The Tangerine Zoo was an American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band formed in Swansea, Massachusetts, in 1966. Encompassed in Boston's psychedelic scene and considered a part of the

Bosstown Sound The Bosstown Sound (or Boston Sound) was the catchphrase of a marketing campaign to promote psychedelic rock and psychedelic pop bands in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s. The concept was conceived by the record producer Alan Lorber as a ...

, the band became popular regionally, and released two

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s on

Mainstream Records Mainstream Records was an American record company and independent record label founded by producer Bob Shad in 1964. Mainstream's early releases were reissues from Commodore Records. Its catalogue grew to include Bob Brookmeyer, Maynard Fergu ...

during their recording career. The Tangerine Zoo had an opportunity to achieve national recognition at the

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

, but was forced to decline the invitation. Nonetheless, the group's material has been reinstated into the public conscious after 1960s psychedelic music collectors have discovered the Tangerine Zoo's work years after their disbandment.

History

Future Tangerine Zoo members Robert "Benny" Benevides (

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

), Tony Taveira (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), and Donald Smith (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

) first collaborated in the

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band, the Ebb Tides, which were formed in 1966. The band became popular regionally, performing as headliners at a series of festivals and battles of the bands. In mid-1966, the Ebb Tides recorded their

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"My Baby's Gone" backed by a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Summertime" for Arco Records. The

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

was later featured on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Sixties Rebellion, Volume 4'', in 1993 and on ''Quagmire, Volume 3'', in 2004. However, disagreements with bandmates Charlie Robidoux and Bobby Robidoux caused the premature disbandment of the Ebb Tides. Abandoning the group's garage sound in favor of

, a new band called the Flower Pot was established soon after. The band recruited Ron Medeiros (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

) and Wayne Gagnon, the latter of whom Taveira was bandmates with in the group the Rockin' Teens. With the burgeoning psychedelic rock scene and

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

movement emerging in Boston, the group's new sound featuring a Hammond organ and fuzz-toned instrumentals put them on the edge of mainstream popularity. Taveira recalled later on "The band auditioned for Mercury, RCA Victor and Mainstream in the fall of 1967 in New York City", noting

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

and

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

offered the Flower Pot a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

to release a single and possibly an

. However, as he also explained,

"offered both at the same time. How could we pass that up after working so hard to get there? Mainstream had us in the studio within a month". As mandated in their contract, the band's name—a reference to

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

—was changed to the Tangerine Zoo. In February 1968, the band released their self-titled debut album. With seven of the nine tracks originally composed by group members, the album's best-known song is actually a six-minute rendition of

Them Them or THEM, a third-person plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to: Books * ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet'' * '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fiction by Welsh ...

's tune " Gloria". One review states "with swirly Hammond and feedback-drenched psychedelic noodling a-plenty doesn't seem like a good way to avoid the mainstream and do your own thing, but the band manage to stamp their own style on this classic". Ironically, the Tangerine Zoo's recording of " One Is the Loneliest Number" was not released, and became a national hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

in April 1969. One track, "Nature's Children", was covered by garage band the Kidds with regional success, and appears on '' Pebbles, Volume 10''. To promote the group's album, the Tangerine Zoo performed at Boston's popular psychedelic music clubs including the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea ...

and

the Psychedelic Supermarket The Psychedelic Supermarket was an underground music venue in Boston, Massachusetts, that was open in the 1960s, and became one of the core establishments of the city's psychedelic rock scene. It stood at 590 Commonwealth Avenue inside a parking g ...

, with the

Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

, and

the Amboy Dukes The Amboy Dukes were an American rock band formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, and later based in Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their only hit single, " Journey to the Center of the Mind". The band's name comes from the title of ...

. All the while, the Tangerine Zoo was advertised as a proponent to the

, a commercial strategy focusing on several Boston-area psychedelic rock bands such as

Ultimate Spinach Ultimate Spinach was a short-lived American psychedelic rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was formed in 1967. In terms of style and national recognition, the band was one of the most prominent musical acts to emerge from the "Bosstown S ...

and the

Beacon Street Union The Beacon Street Union was an American psychedelic rock band in the late 1960s, named for a street in their native Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band was composed of Boston College students, singer John Lincoln Wright (September 23, ...

. Prior to recording the group's second album, ''Outside Looking In'', Taveira departed to finish high school. In 1969, the Tangerine Zoo was invited to perform at the

; however, as a consequence of other commitments, were forced to decline the offer. The Tangerine Zoo dissolved in 1970 after music differences plagued the group. Gagnon soon resurfaced with the band Wadsworth Mansion, earning a Top 10 hit with " Sweet Mary", in 1971. Since their disbandment, the band has had three reunions: first in 1988 then again in 1990 and 1993.

Discography

Singles

* "One More Heartache" b/w "Trip to the Zoo" -

(682), 1968 * "Like People (Part 1)" b/w "Like People (Part 2)" - Mainstream Records (690), 1968

Albums

* ''Tangerine Zoo'' - Mainstream Records (56107), 1968 * ''Outside Looking In'' - Mainstream Records (S-6116), 1968

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangerine Zoo, The Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 Psychedelic rock music groups from Massachusetts