Customer Reviews

Boy With the X-Ray Eyes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I listen to this CD, it takes me to a place of its own. I guess that place would be Babylon Zoo. The playlist of the album is tight and solid, and the songs are darkly spacey. When I first came upon this CD years ago, I knew nothing of Babylon Zoo (which is basically just a "pen name" for Jas Mann). I heard the album at a listening station at a music store, and was quickly captivated. It sounded brilliant and I thought it would become more popular than it turned out to be. Jas may be pretentious, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. Some other reviewers have made critical remarks about his voice. I find that his voice is similar to Billy Corgan's (of Smashing Pumpkins) in that they both sound very nasal. But I like Jas's voice better. I think it's more pleasing, and has more power. He's got a good range, and he doesn't sound like he's straining on the high notes like the vastly more popular Corgan sometimes does.

His second album, King Kong Groover, was released a couple years later (not in the US) and went largely unnoticed. One reason is probably because EMI didn't promote it well at all. And another may be because from what I've heard, he made some very egotistical remarks in the media which badly damaged and stunted his growing reputation. I don't have the second album, but I've had the pleasure of listening to the first track, which is a bit more melodious and glam than the songs on this album. I hope he eventually gets some good mainstream recognition (providing he's matured diplomatically). I read recently that he's in Los Angeles now, writing more music.

Jas Mann appeared out of nowhere, took over Britian, then vanished. Quite a feat, actually. But now that it's all over, we're left with this...thing. He can play, and string hooks together, and if his singing voice leaves something to be desired, he's no different from many other artists of the day. But the truly strange things here are the lyrics. "Electronic information/television takes control/there's a fire between us/but where is your god"? What? The lyrics sort of hint at some threatening...something, but never paint a very vivid picture. It ends up being fifth-grade poetry to (rather) cool music. The less attention I pay to it, the better it sounds. If that sounds interesting, by all means, pick up one of the $1 used copies...

I remember when I was a teenager just walking by this album because I was unsure what the rest of the album would've sounded. I had prefered other bands that were out and breaking at the time such as Gravity Kills, Fear Factory, and such but I always avoided this album. I had "Spaceman" on my Mortal Kombat Soundtrack and that was as far as I went. Now fast forward 10 years, I decided to buy the album and I am pleased with the purchased after listening. Such a shame that Jas Mann and Co decided to fall off the face of the earth after this. Although I hear the Zoo might be putting out another album sometime soon.

I bought this CD a long long while ago (4 years?) mainly because I loved "Spaceman" off of the 2nd Mortal Kombat Soundtrack. This album perplexed and intrigued me like no other album before. I suppose you could describe the sound of The Boy With the X-Ray Eyes with something like a sci-fi Oasis. There are some beautiful and brilliant songs on here of worlds ending, souls selling, and drugs inducing. There are also some weak tracks that don't attract much attention ("Paris Green" & "Fire Guided Light" come to my mind). Personally - I'd recommend anyone to buy this record simply for track 10, "Is Your Soul for Sale".

I listened to it at a friends house and have been looking for it ever since. You must stock it soon!

For those that don't know what happened to Babylon Zoo, here's the facts direct from the UK...I worked in a record shop when the "Spaceman" single was released, and the pre-release excitment around it was phenomenal. This was all down to the fact that it was being used in a very effective Levis jeans TV commercial. What a shock it turned out to be for potential buyers who came in to hear it on release day, only to realise that the first 45 seconds of the track was the only bit that sounded anything like the TV version! For anyone that can't remember, the TV ad featured a very distinctive guitar and synthesised beat with a high speed vocal over the top. This appeared as the opening of the song upon it's release, but after this portion of the song had played out, the music very obviously slowed down to about half the speed and turned into a sub-David Bowie "Space Oddity" soundalike rock song for the rest of it's playing time. We had demands for refunds by the dozen, and numerous requests for a mix that actually sounded like the TV ad...which was very hard to obtain. The song shot straight to number one, but as soon as the word was out that the single for sale was so different to the TV ad, sales plummeted, and the subsequent follow up single and album stiffed completely. All in all a total credibility failure, and one that probably ruined Jas Manns potential music career. It's nobody's fault, as Babylon Zoo's album is not a bad piece of work, and has found quite a few fans. But people wanted to buy what they heard on the televison, and this was not it. Levis were trying to promote jeans, not sell records, so they didn't care.

Poor Jas Mann must have thought he had the world at his feet when the pre-orders for "Spaceman" went through the roof, but all that Joe Public liked of his total musical output was one snippet of music, 45 seconds long. As i said, this doesn't mean his music was poor, but the so called success he had was based on a complete misunderstanding, i.e. one overexposed dance mix of a single track that thoroughly mis-represented what was essentially a rock group. And that was why no-one ever bought any of Babylon Zoo's other records. All in all, quite a funny example of promotion backfiring spectacularly.

When I first heard Spaceman - I thought it was great..well, ok. I think I was just so happy that something remotely rock oriented had raised it's head in the UK's pop-dominated culture. I went out and bought the album and actually enjoyed it - but it kind of got lost over the years.

Now ten years on I see they are literally giving away copies here - which doesn't do Zoo justice. Ok they were living off massive exposure from Levi's (I think) TV ad campaign and, perhaps as a result, the album is somewhat 'samey', smooth and over-produced. Yet on listening to this again there is some great, anguished, angst-ridden material - just listen to Caffeine...

So these guys didn't make it - probably as another reviewer has suggested, because the TV ad version of 'Spaceman' bore little resemblance to the album version or to the smooth, heavy sound, of the record overall.

The vocals, at times, conjure up an image of a frustrated child but at the time the music seemed so different and original. There was some talent there - it's only a pity we never got to see the child grow up.

It's really creepy how similar Reticuli's thoughts of this album are to mine...this causes me to believe that were not the only ones who loved this album as young teenagers, and now see it as sort of juvinile and dull as adults. When I was younger, I thought that Babylon Zoo were going to be the next big thing, I loved this album. I went on about a 5 year hiatus and then came across it again. I was expecting it to be wicked, but I was disappointed. I guess my tastes have just evolved. Therefore, from my experiences I would recommend this album to teens who like the alternative scene.

I originally purchased this album back in 1996, after seeing the "Spaceman" video played on MTV's 120 Minutes (RIP). I bought the CD for this track, but was amazed at the quality of the entire CD. I have listened to it continually throuugh the years, and have always found it to be a CD I can listen to all the way through.

I first heard these guys on the 'Mortal Kombat: More Kombat' CD, and I thought that Spaceman kicked @$$. I sort of forgot about them for a while until I found one in a local music store. I was supprised that their music wasn't all as powerfull and rock-heavy as Spaceman was, but all of the songs are still great. I loved the most, the way that the first three songs flow into each other. Overall a great album for 'alternative' music fans!