Mott The Hoople: Brain Capers Album (1971)

Capers Proto Glam Chaos

Mott The Hoople’s album Brain Capers was released as an vinyl and cassette in the UK on November 19, 1971, on Island Records (catalogue: ILPS 9178 / ZCI 9178). This raw hard-rock assault—featuring originals, covers, and Jim Price trumpet (produced by Guy Stevens), was issued in three vinyl variants (E.J. Day & Howards Printers) with Porky/Pecko cuts and initial mask. No UK chart entry. Issued in pink rim/palm tree labels, matt cover with pinched spine, inner sleeve with fighter planes, and cassette, it’s a chaotic ‘71 glam-proto-punk reissue blast.

Album Overview

Vinyl LP (ILPS 9178)

Side A

Death May Be Your Santa Claus (Hunter, Allen) – 4:48

Your Own Backyard (Dimucci) – 4:12

Darkness Darkness (Young) – 4:03

The Journey (Hunter) – 8:31

Side B

Sweet Angeline (Hunter) – 5:13

Second Love (Allen) – Trumpet: Jim Price – 3:48

The Moon Upstairs (Hunter, Ralphs) – 5:13

The Wheel Of The Quivering Meat Conception (Stevens, Hunter) – 2:07 (actual ~1:17)

Cassette(ZCI 9178)

Side A

Death May Be Your Santa Claus (Written-By – Hunter, Allen) – 4:48

Your Own Backyard (Written-By – Dimucci) – 4:12

Darkness Darkness (Written-By – Young) – 4:03

The Journey (Written-By – Hunter) – 8:31

Side B

Sweet Angeline (Written-By – Hunter) – 5:13

Second Love (Written-By – Allen) – Trumpet – Jim Price – 3:48

The Moon Upstairs (Written-By – Hunter, Ralphs) – 5:13

The Wheel Of The Quivering Meat Conception (Written-By – Stevens, Hunter) – 2:07

Full track repeat both sides. Printed by E.J. Day Group.

Release Details:

Label: Island Records (UK pressing).

Record Company – Island Records Ltd.

Published By – Blue Mountain Music (A1, A4, B1–B4), Pigfoot Music (A2), Wedge Music / Fatzach Music (A3).

Engineer – Andy Johns.

Lacquer Cut By – Porky (A), Pecko (B).

Photography By – Richard Polak.

Producer – Guy Stevens.

Sleeve – Bizarre Damage.

Printed By – E.J. Day Group / Howards Printers (Slough) Ltd.

Pressed By – The Gramophone Co. Ltd.

℗ 1971.

Dedicated to James Dean.

Initial copies include black mask.

Matt cover, pinched spine, flipback inner with fighter planes (UK).

UK Variants:

Vinyl, LP, Album

Porky/Pecko, E.J. Day, Label Variant (ILPS 9178 / ILPS-9178)

ILPS 9178 on cover/spine, ILPS-9178 on labels. Different label layout. Runouts: A-1U GL 2 PORKY / B-1U RR 2 PECKO.

Vinyl, LP, Album

Porky/Pecko, E.J. Day (ILPS 9178 / ILPS-9178)

Runouts variant 1: A-1U H 1 Porky / B-1U GA 2 Pecko. Variant 2: A-1U GG 1 Porky / B-1U T 1 Pecko.

Vinyl, LP, Album

Porky/Pecko, Howards Printers (ILPS 9178 / ILPS-9178)

A-1U/B-1U runouts. A2 credit Dimucci only. Top-opening thick paper flipback inner. Title: MOTT THE HOOPLE - Featuring the Brain Caper Kids - BRAIN CAPERS.

Country Variations:

Australia - Island - 1971

Canada - Island - 1971

Germany - Island - 1971

New Zealand - Island - 1971

Spain - Island - 1971

USA - Atlantic - 1972

Production and Context:

Produced by Guy Stevens. Recorded after self-produced sessions abandoned. Early working titles: AC/DC, Brain Damage, Bizarre Capers → Brain Capers. Only Mott album to miss UK/US charts. UK/Canadian covers lack mask (included inside UK). US has mask on cover. A2 credit varies (Dimucci / Dimucci-Safci / Dimucci-Fasci). B4 listed 2:07, actual ~1:17.

Chart Performance:

No UK chart entry.

Legacy and Collectibility

Brain Capers is raw proto-punk hard rock chaos—Hunter rants, Ralphs riffs, Stevens madness. Original UK pink rim LPs with mask fetch £50–£150 on eBay/Discogs, E.J. Day variants (£80–£200), Howards Printers (£60–£120), cassettes (£15–£40). Verify Porky/Pecko, runouts, and mask.

Streams on Spotify via remasters. This unhinged gem is a must-have for Mott fans and ‘71 glam-punk collectors.

Have you unmasked this Mott chaos yet? Does “The Journey” still take you on a wild ride? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube.

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