It can only make me cry
Captain Beefheart -'Veteran's Day Poppy' (Trout Mask Replica - 1969)
I've had this album for almost two decades now, and I still find bits of it largely impenetrable 20 years later. Given the reverence others have for it, I still feel there is work for me to do on the journey, but I will say that I have a lot of sympathy for those who struggle, and it's hard not to agree with the conclusion that Trout Mask Replica is too long. This final track is the twenty-eighth.
Critics of the album will say that there are no melodies and that the overall mood is harsh and uncompromising. They might even point out that that's not even a trout on the cover; it's a carp1. We aren't here to review whole albums; let's focus where we should, on the final track - 'Veteran's Day Poppy.'
The song was recorded in late 1968 along with 'Moonlight in Vermont' and 'Sugar 'n Spikes' before much of the LP's material was taped. It's one of three songs that seem to take an anti-war, or at least anti-violence, stance. The others are 'Dachau Blues' (The Holocaust) and 'Ant Man Bee' (Racial violence and inequality).
'Veteran's Day Poppy' benefits from a straightforward subject matter, the grieving mother of a dead soldier. She laments that a Remembrance Poppy is not a real flower and, so much like her departed son, will not grow. I also think it is one of the more interesting songs on the album as it doesn't instantly sound like downloading a headache on a dial-up modem.
While the lyrics are clearly a mournful Remembrance Day cry with anti-war intent, the music itself is a different kettle of trout. You could almost imagine the lyrics as a slow, Coldplay type piano ballad - it would make more sense from a commercial perspective in the 21st century. The first two minutes fit in with what we had been listening to for over an hour.
Then we have the change-up as they switch their instruments after a couple of minutes and becomes something else. John “Drumbo” French's drumming and the guitar riff then seems to get stuck in a yet to be invented post-punk vein. Like the best riffs from that genre, the kind you'd find from Wire, Magazine, Mission of Burma and Gang of Four, it sounds like a piece of machinery in a factory turning over and over.
While we couldn't possibly recommend the whole album to everyone - it definitely can be a slog if you aren't in the mood for it - we are happy to sign off this as one of the more accessible tracks on the album, but please note that is in relative terms!
The Run Out Grooves is taking a break over Christmas thank you all for your support in 2021 as we’ve tackled a quarter of the Acclaimed Music Top 100 albums. We’ll be back in early January with two looks at David Bowie as well as Otis Redding, De La Soul, Paul Simon and R.E.M.
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
Though is a carp a trout replica?