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161 of 173 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, So Controversial., January 22, 2005
Yes, indeed - after nearly 40 years since this album's release, it manages to garner a heavy dosage of controversy. I can't think of too many other albums in the rock world to garner as much hatred and loathing, as well as religious-like worship and devotion.
To say that Captain Beefheart's 1969 double-album _Trout Mask Replica_ was/is one of the most daring things to ever be released is probably a *severe* understatement; especially given the fact that this album was released during a time when many artistic darings and risks were taken. Not only that, the fact that these musings contained here provoke such intense reactions from the listener should tell you quite a bit as well.
So, what's all the fuss about? Why do many love this album? Why do many hate this album?
Well, the musings here are quite "out-there." Yes, cliche term, but, that about describes the album in the most emphatic sense of the term. It's a crazed mix of blues, R&B, garage-rock, abstract (free/avant-garde?) jazz, and modern composition, and it's all topped off by a vocalist who sounds as goofy and obnoxious as a demented cartoon character.
To be more specific, Captain Beefheart delivers his vocals in a rough, raspy, gravel-soaked tone to slightly match those of legendary bluesman Howlin' Wolf, and twisted poet/storyteller/rocker Tom Waits. Comparisons with these two would seem a bit more appropriate considering the blues techniques found here, as well as the Captain's twisted storytelling. Added to this, these musings are besieged amidst the wild, chaotic saxophone skronks that readily recall the cathartic, stream-of-consciousness blasts of Ornette Coleman.
To add more to the overwhelming strangeness, there are odd rhythms, tempos and motifs, which seem to be haphazardly placed together, and/or overlap one another; as if all of these motifs and ideas are "slapped" together incoherently and unintelligently: polyrhythms, polytonalities (perhaps), and the overlapping of multiple genres tend to hit the listener as fast, and as powerfully as a freight train. Indeed, this is not lightweight stuff, and if you hate one singular aspect or genre -- especially any of the things listed above -- just imagine how you would react if *dozens* of these contradictory aspects are thrown at you *simultaneously* in one shot? There are *no* concessions. Indeed, everything mentioned above are the kinds of things you'll experience in a single track, alone. Oh, and here's another important thing: this craziness persists for a whopping total of 79-minutes. Yes, that time-length is *not* an exaggeration.
Listeners should keep in mind one astonishing fact: no matter how haphazard, chaotic and senseless these musings may appear, the Captain had meticulously planned out the majority of this music down to the last detail. Indeed, it would appear that this music is more structured than many would suspect.
So, in the end, it's probably fair to say that both sides of the camp have a certain amount of validity in their responses: on the one hand, there is quite the amount of brilliant and ingenious techniques to be found here, and musicians who know their fair share about music theory and composition will find quite a bit to chew on. Barring technical details, listeners who get their kicks from things that are on the bizarre, experimental side, will have quite the opportunity to discover a goldmine. However, on the flipside, the album lacks any kind of typical or pleasant melody; melody is there, but it takes quite an effort on the listener's part to access it, especially if the listener is not used to intensely avant-garde musings. Along with this, the peculiar structures and "weirdness" of it all sometimes come across as contrived (e.g. abstractness for the sake of abstractness), and overwhelmingly messy, not to mention the nonsensical dialogue in-between some of the tracks. And, to further complicate things, it carries on this way for 79 minutes.
There is really no easy way to recommend this disc: experimental music-enthusiast or not, there are *still* no guarantees. This is quite an apocalyptic, monumental experience in avant-rock, and I mean this in both a positive and negative way. In the world of popular music, it doesn't get much more challenging than this. Do you like the abstract works of Ornette Coleman or late-era John Coltrane? Do you like the complex rhythmical ideas of Igor Stravinsky? Do you like Tom Waits or Howlin' Wolf? How about Frank Zappa, Can or Henry Cow? Indeed, if you like any of the artists listed above, there's a chance that you could form an affinity for this. Or, maybe you're tired of the banal musings found in the majority of popular music these days, and want something much different to sink your teeth into. It doesn't get much more beautiful, ugly, engrossing, irritating, repelling, maniacal, demanding or interesting than this.
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95 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't listen to it enough., November 13, 2002
Yes yes yes. It's cacophonous, it's gritty, it's unpleasant. Put it on at a party and watch people make a mad dash for the door. Just try and dance to some of the arhythmic beats that fill the album like a car being thrown down a large flight of stairs. It's not popular music was never meant to be and will never apologize for not being so. It is as about an acquired taste as you can get.Nonetheless, I truly think this will be one of the albums that survives the twentieth century. I think people will still be listening to this in a few hundred years when the concept of music changes and dissonance and staggering rhythms are as harmonious as the choir in the fifth plane of heaven. Rock has produced nothing like this up to this point. Nothing with this sense of exploration and personal vision. Nothing as playful, nothing as fun. Nothing that stretches the boundaries of what people think of as 'rock music.' I don't think 21st century music listeners in America are ready for this. To truly appreciate this album for what it is you need to have a different definition of music and rhythm from the norm. No words will prepare you for how jarring it is. Your friends will hate you, people will think you're insane or on drugs (Beefheart, by the way, was not a drug user even in the early 1970s). My girlfriend still won't allow me to play it when she's home. People plain wonder what's wrong with me. Why would I listen to such tripe? Such ridiculous trash? The answer is that if you're one of those like myself that discover what's in this music, you simply can't stop listening. It's not for arty reasons, or reasons of influence (I could care less who Beefheart influenced, to be honest), or showing off my tolerance. There really is something here for those who can find it. I get more and more from every listen.
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39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a piece of music that will sustain you for life, June 5, 1998
By A Customer
Yes, it's difficult. Yes, sometimes it's silly ("a squid, eating dough in a polyethylene bag, is fast and bulbous" - see?). Yes, sometimes the production is atrocious (most of the album is a sound engineer's worst nightmare). But you need to know this album.You need to know it because it doesn't have any pretence at being more than it is. You need to know it because it's "seminal" (I think that means that lots of people cribbed from it..). But most of all, you need to know it because it has a depth and a complexity which you really just don't find outside the classical greats, which means that each time you come back to it, you'll find it says something different. You'll hear a different game being played between instruments, or a different set of word games being played across tracks (if you enjoy Joyce's "Ulysses" you'll love TMR!). There are no cliches on this one. "Moonlight on Vermont" isn't just the standard formula rock track - hear the lyrics. "China Pig" works on more levels than cotton field blues guitar. The poetry is rough, off the cuff, but narrative ("bore me seven babies, with snapping black eyes, and beautiful ebony skin"). I first heard TMR when I was 16 - I have to say I got it so that I'd look REALLY cool carrying it around high school. I'm now 37 (wife, kids, Volvo estate car, desk, secretary, MBA, etc. etc.). But I'd say I still listen to this every two or three months. It's one of the few CDs I'll make time to sit down and listen to (rather than have as background-to-life) - because it really repays the effort. And, if I make to retirement age, I'm sure that I'll still find hidden corners to this album that haven't yet sprung themselves on me. So if you want to stretch yourself a bit and perhaps confuse yourself for a while, but you want to make a musical friend for life, this is a must have. Enjoy - please enjoy!
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album Trout Mask Replica 
