ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates two parameters of Trout Mask Replica's songs: form and time. It shows that many of Trout Mask Replica's songs employ moment form, defined by Jonathan Kramer as a form that consists of a succession of "self-contained independent sections, set off from other sections by discontinuities." Moment form songs in Trout Mask Replica create a unique sense of time by continuously repeating small melodic cells within each section. Further, changes in the vocals in Trout Mask Replica rarely coincide with changes between moments in the instrumental parts, producing two separate but simultaneous time frames. Finally, Frank Zappa, the album's producer, recorded different songs in different places, each with a distinct sound print, creating an aural travelogue that heightens the sense of time passing as the album progresses. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica surely is one of the strangest rock albums ever released.
