Releases
1971 US Original on Buddah BDS-5077.
There are four distinct issues here:
- Multi-colored label, die-cut cover
- Multi-colored label, no die-cut cover
- Reissue on regular Buddah label, die-cut cover (pictured)
- Reissue on regular Buddah label, no die-cut cover
Scan very kindly sent along by Chris Perry
1971 UK Original on Buddah 2365 002
Black Buddah label and gatefold sleeve
1982 UK Re-issue on PRT NCP 1002
Two versions exist of this with slightly different layout on back (Export version?)
1986 UK Re-issue on EDSEL 184
This version features more appropriate artwork – alternative Cannes Beach Publicity Shot on the front cover, photograph of the band from the inner Strictly Personal sleeve on the back, and redone sleeve notes – no “recorded one night in 1965” which, as we all know, it wasn’t. The only fault is that the mis-spelling of ‘fails’ in the ‘One Nest Rolls’ poem hasn’t been corrected nor has ‘Simmons’ instead of ‘Semens’.
Thanks to DeeDee Petschl for the Edsel cover scans.
1987 US Re-issue on Performance BDP 156
1988 Japanese CD on Buddah Records Inc. 28CP-22
Manufactured by TEICHIKU RECORDS CO. LTD. – with 5 pages essay in Japanese by K. Uemura and a wild shot at the lyrics.
198X UK CD release on Castle Classics CLACD 235
1990 West German CD on Repertoire Records RR 4036-C with extra tracks (see below).
1992 (April) US CD on One Way Records OW22166
With US “long box”.
1999 CD The Mirror Man Sessions from Buddha.
Featuring the four tracks from Mirror Man and also five out-takes from the same sessions. These five tunes were previously available on I May be Hungry But I Sure Ain’t Weird.
See separate information page about the 1999 Buddha reissue.
1999 Japanese CD on BMG Funhouse BVCM-35052.
1999 Vinyl The Mirror Man Sessions from Simply Vinyl
Featuring the same remastering and bonus track as the 1999 Buddha CD listed above.
See separate information page about the 1999 Simply Vinyl reissue.
2009 US LP on Buddah Records BDS 5077.
This is a ‘collectors limited edition high quality vinyl’ release on clear vinyl. Manufactured by Rhino Records and distributed by Scorpio Music Inc.
The cover is the standard reissue non-gatefold version and has just the original four tracks.
2009 Japanese CD on BMG BVCM-35627
A reissue of the remastered 1999 Mirror Man Sessions CD but packaged as a mini LP. The thick card sleeve has been die-cut exactly like the original vinyl cover. Includes a booklet with an article in Japanese plus the lyrics to all the songs in Japanese and English.
This is also available as a ‘Promo Box’ which includes the Safe As Milk mini LP and a chunky box packaged like the original SAM release to keep both albums in.
Safe As Milk / Mirror Man combinations
These two albums have been combined and re-ordered in various combinations over the years. See our full info about Safe As Milk/Mirror Man combinations.
Mirror Man (alternate version)
Thanks to Richard Gardner for the scan
Track list:
- Tarotplane
- Kandy Korn
- 25th Century Quaker
- Mirror Man
- Little Scratch
- Funeral Hill No.1
This is essentially the Mirror Man album with two then-unreleased songs from the Spotlight Kid / Clear Spot sessions added. Little Scratch is now available on The Dust Blows Forward and Funeral Hill No.1 which has not yet been offically released.
The cover art is different from other Mirror Man versions, and there are a few pages of history written in the CD booklet – the information is inaccurate, and apparently written by a non-native English speaker, with many grammatical mistakes. The song lyrics are transcribed with many errors, though the “blues dialect” Captain Beefheart uses on this album makes translation very difficult even for native English speakers.
The two additional tracks are from Tom Klatt in “The Beefheart Archive”, in West Germany. I don’t know much more about that organization.
1990 West German on Repertoire Records RR 4036-C
Help us out
If anyone is able to complete or update any of the information above, then please do get in touch.