TROUT MASK REPLICA Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band LP Blues Psych STRAIGHT

$

75

Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, infamously released in the summer of 1969 on Frank Zappa's Straight Records label. This is a very early copy on that original Straight label, from circa 1970, which was quickly replaced by the blue Bizarre and yellow Reprise labels. It's a Terre Haute pressing (with "T" in the deadwax), and when I compared this to a M- 1969 1st pressing with Santa Maria stampers, I concluded that this pressing sounded quite noticeably better. This is a very polarizing album, simply because of how unique of an artistic statement it is. More than 50 years on and it still sounds like nothing else in the world. This album is very special to me, since I got it as a kid and played over and over and (much to the dismay of my parents) over and over and... Still I can play it today from start to finish and not feel bored for a moment. There's something about having the original vinyl edition as opposed to the CDs which just makes the 4-part concept feeling of this album fall into place, and this early all-analog pressing does not disappoint.
The cover of this copy has seam splits on the top and bottom, and evidence of past water staining. There's no smell of mildew, so I assume the discolored patches seem in the photos are just issues with the ink or fragments from other torn covers. I grade the cover as Fair (F). The discs are nicer, with just some light marks on all sides; it plays a lot better than it looks with very light background crackle, totally enjoyable & worthy of cranking (much to the disdain of your neighbors). The discs are visually around the Very Good Minus (VG-) level, but I think they play pretty nicely. Also included are the original Straight company printed inner sleeve, and the seldom-seen original lyric insert! The lyrics are essential for parsing this weird & fantastic masterpiece. All around, this is a very respectable copy of this classic LP, which should provide endless hours of listening enjoyment. 
Everything I offer is guaranteed. Feel free to message with questions or make an offer, and be sure to check out my other Beefheart LPs up for sale this week (including Safe As Milk & Strictly Personal). I'm sure these won't be listed for very long.