History Music / TroutMaskReplica

''Trout Mask Replica'' is Music/CaptainBeefheart's most well-known and notorious album. Released in 1969 and produced by Music/FrankZappa, it has never been a mainstream success, but became a CultClassic for anyone with an ear for the bizarre and experimental. Especially for first-time listeners, the record is a good example of TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, and is known for its jagged rhythms, lack of traditional harmony and melodies, and [[SensoryAbuse dissonant sounds]]. Many listeners give up after trying only a few songs or only playing it once. However, for the patient listener, it can be an experience that changes one's view of traditional harmony and melody.

* GutturalGrowler: Beefheart.

* MindScrew: One of the best examples in music.

* NewSoundAlbum: His early albums, ''Music/SafeAsMilk'' and ''Music/StrictlyPersonal'' already sounded different compared to other blues rock albums of the time, with surreal lyrics and psychedelic sounds as the prime reasons. However, this was nothing compared to ''Trout Mask Replica'', where Beefheart virtually re-invented music by creating surreal poetry with dissonant musical arrangements that was way ahead of its time.

Several [[AvantGardeMusic avant-garde]], [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Celebrity fans are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits, Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove.

* DesignStudentsOrgasm: The album cover was designed by Zappa's home designer Cal Schenkel.

Several [[AvantGardeMusic avant-garde]], [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum, having been listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Celebrity fans are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] who placed it at #3 on his 2005 list of his 20 favorite albums and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine. His musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the center of the earth. This is the high jump record that'll never be beat. It's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove. Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

Several [[AvantGardeMusic avant-garde]], [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum, having been listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. [[BigNameFan Celebrity fans]] are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] who placed it at #3 on his 2005 list of his 20 favorite albums and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine. His musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the center of the earth. This is the high jump record that'll never be beat. It's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove. Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

[[AC: Side One]]

[[AC: Side Two]]

[[AC: Side Three]]

[[AC: Side Four]]

Several [[AvantGardeMusic avant-garde]], [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum, having been listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. [[BigNameFan Celebrity fans]] are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] who placed it at #3 on his 2005 list of his 20 favorite albums and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine, his musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the center of the earth, this is the high jump record that'll never be beat, it's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove. Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

->''"I thought it was the worst thing I'd ever heard. I said to myself, they’re not even trying! It was just a sloppy cacophony. Then I listened to it a couple more times, because I couldn't believe Music/FrankZappa [the producer] could do this to me -- and because a double album cost a lot of money. About the third time, I realised they were doing it on purpose; they meant it to sound exactly this way. About the sixth or seventh time, it clicked in, and I thought it was the greatest album I'd ever heard."''

-->-- '''Creator/MattGroening,''' who placed the album at #34 on his list of his "100 Favorite Things".

Several [[AvantGardeMusic avant-garde]], [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum in rock music history, having been listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. [[BigNameFan Celebrity fans]] are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] who placed it at #3 on his 2005 list of his 20 favorite albums and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine, his musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the center of the earth, this is the high jump record that'll never be beat, it's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove. Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

Several AvantGardeMusic, [[ProgressiveRock progressive]] and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum in rock music history, having been listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. [[BigNameFan Celebrity fans]] are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] who placed it at #3 on his 2005 list of his 20 favorite albums and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine, his musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the center of the earth, this is the high jump record that'll never be beat, it's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove. Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

-->-- '''Creator/MattGroening,''' who placed the album on #34 in his personal list with "100 Favorite Things."

''Trout Mask Replica'' is Music/CaptainBeefheart's most well-known and notorious album. Released in 1969, and produced by Music/FrankZappa, it has never been a mainstream success, but became a CultClassic for anyone with an ear for the bizarre and experimental. The record is a good example of TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, especially for first-time listeners. It is known for its jagged rhythms, lack of traditional harmony and melodies, and [[SensoryAbuse dissonant sounds]]. Many listeners give up after trying only a few songs or only playing it once. However, for the patient listener, ''Trout Mask Replica'' can be an experience that changes one's view of traditional harmony and melody.

Several AvantGardeMusic, [[ProgressiveRock progressive]], and AlternativeRock musicians have been influenced by ''Trout Mask Replica''[='=]s free, bizarre and adventurous spirit. Nowadays it's VindicatedByHistory as a landmark NewSoundAlbum in rock music history. It was listed at #60 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. [[BigNameFan Celebrity fans]] are Creator/MattGroening, Music/TomWaits [[note]] He placed it on #3 on his Top 20 list of personal favorite albums when asked by The Guardian in 2005 and said: ''The roughest diamond in the mine, his musical inventions are made of bone and mud. Enter the strange matrix of his mind and lose yours. This is indispensable for the serious listener. An expedition into the centre of the earth, this is the high jump record that'll never be beat, it's a merlot reduction sauce. He takes the bait. Dante doing the buck and wing at a Skip James suku jump. Drink once and thirst no more.'' [[/note]], Creator/DavidLynch, Music/PJHarvey, Creator/JohnPeel, Music/JohnFrusciante, Music/KurtCobain and Music/CourtneyLove.

Fan favorites are "Ella Guru", "Moonlight On Vermont", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues" and "The Blimp", who have been covered the most.

!!Take me down to tropeland!:

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trout_Mask_Replica_4905.jpg Fast and bulbous!]]

%%-> ''If there has been anything in the history of popular music which could be described as a work of art in a way that people who are involved in other areas of art would understand, then ''Trout Mask Replica'' is probably that work.''
%%-->-- '''Creator/JohnPeel''' in 1995. Two years later he placed it at #1 in a list of his 20 personal favorite albums [[note]] It was by no means meant as a definitive list, as he felt that top albums lists "are terribly self-indulgent" and said "he'd change it to a completely different list if he would be asked again a week later". But it was the only time in his life he agreed to make such a list, so in that regard pretty close to being a definitive list. [[/note]] when asked by the newspaper "The Guardian".