Trout Mask Replica

What the hell

As soon as I saw that this was produced by Frank Zappa I knew that this was going to be a shit show. I'm sorry to have hit the nail right on the head with that assessment. 28 tracks? Seriously?? It's garbage like this that actually makes me look forward to reviewing an album by Britney F***ing Spears tomorrow.

God, I've been loathing this moment. This is one of those albums that I'm supposed to like because I'm weird and I like weird things, and this is a landmark album in the history of weirdness. I've tried with this album, I really have. Multiple times .Every time I put it on, I want nothing so much as for it to end. This album is the equivalent to a person who confuses having an unusual pet for having a personality. "I'm glad you were able to buy a kimono dragon, Captain Beefheart. Can I get the fuck out of here now?" If I'm being serious, I can see why people were influenced by this album. There's little bits and pieces of things that would become much more prominent in music in the decades to follow. That's my problem with it, though. It's all just bits and pieces of things, with no actual coherent expression of a whole idea. Every time I find something that I like, it ends quickly, and moves on to something else that is the musical analogy of someone putting their finger and inch from your face and saying "I'm not touching you" Anyway, I've been dreading this moment. I'm going to give this album a bad grade because I don't like it, but I have to actually listen to it to see how bad of a grade it will be. And, of course, it's a double album because they couldn't shovel this much garbage onto just one disk. I feel the same way about this album that I feel about all of David Lynch's movies. I know that I'm supposed to like it. Tons of people whose opinions I really respect love this album and think it's brilliant (also, it's David Lynch's favorite album because of course it is). However, when I listen to it, I don't enjoy it, and then I feel stupid because I'm supposed to enjoy it, and maybe I'm just too stupid to understand it. Fuck you, Captain Beefheart. I'm not stupid, you are. If you're so much smarter than me, how come I'm alive and you're dead? 2/5 This album has an incredible legacy, but so does Michael Jackson's dad. Legacy isn't everything

This makes me uncomfortable but not in the good way

A lot of you have never accidentally recorded yourself having a nervous breakdown while on acid and IT SHOWS. All kidding aside I liked this a lot for the artistic experiment of it all. A mind melting mix of rock, country, bepop, avant-garde spoken word, and proto punk rock. I can see how this influenced a generation. I can also see why most people hate it. That being said, I’m not adding it to any playlists for summer block parties or anything.

One of my favorites. It just packs so much music to enjoy in one album… Also it can be a lot if you’re not in the headspace to listen to this kind of stuff

Sure, I get it. 5 stars for that?!?! Am I saying that out of some sense that this is the “correct” answer? Is this a case of the emperor’s new clothes? Am I on drugs? Am I mentally well? A 5 for an album that I wouldn’t want to listen to more often than not? It just doesn’t make sense. I promise you, it is sincere. Many years ago I heard Frank Zappa for the first time and my musical world grew quickly. I found that I was drawn to things that stood in stark contrast to the kinds of music that was familiar. I wouldn’t always enjoy it, but I didn’t need to. My fascination with its uniqueness was enough. Of course, the less I enjoyed it, the less likely I was to return for another listen. Zappa’s album Hot Rats was my introduction to Captain Beefheart, and I loved his vocals on that album. When I found out that Trout Mask Replica existed, I immediately sought it out, and was truly fascinated by what I found. It was awful, and a strange musical mess, but damned interesting. I walked away thinking it was something I never needed to hear again, and thought I was done. A short time later, I tried to describe the experience of listening to the album to a friend, and decided to short cut things by just playing some of it for him. Some time later I repeated this with another friend. Over and over again, I’d find myself coming back to the album and playing it again, and before long the curiosity had been replaced by appreciation. More and more of it had started to click, until one day I realized that I actually enjoyed the thing. It’s still not an album that I can throw on any old time. It’s an experience that can only happen under the uncommon ideal circumstances, But when those elements come together, it’s electric.

I had heard so much of this album, but I tried to go in without reading the Wikipedia as I usually do. I...don't really know what was happening and I feel like I forgot who I was by the end of it. But! Did I enjoy it? Not really. I did at 5 songs to my library (out of 18), so uh. Could have been worse, I suppose.

This album demonstrates that anyone can record a 28 song album. Musical talent is not required.

Oh God please don't make me listen to this again. I've just had Pet Sounds and I'm all chilled out. I've tried this twice in the past and it just annoys me. Ok here we go. Avant garde and chaotic and pretty much unlistenable. Hardest album to rate.

Aïe aïe aïe jsuis pas capable d’en écouter plus que 15 minutes Je reviendrai

No place in music should this exist. There's no innovation, invention, or irreverence. Just demented notions of what might qualify as music. Why why why why why

Basically unrateable. My view here is that you have to forget like or dislike, get or forget. It can't be reasoned with, it doesn't stop, it feels no pity. Whether you are there or not, it exists. Double album is too much, but 40 minutes is an audio equivalent of wild swimming. Bracing, a shock to the system and you return refreshed. 3 but could be 5, or 1.

My head hurts

Personally offensive to me and my delicate brain

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. A hard listen

F*cking Terrible

Wild. Not for me.

It does take some effort to listen to in its entirety, but there are some true gems in there. The concept is really crazy, I like it. I still think of the trout mask included in the vinyl. I don't have it, though. Love all the talking passages and the fact that the album got made in like one single 6 hour session. Pena is still my all time favorite. + Ella Guru + Sweet Sweet Bulbs + Pena + Fallin' Ditch + Sugar 'n Spikes + Ant Man Bee + Orange Claw Hammer + Wild Life FAST AND BULBOUS

Absolute fucking nonsense.

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

What having a fit probably sounds like.

I probably just didn't get it

Like a weird rip in space and time. Not sure what's going on but sounds eclectic for a 60s album

WTF is this??????

Je présume qu’il a influencé entre autres Tom Waits. Je suis sensible à l’aspect expérimental, qui sort du lot

Good grief, that was hard work. Well done lads, you got someone to pay you for this. Joke's on them.

Best Song: My Human Gets Me Blues. Just a great blues track. You can really hear how Beefheart's vocal stylings will go on to influence so many others. Worst Song: Hair Pie: Bake 1. Seemingly intentionally a-musical. Also, weird Blair Witch vibes at the end. Wonder if that woman survived the encounter. Overall: An album that somehow manages to be neither as good nor as bad as I expected, it alternates between refreshingly weird and stubbornly opaque. I like the abstract poetry rambled over gritty blue, but I don't like the intentionally atonal and weirdly polyrhythmic stuff that seems to exist just to be different. There's clearly a core of something brilliant here, but it seems mostly obscured by Captain Beefheart's ego and resistance to editing. Everything that is introduced on this album has subsequently been better channeled and refined by Tom Waits, including the voice.

Well this is a chore. 28 tracks of what mostly sounds like three albums playing concurrently. I mean, each individual element seems to be if not pleasant then at least competent. This might - eventually - form itself into coherence. Free form jazz did that, just pinged from being godawful noise to transcendentally beautiful in the space of a couple of seconds. It hasn't done it yet, though. When the most accessible part of your music is cacophonic sax, you might have a problem engaging with new audiences.

Ja ja

Couldn’t make it through this. Was so stressful.

I've heard of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, and I recognize the cover of Trout Mask Replica, but I probably haven't listened to a full track from the band. I was fine with working my way through the album. It was ¿good? to listen to an album that so many people consider as culturally significant. I'm not sure that I would want to try and listen to this album often enough to gain the acquired taste that this album seems to be. The album felt shorter (less of a burden to listen to) than I thought it was going to be, but still lands at 2 stars.

i have a theory about records like this. i feel that this record was reviewed favourably by a well respected music critic (from rolling stone, for example), and because he/she is so well respected, other music critics will not admit that he is wrong. here we go… the best thing about this album is the cover. unique and surreal. fun. the music within is a chaotic mess. the instruments sound like a random scattering of noise, often with no discernible rhythm or tune. the singer can’t really sing and the lyrics are like the ramblings of a crazy person on the street corner. i have few regrets, but one of them is that i will never get that seventy eight minutes and fifty one seconds of my life back. complete and utter shite.

Yeah, didn't make it far into this. That's terrible.

This is a hard listen but they say after 6 or 7 times, you get it and it’s a masterpiece. I don’t see myself listening to this again so I’ll take their word for it. I do see flashes here and there but I also feel like he’s just trying to be weird instead of just being weird.

I don't understand what is happening here. This seems to be fairly contentious with some people loving it but it's not my jam.

No, just no. I get that this was maybe experimental, but it was not enjoyable to listen to at all.

Blues. Rock. Un poco experimental. Largo. Con altibajos.

There’s Chinese water torture and then there’s Captain Beefheart…

Unlistenable garbage. This being some creative genius album is definitely the biggest inside joke of the musical industry. Sadly like most inside jokes, outsiders are baffled by it.

Your opinion is not to be taken seriously if you rate this anything else than 1. Massive steaming pile of hot garbage this was. Absolutely no clue how it made it to this list. John Zorn level of musical criminal activity right here, absolutely disgusting. Truly a displeasure to listen to.

Yes but is it art?

Alright, this certainly is one of the albums ever created. Impossible to separate the artist and the mythology from the music itself, when the entire thing truly sounds like someone held talented musicians against their will and forced them to learn these horribly complex compositions. But in the end, the record really is a blast. Never boring, often humorous, and avoids being repetitive in its challenging of the listener. 'Bill's Corpse' really is a bop.

What I find most fascinating about this record is that the instrumentals were recorded in a single eight hour sessions. How well rehearsed and disciplined did the Magic Band have to be in order to achieve that and be able to play these extremely complicated songs like that every time? What an achievement! Captain Beefheart delivers one of the most challenging records of the 20th century with Trout Mask Replica. It’s polyrhythmic, polytonal and at times almost incomprehensible. Spoken words, free jazz, dirty blues, progressive rock and avant-garde is thrown together in a seemingly random order. The product on the other hand is not random at all. The sheer discipline of the band points toward that. There is a great amount of humor but the album is not a joke at all. “Moonlight In Vermont”, “My Human Gets Me Blues”, “Ant Man Bee” and the closing “Veteran’s Day Poppy” (a song that almost displays a certain beauty) are what this album is all about. Horribly demanding but nevertheless extremely well thought out. Nothing tops the legendary opening that is “Frownland”. It’s not rare that I find myself singing parts of the song alone at home. Despite all its complexity. Despite the weirdness. Despite of the fact that it seems that the song itself wants me not to like it. This is genius in its purest form. Or maybe it’s madness? That’s not for me to decide. And I don’t care.

Mad one but not for me.

This was such a slog to get through. Far too experimental for my taste and the "art" of it was lost on me due to grating vocals and out of tune instruments. Those with refined musicianship seem like they "get it" but not me.

this is fucking awesome big and bulbous

Woah nelly, this is a doozy. Struggled until Pachuco Cadaver, and struggled afterwards. Clearly some talent and and inventiveness, but just don't like the whole package. I think there must have been a lot of drugs sacrificed to make this album.

As silly as it sounds, Matt Groening was right, it does take multiple listens until it just clicks. I've listened to this a bunch over the years and it's a favorite now. Loved reading all the takes from other unsuspecting listeners, they are not wrong lol.

In what world did someone give these no talent hacks an hour and eighteen minutes to just make noise?! This is a literal waste of my time. As someone who has made music for years and can play multiple instruments, this does not take talent. Despite what people say, there is nothing complicated going on here. It just sucks. It actually makes me angry listening to this. GOD DAMMIT why do I have to listen to this fucking album?!?

Bloody racket

It's all so much.

Hair Pie: Bake 1 made me feel like I was being attacked by geese. I had hope during the intro to Moonlight on Vermont but that hope was promptly smashed when the vocals started. It never got better!

I know this is way out there, but I was actively engaged listening to it. It was refreshing to have something that compelled me to pay attention, even though I’m not sure why.

This entire album is completely unhinged….but I liked it

Oh no, my bete noir, extremely challenging avant-garde “piece”. There is a valuable place for experimental music, but did this have to be so long? However, it’s easier to listen to and more amusing than Marylyn Manson and other awful 1 star garbage. They rehearsed for 8 months!

One of the worst albums that I have ever listened heard. I don't have a clue how people on Youtube were saying that it's a masterpiece. So far, I've tried to listen it to four times. I can't finish it.

I did not like this album

Ugh

Fast and bulbous. I don't know. It kinda works with my ADD. I get why this is considered to be something you should hear, at least once. It is certainly something to hear, anyway. Pretty hard to digest. The songs were generally short, but definitely all over the map. I definitely don't "get it". Somehow, I still kinda liked it. I need a few more listens before I can really rate it, but we'l say 6/10 for now.

oof

I love beefhearts first album and even I thought this was a tough listen

This was a tough listen. I need to revisit

This album is the musical equivalent of that modern art piece where the banana is taped to the wall. Critics will Ooh and Aah, and discuss the statement the banana makes and the commentary of some such or other they've pulled out of their arse. While the rest of us stare and say "It's a fucking banana". Granted, this album is probably for aspiring musicians and music producers who push forward the craft, rather than the typical music listener. I can't rate an album highly when critics' note "After I listened to the album for the 6th time, it made sense" as it's 80 minutes of experimental and a-rhythmic jargon. Not a fan, I will never listen to it again as it's not something I would actively choose to listen to. I'm sure it's a vital piece of music creation and influenced many, but one of those many isn't me.

I know some people love it but it is indulgent, hippy nonsense. Rubbish. 1 point for the sleeve.

Horrible

not an easy listen

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

little janky and disjointed for me?

Just because something purposefully sounds bad doesn't then make it good. If I were a musical publication and rating the album on its "importance" and impact to music as a whole, sure, rate this higher. Sometimes, experimentation or art for its own sake is worthwhile, and no doubt 'Trout Mask Replica' is a fascinating example of just that. I'll also acknowledge the musical and technical proficiency required to put together something like this - it sounds awful, but it's awfulness with a purpose. But wow, it's hard to listen to. 3 stars for its impact, as I acknowledge we wouldn't have music like Tom Waits if it wasn't for Beefheart.

Wtf?

Fuck you ‘Trout Mask Replica’, fuck you.

I am in physical pain listening to this. Dear god make it stop

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.

I did not like this at all. Not one bit.

Very challenging album, I know it’s meant to be purposely bad but some segments are downright unlistenable.

i know, but i don't know.

Far too many uses of the word 'bulbous'. This is an unhinged and fascinating record that sounds like a car crash through Tom Waits' nightmares, and veers from funny to harrowing in a split second. It's also way way too long - I was feeling a solid 4/5 for the first hour or so but it did drag towards the end unfortunately

- wow really can’t stand this. 2 songs in and don’t think I can do an entire album - hate this. DNF (half way through hair pie)

4.5

Couldn’t finish it

Legit definition of WTF. Just sounds like each member of the band wrote and recorded their own separate songs and then overlayed them together. Tah dah done. There's skill here but it's odd for odd's sake. "Story" songs are like Zappa but not nearly as good or entertaining.

Way too deep for me - I may try to listen to it a few times to see if it grows on me, but I doubt that my rating will change...

It does offer some gritty and occasionally funky appeal if one can drop one's grudges against its considerable difficulties. One thinks of Beat happenings, and free jazz, and performance art, as much as pop or rock music. More than anything, it's indulgent, and its innovations and influence seems perhaps diluted as the influencees seem to have exceeded him in many ways. Worth knowing if its merits don't go down very easily.

Second Captain Beefheart album in a week and fuck, this one really dials up the stupid. An hour and 20 minutes of mostly improv (edit: apparently it's not! wtf?), anti-music jams. This is the sort of shit hipsters pretend to "get" to appear mysterious and aloof. 1/5.

"I gotta understand Beefheart, man." -- Marc Maron I tried. I really, really did. About 20 years ago or so, a friend dubbed this for me onto cassette (hey, remember those, kids?). I listened to it once, didn't get it. It was too chaotic, too... dada for me. Fast forward to now, and it comes up on the 1001 list. Maybe now that I'm 20 years older, listened to a lot more styles of music, I will be able to understand this more. I'm not going to say that I will _LIKE_ it, but that I'll understand it. Deep breath, here we go... First song comes on: "Frownland." And it's not looking good. As the next few songs come over me, it still just sounds like all the instruments are playing different songs ON PURPOSE. I mean, is that the point? It's just so nonsensical to me. Somewhere around "Moonlight Over Vermont," it feels like the band and CB are trying to coalesce to make one song together. But Beefheart is completely off tempo with the rest of the band. The instrumentals, which are as chaotic, work slightly better, though. I think of them like improvisational jazz. But at some point, you have to come back TOGETHER. And they don't seem to. I understand the uniqueness of this album. And I will say that I didn't hate it as much as I did 20 years ago, but it's still not something I'm going to go and listen to. Again. I think twice in 20 years is enough.

Wow. This was so weird. But for all its weirdness I didn't find myself reaching for the next button. I was a bit intrigued. Kind of felt like a 2 though after first listen - just a lot to deal with, with all its deliberate mayhem and disconnectedness. And then I read about the album and decided I should give it at least one more listen. Especially because I hated the first Tom Waits album I heard but he has grown on me (and Beefheart surely gave birth to Waits' weird music and tortured vocal stylings). I listened to it a second time and I didn't hate it. But I didn't like it either. If it's David Lynch's favorite album, you know it is out of this world strange. Kudos to the creativity but not for me, and probably not for most. Deserved to be on this list for it's eccentricity but not sure what else after that.

I can truly understand why this album is one of the lowest rated albums on this list. It is 80 minutes of audio chaos and I’m sure many listeners aren’t even going to get to the end of “Frownland”, let alone the last track. It’s hard to believe that this charted in the UK the first week that it was out, but it did and I’m sure that it was word of mouth that caused it not to chart the second week. That being said, this album is a masterpiece and totally deserves to be on the list. There’s nothing that sounds like it back in 1969 and unlike the Velvet Underground, which was trying to be different in the most pretentious way possible this album is different in the most unpretentious way. You won't find any Warhol-inspired fashionable music on here nor anything romantic either. It’s as raw as a punk album but with some of the crazy polyrhythms that you would expect to find on an avant-garde classical album. All the while Van Vliet’s lyrics and vocals seem to be taking you somewhere quite different entirely. It seems like Zappa the producer was hearing all of this and instead of producing just sat in the studio smoking his cigarettes and letting the chaos unfold around him. That hands-off approach is probably what made this album what it is and I'm forever thankful for it. Trout Mask Replica is an album that when someone says it's total garbage and unlistenable I can actually see where there coming from and just say that I love it for what it is. It is not an album that I can listen to often. But when I do listen to it, I’m glad that I live in a world where this album was able to be made. I’m also going to give this 5 stars for 2 reasons. The first is that someone had the balls to make this at a time when they had to either know that it was not going to make them any money or had enough faith in the listening public to think that they’d like something as far out there as this. The second is that I don’t think anyone else here has given it 5 stars yet (4 is the highest that I’ve seen so far).

I don’t get the point of this music. This sounds like if bob seger removed all his musical talent and then tried to sing and play various instruments. All in all this album could’ve been okay if some of the random noises were removed but this was a weird collection of songs and I do not plan on revisiting it. 2.3/10

Awful

So hard to listen to. Unbelievable story about the recording.

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

Het is wat wennen aan het genre. Het ligt me niet helemaal maar ik ben wel mee in de creativiteit

no tune to follow and weird sounds only listened to 2 songs

waste of time!!

I first heard of this album from Anthony fantano and I couldn't make it past dachau blues on first listen. This time around I somehow made it all the way through in one sitting and honestly, the actual music parts are pretty good. Moonlight in vermont is actually a solid track and it clearly takes a lot of talent to make music like this, but the rest of the album is just packed with random bullshit like orange claw hammer and skits that make it almost unbearable to listen to. It's already exhausting to listen to by its experimental polyrhythmic jazz nature and the unnecessary fat just sinks it. If it were a 30-minute album I might even give it a 3 but instead it gets a high 1

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.

This is a difficult listen to be sure, but it's got some slappers in the mix there. Fast n bulbous.

This is a really tough one to rate, first half of the album I was wondering if I could listen to all of it, by the end I was kind of embracing its madness and enjoying what rhythmic music there was to enjoy - that said I do feel the second was more “musical” than the first. Was going to give a 2 but as I will defo listen again, purely out of curiosity, have gone one higher

I tried, really really hard and managed to listen to the whole thing, just in case. Its shit, dont care what anyone else has to say, its drug induced drivel

You could give this a 5 for the sheer brass balls of releasing this on the public, but, really, it gets a 1 for being shit.

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 really wanted to like this but it was a chore and I looked forward to it being over. Like the cover art, but that’s the highlight. A confusing mess that is clearly a product of it’s time, but makes no sense today. 1.5/5 but rounding down.

Fast and bulbous. Also, tapered.

The album is a fucking trip. It encourages me to be freer with my own creativity, because there are things on here that just seem like silly-ass outtakes - then the next song slaps you in the face with the ripping guitars and forceful vocals. It defies category and stands out.

What if every song on an album was a mandatory overtime style jam? Well here you are. This sounds like the musical equivalent of experiencing schizophrenia. You can hear the influence it had on later Tom Waits albums, and I have respect for the insane bravery of this chaotic experiment, but definitely not something I'd listen to for enjoyment. I prefer his somewhat more tuneful output that followed.

Notoriously difficult listen, it's definitely interesting and it's obvious the influences it has had on musicians like Tom Waits. In terms of a casual listen though, it is not exactly a pleasant experience. I could see getting addicted to the chaos though with repeat listens.

Barely listenable double album that it is supposed to be extremely important, perhaps innfluential, though I don't here it and apparently his best. I night listen to it again to see if there was something I missed. 1.5 stars

Kantensa kuuloinen levy. Jotenkin viehättää laulutyyli ja meininki. Mutta onhan tää ihan liian raskasta kuultavaa.

Alkaa hyvin ja toimii muutenkin paikoitellen (eli sisältää myös kappaleita eikä ainoastaan äkkiväärää jammailua), mutta lopulta äkkiväärä jammailu alkaa tuntua levyn itseisarvolta - mitä sen EI ole tarkoitus olla (väitän). En myöskään usko, että kukaan olisi ikinä kuunnellut tätä loppuun.

Dit is heel rommelige muziek. Het leid me af in een niet zo plezierige manier. Telkens denk ik "wat is dit voor rommel" en daarmee denk ik dat het album een lage score verdient. *

Lijkt wel een trollband, wat een herrie

Not really.

Sounds like a weird art school project that wouldn't even get a good grade. Not music. Awful.

Hard to listen to, but not impossible, and once you open your mind to what's going on, there's plenty to get from this album. It set a bar for how we gauge outsider music in the rock era and you can hear this album in all kinds of things that want to diverge from the usual.

Sounded like the band talking to themselves, no communication to the audience. Worse than white noise

Blues... Justo blues A lot of inprovisation

i have a t shirt for Neon Meate Dream of an Octafish which was sent by mistake when buying an alan partridge shirt and they said keep it. presumably they knew not really anyone would want it as there can't be that many people in to this brand of madness. i wear that t shirt because i listened to the album and decided that wearing a t shirt for an insane song on an album you don't listen to that gets you absolutely no kudos points or recognition from anyone you will meet wearing the shirt is the type of surreal shit captain beefheart would do. i get why they would put trout mask replica on the list but it is incredibly hard work even for someone who knows captain beefheart and has seen the magic band play (once the captain had popped his clogs). he does have some albums that are listenable, i quite like ice cream for crow but this album is so far into the realms of art/jazz that it flies over my head. i would probably understand it better if i was wearing a black turtle neck and a beret.

Captain Beefheart you son of a gun. You owe me a go on your sister's tits. She disappeared down a drain pipe on a dark night last spring. She broke my heart, she broke my mind, she broke my penis and I cried. Shelly Beefheart, my love, my muse, my everything.

Trout Mask

A shitshow, but an authentic shitshow. Without question essential listening.

This is like if Picasso was a musician instead of a painter. I couldn't finish the album.

goofy ahh

Remember that scene from A Clockwork Orange when that dude in a wheelchair locks Malcolm McDowell in an upstairs room and plays Beethoven loudly, knowing it'll drive him insane? And it causes McDowell's character Alex such sickening pain that he throws himself out of the window? That's what this album made do, and I'm still in sickening pain as I write this. Apparently the dude who created The Simpsons of all people claims you have to listen to this album a whopping SEVEN times before you realize it's brilliant. I don't have that many windows I'm willing to jump out of to confirm whether or not he's correct.

I can see what they’re going for… but it’s not fun to listen to at all

I know that this is an important and influential album and should definitely be included on this list; everyone should endure the experience at least once (like the album Free Jazz or The Shape of Jazz to Come). It's a creative and artistic expression, but just not one I like in the least. Its so fucking long and unless I knew the history that apparently these were extremely practiced songs, it sounds like someone gave instruments to complete novices, told them to play, and pressed record.

I'm happy for the people that get this, but I am not one of them.

Unrateable

An important Record. Certainly Revolutionary for some. Captain Beefheart is the Lewis Carroll of rock. But for me at this time in my life it's a bit extra in a way that I'm less interested in now than I was in my more avant garde hungry days. The rest of this review will now be written in how the music feels: Skronkly and woggly time and word a disheveled stumble bumble of nonsense no sense make sense fake sense in this wild life — needle notes and conscripted toots. Stop. Go! Time to be brave! Hit record. Drive a ford across a fjord. Clever boi.

Rock experimental. Bastante inaguantable. Un 2.

I know the good captain was a friend of Frank Zappa, and Zappa's influence on this is unmistakable, but Beefheart was no Zappa. I can listen to something like Sheik Yerbouti over and over, but not this one. That said, I understand its place on the list.

Ok, I am struggling here. I just finished John Coltrane's album and thought I didn't get that. No, I get THAT album now...but this? No. It's like the worst elements of Frank Zappa and Tom Waits and none of the good stuff. I am only five tracks in and really having a hard time with it. And a track named Dachau? A little unappealing without the brilliance to back up doing such a thing. This is just not for me. I tried. Honest.

This is a grower. I really like the wacky vibe, the surreal lyrics, and of course the atonal jazz fusion instrumental. It's chaotic but simple, and I'm actually not a big fan of that. I like the distorted bluesy guitar sound mixed with the free ranging sax, but there are only a few tracks where it actually sounds incredible. On the plus side, nearly every song offers something unique and weird. But for most of the disordered mess, I often can't see much value. Maybe there is hidden under multiple focused listens, but most tracks seem to provide nothing exciting. Just something to say "huh that's a bit strange," sometimes you hear the same thing in other tracks and you swear it loses its novelty. I really did not like the spoken word tracks, but it did place me in an atmosphere I'd like to revisit while high. That being said, the opener and closer are by far the best tracks on the album, groovy and structured yet unsettling and unpredictable. Favorites: Frownland, Ella Guru, Moonlight on Vermont, Bill's Corpse, My Human Gets Me Blues, Sugar 'n Spikes, Veteran's Day Poppy

Wtf

Vitun sekavaa, ei jaxa

There was not a thing I liked about this album.

Nice! That's the most original album on the list so far, together with Miles Davis "Bitches Brew". Completely chaotic record, or at least posing as one. As with every avant-garde album, it's extremely hard to get into it, although in this case it's experimental rock, so it's a little bit easier to understand where is it coming from. Just listen to all the popular releases from sixties, then write down all the sounds, notes and melodies that you haven't heard, compile it into an album and et voila! We have a "Trout Mask Replica". Worth noting, that half the album is filled with Captain Beefhearts blues-like stories, basically a spoken-word at times. I have listened to the album twice since yesterday, but I would have to listen to it twenty more times before I could get anything meaningful from it. Well, I probably will try, over the course of years, but as of today, the album was a hot piece of garbage.

Genuinely difficult to listen to

Not a fan of this kind of “art.” I listened to the whole album, and there’s not enough acid in the world that would make me enjoy this.

I can think of 4 other Beefheart records I’d rather listen to than this one.

The music is as weird as the cover. It actually was quite interesting for a while, it took until half way through the 28 tracks before I lost interest. Surreal mixture of Jazz, with some blues structure at times and left field lyrics. I am unlikely to ever listen to this again, but it certainly was an experience and that justifies it being on this list.

Doorgaans ben ik een liefhebber van een zekere mate van 'gekte' in muziek, maar dit gaat alle perken te buiten.

Serieus? Dit is iets wat als een briljant album wordt gezien? Geen touw aan vast te knopen, volledig a-ritmische nummers en eigenlijk niet om aan te horen.

Bij liedje 4 dacht ik dat ik bij een uitvoering van The Muppets te zijn aangekomen.

Horrendous.

What the fuck was dit

This album is literally too much by all means. It sounds like every single member of the band is doing a different song. I got really confused by all the sounds and couldn't really focus. But I think it's essential for this album and if it was the effect they were going for, then they achieved it. Although, listening to this for more than an hour is truly tiring. I think the music is great, the guitars do a really good job of shaping the sound of the album. The thing I found the hardest to assimilate is the weird vocals, which just drive me crazy. The artist really went for oddity and strangeness all the way and did a good job sticking to that theme. I strongly believe this album has its own loyal followers. This type of music is not for everyone, and not for me either, at least not every day or I'll go crazy. Sometimes I found the music just unlistenable. Favourite track: "The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica)", least favourite track: too many

I knew exactly what this album was going to be after the first 20 seconds. The only nice thing I'll say about this record is that I love the cover. This album blows. Too much ridiculous guitar work, singing, and just general nonsense. Way too fucking long. Awful but not as bad as throbbing gristle. Booooo 0/10

op zen willy organs: doe toch normaal man

Dit voelt echt als een taak om naar te luisteren. Het is zoveel zowel in aantal als gewoon in geluid. Geef me wat rust jong.

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.

I get why it’s long and dissonant and difficult, and I liked some parts of it, but overall this is a no for me.

I get that this is influential for like...Primus...and various other weird bands I love. But IMO pretty nearly unlistenable.

They made this...on purpose? "Avant garde" will always sound like a cover for making noise that's indistinguishable from someone with no talent discovering an instrument. And why must these albums be so long? Scary that I can see where some other albums got inspiration from this like Tom Waits and the Minutemen. So a star because I'm learning and piecing together some music history. Otherwise, yikes.

At the beginning thought people were living in different time zones our jamming over zoom with a lot of lag but later on some bits actually sounded sort of okay

I used to hate this for how "quirky" it was. It's like a hipsters staple album to brag about cause it's so "unconventional". Honestly, it's not that bad, it's just not really my thing.

Produced by Frank Zappa. Yes, it does have a Zappa-vibe to it for sure. Still getting aquatinted with it. It does get better with time…. 3/5

Reminds me of Frank Zappa, and I dislike it for the same reasons I dislike Frank Zappa. It’s like if you do something random and bizarre enough, but do it confidently, people will think you’re a genius. But in reality it’s just random, bizarre crap. Yes, there are flashes of interesting musical bits in here, but overall it’s a big thumbs down for me. 2 stars.

Fascinating

A little bit of nonsene is OK. I like the album cover.

Pena was the moment when I finally knocked this turkey on the head. Fucking hate the cover too. Load of shite.

An extra star for originality but it isn't pleasant on the ears. Basically took all the criteria on how to make a song, teared it up and made their own rules, which is commendable but personally don't like the end product.

Nah. Sometimes it taps into an inexplicably satisfying and deeply hidden groove - but beyond this it's annoying and contrived weirdness

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 tough to get through it because it's just so random.

This album is going to be work. I hear Tom Waits in here. And there is no groove. its less songs and more every instrument floats in its own space and they sort of flex in and out of time with each other. It's anti-harmony. Wow Captain Beefheart was a terrible human. God this album is grating. She's Too Much For My Mirror is almost a song? There are several almost conventional songs but holy hannah is this an exercise in patience. The best part is when it ends.

Magical

I feel as though there must have been at least one CIA officer in the early 2000s whose father was with the CIA back in the day and worked on MKUltra. Perhaps they got a little too involved and got high on their own supply. Anyways, they obviously told stories to their child about their crazy life back in the day, and they once mentioned that even at their highest they couldn't get into Trout Mask Replica as it was just "too fucking weird, man". Their child would file this info away and go about life. Until one day they found themselves in Guantanamo Bay looking for a way to break the prisoners will to live. And that is how this album came to be played on repeat at a small military outpost on the island of Cuba.

Going to be honest here, this is a discount version of Frank Zappa and not nearly as smart, artistic or funny.

I am not sure what I just listened to, but I wouldn't qualify it as music. Technically arranged chaos is still chaos. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Wow, that was...interesting. I was working while listening to this, not recommended.

It was always beyond me, back in the day, how on earth this cacophonous discord was ever a rated album & it still is. The only difference is that I can no longer be bothered to wonder why.

I totally dug that offbeat album. It’s obvious to see the influence it had on Tom Waits and I look forward to giving it another listen.

Uh, what was that?

This album is a lot of fun, chaotic and pretty all over the place. Captain Beefheart's sound is truly unique and he is truly an artist. This album is a trip to listen to.

This is a pure chaotic mess yet it’s weirdly fun and hard to stop listening. I probably won’t come back to it but I definitely had fun while it was on!

weird collection of what feels like free-form, somewhat spoken-word, often oddly specific-to-topic and political

If you like avant garde music this is for you, for the the rest, no.

TRASH. 0/5

The strangest album so far.

Ah fuck that.

Is this art?

Always meant to get around this this one and was surprised to not hate it or find it that much of a challenge---must have heard enough music inspired by it over the years that it doesn't seem that crazy. I really like Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen and today realized that Trout Mask Replica was likely a huge influence.

What the the fuck is this shit? Made a bad mood a million times worse.

Mayhem.

There's not a single moment on this bloated mess that's enjoyable in any way. Weird for the sake of being weird. At last Zappa's shit jams. Also, that's a catfish. Best track: N/A

I feel like it’s actually brave to sound good?

It's like you got a abstract jazz band, put them in the same room as blues band and told them to play different songs at the same time. I see moments of potential but it is a little too all over the place for me to enjoy this.

I don't like this style, sorry.

Eerste 5 nummers: Alsof iemand een muziekwinkel van de trap gooit Moonlight on Vermont best leuk Klinkt een beetje als pre-alpha-Zappa geen fan, maar ook niet heel erg om het een keer gehoord te hebben

Als je hem aanzet en iets gaat doen is het alleen maar soms heel kut, meestal best oké en heel soms best vet

I bet this was an influence on Victim's Family.

Nope. Definitely too much acid for these guys. There's a reason I've never heard of this.

This is not a bad album. On a technical level, what they are doing takes immense amount of skill and you can tell that all musicians involved are virtuosos in their own right. On the question of how enjoyable it is, it is unbridled creativity, a storm of brutal sound that can also be quite intriguing at times, like an LSD-infused dadaist poetry slam. But I won't be listening to it regularly, I imagine. It is TOUGH to get through. The best use for this album is as a palate-cleanser. It doesn't matter what you were listening to before, Napalm Death or Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden or Stevie Wonder - by the end of this album, your brain will have thoroughly reset and by any chance, you won't even remember how you got here. But it's going to be an uncomfortable 80 minutes until then.

wtf

I understand this album is incredibly complex, creative, and original. I also find listening to this type of polytonal, polyrhythmic music to be a chore. Because certain arrangements are possible does not mean they'll sound good. I'll let music scholars sing the praises of this album; it sounded horrible to me.

Word is that you have to listen to this double album six times before it doesn't sound terrible. While I can appreciate the creativity and difficulty in producing this unique work, it might take a while for me to appreciate it. Trout Mask Replica was added to the United States National Recording Registry for the year 2010 by the Library of Congress. Wow. I may have to check back with an update at a later date.

That was rough.