Customer Reviews

Human Menagerie

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4 star:		(2)
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Released 30 (gulp!) years ago, "The Human Menagerie" barely created a ripple on the American music scene, but in England and much of Europe it created a sensation. I was into all things Bowie, Roxy Music, and New York Dolls then, so when a friend played this for me I was hooked. It sounded fresh and rather daring in its time - it still does to some extent.

Singer Steve Harley wrote artsy, fey lyrics that worked well with the unconventional instrumentation of the early Cockney Rebel recordings. "Hideaway" kicks off the CD with a bang. The formula of drums, bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards, and violin is introduced in a tight, driving song that Harley punctuates with campy phrasing and clever lyrics. Let's just state right up front that Harley's voice was limited, but he was very good at phrasing and could deliver some memorable moments. "What Ruthy Said" and "Loretta's Tale" are the perfect follow up songs - catchy, dramatic, and original. These two songs also introduced Harley's lyrical technique of storytelling using names like Ruthy, Sebastian, Mona, and Loretta that he continued using for many years.

"Crazy Raver" is a completely over the top, well, rave if you must. It is one of the weaker songs on the CD, but not a complete loss. "Sebastian", the notorious hit single, is Harley at the height of his drama queen stance, complete with full orchestra and choir. Listening to it then and now, I could never believe it was ever played on the radio in Europe or anywhere else much less America. It is slow, long, and unconventional. It was the signature song of their concerts for many years.

"Mirror Freak", one of the best songs on this CD, was the real hook. It worked its way into my brain and I would find myself mentally replaying it or remember snippets of the lyrics for years and years. "My Only Vice" and "Muriel the Actor" are standouts as well with their vaguely Gypsy-esque, outdoor carnival style using violins and marimbas. "Chameleon" and "Death Trip" closed the original album with a dark, dramatic ending. The remastered CD includes the modest hit "Judy Teen" and "Rock and Roll Parade".

While "The Human Menagerie" was an impressive, original debut, the follow up work, "Psychomodo" solidified Harley and company's reputation as a major act. Harley's influences were many, including David Bowie, Nico, and Lou Reed, but his willingness to try unconventional, offbeat instrumentation and lyrics set Cockney Rebel apart from so many other arty bands in the early and mid-70s. For those wanting to explore the music of the early 70s, "The Human Menagerie" is a less explored path that deserves to be followed.

This was Steve Harley and Cockney Rebels' first album - originally released in 1973. Cockney Rebel was a glam-rock act ; somewhere between David Bowie and Doctor's of Madness. At least their first 3 albums were really great; from then Harley's songwriting seemed to be somewhat exhausted.

This album, probably their most consistent, contains their first classic single "Sebastian", which was a hit record in several countries, though never made it to the top 20 in Britain. The song may appear a little dated today ( maybe because of its 7 minutes playing time ) - but their follow up single "Judy Teen", which is included as a bonus-track, is still among my favourite Rebel songs.

The album contains many great tracks; both ballads and rockers - quite impressive considering that this was their debut-album. Songs like "Hideaway", "Loretta's Tale" and "Mirror Freak" have obvious hit-potential. "My Only Vice" and "Muriel the Actor" are simply charming tracks.

"Death Trip", like Sebastian, is an ambitious piece of work, with a lot of inspiration from classical music.

A great album!

Steve Harley made a huge impact in the mid-70's, with 1975's "The Best Years of Our Life" as the exclamation point. But his band, Cockney Rebel, came on the European music scene with this album, originally released in 1973, with a "new" concept: no electric guitars, but instead a violin as the lead instrument, what a concept!

"The Human Menagerie" (12 tracks, 51 min., including 2 bonus tracks) is mostly famous for its hit single "Sebastian", a 7 min. beautiful epic, yet slow and mostly quiet song, truly an enigma that this somehow found an audience (try imagine this today: not gonna happen!). But the album offers a lot more: the opener "Hideaway" is a delicious starter that perfectly introduces the band's "revolutionary" sound. "Mirror Freak" is another stand-out track, but the closer of the original album looms larger than any other: the 10 min. epic "Death Trip", with full-blown orchestration, just beautiful. This reissue comes with 2 bonus tracks: "Judy Teen", the great hit single released after this album and before the subsequent "Psychomodo" album, and "Rock and Roll Parade", the B-side.

Cockney Rebel is often classified as a "glam" band of the mid-70's era (based on their looks--check the album cover of "The Human Menagerie"), but that is just plain wrong. Their sound is unique. "The Human Menagerie" is a good album, but to hear Cockney Rebel at their peak, check out 1974's "Psychomodo", truly a classic.

My first experience with the Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel collaboration is definitely a unique one! My assumption that they were some forgotten blues/rock band was entirely *wrong*, haha.

Every time I try to compare Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel to some other artist (such as Paul McCartney or Roxy Music) I'm never *quite* able to do so. Why? Because the music on the Human Menagerie is a pop/rock album that falls under the category of quirky, fun and just entirely different. Perhaps if anything, a comparison to 10cc is the most logical choice but... then again, they don't resemble 10cc in the slightest. Different songwriting altogether. Brian Eno's pop period? Yes, that's probably the best comparison. Well wait just a darn minute! How about a theatrical Roxy Music? Yeah *that's* what the Human Menagerie sounds like to me.

The most remarkable aspect of Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel's sound is that it is -in my opinion at least- instantly likeable. Talk about insanely catchy vocal melodies. This album is positively *loaded* with them.

I feel that "Loretta's Tale" wouldn't be out of place on an early Roxy Music album. The vocal melody reminds me of something Bryan Ferry would have created back then, though the most interesting thing is that the most appropriate Roxy Music album for this song to make an appearance on would probably be Country Life but... that album didn't come out until a year *after* the Human Menagerie so perhaps it was Roxy Music who was listening to these guys (and not the other way around). Hmmm... Anyway, the vocal melody not only resembles Bryan Ferry but also makes me think it's a lost Paul McCartney classic. It's not however. Too darn bad. "Mirror Freak" is probably the most normal song here. Nice use of violin and drum work- it suits the vocal melody just fine and helps the song move forward in a fairly memorable way.

"Hideaway" has a singing style remarkably similar to the Clash (with an ever so slight punk-ish vibe to boot, making it feel more like an 80's song rather than an early 70's one). It's really melodic and exciting, and the violin is a nice surprising inclusion what with the way it speeds along so convincingly. "Sebastian" is truly unique as far as atmosphere goes. It's haunting yes, thanks to the slow-paced orchestration and the somber lyrics. It's the classical influence here that elevates the song to a new level of uniqueness however. Yes it's true Emerson, Lake & Palmer combined classical with rock and did so in a highly original way involving keyboard and synth jams, but this is... another interesting use of classical arrangements but done in a pop/rock formula. It's not the same thing at all. It sounds like nothing else I've ever experienced, that's for sure!

"Death Trip" has more of that traditional theater sound but with a heavy emphasis on a downbeat atmosphere and a lead singer who closely resembles Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople fame. Overall the song does unfortunately sound pretty darn dated, truth be told, but I love it all the same. At 10 minutes in length, what does it do to keep listeners paying attention to the entire thing? Well besides a solid vocal melody occupying the first several minutes, you have brief moments of classical-like violin solos, a bizarre mix of carnival meets traditional English folk (and extended sections of this particular style eventually leading into symphonic and melodic orchestration reminiscent of the Hollies 70's period) and subtle progressive rock leanings. It's oddly appealing though- the way the entire song is written. Slightly repetitive perhaps, but enjoyable all the same.

Oh, and "My Only Vice" is a FANTASTIC pop song. I absolutely love this tune more than words can describe! The rest of the songs sound like they were influenced by Ray Davies of the Kinks which is a great thing in my book.

Interesting side note about the violin solos- I honestly can't tell if the violins are more similar to a classical concert or a rodeo event. If THAT'S not enough to get you to hear this wonderful album, I don't know what else I can possibly say!

I'm not surprised this stuff never caught on with the majority of music listeners back in the day however- it's a tad too strange for most people and one can argue the songwriting isn't always *quite* up to snuff. There's a layer of cheesiness that's hard to ignore, but if you focus on the arrangements and the melodic vocal melodies, you might find yourself in the same boat as me- that being, the Human Menagerie is a hidden masterpiece in the world of pop/rock. Thank the internet for this baby because I'm quite certain record stores wouldn't carry something like this!