Brain Capers

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title: "Brain Capers" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1971-albums", "mott-the-hoople-albums", "island-records-albums", "atlantic-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-guy-stevens"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Capers" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Brain Capers
type	studio
artist	Mott the Hoople
cover	Brain Capers.jpg
released	(UK/Canada)
January 1972 (US)
recorded	August–September 1971
studio	Island (London)
genre	Hard rock
length	37:55
label	Island (UK/Canada), Atlantic (US)
producer	Guy Stevens
prev_title	Wildlife
prev_year	1971
next_title	All the Young Dudes
next_year	1972
::

Brain Capers is the fourth album by the band Mott the Hoople.

It was originally released in November 1971 in the UK by Island Records (catalogue number ILPS 9178) and on Island Records in Canada (cat. no. SW-9178), and was reissued in 2003 (on CD) by Angel Air (cat. no. SJPCD160). It was released January 1972 in the US on Atlantic Records (cat. no. SD 8304).

The release was not initially a commercial success, and was the only Mott the Hoople album that failed to chart in either the UK{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 381}} or US.

The initial working title of AC/DC would be abandoned in favour of a combination of alternate choices Brain Damage and Bizarre Capers. Ultimately, the album was titled Brain Capers as a compromise between the latter two. Earlier sessions, self-produced by the band, were also abandoned when Guy Stevens was called in to rescue the recording but a number of these tracks have resurfaced on All the Young Dudes: The Anthology and as bonus material on Angel Air's re-issues of Mott the Hoople albums.

The covers of the original UK and Canadian LPs do not feature the mask seen on the US version (and some later re-releases). There was an actual mask packaged inside with the UK version of the album, but not with the Canadian LP. The band name and line under it are in the centre of the cover where the mask would be and the title shifted upwards. The US and Canadian LPs do not have the inner sleeve picturing fighter planes that the original UK album had.

The album is dedicated to James Dean, as stated below the band photo on the back cover.

Track listing

Side one

"Death May Be Your Santa Claus" (Ian Hunter, Verden Allen) – 4:48
"Your Own Backyard" (Dion DiMucci, Tony Fasce) – 4:12
"Darkness, Darkness" (Jesse Colin Young) – 4:28
"The Journey" (Hunter) – 9:15

Side two

"Sweet Angeline" (Hunter) – 4:49
"Second Love" (Allen) – 3:48
"The Moon Upstairs" (Hunter, Mick Ralphs) – 5:00
"The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception" (Hunter, Guy Stevens) – 1:15

"The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception" is essentially part two of "The Journey," beginning with a fade-in at the point where "The Journey" was earlier faded out.

On original pressings of Brain Capers, the running time of "The Journey" is incorrectly listed at 8:31, "Sweet Angeline" at 5:13, "The Moon Upstairs" at 5:13 and "The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception" is listed at 2:07.

2003 CD bonus tracks

"Midnight Lady" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 3:33
"The Journey" (Hunter) – 9:47

Personnel

Mott the Hoople

Ian Hunter – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Mick Ralphs – lead guitar, vocals
Pete Watts – bass, vocals
Dale "Buffin" Griffin – drums, vocals
Verden Allen – keyboards, vocals

Additional musicians

Jim Price – trumpet on "Second Love"
Guy Stevens – piano, producer

Technical

Andy Johns – engineer
Zal Schreiber – mastering
Richard Polak – photography

References

Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Brain Capers". [[AllMusic]].
Christgau, Robert. (1981). "[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]". [[Ticknor & Fields]].
Ed Leimbacher. (2 March 1972). "Brain Capers".
This is referenced by an oblique credit on the back cover that reads "Sleeve - Bizarre Damage." (Original Atlantic Records pressing, cat. no. SD 8304.)

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