tom Waits. If you willing to dive off a musical cliff, I can't think of a better album to start it with.

Trout Mask Replica is the third studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, originally released in 1969. "Trout Mask Replica" by Captain Beefheart is an album I've always heard about but never gave a fair listen to. I always heard it being a groundbreaking and audacious work that defies conventional music boundaries. The album blends free jazz, blues, and avant-garde rock into a chaotic, yet strangely cohesive (?) sound that's really challenging. The band's innovative approach to rhythm, melody, and song structure is truly interesting, almost creating a surreal landscape where dissonance and harmony co-exist in unexpected ways. It's a work of true artistic rebellion, one that dares to be different and succeeds magnificently. What makes "Trout Mask Replica" so captivating to me is its unapologetic weirdness. Captain Beefheart’s growling, often "abstract" vocals, coupled with the band’s off-kilter instrumentation, create an atmosphere that feels like stepping into an entirely new dimension of sound. The album's complex arrangements and spontaneous shifts keep you on your toes, making each listen somewhat unique. This fearless embrace of the strange and the unconventional sets the album apart as a visionary piece of work that continues to inspire artists and musicians decades later. It's quite clear to see the influence this album had on music as a whole. However, the album’s very boldness also makes it initially inaccessible. The density of the songs and the deliberate departure from traditional structures can be overwhelming on first listen. It requires patience and an open mind to fully appreciate, which may deter some listeners. It certainly deterred me at first. But for those willing to dive into its depths, "Trout Mask Replica" offers a truly unique and rewarding experience, solidifying its place as an essential, albeit challenging, masterpiece in experimental music. Quite a fun listen.

This album is a thrilling mashup of blues and avant-garde jazz that sounds like a musical Frankenstein’s monster. You could convince me that Captain Beefheart had reanimated his band from the dead, replacing their missing limbs and organs with junkyard parts. These songs are vibrant and alive but also strange and unholy. Some songs are straight blues, others are pure experimentation. And on some songs, once you get accustomed to the atonal riffs and conflicting polyrhythms, you can actually find a groove that feels funky. It’s not exactly music you can dance to but it is music you can bob along to and maybe twitch to. This is a big album and and I’m looking forward to exploring it more and spending more time with it over the years. But “Moonlight in Vermont,” “Pachuco Cadaver” and “Veteran’s Day Poppy” were highlights that felt (somewhat) more accessible than the rest. I imagine that Tom Waits must have been influenced by Captain Beefheart. The lead vocals sound similar to Waits’s growl and the spoken word tracks are reminiscent of the sort of interlude he likes to include on his albums. There’s another band I thought of while listening to this, an indie band called Abe Vigoda. Their 2008 album “Skeleton” was something I listened to a bit in college and I still put it on every once in a while when I get a craving for their sound. They play a more pop-oriented, punky version of the controlled chaos Captain Beefheart plays here. I bet they were fans too.

It’s a ridiculous album that I am so happy exists and influenced so many artists I love

Fucks sake, Trout Mask Replica was on Spotify recently and now it isn't again. Will you just make your bloody mind up??? Anyway yes, the greatest album of all time called Trout Mask Replica. Brilliantly insane. It's fast and bulbous, get me? I also enjoyed this: https://alltherecords-blog.tumblr.com/post/91711139974/captain-beefheart-trout-mask-replica-1969

It's interesting

Not exactly easy listening but it's more palatable than it's reputation. Not something I'm going to listen to in full regularly but it's frequently thrilling, interesting and I can hear it's influence in a lot of modern music

Day134 - they said f it let’s go get weird and i’m here for it and im getting that t-shirt

What a trip

This is definitely one of the records of all time. And I can honestly respect it for that, regardless of the wacky vocal inflections to the highly avant-garde instrumentals that feel more like the musical equivalent of throwing a bunch of shit at the wall and not asking the question of "just because we can do this doesn't mean we should do it." Even at its strangest moments, there's a certain novelty to it that I could appreciate and even found some amusement from just because I never really excepted what would come next.

My kind of weird. Had to resort to YouTube to find this. I couldn't find it on Apple Music or Spotify. Too bad! Reminded me of Metal Machine Music for how it could be at the same time awful and awesome.

It’s the ultimate WTF album. I don’t know what is appealing about this album. I think it’s just that it exists, that someone let him make it. I like to listen to it once a year or so just to remind me that something this ridiculous exists.

Seeing this get generated was a more effective jumpscare than most horror movies. It's gonna be an interesting day. This album is one of the greatest examples of Stockholm Syndrome. You go into it thinking "What the fuck is this? What's going on?" Until your brain reprograms itself and you start unironically bouncing your leg to Pena. 70 minutes go by, and now you're sitting there like "Why did I enjoy that? Why do I want more of whatever that was?" Literal brain damage music and it slaps. Hard to believe a fairly insignificant harmonica player made this. This feels like something a group of psychologists would create in order to conduct a study on the human psyche. Also, normally I hate when an album is not on Spotify and I have to listen to it on Youtube, but the Youtube comments on the reuploads are so good that it's actually a plus. Personal favorites: • "Played this for my dog and he established an independent city state." • "This sounds like what old chairs smell like." • "What a stroke hears when it’s having you" • "People used to be brought before the Inquisition for expressing this sort of thoughts" • "If this is the replica, imagine the real thing"

A masterpiece, but, takes numerous listens to recognize it. Additionally, wasn't available on Apple Music.

hell yeah brother

WTF can you say about this? I'll do my best... I can totally understand and not even argue with someone who shrugs this off as noise or unlistenable or just an exercise to strain the limits of what's definable as music. But there's a certain something that differentiates nonsense from experimental music (art) with substance, and I'm falling squarely in the latter camp on this one. It's as strange as it can be, and while I can't describe the quality I hear that makes this worth paying attention to, I think I can use the word "enjoy" to describe my reaction to this. I was drawn in and amused, intrigued by Beefhart's verse, amazed at the structured musical cacophony. Kudos to the weird ones.

What was that

They are classic but I had never listened. I liked it, but this album wasn’t on Spotify so had to listen to parts of it on Pandora.

Of course people don't like this album on this site. It's not anything like the rest of the late 60's guitar masturbation or smarmy pop rock that this list famously pushes. Call me a contrarian if you want, but so many cool things in life are going to be beyond your understanding if you can't learn to enjoy things that are a little grating on purpose. Movies, music, books, places, people, you name it. There are plenty of things out there that are ultimately worth it even though they aren't "easy" to get through.

reminds me of us maple, but with skits!

Buen álbum de rock con una canción emblematica

Trippy. Rock jazz? I liked it more than I expected knowing how weird he can be and is

One of the big ones, let's go. Shocked to see this isn't on Apple Music, not sure why. Thankfully I've had it on CD for years and it's in my personal itunes library. Wow, I'm learning for the first time today that Captain Beefheart was NOT just an alter ego of Frank Zappa, it's a whole different guy, Don Van Vliet. Zappa did produce this album, and the two were friends, so that all tracks, but man I've been living a lie for years now. This album is weird, and all the weirdness is a kind that I enjoy. Songs have unconventional and unpredictable length, structures, melodies, lyrics, everything feels just pulled out of thin air. "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous, got me?" No, we don't got you. But I love it. Definitely a classic album, I think the back half of the album lacks some of the punch present on the front, but I can't really in good faith give this less than 4.5 stars, it's just a formative classic to me. I was so weirded out and impressed when I heard this way back when, and I still am. Critical inclusion here. Favorite tracks: Dust Blows Forward, Ella Guru, Pachuco Cadaver, Neon Meate Dream, China Pig, Pena, Orange Claw Hammer. Album art: Classic, iconic cover. A mystery man in a long pilgrim hat, and wait, his head is a fish. Is it a trout mask? I'm not certain, seems more like a catfish. But it's perfectly weird to fit the music, and the bold pink background is great for contrast. 4.5/5

Ahh, Trout Mask Replica. This is gonna sound pretentious, but I don’t know what it is about this, but I love it. It’s definitely not an easy listen for most people, and is 100% an acquired taste. But I think it’s fun, and hilarious. The writing is good on some songs. The spoke word passages can be tedious though. It’s definitely not for everybody, but I like it for what it is.

Truly a wild listen. I really don't know where to begin on this one. From the cover to the soundscape throughout the album to even the name of the band and album. I just don't know how to feel. From the asynchronous playing of the instruments to the sometimes gruff vocals and storytelling I felt like I was on a rollercoaster for my brain - it hurts. There was something about this that made me want to both keep listening but stop at the same time. The overlapping melodies that shouldn't work by any normal stretch of the imagination worked so well and the practice that they did definitely paid off. Best & Worst: I have no idea and I'm so confused. Note: This album isn't available on Spotify so I listened to it on YouTube

So unique! I really enjoyed this because I hadn't heard anything quite like it before, but the talent is there.

It's no wonder that Frank Zappa is connected to this album. If you don't like Zappa, you won't like this. And that's okay. This is one of those uncatagorical albums. If you force this squad peg into any hole it won't fit. It's a fun, yet complex journey through a minefield of different genres. instead of trying to figure out what it is, listen to how it got to be and you may enjoy-ish it. 4/5

weird album. enjoyed reading about it more than listening, the vox earworm and other extensive analysis. still had fun with it and listened 2x. 3.9/5

This album is great! It's like a concentration of many of the weird things I like about Mr. Bungle, Primus and Tom Waits, who likely all drew direct inspiration from this record.

Heard this a few times before, so was ready for it I've actually grown to enjoy this after 3-4 listens. I'm not in love with it, but it is good. 3.5/5

Daring and hilarious, Trout Mask Replica rewards repeated listens, but it's obviously so long and awful that few will be brave enough to reach such rewards. It's way too wacky for a five, but I find it's deserving of a four for its sheer commitment to chaos. It's definitely my favorite absurdist blues record of all time...

yep thats what i expected. its complex, difficult, and deeply interesting in a way that i loved. i'd never put a song on a playlist, but id buy a record and put it on every once in a blue moon

Denna skiva är en riktig ryggkliare! Det här får man inte någon annanstans. Riktigt groovy, bortsett frownland som har så bra lyrics och vibat att det inte gör någon skillnad. Gitarristerna är otroliga, bassisten är så nice, trummisen swag. Lyricsen är roliga och fantasifulla och framför allt är varje del av denna skiva originell. Tack Beefheart!

Fun and experimental for sure, but honestly was expecting a bit more out of this.

Couldn’t listen to the album on Spotify but listened to some of their other music. I really like the sound

8/10. Listened to "Safe as Milk" instead since I couldn't find this on Spotify.

There is brilliance in this crazy-ass album and enjoyed listening, but this will be a one time thing. Certainly can see how Zappa would be part of this.

what the hell did I listen to

This is an album that represents a lot of things to a lot of people - it's a patrician album that weeds out the normies to some, weird for the sake of weird to others, unlistenable garbage to others, a meme to still others, an example that rock critics are out of touch with the common music listener to more. So what is it? It's all right. It's a shame that it's overshadowed the rest of Captain Beefheart's career, because the man has some fantastic albums - Safe As Milk, Strictly Personal, Lick My Decals Off Baby, Doc At the Radar Station, Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), and Ice Cream for Crow are all great albums that I revisit frequently. Trout Mask? Not so much. I don't hate it... it's better than some of the safe, boring mid-career albums Beefheart released - but I'm not usually looking for how far you can push music to its extremes. So is this an album you must listen to before you die? Eh. I don't like putting this album on that pedestal because it will probably make the uninitiated uninterested in digging deeper into his discography. There are some great songs on this album, mind you. But if you aren't looking for an album that's going to be obtusely challenging for the average music listener, start elsewhere in his discography. It's still better than the majority of albums on this list though.

I love the bizarreness of this record. I’m just trying to figure out how these guys had the ideas to put all the different parts of this album together, and knowingly form a jumbled mess of music. I don’t understand how one can hate this album since it’s constantly taking interesting turns and telling intriguing stories - it’s a fantastic experience to have. Looking forward to coming back to this one and letting it soak into me and to allow me more time to have the strangeness of it all become more familiar. 7/10

Been waiting for this one! I had a go listening to this a few years ago and was excited to return to it with a more developed ear. Exactly as chaotic, crude, and experimental as I could’ve hoped - not every track lands (I could’ve done with less rambling near the end), but to hear a band in the middle of creative expression and churning out some great riffs along the way is an exceedingly rare experience. A testament to the chaos is how I was able to listen for the full 78 minutes in one sitting, I was intrigued the whole way through (for better or worse) and never thought to take a break. Here’s to challenging, weird music!

Unlistenable in the most outrageous way possible. It requires true talent to be so in sync yet so out of step with the rest of the band. Masterful playing on display.

Ha ha what a schemozzle.

I appreciate it, but can't listen to it very often.

Definitely one of if not THE weirdest album in this list. It's intentionally difficult, and I totally get why someone would absolutely hate it. However, the songwriting is truly next level and this album has definitely gone on to massively influence music. I real iconic album.

The making of this album and its whole sound are so fascinating. I understand many finding it hard to digest, but I think it’s actually pretty hooky at some points. Charming chaotic weirdness. It’s a bit long, though.

This was an astonishing album and impossible to rate, really. Chaotic, abrasive, poetic, alienating, surreal, bluesy, atonal, polyrhythmic, dissonant, ..., fast and bulbous.

a great irregular

The fuck is this album? I'm not even mad, I'm amused. I think this is how crack sounds like.

An unpredictable musical journey full of dissonance and cacophony. Some may qualify it as garbage, others as gold. In my case, it makes me feel a gallery of emotions that range from joy to discomfort. It is one of those that doesn’t work as background music. It demands your attention for sure

This is like modern art, it's garbage but somehow highly acclaimed. Would give it a generous 3/10, but some guitar legends such as Steve Vai and Frusciante highly praise this album. And apparently many listens are required, so I will give it a high rating and come back to it.

4.5

In het begin dat ik wat een kakalbum, maar halverwege is het beginnen klikken. Wel heb ik het gevoel dat je een paar keer moet luisteren om deze ten volle te waarderen, ik ga in de toekomst dus zeker nog eens luisteren. Ik was niet verrast toen ik zag dat de man met Zappa bevriend was

The daring work of expert musicians. I admire just how difficult this record must have been to write and record. So I admire Trout Mask Replica and it was fun in a quirky mayhem sort of way for a few songs. But once again I have had difficult making it all the way through the album - started to feel like a chore. It does bring a new appreciation for how Tom Waits and others inspired by the record have been able to capture its wit and spirit and tone down the sense of assault. File this one away with Throbbing Gristle "Second Annual Report": very glad it was made, respect the hell out of the musicians, but for the sake of my sanity it will not often see my (figurative) turntable.

In my 20s I owned this on cassette of all things, and listened to it many times, though not for years since, up to now. Is it genius? Reading for the first time about Van Vliet’s abuse of his compatriots throughout its creation, my tolerance is somewhat diminished. It’s genuinely funny and interesting, certainly unique and influential. Is this enough to carry the aggressive weirdness through? I conclude yes, and though I find the tales of the Captain’s cultish and violent dominance of his band abhorrent (and anyone theorizing it was necessary to generate this can go pound sand), it’s still one of the greats.

I think this undistilled, straight Captain Beefheart is a little too much for me. I really love a lot of what came from this like Swordfishtrombones or Double Nickels on the Dime. I like the collaborations with Zappa too, Bongo Fury is one of my faves. This is one of those albums that I appreciate more than I actually like it. I'm glad it exists and it has its place but I'll probably never listen to it again voluntarily. I think it's important enough to give it four stars but I can't bring myself to give it five.

Fascinating

It's such a wacky, sometimes wonderful album. Unfortunately it also can be a chore to get through with its ridiculous length. It's best in small doses rather than one sit down session. This album is perfect for this list, this is really something people should hear, if only once. Much appreciation for the influence on artists like Tom Waits and Ween.

Chaotic, Abstract, Experimental Noisy, Complex, Complicated

very odd eclectic, interesting sound. Would like to listen more, overall enjoyed.

It’s wild that I didn’t even remember his album Safe As Milk was listened to at the beginning of this year. Doesn’t sound like the same person at all. Admirably frantic stream-of-consciousness is what it sounds like, but under the chaos I understand there’s a technical complexity to many of these songs. It’s like if Tom Waits and Frank Zappa (who produced this album) had a deranged offspring together. 80 minutes is far too long for something this fragmented and unstable, but I can’t say I was tempted to skip a song at any point either. There’s some compelling vocal deliveries of lyrics that have to be heard to be believed. Just some standout extra crazy moments worth remembering: The beginning of “Pachuco Cadaver”. “Neon Meate Dream” is its own beast. “Pena” feeling like I was watching cartoons on many, many psychedelics. Hmmm. A studious close listen may yield some moments of genuine enjoyment, or at least appreciation for this project. It’s pretty neat that weve made it to the point where something this discordant resonates with many as an evocative work of art. Ive done this before with controversial, boundary-pushing records, but I’m gonna give this one a 3/5. It does chaos very well, it’s just that this type of chaos isn’t particularly appetizing very often

🐟🫪 The legendary Beefheart album. FAST N' BULBOUS 💡🏃 What's jarring is that the notes are played in different rhythms, which is a far cry from the harmonious chords I'm used. We're hearing the chords deconstructed to their most basic form. It's like the sounds I hear in my day to day life: the conversations, the loud Instagram reels, the engine on the bus. Each has its own rhythm and I think Trout Mask kinda "replicates" that. But most of the time Captain Beefheart and his band are giving elementary music class. And I mean this positively. There's a kid-like experimentation, a sense of wonder in this record where you just do random crap and see if it sticks. It takes me to being a kid again and not caring about what the world thinks. A masterpiece or a piece of sh-t, it doesn't matter if he's having fun with it. But personally, I'd lean to the latter, I don't think I'll be listening to Trout Mask Replica often. However, it's a much needed escape from that Trinity Session recording I had two weeks ago. A lot of these polyrhythms remind me of Geese's Getting Killed album but less refined. Later in the record, they get tolerable, but the runtime is just a bit much. For an album with jarring sounds, it follows a conventional structure: songs mixed with tape-recorded conversations as interludes.

Estaba incompleto en Spotify pero lo que había era bueno

A symphony of dying geese and gruff vocals. Must have been a fun recording session. A real Ferris Bueller ‘Never Had One Lesson’ type record

Hell, this was actually a more of an enjoyable time than that RHCP record I got a few days ago. This album is so proud of its weirdness and that it makes it impossible for me to hate it, even when it becomes very challenging to listen to. Filled with eccentric rhythms and absurdist poetry, this record will never sound conventional no matter how much time passes. You can't say that for most music. The most 'normal' moments on this record are on songs like "China Pig", which is just Beefheart singing a blues song with bizarre lyrics backed by just one guitar. Beefheart's gritty voice is perfect for blues music and he sounds quite similar to Tom Waits. I'm glad this project forced my hand to sit down with this after hearing if its reputation for years. You can call Trout Mask Replica a lot of things, but you can never call it boring.

Not on spotify.i listen when I find it physically

Been waiting for this, the Beefheart I heard I liked, but have never heard this album. Takes a couple of tracks to get into, but it starts to crawl into your skull. But is it good? Hard to say, more interesting than a lot of 70s hard rock slop on this list. Can't imagine a context where I would listen to it again, maybe if I needed to scare away a burglar. 3 Heard before? No Owned: No. 80/314 (25%) Will I get: No

I think this one really benefited from popping up more than 700 albums into this project for me. It's long (too long) but it's certainly not boring, which is more than I can say for a lot of other albums I've listened to lately. It's disjointed and weird but in an intentional and controlled way. This honestly grew on me as I was listening to it. I initially thought it was going to be a 1 or 2 star album, but then it slowly crept up to 3 and I think it could possibly land around 4. We'll see.

Noniin nyt sit taas. Avant garde rokkia/bluesia. Frank Zappan tuottamaa. Aivan täysin sekopäistä ja ei mitään järkeä. Perus avant gardea et jokainen nuotti on käytännössä "väärä". Mut mää tavallaan ...ymmärrän? On tää mielenkiintoisempaa kuin moni muu levy tällä listalla. Tän kuuntelu ei kyllästytä vaikka tää onkin 1h20min pitkä. Eihän tää millään tapaa hyvää ole, mutta... mielenkiintoista. Ja väli "skitit" on ihan hauskoja. Parhaat: Fallin' Ditch, Veteran's Day Poppy

This album is not available on Apple Music.

I don't get it. Favourite Songs: Moonlight on Vermont, Bill's Corpse, When Big Joan Sets Up. Least Favourite Songs: The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back, Well, Orange Claw Hammer.

"I listen to this album when I vacuum my lawn."

Erikoista settiä. Oli vain yksi biisi spotifyssa, joten vaikea arvostella. Laitetaan turvallinen 3/5.

I really wanted to hate this....but I kinda dig it 🫣

Random album again. Rather enjoyable though Definitely marmite.

This is an incredibly hard album to get through, but I get it. I can hear the genius behind this album, but it’s too jarring and unnerving to fully enjoy it. My biggest complaint was the length; 80 minutes is too long. I did like Well, Dali’s Car and Veteran's Day Poppy, along with a few others. I have now joined the ranks of those who have survived Trout Mask Replica.

Weird as fuck lol

Everyone has to go sometime, right? For me, my turn has come after completing 58 percent of this list(God knows how many more albums will be added this October though). Nevermind that, though, because we're still in May. Today is the birthday of an ex-friend of mine, one who was my best friend at one time, so this day is already bittersweet, and now I get this adventure on this complicated day. First, and foremost, the album isn't boring. It's quite zany, and as someone who is already a big Frank Zappa listener, I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. Because I'm bored, and because this album is anything, but boring, I'm going to briefly discuss the 28 tracks on this bad boy. The opening track actually sets the tone of what you're getting into. The next two tracks are zany, but consistent. Then, "Ella Guru" comes along, and that's the first song I fell in love with on this album. The screaming is hilarious. Then, "Hair Pie: Bake 1(Instrumental)" comes along, and easily lands a spot as the worst track on the album. My ears bled, and it made me want to stop my car(I was driving), and run away, but my self control saved me. "Moonlight On Vermont" closes out side one, and contrary to popular belief, it's not a Frank Sinatra cover song. It's the most normal song on this album. On side two, every song is consistently weird, and zany, and nothing truly stuck out to me. Then, side three came along, and opened up with a better pie than the last time. Both "Pena", and "Well" are legendary in their own right, and I will die on that hill. "When Big Joan Sets Up" isn't politically correct by 21st Century standards, but this was back in the '60s, when fat-shaming was celebrated. The next three tracks are just consistently weird, and zany. Then, we finally get to side four. We open up with "Orange Claw Hammer", one of humanity's greatest achievements. "Wild Life" suits anyone who has listened to this album in their lifetime. The next two songs are funny, and "The Blimp(Mousetrapreplica)" isn't as legendary as it claims, but I still laughed. I'll skip to the closing track, which was very disappointing compared to the rest of the album. My favorite track on the album is, well, "Well". I keep hearing from people you need to listen to this album multiple times to fully appreciate it, but couldn't that be said for almost all albums? Hell, the first week after purchasing "Plastic Beach" by Gorillaz, I almost broke the disc I was so angry, and now it's my favortie album in the 2010s decade. What makes this insane album any different, Matt Groening? Finally, I was perplexed on what to rate this album. I could give it a 1 because it really is shit, I could say 2 for at least being experimental shit, 3 is the safe rating, I could say 4 for at least keeping me engaged with every track, or I can say 5 for Captain Beefhart being an evil genius. How about this, fellow listeners, the ghost of Captain Beefhart, the trout mask replica, and Mike Trout himself: Let's just shake hands, and give it a "3". Deal?

Not my favorite Beefheart

Fast and bulbous. That's right the mascara snake. Bulbous also tapered and a tin teardrop. No more needs to be said.

I think it warped my mind.

To paraphrase Community: Beefheart is a genius. He has to be. If he isn't, then I've given almost two hours of life to an idiot; that is unacceptable. Therefore, Beefheart is a genius, and I will die protecting his vision. Either an unparallelled work of avant-garde blues / jazz fusion, or an unlistenable mess that sounds like the musicians all threw their instruments down several flights of stairs at once. I honestly can't decide which.

Rv

I generally like weird stuff, and I love a lot of Zappa's output, but I couldn't really wrap my head around this album.

Not available on my streaming platform of choice but I seem to recall owning the CD. Can't remember much else about it though.

Had nog wel iets

I just want to be the only person who gives this album a 3.

Not streaming, but I'll look for this one.

Didn't have chance to listen

Interesting

3.5

This album is no longer on Spotify. I had to find it on YouTube.

Ok, usually not into the experimental stuff, but I kind of dug the music. I could have done without the skits or interludes. 3/5

Interesting.

I like experimental stuff, but this was pretty rough at times. I feel like this set a path for other artists to follow later, showed that they did not have to necessarily constrict themselves to the confines of traditional rock schemes. Definitely a 'Fuck the Norms and Be Yourself' vibe.

There is no number for this album.

🥸

Its like eating a lemon. If you don't know what a lemon is you're not going to like it. But sometimes its like...yeah I could eat a lemon rn

Captain Beefheart is just such a name. Imagine my surprise to find not one but two albums from him on this list. Easy album, but the music just didn't grab my attention.

This one can work if you don’t focus on it too closely, like Spy vs Spy or EDM

I respect this thing for what it is but man an hour and 18 minutes is pushing it. That's probably part of the point now that I think about it.

he he he. Yes, yes, yes, we all need to hear this just once in our lives...

I am aware that this album is revered by many, I really tried listening to it but it was ellusive. I just couldnt connect with it. I love Capt Beefheart and have several other albums but this one may take a few goes to get it

The album wasn’t available to stream so I listened to the 10 most listened songs I like it but I’m not sure I’ll listen to it on my own again

Not going to pretentious enough to pretend this is a masterpiece, because it sounds like absolute shit, let's be honest. At the same time it's pretty fun to listen to and sometimes the intrumentals are really good.

not worth the hype imo

Huh...so that just happened.

listened to before not for me

It was an interesting sound, not that enjoyable to listen to tho

A fucking weird, weird ride but one I'll take again with the proper substances. Not easy, challenging at every turn, but somehow worth it. And I listen to this the day after a fucking Peter Gabriel album?

Well this was a ride to listen to. I don't know how to review it but one thing is for sure that it belongs to this 1001 album list.

Too long but love how weird it is

Legendary but I don't need it again

This was truly innovative and groundbreaking at the time of this release- and still holds a spot as being an important piece of music in history. However, noise- art rock is not for me. So it’s getting a 2.5, rounded up to 3 because Capt Beefheart was a visionary. This is just realllllly hard to get through!

I’d probably try writing a snarky review about this but honestly nothing I could come up with could possibly compete with the world-class comedians in the comments section of the YouTube video where I was forced to go in order to listen to it because streaming services seem to want nothing to do with it (which, you know, I get it). I genuinely wish I could give it 1 and 5 stars simultaneously. I don’t want to split the difference and give it 3 stars because 3 implies “mid”/“mediocre” and whichever way you slice it that’s the one thing this album ISN’T, but, like, what else can I DO... I feel like I’ve just discovered a secret second axis on the good/bad sliding scale. Final verdict: 3i stars. Now I need to figure out which of the people in my life I’m going to bully into sitting down and listening to this with me for a second time through because I’ve got to do it to/with SOMEBODY

OK. We all know this album has a reputation. It's weird. It feels like listening to Tom Waits in the middle of a bad trip. It's out there and lyrically bizarre and the music is all discordant and arhythmic etc. etc. But you know what? This album IS cool. I can listen and I can hear the Tom Waits in it. I can hear some Nick Cave, and some DEVO, and so many other bits and pieces of groups that were influenced by this album. There are even a few tracks I actually liked, whether because the music clicked for me or I just thought what Beefheart and Co. were doing was genuinely funny. I'm not saying that right now I want to rush back to listen again, or to proselytize to the world about how awesome it is. But I think, at least a little bit, that I got it.

better than expected

not sure what i am meant to say

This album has to be so niche because the full album isn’t even on spotify so I am currently listening off a listener-made playlist but most of the tracks seems to line up. This album so far seems to be very conceptual and interesting. I am not exactly sure how to feel about it, but I don’t think I hate it. This is a very long album but I think there are some cool parts occasionally. Seems like good background music that isn’t boring but not distracting either.

There were some absolutely horrible songs. There were some great songs. But it kept me engaged... and difficult one to judge so I'll give it a 3.

Well this was different. I couldn't listen to it in a day, I need more time.

Band noises

Finally got the legend. In the end, I think it's about a 3. It flips between interesting and tedious.

An interesting album but no stand out songs.

Aww shit... It's time. The inevitable has come. I have finally been forced to sit through the entire 78-minute runtime of Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band. This is one of those albums whose reputation precedes it. I mean, let's face it. Love it or hate it, Trout Mask Replica is a legendary album. It's influence is immense. The album itself is certainly quite unique. There really wasn't anything like it before its release. There's no denying it. Trout Mask Replica is an album that you must listen to before you die. Is it an album that you have to like because it's "objectively" good? God no. But is it an album that you should listen to at least once to see if you do enjoy it? Absolutely. Of course, that then begs the very important question. Do I enjoy Trout Mask Replica? Uhh... I don't hate it, that's for sure. Do I dare say it? I think I actually... liked the album! I guess I can start by talking about the things that people don't like about the album. I guess that means we have to talk about how the album sounds. This is one crazy-ass album right here. The tempo barely even exists at points, there's always so much going on at once, and Captain Beefheart's vocals are pretty gruff and off-kilter. This should sound horrendous, and for many it does. I mean, now's as good a time as any to mention the... shall we say, difficult conditions under which the album was made? However, there are moments here where the talent of the Magic Band is made quite clear. Like, there's a part on "Sugar 'n Spikes" where John French, the drummer, just locks the fuck in and does this cool ass drum solo and I was kind of wowed by it when I heard it. Keep in mind, this was much closer to the album's end than its beginning, so moments like that are beneficial in allowing the album to reel your attention back in during the long runtime. That's one of the other things that I see people complain about with this one. It's easy to handle music that you might perceive as "obnoxious" for 30 minutes or so, but to handle it for 78 minutes is a real feat of endurance. Of course, this isn't just on the listener. It's on the artist in question to make an album that warrants its runtime. Fortunately, I'd say that Trout Mask Replica actually kind of succeeds in this regard. Are there better 70+ minute long albums that do a better job of keeping a hold on you for the whole time? Yes. You give me the choice between re-listening to this or To Pimp a Butterfly and I'm choosing TPAB any day of the week. However, I can't really say that this album dragged in the way that many of this list's worst albums do. Certainly helps that the music itself is interesting, albeit to a detriment for some. Not me though! I will say that, unlike the somewhat obnoxious instrumentation, the songwriting is something that I would call unabashedly good. It's got commentary, absurdity, humor, occasional emotion, and variety. I like what this album has to say. Trout Mask Replica is such a fascinating album for many reasons. The things that many people love about the album are the exact things that cause a bunch of other people to loathe the album. As for me? I can see both sides of the coin. This is undeniably a challenging listen. Between the length and the unconventionality of the music, this is an album that many people are just not going to be able to stomach. However, there are also plenty of things that I really appreciate about it, even if I myself wouldn't go as far as to call this a masterpiece. This is one weird album, but it's a weird album that I respect. I don't plan on revisiting it much in the future, if ever, but I'm glad that I listened to it this once. I get the appeal, even if I can't say that I love it myself. 3/5.

Noisy

Not available on Apple Music

Was actually quite fun, despite not being a blues fan :-)

Spotify doesn’t have it. I’m not sad.

Probably the most inaccessible album ever. I will say I liked it better on the second listen. Favorite track: Moonlight on Vermont

This is either the ramblings of a mad man or true genius, or maybe both, I’m not sure. Being an influence on Tom Waits deserves credit and is perhaps the main (only?) reason it intrigues me. Trout Mask Replica is a full on assault of unpredictability, you have no idea what’s coming next, in fact, the only thing that is predictable is that the next track won’t let you sit comfortably. Should you listen to this before you die? I think probably, yes. In fact, apparently 7 times if you want to begin to see its true genius.

The greatest prank ever made in music.

This one I was dreading. And yeah this is awful, everything about this album feels like it was made as it was being recorded under the influence of many illicit substances. It’s truly an awful listen, and yet this was the funniest 78 minute joke I’ve ever heard and I kinda loved listening to it despite how much I hated the sounds I was hearing

Nope, not for me, but I did like learning about this pioneer in Expermenatal Rock.

This album is an audio representation of a person throwing paint at a wall and making a Dali masterpiece. Punk in its attitude, and blues in its playing, Trout Mask Replica is an album with a set goal of representing the underbelly of the art crème by mashing and cramming a lot of things into itself and puking out a magical rainbow of lyrics that sound like a religious preacher, instrumentation that sound like what falling down the stairs, high on drugs of all kinds while having an aneurysm. In a good kind. Don Vliet, of course, succeeded in his endeavour, whatever that might've been. You can say he wanted to express himself as an artist, giving a middle finger to the mainstream, make a pop album, which is a serious take, as there are some really catchy and progressive moments that would find themselves in music of 2023, but you can also interpret this album is an attempt to break apart whatever you deem that is music. And that's the beauty of it. It's like taking a Rubik's Cube and trying your hardest to solve it by throwing it against the wall, breaking it, and using the pieces and making a sculpture. It's probably stupid and cliché to say, but this album is hard to get at first, but once you connect that mainline, it's a trip to Neverland where the cool kids hang out.

This album defies star ratings. I'm just gonna paste the comments on the youtube playlist of this album. This sounds like an entire band falling down stairs, but they keep playing. If this is the replica, imagine the real thing. This album sounds like a dementia patient trying to recall what their favorite song was. Of all the albums that I've listened to, this is certainly one of them.

I understand the polarizing responses to this album, however, I lie somewhere in between. I can appreciate the influence this had shaping avant-garde/experimental music and I applaud Beefheart's originality. There weren't any tracks I would relisten to on their own, but I do think that one day when I'm smoking up I will give the album another go because it intrigues me. Until then, I will stick to the Mothers and Zappa :p

weird frank zappa-like, but not very interesting

Weird album but it wasnt horrible

Definitely belongs on the list. Definitely won’t choose to listen to it again.

Well...mh...don't know what to say...maybe another state of mind would help?

Sadly I was unable to find the full album anywhere but out of the few songs I heard I can give this album a solid 3 stars

Different

Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 🐟🎩🧥 Production: 🕰️🎵🔍 Music: 🤔🎨🤯 Ratinng: 🫀🫀🫀(🫀)/5

This was bonkers but I did listen to the whole thing

If this is the replica, imagine the real thing. Best Tracks: Moonlight In Vermont; China Pig; Hobo Chang Ba

This made me anxious. Points for doing that I guess? But also not really the vibe for a workday...

Experimental

I used to think TMR was just a shibboleth for hipster cred. You have to pretend to like this album to be in the club, just like you have to pretend trump won 2020 to work in his administration. Jumping in fresh, it is quite a beating, what with the harsh hillbilly vocals and semi-musical horn wailing and string plucking. But like a benign carbuncle, it grew on me over the years. Harsh vocals? I listen to Meshuggah, Amon Amarath, Miley Cyrus. Challenging, even adversarial aesthetics? I listen to Autechre, Gwar, Radiohead. And now I actually appreciate TMR a lot more since getting into Tom Waits, Primus, and other impenetrable rabble. So from me, an initiated weirdo, it gets a 3.

Not feeling well mixed with the Spotify rights issue means I listened to the one Spotify song. I did watch his letterman interview. Homie is mad weird and I respect that.

Weird

This is ugly and nearly impossible to listen to. But I can just feel that it's GOOD. I would rate it higher if I liked it.

I imagine I'm in a fairly rare category of people who listens to this and mostly feels pretty neutral. It's chaotic. I guess I sort of appreciate the art of it. Beefheart often has a pleasant voice, but maybe "Willie the Pimp" just led me to have a soft spot for it. I can't imagine choosing to listen to this as a regular casual thing, but hey. Whatever floats your boat.

So this was a little hard to listen to. But when my brain broke out all the pieces separately, and listened to every line separately but simultaneously, it was kind of brilliant? Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

I don't really see the genius in this album, but I don't quite think it's the worst thing ever either. There's a few songs here that lean into Beefheart's wild experimentalism, but still sound pretty cool -- like "Moonlight on Vermont" and "Frownland", but unfortunately, there's also stuff like "Dali's Car" and "Hobo Chain Ba", that are just stupid. 3 stars.

Wow, this was a diverse and interesting listen. I'm glad I had the opportunity, as I've heard about this album for years, so thank you 1001 Generator! I dont mind experimental music, so I found that it was fine.

Кек

Tom Waits' mærkelige onkel. Ville have været lettere at overskue hvis det ikke var et dobbeltalbum, men fuck en sindssyg plade altså. Jeg elsker noget af det, men der er godt nok også noget af det der er for langt ude.

This is without question the hardest album to rate, due to it being so wildly different from most if not everything else in the list. With that being said, it's hard not to respect the fact that they made something they wanted to make, regardless of critical or commercial success. Add to that the fact that once you get over the initial shock of it all, and start listening to individual parts, you can clearly tell that it's not only a well rehearsed band, but one that has some good stuff hiding away amongst the chaos. That does not by any stretch make it an easy listen, and its reputation is well earned.

-the day has finally come -yeah. this is brutal and weird and terrifying and there is something seriously wrong with Captain Beefheart but damnn if it wasn’t really fun to listen to -i think i like the idea of (and backstory behind) the album more than the music itself, for obvious reasons. but it was so good to finally hear this, it’s one of the albums of all time -Favorites are Ella Guru and Hair Pie: Bake 1

Not my fav

Not sure if I hated it or I loved it! And to quote an accurate comment on it from: @110jmartin011 on YouTube: "I have never experienced such a strong desire to keep listening and stop listening at the same time."

Eh you know what, why not just give it 3 stars

Um. Watching my man's face was the highlight of this. Hair Pie gives off Zorn and Ono vibes. I kinda dig some of it though. Moonlight On Vermont was my favourite.

Look, im not going to listen to this again, but it was so batshit crazy that I came to like it by the end. This feels like an art rock album that is not caught up in smelling its own farts

Fast and bulbous jams.

First track is mad, the rest aren't as bad as they're made out to be. It's not fun at all though, 3* for the dedication and back story.

Another album that I wish I'd known what to expect coming in. It seems like 6-10 playthroughs is needed to truly appreciate or enjoy this. I doubt I'll ever do that but I understand why it was so influential. Individual tracks I liked on first listen: "Ella Guru," "Hair Pie: Bake 1," "Moonlight on Vermont," "China Pig." Maybe a few others, I didn't catch all of them.

Dear Mr. Groening, creator of The Simpsons and many things, I do not have the 8+ hours available to listen to this album before it starts to make sense. However, I did manage to enjoy this (after finding it only on YT) more than I expected, and it was not as horrible experience as I was prepared for. So, if Matt Groening set me up for a five, and other reviewers and my memory of Captain Beefheart set me up for a one, I'll split the difference.

Fun, avant-garde chaos. Not something I'd listen to again, but I get why it was a breath of fresh air back then. 7/10.

Interesting and influential album, but 78 minutes of this is asking a lot of the listener. 3.0/5.0: Good

the reviews on this album would make you think that captain beefheart killed their dog and ran off with their wife. this album is not nearly as bad as everyone is making it out to be. dont get me wrong, it is not one of my favorite albums on the list but it certainly is one of the most interesting. overall its kinda of like being trapped in a basement with a bunch of drunk jazz majors trying to tune their instruments over each other, which to my understanding is pretty close to how the album was recorded. its disjointed and borderline incoherent at times, but there are some great moments that remind me of the captains first album "safe as milk". theres also a lot of humor on this album. both lyrically and through the vocal stylings. if it werent for the fact that its 78 minutes long, it couldve gotten four stars

this is not on Spotify and I'm not arsed looking elsewhere

If you've listened to - and ideally enjoyed - some of Tom Waits' more experimental output, this probably won't shock you THAT much. It's obviously not mainstream at all, and in 1968 it was a fairly groundbreaking record. Kind of still is. Found it enjoyable enough - compared to Björk's Medúlla, for instance - but it's not something I'll be putting on very frequently, or the next time the in-laws visit.

Actually I sort of tolerated this, strangely.

A playful romp through a wild variety of tracks.

Interesting art album

Weird discordant chaos. Frownland made me anxious, but easier to listen to as it went on. Actually like Pachuco Cadaver. But maybe my mind has already broken lol. Wildly insidious, since I didn't mind it by the end, and some of the musical choices WERE impressive. But I can't give it more than a 3 - maybe I'm just not smart enough when it comes to music theory and art.

Trippy.

I don't mind the chaotic playing and songwriting, the only thing that holds it back from being a personal classic for me are the vocals. Not the fact that they are weird, just that they aren't engaging for me.

Ok. Hear me out on this. I liked it. The story behind this is cool. This is one where you can hear something new every single time you listen. Absolutely one you should hear before you die.

🤨

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9j3heYZAk8 ^ This gag in album form. Fast and bulbous indeed.

“Frownland”, the opening track, is so jarring and incomprehensible that it helps make most of the rest of the record actually seem a bit accessible. A free jazz style freakout that introduces the further complication of competing time signatures that come in and out of phase with each other, this album ends up being more interesting than actually enjoyable. I have heard it clicks after 8 or so listens. Not sure I will get there.

Some of the most horrible songs to have ever touched my ears, but i kinda like it. I haven't heard anything like it, maybe philosophy of the world, but atleast that album sounded like they we're attempting to play the same songs, this is just free for all and do whatever you want.

You know, this is actually enjoyable to some degree. Other than the fact that it’s complete rubbish it definitely holds some artistic value as the entire thing is meticulously planned out and took a lot of work (and starvation) from the musicians involved. It’s also chaotically good st times, not all of it is incoherent nonsense, there’s guitar riffs, bass lines and drum fills that are actually really good but just all piled on top of each other. It’s also just humorous and random. The songs without any instruments and only consisting of Beefheart shouting random poetry though are not enjoyable at all but that was only on a few occasions, this album definitely thrives on the organised chaos of the instrumentation. Despite the album being terrible, it’s more fun and enjoyable than some of the other albums on this list, although it definitely isn’t the masterpiece some people say it is (mostly as either or joke or just to seem different), and though this rating may not really represent anything other than the album being fun and enjoyably chaotic, favourites: all and none, overall, 5/10.

Super knap en zeker interessant, maar de a-tonale en a-ritmische muziek zijn een bevalling om naar te luisteren...

I’m really glad this exists but doubt I would ever listen to it again

Demented, neurotic, spastic, This reminds me of the music I created with my friends when I was younger. This sounds like a lot of drugs were involved, and I'm cool with that. It's all over the place, but I appreciate the manic nature of it as my brain acts in a similar nature. Weird one.

Absolutely bonkers and hard to tell if it was actually enjoyable.

What is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? It's a tough listen, not one I want to go back to, but there is something endearing about it. 7/10

Enjoyable purely for the madness but unlikely to become a favourite

I literally have no clue what my thoughts are on this album. Is it genius blues rock blended with avant Garde experimentation? Is it unintelligible slop? Definitely requires listening to before you croak it

somewhere in this i heard the line "you couldnt have done this if you knew what you were doing" i felt that, brother

Some interesting moments, interesting backstory, but I'm not clamoring to listen to it again

I do get down with Ornette Coleman on occasion and I have nothing against stochastic music. I do like some Captain Beefheart songs too. This album was a bit too Free Rock for me, the distortion was so constant I had to check my speakers a couple times. Although it had its moments it wasn't a winner.

I've heard about this album for years, but never got around to listening to it for whatever reason. Now that I have finally heard it, well... I can appreciate the swing. It's certainly an original work that's challenging, and there are aspects I could appreciate. It's not much fun to sit through though, and by the midpoint I was ready for it to be done. I stuck it out, but really if you get that far and aren't enjoying it then that won't change for you. I'd rather listen to Zappa or Butthole Surfers, both of whom could craft songs that were as out there as anything contained here, but they could also make them more enjoyable than this album (which I'm sure they loved).

kelpaa hyvää soitantaa mudikkiikia ihmisääni soitantaa

Its impact lies in its indulgence as much as its influence. One finds its hard to get into, though the discordance grows more interesting after a time, as resistance drops away. Samey overall but "Moonlight on Vermont" and "Steal Softly through the Snow" are highlights. Ultimately, though it's just too much, too wilflfully difficult and intentionally provocative (is "Dachau Blues" a necessary title?) and too forcibly obscure, for all the free jazz assoications and rough-weird country vibes and gritty-funky playing. The home-recording, found-sound, spoken-word bits add essentially nothing. Definitely not worth a double album. Point is made much less than halfway thru. Only vital or timeless seeming because of its influences, while the sheer indulgence is also off-putting. Also, CB is Tom Waits' father, right?

Spotify would only let me listen to one (really weird) cut from this work, so I listened to a couple other Beefheart albums - I like the Captain and I like Zappa, so I'll give this a 3 on that basis.

Interesting listen. Definitely not for everyone. I have now listened to it. Will I listen to it again? Not sure about that. Definitely an interesting and intriguing listen.

Nos gustaron los comentarios sobre el disco que había en YouTube: "es como si los músicos cayeran por las escaleras y siguieran tocando".

So weird and strange but I didn’t hate it.

I have never experienced such a strong desire to keep listening and stop listening at the same time.

Wonderfully odd

Bonkers but strangely compelling.Not an easy listen but I enjoyed the challenge and I'm glad it exists

Haha, what the...??! Listening on YouTube added to the batshit craziness, I couldn't tell when there was an advert or was it part of the album?! The comments section did make me laugh! "I have never experienced such a strong desire to keep listening and stop listening at the same time." "I listen to this album when I vacuum my lawn." "This sounds like a Salvador Dali painting." "This sounds like an entire band falling down the stairs, but they keep playing." I ended up watching a few more YouTube videos dissecting this album and I found myself slowly warming towards it's mastery and absurdity.

This album is far from the worst on the 1001 list. Maybe it is the strangest one, but not the worst. I don't understand why the opinions are so divisible, but I bet I'll discover them after the third listening session. (Help me!)

3 - the best worst album ever. At first listen it sounds like garbage. The second listen still sounds like garbage but there’s something hidden within it that is captivating

Insanity.

It’s like a bad crash but you can’t look away. Perfectly planned Chaos and orderly disorder

History around the record by personal life of captain beefheart is crazy. Music is hard listening.

800 päivää sitten bändiltä tuli albumia.. tänään vähän vähemmän maagista.. nooniin kuitenkin vihdoinkin 60 luvun albumia joka nappaa... vähän originaalimpaa soittamista kun viimeset viisi vittu 60 luvun amerikka liibalaaba max 2min biisit hey everybody do the twist type beat.. vaihtelee laatu kyllä tässäkin aika paljon albumin pyöriessä konsanaan mutta paskimmatkin on parempia kun ne, vittu alkaa vituttaa (pikkuhiljaa)... kala on on on.. syökää että lihakset kasvaa hoh hoh hoh.... kala se tuo tuo tuo.. hoh hoh hoh.. bulbous moonlight on vermont

This is much weirder - and less interesting - than I remembered.

Chaotic, dissonant, and seemingly haphazard. A cacophonous mess of incredibly talented musicians and vocals that's absurd from front to back. Unless you're a fan of abstract experimental rock fused with jazz and recorded to sound like a low budget delta blues album, then skip this one.

I’ve waited more than a decade for an excuse to listen to this again. A little less scary second time around

A bit crazy right?! I do like some Captain Beef heart but some of this felt in accessible to me.

Ostia puta.

Wtf deze album cover haha Oke de cover was maar het begin, wat een achtbaan van een album. Was hele tijd gesplit tussen hem afzetten en door luisteren als een soort van morbide nieuwsgierigheid voor wat er nog meer zou komen Heb geen idee wat ik moet raten. Ga ik dit ooit opnieuw luisteren? Nee denk het niet. Ben ik blij dat ik hem ooit heb geluisterd? Ja. Dit is wel een stukje muziekgeschiedenis die ik niet had willen missen en daarvoor is de 1001 ook voor gemaakt. Ik las ergens dat je dit album 10x moet luisteren voordat het klikt. Als dat moet, is het dan nog een goed album? Of eerder een gevolg van Stockholm syndroom en sunken cost fallacy, om je eigen tijdverspilling te rechtvaardigen? Ik hoor soms wel vlagen van genius in het album, maar soms ook gewoon tering herrie. Heb dit album hele tijd met een grijns geluisterd, uit een soort ongeloof voor wat ik hoorde. Ik moest vooral lachen omdat ik ook graag door wilde luisteren en dat van mezelf grappig vond. Doordat dit album deze reactie oproept bij mij vind ik dit album al stuk beter dan andere tering herrie in deze lijst. Daarvoor krijgt hij credit. Maar voor een echt goede rating zitten er toch teveel geluiden in , misschien kan ik zn genie toch niet genoeg waarderen. Die hele Captain Beefheart is helemaal gek. Hele cult vibe gecreëerd voor een album. 8 maanden opgesloten en daarna in 8 uur het hele album opgenomen, wat een kerel.

This was a struggle to listen to - by design. The album picks up momentum going from "Man, how can I get through this first song" to "Hey, I'm enjoying myself". I think the worst rating I could give this, from Captain Beefhart's perspective, is 3 stars. He wants 1s and 5s. So that's what I'm going to give it. I think the Captain would appreciate a good trolling.

I knew some of the back story of this before listening, so I am a little biased. On a technical level, this is one of the most ambitious and impressive albums. However, it is hard to listen to and some of the songs are pretty abrasive. That being said, there are some really great moments and the album definitely gets points for its ambition. 3/5 Might listen again

Holy shit. The wiki for this album is absolutely wild. This dude basically ran a cult, living in a commune with these musicians, abusing them mentally and physically and forcing practice sessions of up to 14 hours, forbidding them from leaving the house, depriving them of food. I'm reminded of J.K. Simmons's character from Whiplash, only worse. I'm surprised these circumstances aren't mentioned more in the discourse for this album. It's a product of abuse. But it's still art, beloved by many. I read the wiki after I'd already listened to the album. I've listened to one Zappa album (not through this project) and thought it was great. I adore Tom Waits. I like weird. And abuse aside, the way this album was developed and created is fascinating. I honestly enjoyed this overall. Yes, it's chaotic, but it there were times it tickled my brain in the best way. I'm not great at dissecting all the polymeter / polyrhythmic strangeness, but I love to try. It's like a nice little puzzle. I could see this growing on me more, but I'm also not ready to listen again and don't know when I will be. So today, it's a 3.

I have a lot to say about this album, and also not a lot to say about it. I can appreciate the lyricism and some of the strange rhythms. It's both wildly entertaining and sorta stupid. I'd listen again, but I'd make sure to take some drugs.

Smooth operator, your love is king. Fabulous songs. Sade has such a beautiful voice

A tough listen, but not a bad one. I respect what’s happening here, but it’s not my thing.

Beefheart was a unique artist. Either you love him or you hate him, much like Zappa or Rush. If I'm in the right mood, this album is fantastic. Otherwise it's a major miss.

I listened to this on YouTube, and whenever a new song came on it was so jarring I thought an ad had interrupted the album

I remember the first time I came out this album, some three years ago, the only thought I had was to ask myself, "How many more times **should** I hafta listen to this?" Now, obviously, I had Matt Groening's quote about the album on my mind, the one about how he had to listen to this record several times before he really "got it." And coming into this album all this time later, I still wondered: "How much time **should** I give this thing?" 'Coz I've always had the impression that this was an album you've really had to sit with for a while before you can decide if you like it or not. Which, y'know, might be kind of a dumb way to think of things? I don't think you should be forced to sit with an album — or any piece of art, really — for so long before you're allowed to decide if you like or even "get" it. It's the line about video games: "It gets really good 15 hours in." Like, OK? So it sucks for those first 15 hours, then? So why would I play it if it sucks for that long? It can apply to albums like this: why would I force myself to replay it over and over if I'm not digging it the first time around? What could I possibly gain from multiple replays except, I'unno, sunk cost fallacy? 'Coz if you're gonna spend **that long** with an album and you're not getting anything new out of your **tenth** play that you didn't already get on your **first**... Not that replaying, rewatching, rereading or re-anything-ing art is necessarily a bad thing. You can rewatch a movie, for example, and notice little details you weren't looking for the first time. Similar goes for an album. It can only help you appreciate a work more. But I figure if you're doing that, you already like the movie or the album or whatever, and not because you're trying to find reasons to justify why you've spent hours with this thing. First impressions are important, and if something doesn't give you a good reason to go any further with it... Well, that's as good a reason as any not to. TROUT MASK REPLICA lays all of its cards on the table within the first minute. Like, "Frownland", far as I can hear, is **the** sound of the album. Guitars, bass and drums seemingly playing whatever they want, in what time signature and key they want. They only barely sync. Hell, the vocals feel like they come from a different song altogether. It's the kind of sound where if you're not gawking, slack-jawed, at it now, you will be when you find out that it sounds like this **on purpose**. Like, this isn't The Shaggs amateur hour; this stuff was all specifically composed to sound like this, and they spent **weeks** **rehearsing** this material so they could record it all in one straight shot. On that level, I'm kind of impressed that Beefheart managed to carefully compose his band to sound like a bunch of first year music school dropouts playing in their garage band for the first time. I imagine if you're a music nerd, there's a lot to dig into here. Polyrhythms, polytonality... Stuff like that. Or, hell, even if you're not, maybe you just have a weird enough ear that all this stuff just clicks perfectly into place. Got some kinda special x-ray ears that can hear through the noise and find some kind of odd beauty underneath it all. And, well, clearly enough of both types agree that this thing is as acclaimed as outsider art as it is. As for me... I remember back when I first heard it, I thought it was strange to begin with. Again, "Frownland" is a hell of an opener. If you can't make it past that, you're probably not gonna do well with the rest. As I came closer and closer to the end of the album, though, my ears acclimated more to this album's way of doing things, and by the time I was done... Honestly, I was kind of disappointed? When you're able to look past the layer of weirdness covering this thing and hear what's actually going on... I'unno, it just sounds like blues music? Incredibly atypical blues, sure, like you fed an algorithm the genre (to reference a comment I saw), but... Really, once I got to "Veteran's Day Poppy", I couldn't even begin to guess what was supposed to be so special about this album. (And boy howdy, this thing being nearly 80 minutes...) And for this listen-through, with very different ears than I had those four years ago, I fell into that even sooner. Like, some moments aside, nothing terribly grabbed me. It just flowed by. Honestly, besides "Frownland", I think the only thing I'd probably remember is "The Blimp" — and that's probably mostly 'coz Weird Al quoted it in a CD bonus feature. (Also, the anecdote that Beefheart's band isn't even playing on it, but The Mothers; check the song "Charles Ives" on YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE, VOL. 5). So, y'know, I guess I have weird ears, but not ones that can hear this material and be too wowed by it. (And the runtime didn't bother me as much this time, but it's not like it helped this music **not** fall into the background, y'know) Frankly, I think I enjoyed SAFE AS MILK a bit more. The music there was just as strange as I expect a Beefheart record to be, but there was no expectations of it being some outsider, experimental, avant-garde, "You gotta listen to it 50 times to get it" masterpiece. It was just good-ass blues. And, like, of course I'm happy this guy got to make the exact album he wanted to make with this, but... Y'know, I can't say I agree with TROUT MASK REPLICA being the eleventh lowest rated album on the entire website, but I can understand why it is. It's not like I'd rate it that highly, either: a 3 outta 5. But to me, it's not because I think it's noise acting like it's more important than it is 'coz it slapped itself with an "experimental" label. I **can** kinda hear through to what Matt Groening might have heard his seventh time around. But I don't think I'd be willing to put in the effort to get to that seventh listen, myself. Just the two is fine enough for me. I suppose it just wasn't fast n' bulbous enough for me.

I’m… I’m somewhere. When I wrote my little review for Safe as Milk, there’s one sentence I threw in there: “If you’re gonna try to be this innovative for 1967, then go all in.” This album is them going all in, and I feel like the genie took my wish and bastardized it beyond my wildest dreams. Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? Well, it was 79 minutes of something, alright, but you can’t say it wasn’t captivating or intriguing. You can certainly call it bad, but I don’t know that it is bad. Does it deserve to have an average rating of 2.27? No, I wouldn’t go that low. I think I’m at a 3, somehow. I know what this album is trying to do, or at least, I think I do – it’s simply trying to exist. There is an incredible complexity behind the actual compositions and melodies and everything here, and that complexity is entirely grounded and almost canceled out by the most nonsensical lyrics and the most grating vocal performance that any album has ever had. Grating doesn’t necessarily mean bad in this case, it just means… divisive. This album’s gonna be divisive. I don’t think it’s bad, I don’t think it’s THAT good either, but it’s a journey. It’s music that fundamentally challenges the entire structure of the genre, of Beatlemania, and of an artist’s obligation to make music that’s actively commercially appealing. It’s batshit insane, but it’s technically sound, even if it feels entirely wrong or completely uncomfortable at times. There may truly never be anything produced like this, with such little commercial appeal, and yet so meticulously produced to evoke such a reaction that it somehow loops around to having appeal again. I would say it’s like listening to a band trying to perform over Zoom, with each instrument on an individual call, but that’s a disservice to just how brilliantly scattered these compositions tend to be. It’s more equivalent to say, the awful “rival” art present in Pokemon Art Academy on the 3DS – just go look at that shit. It’s designed perfectly to evoke poor artistry, and yet there’s a brilliance within that. The only issue that this album has, besides its obnoxiously long run time, is its obnoxiously self-centered lead vocalist, who honestly drags this album down tremendously for me. It’s not that his vocals are ever bad, but they overpower the compositions and their complexity so much that it genuinely ruins the spirit of the musicality for me. His presence is not only awkward, it’s unneeded, and yet at the same time, his presence is entirely necessary to make the album’s overall tone work. It’s a conundrum, but it’s easily solved by just lowering his voice in the mix, and minimizing his presence, as well as his overly preachy poetry that sounds like a Brennan Lee Mulligan monologue fed through Google Translate 28 times over. With all of that said, it is an enjoyable experience, but an excruciating one – the album did lose me at several points, but it also always managed to pull me back in just by doing some completely goofy bullshit that just happened to win me over more often than not. It’s not an album I’ll ever return to, but it’s one where I think I can genuinely appreciate how ballsy and avant-garde it feels for 1969. It’s an oddly recommended 3.

I'm conflicted. Yes this album is technically brilliant. But my tiny brain is too small to comprehend how or why. I've listened to it twice and I still don't really get it. I understand that not being confined to the 'law of music' is awesome, and more artists should be braver with what they're making (I'm sure lots of drugs helped too) but that doesn't mean that this sounds good. At no point am I going to pick this album over literally any other when it comes to day-to-day listening, and I think you'd have to be an insufferable contrarian in order to do so. That said, I will challenge myself to revisit it another day and see if current-day me is actually a big dummy. Good job Mr Beefheart, continue being fast and bulbous despite what the plebs say.

A double album of weird. Beefheart would have a professional relationship with oddball peer Frank Zappa, as they would come to influence each other in ways that defied conventional songwriting. Trout Mask Replica, arguably Beefheart's most popular release, sees a lot of blue-inspired rock that has been mashed into pieces and spread out so no one is really playing the same song at the same time. Between Beefheart's commanding vocal presence and the band's organized chaos, many of the songs here feel more like experiences than proper songs. I think much of this album's appeal is in it's mythology rather than it's actual content. Stories of cultlike submission from the band after being berated to tears by Beefheart, writing the entire album in a single eight-hour sitting, and even the album getting released at all creates a sort of aura around Trout Mask Replica. How do you make music like this in 1969? I suppose it's not that far out, but it's a helluva lot more impressive than if you were to release it now. Is any of this worth saving? Does it matter? I think it's cool to have music from the fringe sitting on a list like this, getting some recognition amongst the Led Zeppelin and Beatles albums.

I don't even think this is possible to rate. I didn't really enjoy listening to it, but it isn't a 1 or 2 star. It's not a 4 or 5 either because I doubt I'll ever listen to it again. A 3 feels so vanilla, but here we are. For once though, I really did need to hear this album.

I appreciate Captain Beefheart, but sometimes this stuff is artsy for its own sake. I appreciate what that means for artistic expression, but it's not necessarily musically moving for the listener.

Perfectly odd

Multi-dementional. A soundtrack to an evening in Wetherspoons. Glorious

I like it but it's not my favorite, plus in Spotify is not complete, ill try to look for the full album somewhere

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica is a wild ride that's not for the faint of heart. The music is experimental, chaotic, and often downright bizarre. Beefheart's vocals are like nothing you've ever heard before, and the band's instrumentation is equally unconventional. It's definitely an acquired taste.

For when the dinner guests have overstayed their welcome...

Wild and crazy! I have to say, I found myself enjoying it much of the time, especially when there were horns in there. Similar to feelings I get listening to Primus.

God help me but I enjoyed that. I think this may be one of the best examples of something that doesn't make sense for everyone but completely makes sense to be on the list. It's going places musically and in style that are unique while blending a lot of more structured genres. Musically this sounded like a bucket of water being dumped on a sandcastle and watching all the structure melt into itself.

I appreciate that this exists and in my youth the chaos would have clicked right in to my brain. I might even listen again. And I think it belongs. I think it also serves as a great calibration tool. If listening to this makes you angry or upset, then you just learned something you don't like which can help you understand what you do like. "When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad."

Had heard of this group but never listened to anything by them that I'm aware of. Trippy. Reminded me of a cross between the Grateful Dead and Tom Waits.

Oh boy the real outsider avant-garde album that every avant garde-ist must hear at some point in their lives. It's uncomfortable cacophony is a welcome sound to me and it's kind of funny and silly and it makes it approachable for such pop-antagonistic music. I've heard bits and pieces of this album over the years, many times by having people say "you ever hear this weird album?" and then playing a song or two before you put on more listenable stuff, but I never heard it all at once. I've always leaned towards being a rebellious "i like weird stuff" kind of person and so this stuff immediately jives with me. It deserves a spot on this list, and it's a cool collection of art.

Bit long, but not terrible

Wow this album is a mess, it’s too long, it’s too strange, I had to listen to it on YouTube, at times I didn’t know when the adverts stopped and the music started. But there were parts of the album I really enjoyed, it’s different, it’s influential and it’s pretentious. Overall my summary would be you need to listen to this at least once, it will be a chore and good chance you will hate it, but this challenge and life would be boring if we all just liked mainstream rock, so get outside your comfort zone.

I expected to hate this and I didn't dislike it as much as I thought. Very experimental and idiosyncratic.. with all the mixed up time signatures it feels like all the band members are playing different songs at times. Very skilful even if it's not always fun to listen to Not an album I really want to listen to again, but definitely belongs on this list

Looking back at my review of Safe As Milk it was an album that I quite enjoyed. This album is much more challenging to listen to and I'm not sure I'll get much out of more listens. Fave: Ella Guru

Beefy mate, I'm not sure this is quite it. Certainly it's far less accessible than Safe as Milk. There's a really burgeoning category of albums on here that come under 'more fun to make than hear', and this falls into that.

Normally with these reviews, I like to be thorough. I like to listen to every album several times, make sure I know it inside out. With “Trout Mask Replica”, I’m not sure that would be beneficial to my health and overall wellbeing. I’m scared of this album, and I want to capture my immediate thoughts on the first time listening. When I’ve tried to listen in the past, I’ve either turned it off or been yelled at for putting it on (over a quiet lunch at the in-laws’… nobody was happy when I picked it out of their CD collection) The thoughts below will, of course, belong to the uninitiated. No filters, no reflections. But maybe that’s what Captain Beefheart is all about. So, without further ado, please join me as I plunge headlong into “Trout Mask Replica”: …. …. …. …. …. …. …. Nope. I don’t even know where to start: the bastard’s unreviewable. I guess I’ll come back in another few years, and maybe I’ll get it then.

Weird & Unique

Strange, uneven, chaotic. Parts of it I really liked and parts I just tolerated. The story of the recording of this album is just as absurd as the final product. As a Tom Waits fan, it's cool to hear the inspiration for his shift in tone during the SwordFishTrombones era and onward. Weird af album, but I'm glad I listened to it and might even go back for more. 3.5.

I almost gave up after the cacophonous beginning. But I’m glad I stuck it out. The rest was fun interesting jazzy Zappa-esque.

"The record label does not permit [the streaming of] this track." Listened to Hair Pie: Bake 1... Would've been interesting

It was an interesting listen. It's not something that I will put on often because to be honest it was a bit of a chore to get through even though I was just sitting here reading Reddit while it played.

有点诡异的 无调性音乐？

This was crazy, sometimes annoying and sometimes cool

Is it bizarre? Yes. Is it disjointed? Yes. Are the random horns a bit much? Yes. Did I start liking it? Yeah kinda! Pachucos Cadaver was the track the bumped this up to a 3