Tracks:
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 (mousetrapreplica)
26. Steal Softly Thru Snow
27. Old Fart At Play
28. Veteran's Day Poppy
About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.
Anyway, I've always loved this album; why else would I have cited it as a main influence (along with Wesley Willis, Syd Barrett, and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy) for the band that I've fronted since 2009, Charlie N. George? There are few records that I've had more fun with than this.
But it hasn't been until recently that I've fully understood why Piero Scaruffi considers this to be "rock's main contribution to the history of music".
The reason? It fully represents the postmodern era we've lived in for the past fifty years. As Bordeau predicted, the era we live in (especially in America) is defined by a combination of the high and low classes. As Van Vilet says, "No more Bridge from Tuesday to Friday; everybody's gone high society."
No early rock record did so more than Trout Mask: It combines dirty outlaw blues and hoity-toity avant-classical; noise and spoken word; art and pop; and most notably in the lyrics, animal and academic.
From this perspective, the album title is more than a silly attention-grabber. To put on the trout mask is to enter into this postmodern world; to swim like a fish and perform like an actor in Oedipus Rex. And that's a beautiful persona that I believe we should all put on.
One of best things ever. Not a single bad song (yes the length is justified imo, though I understand how it can be overwhelming).
In a way, I think the loopy lyrics, length and general reputation of the album all work to make it seem more difficult than it actually is. I don't think taken individually tracks like Ella Guru, Moonlight on Vermont, Pachuco Cadaver, Sugar n' Spikes, Ant man Bee, or Sweet Sweet Bulbs are that difficult. Like Sweet Sweet Bulbs is just a simple pentatonic blues riff played on top of itself at different times. Oh and so many of the bass lines are really catchy.
Also, there is not necessarily anything magical about this individual record that requires you to listen to it 14613461 times to "get" it. If the dissonance bugs you, you need to get used to dissonant music in general, not this record in specifically.
Also as Applerill sort of said, its primal just as much as it is academic. Sometimes its not about listening closer, but not thinking and going with the energy and spirit of the music. maybe.
Also the lyrics are hilarious. Beefheart loved terrible puns.
Also, there are cool early instrumental recordings of some songs on youtube, give them a listen:
Now I'm certain there is some artsy, intelligent meaning behind this album as Applerill pointed out, but what makes it so appealing to me is simply how much character it has; how much energy it has; how fun it is.
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