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33⅓ Main Series #44
Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica
In the spring of 1969, the inauspicious release of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica, a double-album featuring 28 stream-of-consciousness songs filled with abstract rhythms and guttural bellows, dramatically altered the pop landscape.
Yet even if the album did cast its radical vision over the future of music, much of the record's artistic strength is actually drawn from the past. This book examines how Beefheart's incomparable opus, an album that divided (rather than) united a pop audience, is informed by a variety of diverse sources. Trout Mask Replica is a hybrid of poetic declarations inspired by both Walt Whitman and the beat poets, the field hollers of the Delta Blues, the urban blues of Howlin' Wolf, the gospel blues of Blind Willie Johnson, and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman. This book illustrates how Trout Mask Replica was not so much an arcane specimen of the avant-garde, but rather a defiantly original declaration of the American imagination.
Yet even if the album did cast its radical vision over the future of music, much of the record's artistic strength is actually drawn from the past. This book examines how Beefheart's incomparable opus, an album that divided (rather than) united a pop audience, is informed by a variety of diverse sources. Trout Mask Replica is a hybrid of poetic declarations inspired by both Walt Whitman and the beat poets, the field hollers of the Delta Blues, the urban blues of Howlin' Wolf, the gospel blues of Blind Willie Johnson, and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman. This book illustrates how Trout Mask Replica was not so much an arcane specimen of the avant-garde, but rather a defiantly original declaration of the American imagination.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 22, 2008
Another beauty from the 33 1/3 people. I was at Skylight, looking over the wares, and got to talking to the other guy doing the same thing. He recommended this one. It's a bit different than many of the series. It does start with the "conversion narrative" beginning--how the world was forever made different, and given a direction, even a misguided one, by the acquaintance with the particular record. Writer Kevin Courrier recounts how the album was given to him by a speed dealer, earlier maimed by a train (it gets better). Rather than meditating on the difference between trapped/stuck/mobile that such an opening sets up, the grotesquerie moves rather than into camp, into an exploration of the metaphorics of "fish"--as in Don Van Vliet's persona, the trout--and "pond," as a broad concept for the larger world and the world-lets within it.
The chapters follow how Van Vliet fashioned himself as a weird fish, a small fish, in the smallish pond of So-cal suburbia, "jumped" out of the pond, met and tangled and worked and collaborated with Zappa, and how in the end "everybody drinks from the same pond." It's not the most eco-friendly of ponds, but, hey. Courrier succeeds in grounding Van Vliet in American/primitive/surrealist/blues counter-circles, at the same time he really conveys how the Trout Mask Replica album was just really out there...not devoted to being a "tissue sample" of its day and age, but is actually "an art album which actually forces the desert island experience on a listener, whether the listener wanted to retreat or not." Indeed, like "trying to befriend a porcupine." Cf DVV's description of a watch: "you see, a lot of people put this little circle on their wrists, which is really amusing: keeping time." Apparently, 20 sets of sleigh bells allow you to do this better...
I have this album on LP, and while it is a bit too polarising to say "Zappa was shrewd. Beefheart was a visionary," I see his point. There is no doubt that a song about a girl who sits on a burning waffle iron may indeed have a hard time finding mainstream success. A bit of Crumb-style fear of cooties streams through the blues moans, but then again, 1969 was a mixed-up year.
Courrier does a great job of micro-mining the journalism and interviews for phrases such as this. As a system of metaphorics that goes way beyond the "conversion"/production/track by track structure of many of the books, I found it enchanting.
The chapters follow how Van Vliet fashioned himself as a weird fish, a small fish, in the smallish pond of So-cal suburbia, "jumped" out of the pond, met and tangled and worked and collaborated with Zappa, and how in the end "everybody drinks from the same pond." It's not the most eco-friendly of ponds, but, hey. Courrier succeeds in grounding Van Vliet in American/primitive/surrealist/blues counter-circles, at the same time he really conveys how the Trout Mask Replica album was just really out there...not devoted to being a "tissue sample" of its day and age, but is actually "an art album which actually forces the desert island experience on a listener, whether the listener wanted to retreat or not." Indeed, like "trying to befriend a porcupine." Cf DVV's description of a watch: "you see, a lot of people put this little circle on their wrists, which is really amusing: keeping time." Apparently, 20 sets of sleigh bells allow you to do this better...
I have this album on LP, and while it is a bit too polarising to say "Zappa was shrewd. Beefheart was a visionary," I see his point. There is no doubt that a song about a girl who sits on a burning waffle iron may indeed have a hard time finding mainstream success. A bit of Crumb-style fear of cooties streams through the blues moans, but then again, 1969 was a mixed-up year.
Courrier does a great job of micro-mining the journalism and interviews for phrases such as this. As a system of metaphorics that goes way beyond the "conversion"/production/track by track structure of many of the books, I found it enchanting.
March 1, 2008
Okie-doke book about the notorious Capt. Beefheart classic. I thought "Lick My Decals Off" was a better album, but "Trout Mask" was the one that broke all the rules.
The book? I thought lyrics were misquoted in places and spell check occasionally went on strike.
My final verdict: go get "Lunar Notes" by Bill Harkleroad aka Zoot Horn Rollo. It's a better book and from someone who was there.
The book? I thought lyrics were misquoted in places and spell check occasionally went on strike.
My final verdict: go get "Lunar Notes" by Bill Harkleroad aka Zoot Horn Rollo. It's a better book and from someone who was there.
November 26, 2022
It probably says something about me that when confronted with a shelf containing probably half of the 135 books in the 33 1/3 series, I chose this one. Anyway, this short examination of the seminal 1969 Captain Beefheart masterpiece was just what I was hoping for. Background of what led up to the formation of the band, the earlier albums, Great behind-the-scenes stories of the writing of the songs and the gruelling 9-month rehearsal phase, and of the recording sessions. Enthused explanation of why the album is important. Tantalizing scuttlebutt on the friendship and friction between Beefheart and Zappa. The ins and out of who got hired and fired, invited and kicked out and why. A great bibliography. All in all this just hit all the bases, and deepened my interest in Beefheart and his band, and Frank Zappa too, and several blues icons that Beefheart was inspired by. Highly recommended for all Different Fish!
March 2, 2025
Trout Mask Replica is a music album almost too weird to exist. This short book goes into how a strange beast manages to evolve and jam to a never-before-seen groove. It does demystify certain elements, but it's only right to detail and correct the record. The beast's biology can be understood when examined closely, seeing what factors helped it grow, where its jazzy-expressionist influences are in its musical genealogy, and the impact it had and the impact it brothers did not have. Trout Mask Replica is an album that some find unapproachable. Some however are drawn to it, and this book contains concise enough information to let those brave smart few gain a deeper understanding with the discordant beast.
August 21, 2013
I enjoyed the insight the author was able to give on what is probably my favorite album, but I did think there were some things missing. Possibly just because of my expectations, but then again it is my review, isn't it? While I knew and appreciate Zappa's influence on the record, I didn't think all the background information about him was completely necessary. The author mentions he is a Zappa aficionado at the beginning of the book, and there's just a little too much Zappa in a book about Trout Mask.
That being said, I didn't think enough of a window was given into the recording process or the home life Beefheart crafted during the making of the album. I was hoping the book would get more into the behind the scenes parts of the album and while it did, it didn't give me what I was hoping for when I saw the book at the library.
A good read with some good information inside it, and better than some of the other 33 1/3 series as I've been told. Worth the read if you like the album.
That being said, I didn't think enough of a window was given into the recording process or the home life Beefheart crafted during the making of the album. I was hoping the book would get more into the behind the scenes parts of the album and while it did, it didn't give me what I was hoping for when I saw the book at the library.
A good read with some good information inside it, and better than some of the other 33 1/3 series as I've been told. Worth the read if you like the album.
April 8, 2009
This book descends to the level of utter, minute detail that the craven music fan requires - that is to say, there is way way way more detail here on the album Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart than anyone would ever need to know. You know - theories on how Captain Beefheart got the name, his early life, the initial reaction of the underground music press to the record, etc
Its just fantastic.
I particularly liked the part where, prior to playing the Monterrey Pop Festival, as Beefheart was gyrating onstage at another festival a girl in the front row turned into a big fish and sent bubbles from her mouth up into the air. Beefheart fell off the stage, ending the set after about two minutes. This got them jerked from the Monterrey Pop Festival and the rest as they say "isn't history". With this, the band veered off into making Trout Mask Replica, a record which has to be heard to be heard.
Its just fantastic.
I particularly liked the part where, prior to playing the Monterrey Pop Festival, as Beefheart was gyrating onstage at another festival a girl in the front row turned into a big fish and sent bubbles from her mouth up into the air. Beefheart fell off the stage, ending the set after about two minutes. This got them jerked from the Monterrey Pop Festival and the rest as they say "isn't history". With this, the band veered off into making Trout Mask Replica, a record which has to be heard to be heard.
May 5, 2009
I got this album when I was in high school. I liked it in a sort of qualified way; at a certain point it just became dissonant background music. I hadn't listened to Trout Mask Replica for at least five years when I got this book, and -- lo and behold! -- when I played it again about halfway through Courrier's treatise, I found I could actually get into it. It's an album you listen to when you don't have recourse to starting brushfires, or reversing the laws of nature. Was Courrier my bridge? Not really, but he definitely made me appreciate aspects of the music I hadn't really thought about -- the drumming, for instance -- and of course the bizarre history of its creation. And his main point is right on target: that Trout Mask Replica is essentially a hermetic listening experience, operating outside conventional musical traditions, and whose influence is more inspiration than derivation.
July 17, 2007
Definitely more brisk & readable than the album is accessible. Made me actually wanna try listening to Beefheart again, and I thought I'd gotten over that 5 years ago.
June 21, 2021
This book reminds me a lot about the opening scene of that one Nicholas Cage movie where he was a gunrunner that walks through the entire life of a bullet from it’s birth in a factory to its end, where in it’s death, it takes down with it the life of a human being. Kevin Courier takes the reader from start to finish of the making of this album and beyond.
Unlike a bullet; however, The journey of Trout Mask Replica begins with the birth of an Idea, the metaphorical fish egg that hatched into the Trout Mask Replica, following the history of Don Van Vliet and the band leading up to the infamous rehearsals of the album, the recording, and splash that has album made in music history.
Additionally, Courier explores the musical influences and the musical landscape at the time the album was released, giving a longer view of how the album came to be and why it seemingly came out of nowhere.
I am biased; though, as I am a big fan of Trout Mask and was interested in reading more about it. This book is meant for people who are already interested in learning more about Trout Mask Replica and how it came to be. The writing isn’t particularly incredible apart from a few really good tangents and zingers, but it is never unbearable. Then again, this is kind of how 33 1/3rds are written. I still really enjoyed this book.
I can’t forget to mention how Kevin Courier prefaces this book. He gives a really personal account of how he heard about Trout Mask and his relationship to the album. The story is really touching, despite the insanity that is album. Trout Mask Replica barely “touched” anybody musically, but what it did do was indoctrinate the listeners with the Idea that is the Trout Mask Replica.
Unlike a bullet; however, The journey of Trout Mask Replica begins with the birth of an Idea, the metaphorical fish egg that hatched into the Trout Mask Replica, following the history of Don Van Vliet and the band leading up to the infamous rehearsals of the album, the recording, and splash that has album made in music history.
Additionally, Courier explores the musical influences and the musical landscape at the time the album was released, giving a longer view of how the album came to be and why it seemingly came out of nowhere.
I am biased; though, as I am a big fan of Trout Mask and was interested in reading more about it. This book is meant for people who are already interested in learning more about Trout Mask Replica and how it came to be. The writing isn’t particularly incredible apart from a few really good tangents and zingers, but it is never unbearable. Then again, this is kind of how 33 1/3rds are written. I still really enjoyed this book.
I can’t forget to mention how Kevin Courier prefaces this book. He gives a really personal account of how he heard about Trout Mask and his relationship to the album. The story is really touching, despite the insanity that is album. Trout Mask Replica barely “touched” anybody musically, but what it did do was indoctrinate the listeners with the Idea that is the Trout Mask Replica.
February 24, 2017
Well, you're only going to read this if you like the album. If you're curious about the album, listen to it (probably take several listens) don't read this.
That being said it's a reasonable book that really picks up in chapters 5 and 6. At times I found it hard to engage with the book - it's only the second in this huge series (over 100 books about different albums) I've read - but the one on Tago Mago by Can was way more engaging and readable.
Writing about music is always difficult to get right - and ranges from the train spotter-ish (who stepped into the studio an smiled when they laid down the keyboards on that track) to the gushing fan drivel ('it's so wonderful, it's the best song ever'): somebody allegedly (I can never find the quote) once said 'writing about music is like dancing about architecture', though I don't subscribe to that view either.
So, back to the book, my summary is if you like the album, read the book; if you've never heard the album listen to it, more than once.
That being said it's a reasonable book that really picks up in chapters 5 and 6. At times I found it hard to engage with the book - it's only the second in this huge series (over 100 books about different albums) I've read - but the one on Tago Mago by Can was way more engaging and readable.
Writing about music is always difficult to get right - and ranges from the train spotter-ish (who stepped into the studio an smiled when they laid down the keyboards on that track) to the gushing fan drivel ('it's so wonderful, it's the best song ever'): somebody allegedly (I can never find the quote) once said 'writing about music is like dancing about architecture', though I don't subscribe to that view either.
So, back to the book, my summary is if you like the album, read the book; if you've never heard the album listen to it, more than once.
March 4, 2024
‘𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘣 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘡𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹?," 𝘊𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. "𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘶𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮," 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘭𝘺.’
So granted, ‘Troutmask Replica’ from the mouldbreaking Captain Beefheart, is not an album made for all ears. But if it gets you, as it does me, it is one of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded. It is not too big a leap to think that an entire book dedicated to the recording of this incredible album would be a treat, and it most certainly was.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘴!’
So granted, ‘Troutmask Replica’ from the mouldbreaking Captain Beefheart, is not an album made for all ears. But if it gets you, as it does me, it is one of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded. It is not too big a leap to think that an entire book dedicated to the recording of this incredible album would be a treat, and it most certainly was.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘴!’
November 19, 2017
[Review taken from my Amazon review written May 2016]
'Playing by the books'
For one of the most unconventional albums in existence Kevin Courrier chooses to keep things rather straightforward.
The book chronicles Don's history leading up to 'Trout Mask Replica', his history with Frank Zappa and other music that was happening at the time (Free Jazz etc). It's not until 100 pages into the book that he actually writes about the album and when he does it's a fairly formulaic track by track with little asides and anecdotes. I found this to be a little disappointing. Either way though it was an easy and informative read but not one that intends to illuminate the work itself.
'Playing by the books'
For one of the most unconventional albums in existence Kevin Courrier chooses to keep things rather straightforward.
The book chronicles Don's history leading up to 'Trout Mask Replica', his history with Frank Zappa and other music that was happening at the time (Free Jazz etc). It's not until 100 pages into the book that he actually writes about the album and when he does it's a fairly formulaic track by track with little asides and anecdotes. I found this to be a little disappointing. Either way though it was an easy and informative read but not one that intends to illuminate the work itself.
January 20, 2019
Behind the Fish there lies a tail...
Kevin Courrier does a fair job of telling it.
Captain Beefheart tends to be an acquired taste, and this book captures much of the story how this artist came to create such an original, counter-cultural double album.
Beyond that, Courrier captures the story of the album from the Magic Band's standpoint, and reveals how much of a group effort Trout Mask Replica truly was.
For someone who has had the album for years, there was a lot of new, fascinating information.
Kevin Courrier does a fair job of telling it.
Captain Beefheart tends to be an acquired taste, and this book captures much of the story how this artist came to create such an original, counter-cultural double album.
Beyond that, Courrier captures the story of the album from the Magic Band's standpoint, and reveals how much of a group effort Trout Mask Replica truly was.
For someone who has had the album for years, there was a lot of new, fascinating information.
June 3, 2024
Valiant attempt to bring critical heft to a difficult avant garde piece of rock music. A far easier read than the album is to listen to, and I was grateful for the context and criticism, which comes in a 4:1 ratio. Ultimately it made me want to put on Frank Zappa instead.
February 9, 2017
One of the better 33 1/3 books. The intro and how the author came to first hear the album still stand out in my mind.
August 5, 2019
Excellent little book about the making of and reaction to Captain Beefheart's masterpiece.
March 14, 2020
Two-and-a-half stars. Some good history here for the curious and uninitiated.
September 25, 2021
Great book
August 18, 2023
I’m not sure anyone can understand this album and this book made me realise that isn’t the point and that don is a nut job visionary and i caj album
January 30, 2010
I was wary of this book because I find that writing about popular music, more so than most genres, tends to get polluted with airy generalities, hipper-than-thou one-upmanship and all sorts of other disagreeable elements. Thankfully this book proved to be free of most of those flaws, though not entirely.
Courrier opens the book with a bang-up anecdote that proves he's well qualified both to write and to write about this album in particular. He then quickly segues into a compelling argument that links Trout Mask to abstract expressionism in visual art. The rest of the book is fairly strong, though I think some of his observations about Beefheart and about '60s music in general aren't all that well supported -- they sound good and ambitious and rock-critic-y but don't ring especially true. And there are a few odd but forgivable mistakes, possibly due to editing (anyone familiar with Eugene Chadbourne would not label him first and foremost as a "singer," that's for sure). A final gripe is that the last chapter comes off as a jumbled laundry list of artists who have been influenced by or paid tribute to Trout Mask, a few too many of which are so obscure as to be hardly worth mentioning.
Courrier easily redeems all this by providing some excellent back story on Beefheart's pre-Trout career, his turbulent relationship with Frank Zappa, and the conditions under which his beleaguered Magic Band made this one-of-a-kind album. It's a fascinating tale, strengthened by the observations of former Magic Band members Bill Harkleroad, John French and others. And it's short, and a quick read to boot.
Courrier opens the book with a bang-up anecdote that proves he's well qualified both to write and to write about this album in particular. He then quickly segues into a compelling argument that links Trout Mask to abstract expressionism in visual art. The rest of the book is fairly strong, though I think some of his observations about Beefheart and about '60s music in general aren't all that well supported -- they sound good and ambitious and rock-critic-y but don't ring especially true. And there are a few odd but forgivable mistakes, possibly due to editing (anyone familiar with Eugene Chadbourne would not label him first and foremost as a "singer," that's for sure). A final gripe is that the last chapter comes off as a jumbled laundry list of artists who have been influenced by or paid tribute to Trout Mask, a few too many of which are so obscure as to be hardly worth mentioning.
Courrier easily redeems all this by providing some excellent back story on Beefheart's pre-Trout career, his turbulent relationship with Frank Zappa, and the conditions under which his beleaguered Magic Band made this one-of-a-kind album. It's a fascinating tale, strengthened by the observations of former Magic Band members Bill Harkleroad, John French and others. And it's short, and a quick read to boot.
February 13, 2013
After reading this book and spending about a year listening to the album to which it is dedicated, I'm amazed at how much affection I already have for the artist known as Captain Beefheart. He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum, carving out a path of individualism rarely seen in his time or any time since. I will share my review of the album itself in a different forum than this one; as for the book, I thought Courrier does a great job unlocking the mystery behind an album that is likely to be pretty daunting to most interested listeners and downright abhorrent to most anyone else. After a few listens to the album, my opinion of it veered towards one of noise for noise's sake, with no rhyme or reason or greater purpose to any of it. Over time, my opinion changed and I slowly began to appreciate it. Courrier carefully walks the reader through Beefheart's background and the years that led up to making of the album. Not only is it important to know where Beefheart was coming from artistically when he made the album, but from a technical standpoint it's also crucial to understand just how complex and intricate the album truly is. In most circles it's considered a classic, one of the all-time great albums, and incredibly influential in spirit if not in style. Courrier's book deftly brings this all out and enables the reader to crack through a seemingly impenetrable masterpiece.
May 28, 2012
After years of reading critics singing this album's praises I bought it (not available on Rhapsody, Spotify, or Zune) and listened to it. Verdict - for me, a one star listening experience.
Thus, while this quickly finished book explains the rationale behind the praise, and gives a good historical account of outsider music, Zappa, and the LA music scene of the 60s, it does all of this in the service of praising a recording I find incomprehensible. Sure Beefheart at times sounds like Howlin' Wolf. But Howlin' Wolf *is* Howlin' Wolf - why should that be an excuse for this recording?
I once saw Archie Shepp at Sweet Basil on 7th Avenue (which closed 10 years ago). It had the same cacophonic approach that Trout Mask Replica has. Everyone in the club thought they were smart listening to the music; I am sure from Shepp's sales numbers on Amazon that he doesn't have many listeners today.
The literary equivalent of what is going on here was well-documented by this book - I recommend it to anyone who wonders, when encountering a work of art, if the emperor has no clothes.
So, a one-star recording, with praise sung by this one-star book. Avoid both.
Thus, while this quickly finished book explains the rationale behind the praise, and gives a good historical account of outsider music, Zappa, and the LA music scene of the 60s, it does all of this in the service of praising a recording I find incomprehensible. Sure Beefheart at times sounds like Howlin' Wolf. But Howlin' Wolf *is* Howlin' Wolf - why should that be an excuse for this recording?
I once saw Archie Shepp at Sweet Basil on 7th Avenue (which closed 10 years ago). It had the same cacophonic approach that Trout Mask Replica has. Everyone in the club thought they were smart listening to the music; I am sure from Shepp's sales numbers on Amazon that he doesn't have many listeners today.
The literary equivalent of what is going on here was well-documented by this book - I recommend it to anyone who wonders, when encountering a work of art, if the emperor has no clothes.
So, a one-star recording, with praise sung by this one-star book. Avoid both.
May 31, 2013
This is quite a bit longer than the usual book in this series, but considering the history behind the album and its oh so many tracks on its four sides of vinyl it does warrant it. And it really does tell more than you think it would about this one of a kind album that baffles people and splits opinions to this very day. Even if you hate this album you still have a interesting back story learn, and a thoroughly articulated prose what there actually is to love about this music. So if you ever wanted to get inside somebody's head to see how on earth anybody would even like this stuff, go no further and pick this one up.
It always a slighty long preface in which Courrier his personal story linked to this album and it happens that it means so much to him. And unlike Michael Matos' aimless waffling in the "Sign 'O the Times"-book it's actually interesting, sad and even a little haunting.
Definitely one of the better ones in the series I've read/heard so far.
It always a slighty long preface in which Courrier his personal story linked to this album and it happens that it means so much to him. And unlike Michael Matos' aimless waffling in the "Sign 'O the Times"-book it's actually interesting, sad and even a little haunting.
Definitely one of the better ones in the series I've read/heard so far.
February 24, 2016
This is another pretty solid entry in the 33 1/3 series, pretty well done when you consider how difficult it is to write about this particular record. It's encouraged me to spend all week listening to it off and on, discovering new things every time. I definitely think I need to read more about Beefheart in general, it's a shame how this album's lack of immediate success and his split with Zappa confounded his path for so long.
February 18, 2018
The must have book to guide you through the wild album that some people can totally love and others find it absolutely dreadful. Unlistenable! that’s not true. Give things a chance. Captain Beefheart has never been “easy music” to understand and get into. It takes time and an open mind. It’s music that’s made visual from wild paintings (perhaps),so it’s not casual background music. It’s music that grabs you by the ear and doesn’t let go. There’s beauty in wild weird things,you have to hear it.
February 25, 2009
Rad book but a good amount of the info/quotes are taken straight from the "Captain Beehfeart: Under Review" dvd. Anything that helps show people how integral the contributions of John "Drumbo" French were to this album is crucial and this book certainly has that. It's definitely worth checking out if you're into or have heard or are interested in the amazing music of Captain Beefheart.
March 5, 2009
Not a bad read at all for anyone curious about Trout Mask Replica. A bit too much information relating to Frank Zappa for no real reason other then the author seems to be a Zappa fan first, and a Beefheart fan second.
I liked it, I wouldn't read the whole things again, maybe some select chapters!
I liked it, I wouldn't read the whole things again, maybe some select chapters!
August 16, 2016
If you thought no one could write about this notoriously weird album think again. Courrier does an AMAZING job. First he writes about famous people's reactions to the record, then his own reactions and then just jumps into the record describing tracks and giving us readers a load of information about the music. Stunning!
June 11, 2013
A little rambling and highfalutin' at the start, but picks up steam nicely.
Well researched.
Recommended to any Beefheartian - the rest of the world population would be better advised to get hold of the record, give it a spin. Chances are you'll hate it. But just maybe you'll think it's the greatest thing you ever heard...
Well researched.
Recommended to any Beefheartian - the rest of the world population would be better advised to get hold of the record, give it a spin. Chances are you'll hate it. But just maybe you'll think it's the greatest thing you ever heard...
December 7, 2014
Not a terrible addition to the series, but if you've read very much at all about the making of this record, you know most of this. Indeed, a great deal of it seems to have been referenced from fan websites and I am a bit distrustful of any book that actually SITES Amazon reviews as part of it's critical take.
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