TROUT MASK REPLICA

Well, well, well!!!!!!!! How DOES one proceed to review such a crazy and stupendous album? When Van Vliet's CB&HMB did get introduced in our Archives, I thought about reviewing it while the reviews were few, so re-listened to the album twice and got majorly scared at the thought of not being able to talk of it in a fitful manner.

So now that a lot of reviews are in, I will use a major cop-out and send you towards other much-better-than-mine reviews most noticeably to Dex F's, Studebaker's or RetroVertigo's but also Greenback's (his reaction to this album is perfectly understandable, even if I prefer liking this UFO). Clearly Beefheart's career got a major lift from Zappa's production of this record as previous albums are not quite this weird, elaborate - 68's Mirror Man was almost straight blues - or crazy.

So I use this non-glorious cop-out to make a long story short and urge you to consider carefully the investigation of such an album. You might want to ponder the irreversible side effects of getting an earful of this weird/crazy non-sensical (in appearance only) musical trip that very few drugged-out hippy drippy psych rock could match. Permanent damage to your sanity on the horizon!!!