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Brain Capers
Rock · 1971 · 8 tracks

Brain Capers

Mott the Hoople

A feral, high-voltage collision of barrelhouse piano and distorted guitars. This is the sound of a band on the brink of collapse playing for their lives.

November 1971 · Rhino Atlantic

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Brain Capers is the sound of a band backed into a corner, snarling at the world with a desperate, beautiful ferocity. Released just before their commercial breakthrough with David Bowie, this album captures Mott the Hoople at their most unhinged and authentic. It is a record that feels like it is physically vibrating, saturated with the kind of high-decibel energy that would later define the punk movement. Ian Hunter's vocals are pushed to the absolute limit, cracking and soaring over a wall of sound that prioritizes emotional impact over studio perfection.

Tracklist · 8 Tracks
01
Death May Be Your Santa Claus
4:55
02
Your Own Backyard
4:13
03
Darkness Darkness
4:32
04
The Journey
9:15
05
Sweet Angeline
4:53
06
Second Love
3:47
07
The Moon Upstairs
5:02
08
The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception
1:16
Moments Worth Listening For
The frantic, almost out-of-control drum fill that kicks off Death May Be Your Santa Claus.
Ian Hunter's desperate, throat-shredding vocal peak during the climax of The Moon Upstairs.
The transition from the somber piano intro to the full-band explosion in The Journey.
Reviews
AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Brain Capers sound next to the rest of Mott the Hoople's catalogue?

Aggressive+4.0σ

Aggressive saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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