Trout Mask House Sessions 1969

There are a lot of good reviews here, and I suggest anyone new to Beefheart's music check them out. You can also go to Wiki or read other reviews online to get an idea of what you're dealing with here. Most of the reviews I've seen here are from people who are long time fans of Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) and don't really need anyone to explain this album to them because they've probably already listened to it at least a hundred times. They "get it" and are mostly trying to help those who don't. That being said, I'm going to skip the other reviews because there's not a lot to add that hasn't already been covered. The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm not going to "preach to the choir" because they already know. What I want to try here is to offer a few things that may help those new to this album and Beefheart in general. First of all, Beefheart's music isn't for everyone, and Trout Mask Replica can even be hard for fans who like some of his other albums. If anyone just likes music that makes them feel good, then this album is NOT for you. Don't buy it and don't listen to it because you WON'T like it! If you enjoy music that was created as an art form that pushes the boundaries of every previous musical concept that came before it and what followed, you NEED to listen to this album....many times. To understand it, a good idea is to find out some of the history of how it was made and what went into making it. Once you understand this, you'll begin to see the sheer complexity and genius behind it and the unbelievable will power, mental strength, and actual physical toll it took on the musicians who made it. This is a lengthy work (28 songs, 1:18 minutes running time) and can be difficult to get through all at once. I would even go as far to say that someone who is borderline schizophrenic could possibly be pushed over the edge by this music. I would also caution anyone dropping acid for the first time to be careful with it. Am I exaggerating here? Maybe, but only slightly. Now, here's my reply to those who say "You could take five people who have never played music, give them instruments, put them in a recording studio together for a few hours, and it would sound as good as this". Maybe that's true, but then ask yourself this. Could the same group of people go back to the studio the next day and play the same thing EXACTLY like the first time? Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band did. They also played it EXACTLY the same live. When you wrap that around your head, you might begin to get an idea of why this album is one of the greatest recordings of all time. Most musicians would say it couldn't be done. Don Van Vliet said it could and he proved it on Trout Mask Replica. That's about all I have to say. You either "get it" or you don't. Don't worry if you don't because you're in the majority. If you do, you've found a musical "gift" that keeps on giving.

Trout Mask Replica catches a lot of flak from a lot of people--many claim it's pretentious, and that only rock snobs (pretend to) enjoy it. I'm of the opinion that the people who are pretentious and snobby are the people who think they're too good/cool to try something, which seems to be people detracting from this record. Either way, it's still around as a quite popular item (lots of reviews for such an old album), so I think that very fact says something about its influence, good or bad. For these reasons, I decided to give it a try, with the attitude that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but that there are some definite redeeming qualities that make it worth listening to. As it turns out, that was definitely the case.Trout Mask Replica is, as most people have labeled it, a tumultuous fusion of delta blues, electric rock guitar, dissonance, crazy rhythms and nonsense lyrics sung in intense voices that range from guttural howls to high-pitched cartoony voices. If you think it sounds bizarre, you're right. No matter how impenetrable and thrown-together it sounds, most elements of the album are pretty calculated. Perhaps it was even Beefheart's intention to make a record that would revolt some people and really turn some on (we're playing right into his hands, in that case).Take any one element of the combination alone and it makes a lot more sense--most songs have 2 guitars playing wild, dissonant lines. If you isolate them and listen to them individually, there's some pretty gnarly blues and rock riffs going, with some pretty impressive chops involved. Thing is, they're layered on top of each other and often don't line up. Likewise, Beefheart's lyrics don't make much sense on the outside, but if you get past the unorthodox imagery and style he uses, you can tell he's getting at some pretty interesting themes, like one of my favorites, "My Human Gets Me Blues," which has some interesting takes on religion, and the up-front political commentary of "Dachau Blues." Then again, many of the songs are straight up nonsense, like "Old Fart At Play." Obviously, Beefheart's vision for a prickly but worthwhile album also includes a healthy dose of humor. Another of my faves is "Orange Claw Hammer," which sounds like an a cappella drunken pirate singalong.All in all, it's not as incoherent as a lot of people want to think it is. It's certainly not music I'd like to put on as background at an intimate party, but there's a lot to get out of the lyrics, music and humor it has to offer. It's also a great deal--a double album contained on one CD crammed full of sound. It may not be your favorite, but you don't really have anything to lose by checking it out.

キャプテンビーフハートの有名なアルバム文句なしでしょう。

Producido por Frank Zappa, se ha covertido en un clasico de la musica caotica y radical. Impensable hoy en dia fue en su momento todo un hito al igual que la musica de su amigo Zappa. Letras desafiante y una banda cercana a la paranoia total. A precio inalcanzables si se rastrea se puede comprar de segunda mano a buenas ofertas. Aprovecho y recomiendo la edicion de sus trabajos posteriores recoidas en una caja de Rhino con excelente presentacion y musica apabullante

Un jalon, une barrière, une frontière … le prototype même du disque « difficile », à réserver à un public « averti » … en tout cas l’enregistrement le plus jusqu’au-boutiste de Don Van Vliet, alias Captain Beefheart, pas vraiment réputé pour faire dans le sonore consensuel …« Trout mask replica » dépasse le domaine musical pour rentrer dans celui de l’Art (notez l’immodeste majuscule, on y reviendra …). Pareil disque ne pouvait paraître que dans les années 60. A l’origine, bien sûr, Beefheart, venu à la musique par hasard. Son vrai truc, c’est la peinture, genre dans lequel il ne fait pas vraiment preuve d’académisme. Quand il écoute un disque, c’est soit du jazz, soit du blues, et il est grand pote avec Frank Zappa, autre maltraiteur de gamme notoire …« Trout mask replica », c’est le disque du grand n’importe quoi. Que l’on peut trouver absolument génial ou totalement inécoutable … pour les mêmes raisons. En gros un sabotage et une déstructuration sonores. Un disque bâclé, fou, cafouilleux, souvent en totale roue libre, beaucoup plus que la plupart des disques de l’époque vendus comme « improvisés ». On ne compte pas sur « Trout mask … » les choses approximatives, les redites, les dérapages totalement incontrôlés. Ce disque est une photographie. Pas retouchée par Photoshop. Plutôt un vieux polaroïd d’un instant où une bande de types se lâche, le résultat d’un invraisemblable processus créatif. Un processus qui compte au moins autant que son résultat …A l’origine, évidemment, le Captain. Qui aménage dans une villa, rameute quelques minots qui traînent dans son sillage. Et toute cette troupe gavée d’acides et de narcoleptiques divers va jammer. Chef d’orchestre, Beefheart esquisse tous les titres au piano. Problème, il ne sait pas jouer de piano. Les autres reçoivent l’ordre de se lâcher totalement. Ils doivent tout oublier pour « renaître » artistiquement, jusqu’à leur état-civil. Beefheart va les rebaptiser de pseudos totalement loufoques (Zoot Horn Rollo, Mascara Snake, Drumbo, …). A l’instar d’un Miles Davis qui dira à McLaughlin d’oublier qu’il sait jouer de la guitare pendant les séances de « Bitches brew », Beefheart veut que sa troupe se laisse totalement aller et réinvente sa façon d’appréhender ses instruments et la musique en général. D’une base blues-rock initiale, la plupart des titres vont muter en vers une sorte de free-jazz-rock psychédélique …Le pote Zappa vient enregistrer le groupe dans sa villa, genre « Campfire sessions », appellation brevetée depuis par quelques folkeux qui ont balancé avec un son pourri leurs premières maquettes. Il doit bien rester, si l’on en juge par le son très très approximatif de certaines séquences de « Trout mask … » quelques bribes de ces enregistrements. Mais Beefheart à l’écoute du résultat, s’énerve, pas convaincu du tout. Il est un artiste majuscule, et quand tout le monde va enregistrer ses petites rengaines dans les studios high-tech, lui doit chanter dans sa salle de bains ? No way … Direction un vrai studio d’enregistrement. Les parties musicales (on parle de 28 titres pour 80 minutes de musique tout de même) sont couchées sur bande en demi-journée, les voix, la production et les arrangements ne prendront que deux jours supplémentaires. Autant dire que la première prise a souvent été la bonne …Il serait vain d’essayer de décrire le résultat, c’est tellement unique et inouï qu’il faudrait inventer un vocabulaire qui ne vaudrait que pour ce disque. De « performances » au sens théâtral du terme, à des allusions au énième degré (« Sugar ‘n spikes », référence ou pas au « Sugar and spice » des Searchers ?), à des pastiches de blues roots (« China pig », comme un inédit de Robert Johnson), à des déclamations hésitantes a capella du Captain, tout le registre du bizarre mis en sons y passe.Le succès ne sera, on s’en doute, pas au rendez-vous. Mais l’impact sera colossal, des cohortes de gens qui veulent faire de la musique « différente » et corollaire, confidentielle, puisent depuis plus de quarante ans dans « Trout mask replica » (que vient faire ce masque de truite, mystère). La voix de Beefheart, essentiellement dans les très graves, mais couvrant plusieurs octaves marquera au moins autant que sa musique. Quelqu’un comme Tom Waits dans sa période « magique » du début des années 80, sonnera plus que de raison comme le Captain de « Trout mask … ». Cependant, la plupart des imitateurs-suiveurs n’arriveront à ressembler à leur modèle que par un travail minutieux de déconstruction. Beefheart et sa troupe hallucinée avaient fait ça en quelques heures de studio … toute la différence entre un maître et ses disciples …

Zeedee-italia affidabilissimo, arrivato in pochi giorni con la spedizione normale. Mi rimangio quanto scritto prima... Certo, ci vuole un orecchio allenato e al primo ascolto spiazza chiunque, e non poco, ma con un orecchio allenato ci si riesce quasi ad immedesimare nel capitano, e si apprezzano soprattutto le innumerevoli particolarità sonore del disco.

Conoscendo l'artista buon disco.