Page "Captain Beefheart" Paragraph 26

Critically acclaimed as Van Vliet's magnum opus, Trout Mask Replica was released as a 28 track double album in June 1969 on Frank Zappa's newly formed Straight Records label.

First issues, in the USA, were auto-coupled and housed in the black ' Straight ' liners along with a 6-page lyric sheet illustrated by The Mascara Snake.

A school-age portrait of Van Vliet appears on the front of this sheet, while the cover of the gatefold enigmatically shows Beefheart in a ' Quaker ' hat, obscuring his face with the head of a fish.

The fish is a carp-arguably a ' replica ' for a trout, photographed by Cal Schenkel.

The inner spread ' infra-red ' photography is by Ed Caraeff, whose Beefheart vacuum cleaner images from this session also appear on Zappa's Hot Rats release ( a month earlier ) to accompany " Willie The Pimp " lyrics sung by Vliet.

Alex St. Clair had now left the band and, after Junior Madeo from The Blackouts was considered, the role was filled by Bill Harkleroad.

Bassist Jerry Handley had also departed, with Gary Marker stepping in.

Thus the long rehearsals for the album began in the house on Ensenada Drive in Woodland Hills, L. A., that would become the infamous ' Magic Band House '.