''Animal Magic'' is the second album from the British band
The Blow Monkeys
The Blow Monkeys are a British new wave/sophisti-pop band that formed in 1981. The first single, "Live Today Love Tomorrow," was released in 1982. They subsequently enjoyed a successful career with several hit singles and albums across the 1 ...
, released in 1986 by
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
/
Ariola
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
(now
BMG BMG may refer to:
Organizations
* Music publishing companies:
** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008
*** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...
). It gave the group their commercial breakthrough after their debut album, ''
Limping for a Generation
''Limping for a Generation'' is the 1984 debut album by the British band The Blow Monkeys.
In the booklet to 1999 ''Atomic Lullabies – Very Best of the Blow Monkeys'', lead singer Dr. Robert (born Robert Howard) categorized the record as ''j ...
'', had won critical acclaim but had only sold modestly.
Sales of ''Animal Magic'' were boosted by the hit single "Digging Your Scene", which charted in the UK (peaking at No. 12), the rest of Europe and the US. The album's first single, the ballad "Forbidden Fruit", had been released almost a year before the LP. After "Digging Your Scene", two more singles were taken from the album, both of which, though catchy and cleverly built, didn't replicate the same level of commercial success: "Wicked Ways" reached No.60 in Great Britain, and "Don't Be Scared of Me" chart at No.77 in UK.
''Animal Magic'' displayed an intelligent collection of slick, soul-influenced, mid-tempo tunes. A couple of ballads offered some diversity: one of them, "I Backed a Winner (in You)", is a heartfelt track, mostly
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
, with lead singer Dr. Robert, softly playing
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
while giving the lyrics its perceptive rhythm, where his vocals, and especially those of an aptly named ensemble, The Demon Barbers, acting as a sort of
doo wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
choir. Amongst the album's many gems is also a duet with Jamaican toaster
Eek-A-Mouse
Eek-A-Mouse (born Ripton Joseph Hylton, 19 November 1957) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the earliest artists to be described as a "singjay".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide To Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, ...
on the duet "Sweet Murder".
In 2012, Cherry Red announced the release of a 2-CD deluxe edition with a whole bonus disc of previously unissued demos and B-sides.Theblowmonkeys.com – accessed September 2012 /ref>
Track listing
Words and music by Dr. Robert.
# "
Digging Your Scene
"Digging Your Scene" is a song recorded by English band The Blow Monkeys for their second studio album, '' Animal Magic'' (1986). The single was released in February 1986 as the second one from the parent record. It was written by lead singer D ...
" – 4:13
# "Animal Magic" – 3:07
# "Wicked Ways" – 4:14
# "Sweet Murder" – 6:31
# "Aeroplane City Lovesong" – 4:52
# "Walking the Blue Beat" – 4:12 (on cassette edition only # "I Nearly Died Laughing" – 3:37
# "Don't Be Scared of Me" – 3:29
# "Burn the Rich" – 4:17
# "I Backed a Winner (in You)" – 2:39
# "Forbidden Fruit" – 3:59
# "Heaven Is a Place I'm Moving To" – 3:05
Splendor
Splendor or splendour (see spelling differences) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Splendor (game), a card-based board game published in 2014 by Marc André
* ''Splendour'' (play), a 2000 play by Abi Morgan
* '' Splendor: A Luxe Novel'', a ...
.
:: * Cover versions have been released by
Ivy
''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
on '' Long Distance'' (2001) and ''Guestroom'' (2002), and by
Rahsaan Patterson
Rahsaan Patterson (born January 11, 1974) is an American singer and actor, best known for portraying "The Kid" on the 1980s television show ''Kids Incorporated.''
Career 1984: ''Kids Incorporated''
After appearing in a school talent show in 198 ...
words
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
& music; vocals; electric guitar tracks 1-9;
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
tracks 2, 4-10, 12
*Neville Henry -
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
tracks 1-8, 11;
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
on track 1
*Sylvia Mason-James - backing vocals on tracks 2-8, 11-12
*Mary Cassidy - backing vocals on tracks 2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-12
*Bernita Turner - backing vocals on tracks 2, 8, 12
*Yogi - backing vocals on track 3
*Morris Michael - backing vocals on track 3, 6
*Vicki St. James - backing vocals on tracks 4-5, 7, 11
*
Luís Jardim
Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim (born 4 July 1950) is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn.
Family
Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim (former president of the ...
- percussion on tracks 1, 4-5
* Peter Wilson - keyboards on tracks 1, 8; honk box,
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...
arrangement on track 4;
string
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
machine on track 6;
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
on track 7; barroom piano and backing vocals on track 9
*
Eek-A-Mouse
Eek-A-Mouse (born Ripton Joseph Hylton, 19 November 1957) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the earliest artists to be described as a "singjay".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide To Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, ...
- vocals on track 4
*
Guy Barker
Guy Jeffrey Barker, (born 26 December 1957) is an English jazz trumpeter and composer.
Early life
Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year ...
- trumpet on track 5, 7, 11
*Joe Brown -
slide guitar
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
on track 9
*The Demon Barbers (Anthony Scales, Jeremy Birchall, Rob Scales) - backing vocals on track 10
* Mickey Finn -
bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
on track 11
*
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin Morrissey (9 May 1940 – 8 November 2000) was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and flute.
Biography Background
He was born in Horley, Surrey, England. Dick Morrissey emerg ...
-
soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...
on track 12
Production
*Peter Wilson - production except tracks 3 and 6;
string
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
arrangement except track 12
*Dr. Robert, Adam Moseley - production on tracks 3 and 6
*Michael Baker - mixing on track 3; additional
recording
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, ...
and mixing on track 1
*
John Mealing
John Mealing (born 5 April 1942 in Yeovil, Somerset) is a British keyboardist, composer and arranger.
After leaving the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet in the late sixties,programming
Staff
*Mainartery -
art direction
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...