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 in Canada by Island Records (catalogue number SW-9178). It was reissued on CD in 2003 by Angel Air (catalogue number SJPCD160). The album was released in January 1972 in the US on Atlantic Records (catalogue number SD 8304).
The release was not initially a commercial success and remains the only Mott the Hoople album that failed to chart in both the UK and the US.
The album's initial working titles were AC/DC, Brain Damage, and Bizarre Capers. Ultimately, it was titled Brain Capers as a compromise between the latter two. Earlier sessions self-produced by the band were abandoned when Guy Stevens was brought in to rescue the recording. Some of these tracks have resurfaced on All the Young Dudes: The Anthology and as bonus material on Angel Air's reissues of Mott the Hoople albums.
The original UK and Canadian LP covers do not feature the mask seen on the US version and some later re-releases. The UK version included an actual mask packaged inside, but the Canadian LP did not. The band name and title on the UK cover were shifted to accommodate the mask, and the US and Canadian LPs lacked the inner sleeve featuring fighter planes present in the original UK album. The album is dedicated to James Dean, as noted below the band photo on the back cover.
