Recording details:

Date - late 1968 and March/April 1969
Studio - Sunset Sound, Hollywood; Whitney Studios, Glendale
Producer - Frank Zappa
Engineer - Dick Kunc

Musicians:

Don van Vliet
Bill Harkleroad
Jeff Cotton
John French
Mark Boston
Victor Hayden
Gary Marker
Doug Moon

1. Frownland
2. The Dust Blows Forward 'N The Dust Blows Back
3. Dachau Blues
4. Ella Guru
5. Hair Pie: Bake 1
6. Moonlight on Vermont
7. Pachuco Cadaver
8. Bills Corpse
9. Sweet Sweet Bulbs
10. Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish
11. China Pig
12. My Human Gets Me Blues
13. Dali's Car
14. Hair Pie: Bake 2
15. Pena
16. Well
17. When Big Joan Sets Up
18. Fallin' Ditch
19. Sugar 'N Spikes
20. Ant Man Bee
21. Orange Claw Hammer
22. Wild Life
23. She's Too Much For My Mirror
24. Hobo Chang Ba
25. The Blimp
26. Steal Softly Thru Snow
27. Old Fart at Play
28. Veteran's Day Poppy

This is perhaps one of the best-known Captain Beefheart albums, and can still be found as a CD. It is everything it is reputed to be: an incredible mix of influences crammed into a double-length album, with a sound that seems to exist outside of most musical styles.

With that in mind, it's hard to listen to. A common response to this album (from what I've been told) is initial hatred. It has a very cacophonous sound, but after listening to it for a while, it sort of creeps up on you, and you find yourself loving it. It does take some determined listening, though.

Regardless, it is a purchase everyone serious about music should make - just be prepared for a shock if you've been listening to more standard-format music.

Graham Johnston:

Nothing more needed to be said. If you have found your way to this site, then you probably already know it inside out. If you don't own it then buy, borrow or steal it immediately.

Not sure when this little collection was distributed but as it has the Straight logo and address we can presume it was as a promotion for the first release. Was it only sent out to the press, radio or who?

It's a collection of five handwritten poems, one for each member of the band included in an envelope that carries a great typed quote from a disc jockey. Significantly Drumbo is again left out (as he was on the credits of the original release).

Take a look at scans of the poems.

• Trout Mask Replica by Lester Bangs, from 26th July, 1969 Rolling Stone.
• Trout Mask Replica by Buddy Seigel, from 25th March 1983 Los Angeles Times.

ZOOT HORN ROLLO: glass finger guitar, flute
ANTENNAE JIMMY SEMENS: steel-appendage guitar
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, vocal
THE MASCARA SNAKE: bass clarinet & vocal
ROCKETTE MORTON: bass & narration
DRUMBO: drums [not listed on original liner, only CD reissue]

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART plays tenor & soprano sax simultaneously on Ant Man Bee, simran horn & musette on Neon Meate Dream; ANTENNAE JIMMY SEMENS sing lead vocal on Pena & plays flesh horn on Ella Guru; special guest artist DOUG MOON plays guitar on China Pig;

Produced by FRANK ZAPPA
Arranged by DON VAN VLIET

Engineered by Dick Kunc
Album design: Cal Schenkel
Photography: Ed Caraeff/Cal Schenkel
Special electronic modifications on Captain Beefheart's band equipment by Dick Kunc
Most recent in a long series of contract negotiations leading to an actual signing: Neil C. Reshen

All songs written by Captain Beefheart
© 1969 Words & music copyrighted for the world by Beefheart Music Co. BMI

Added to the CD issue after the words "most recent...":
CD design and restoration: Tom Recchion

A picture of the Mascara Snake and of Zoot Horn Rollo, from the gatefold interior of Trout Mask Replica.

Just for fun, Justin made this picture below on the left from the above picture of Zoot Horn Rollo, in an attempt to return it to the original colors. Next to it is a partial scan of the back of the album.

An amazing Trout band photo, credited to Ed Caraeff, which appeared in Rolling Stone # 507 in 1987. More of these shots can be found with the Grow Fins box-set.

• 1969 US Original on Straight STS 1053, label pictued below courtesty of David Naughton. Possibly released in October 1969.

• 1969 UK Original on Straight STS 1053 (double) in November 1969 - no lyric sheet came with this UK issue.
  
  

• 1969 German Original on German Straight SMS 2222/3 (double) - has ELECTROLA GESELLSCHAFT M.B.H. KÖLN on back of cover, thick smooth distinctive inner sleeve and Pink/Black/White StRaIGHt labels.
  
  

• 19?? US 8 Track release. Scan kindly sent to me by Malcolm Riviera who runs the 8 Track Heaven website.
  
  

• 1970 French Original (?) on Straight STS 1053 - states that the disc is pressed in France and "ce disque peut être utilisé sur un lecteur mono". The sleeve is printed in England but an additional black sticker says "Manufactured and distributed by Pathe Marconi". Don't think it had a lyric sheet
  
  

• 1970 US second issue on Straight (Red) 2MS 2027 - released January 1970. Centre label has STRAIGHT RECORDS. A DIVISION OF BIZARRE INC., 5455 WILSHIRE BLVD., SUITE 1700, LOS ANGELES, 90036 around bottom edge - inner sleeve are black with StRaIGHt logo and writing in white lyric insert folds into 3 with lyrics inside, THE BOY BEEFHEART (pictured below right) on front, Manta Ray poem and drawing on back with DRAWINGS BY THE MASCARA SNAKE typed in. Cover displays same catalogue number as the first pressing, STS 1053.
  • 1970 White label promo of 2MS 2027.
    
    
• 197? US issue on Bizarre (Blue) 2MS2027 distributed by Reprise - no lyric sheet
  
  
• 1972 US Re-issue(?) on Straight/Reprise STS 1053(cover)/2MS2027(vinyl) (double) - apparently no lyric sheet.
  
  
• 1975 UK Re-issue on Reprise K64026 (double) in May 1975
  • 1975 White Label Test Pressing with with blank labels and ALLEN scratched by run-out groove and the word Beefheart hand written on original inners - no cover

    1975 UK Re-issue on Reprise K64026 (double) - pretty well identical to Straight issue
    
    
• 1977 Canadian issue on Warner BROS/Reprise (TriColored) 2MS 2027 - - cover has PRINTED IN CANADA on spine and small black maple leaf logo on back upper left. Says MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY - WEA MUSIC OF CANADA, LTD./FABRIQUE ET DISTRIBUE PAR - WEA MUSIQUE DU CANADA, LTEE./1810 BIRCHMOUNT RD., SCARBOROUGH, ONT. A WARNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY ©1976,1977 Warner Bros Records Inc. Has "fuzzy" looking text inside gatefold like artwork was photocopied.
  
  
• 1989 (March) US CD Trout Mask Replica on Reprise 2027-2 - also available with US 'long-box'.

Thanks to Rob Pachol for the scan of the long box

• 1993 Japanese CD on Warner Music Japan WPCP5738 - with Japanese liner notes by Peter Barakan.

• 2009 US LP on Warner Brothers Records 2MS2027 but the record labels are for Straight (deep salmon red background). This is a 'collectors limited edition high quality vinyl' release on beautiful red vinyl. Manufactured by Rhino Records and distributed by Scorpio Music Inc.
  
  The cover is an exact printing of the 1977 Warners release. There is no lyric sheet. The vinyl has 'SC01 CAPT BEEFHEART TROUT MASK REPLICA SIDE ' scratched into it.

• 1969 US Original on Straight STS 1053. This appears to be an ordinary first pressing copy - the inner sleeves are black with 'Straight' in white. It also contains a lyric sheet that folds into three. However, the discs are labelled in the sequence - 1, 4, then 2, 3 - but are pressed in the sequence - 1, 2, then 3, 4. So only side 1 is actually labelled correctly. It wasn't unusual for double albums to be labelled this way but the discs usually matched the labels!

• 1995 German CD on Charly Records CR CRM 1032

Although it says on the label that this is a compilation it is actually Trout Mask minus 2 tracks! The missing two are"Hair Pie: bake 1"& "Hair Pie: bake 2".

The running order of the tracks has been changed too. They follow the vinyl album's side 1, side 3, side 2 and side 4.

Why has this been done? What is the point?

What's more "Sweet Sweet Bulbs" has been mistitled as "Sweet Sweet Blues"

As can be seen from the illustration above the cover bears a shot from "Clear Spot" sessions, with Chinese hat (same shot as inside "Out Here Over There" boot CD insert).

The insert has a two page piece written by Alan Mansfield which reinforces many of the myths about TMR and doesn't give us any new information.

Thanks to Patrick Gioux for contacting the Radar Station about this oddity.

If anyone is able to complete or update any of the information above, then please do get in touch.