The HUMAN ZOO “S/T”
An
exact re-issue of The Human Zoo
album, taken from the original
master tapes, with all album artwork
faithfully
replicated! As was the
case with label-mates The Human
Expression, The Human Zoo were also
from the Los Angeles suburbs of
Westminster and were also
signed to Accent Records (the
connection between the two bands is
greater still, as the Human Zoo
were managed by Jim Foster of
The Human Expression).
And what of the music? The one
and only (mega-rare) Human Zoo
album is a surprising and quirky
blend of psychedelic (trippy),
garage (fuzz-guitar), and funky
music. The musical diversity is the
record’s greatest asset in
this age of one song
downloadable wonderment. The band
had chops, could put together a
really good song, and did so
repeatedly on this their only
album.
“Parked in a musical zone owing a
nudge and a wink
to Vanilla Fudge, Jimi
Hendrix, and Iron
Butterfly, the Human
Zoo perused and embodied
the acid rock sounds of
the day with insight and
intent. Bold and booming
guitars interact with crunchy
keyboards and
potent drum fills, while
the soul-informed vocals
and harmonies occasionally
echo those of the heavier
side of Crazy
Elephant or Pacific, Gas
and Electric.” — It’s
Psychedelic Baby
“While the Human
Zoo could add a trippy edge
to their songs (such as ‘I
Don’t Care No More’), they
(at least as captured on this
album) were at their best when
they rocked out, and it’s on
numbers like ‘Na-Na’
and ‘Funny’ that the
Human Zoo really connect,
while ‘Gonna Take Me a Ride’ and
‘Help Me’ reveal they weren’t bad
with blue-eyed
soul stuff, either. The
production is simple, but also
captures the performances in
a clean and natural fashion and is
thankfully short
on the studio trickery
often inflicted on
lesser-known psych acts.
The recording seems to favor the
band’s live sound, and if the
Human Zoo sounded this tight
on-stage, it’s hard to say why
they didn’t attract greater notice
at the time.” — Mark
Deming, Allmusic review
Limited edition of 300x
hand-numbered copies
(150x for sale via Lion Productions
outside of Canada; 150x
for sale via Return to Analog
Records in Montreal)
Track Listing:
Side A:
1. It’s Got To Be (3:03)
2. Na-Na (2:09)
3. Help Me (3:13)
4. I Don’t Care No More (2:38)
5. Funny (5:11)
Side B:
1. Late To My Resurrection (3:09)
2. When Papa Started Drinking (2:29)
3. Gonna Take Me To A Ride (3:33)
4. Stone Sassy Fox (3:18)
5. The Human Zoo (3:14)
6. The Time Was Over (2:36)
Catalogue number: LION LP-206 /
RTAI 026
UPC: 061297805716
Format: LP (black
vinyl)