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The Human Menagerie
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The Human Menagerie
The Human Menagerie is the debut studio album by Cockney Rebel, released by EMI in November 1973. It was produced by Neil Harrison.
After training as a journalist for three years, Steve Harley embarked on a musical career, which began with "floor spots" in London folk clubs in 1971. He also had a brief spell as rhythm guitarist and co-singer in the folk band Odin, where he met future Cockney Rebel violinist Jean-Paul Crocker. It was during this time that Harley began writing his own songs, including those which were recorded for The Human Menagerie. Most were penned while Harley was on the dole after leaving his career in journalism. He began busking with his songs in London in 1972, including at Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. The busking allowed Harley to test his songs on an audience and to supplement his income from benefits.
Harley's time in Odin made him realise he was not suited to the folk scene and, as a vehicle for his own songs, he decided to form his own band, Cockney Rebel, in 1972. With Crocker on violin, the pair advertised for and auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and guitarist Nick Jones. One of the band's first gigs was at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London, on 23 July 1972 supporting the Jeff Beck Group. Jones was soon replaced by Pete Newnham, but Harley subsequently felt the band did not need an electric guitar, particularly after the addition of keyboardist Milton Reame-James. Therefore, the band settled on the combination of Crocker's electric violin and the Fender Rhodes piano of Reame-James.
During 1972, representatives of the band began sending demo tapes to various labels. Mickie Most discovered the band at London's Speakeasy Club and offered them their first contract with his RAK Publishing. In turn, this drew the attention of the A&R personnel at EMI Records, who then offered the band a three album contract in late 1972. They signed to EMI after having only played five gigs together.
Cockney Rebel recorded their debut album in June and July 1973 at Air Studios in London, which at the time was located in Oxford Street above a department store. EMI hired their staff producer and A&R man Neil Harrison as the album's producer and Geoff Emerick as the engineer. In 2012, Harley recalled of his experience recording the album, "The news that our engineer would be the nigh-immortal Geoff Emerick brought wide-eyed excitement to those of us who knew details of Beatles' albums' sleeve notes. Neil Harrison was himself fearless as he allowed my imagination to run loose."
It was at Harrison's suggestion that two tracks, "Sebastian" and "Death Trip", should feature a large symphony orchestra and choir. Harley agreed, and Harrison was then successful in obtaining a bigger budget from EMI to accommodate the use of a 50-piece orchestra. Andrew Powell was hired to compose and take charge of the orchestral arrangements. In 2004, Harley recalled,
"In the backyard of a Chelsea bistro, Neil Harrison and I were sharing a pot of coffee when he told me he would like to record an orchestra and choir onto 'Sebastian' and 'Death Trip'. We were about three-parts through [the album], so Neil, my producer, must have known his announcement that afternoon would bowl the young Steve over. And it did. But seeing them in there, fifty-plus classical musicians, mostly old enough to be my dad, was a real shocker. We were young and full of dangerous ideas and adventure; ready to experiment without consideration for the consequences or cost. And Joop Visser, EMI's head of A&R and the man who discovered us, was a consistently kind ally to Neil and myself; otherwise there would have been no orchestra or choir!"
Harley added in 2012, "Such a budget for a new signing is pretty close to unthinkable today. I'm still not sure how Neil persuaded the money-men to sign such crazy big cheques, but his nous and his charm helped turn those big tracks into epics and I'll forever be in his debt for that."
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The Human Menagerie
The Human Menagerie is the debut studio album by Cockney Rebel, released by EMI in November 1973. It was produced by Neil Harrison.
After training as a journalist for three years, Steve Harley embarked on a musical career, which began with "floor spots" in London folk clubs in 1971. He also had a brief spell as rhythm guitarist and co-singer in the folk band Odin, where he met future Cockney Rebel violinist Jean-Paul Crocker. It was during this time that Harley began writing his own songs, including those which were recorded for The Human Menagerie. Most were penned while Harley was on the dole after leaving his career in journalism. He began busking with his songs in London in 1972, including at Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. The busking allowed Harley to test his songs on an audience and to supplement his income from benefits.
Harley's time in Odin made him realise he was not suited to the folk scene and, as a vehicle for his own songs, he decided to form his own band, Cockney Rebel, in 1972. With Crocker on violin, the pair advertised for and auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and guitarist Nick Jones. One of the band's first gigs was at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London, on 23 July 1972 supporting the Jeff Beck Group. Jones was soon replaced by Pete Newnham, but Harley subsequently felt the band did not need an electric guitar, particularly after the addition of keyboardist Milton Reame-James. Therefore, the band settled on the combination of Crocker's electric violin and the Fender Rhodes piano of Reame-James.
During 1972, representatives of the band began sending demo tapes to various labels. Mickie Most discovered the band at London's Speakeasy Club and offered them their first contract with his RAK Publishing. In turn, this drew the attention of the A&R personnel at EMI Records, who then offered the band a three album contract in late 1972. They signed to EMI after having only played five gigs together.
Cockney Rebel recorded their debut album in June and July 1973 at Air Studios in London, which at the time was located in Oxford Street above a department store. EMI hired their staff producer and A&R man Neil Harrison as the album's producer and Geoff Emerick as the engineer. In 2012, Harley recalled of his experience recording the album, "The news that our engineer would be the nigh-immortal Geoff Emerick brought wide-eyed excitement to those of us who knew details of Beatles' albums' sleeve notes. Neil Harrison was himself fearless as he allowed my imagination to run loose."
It was at Harrison's suggestion that two tracks, "Sebastian" and "Death Trip", should feature a large symphony orchestra and choir. Harley agreed, and Harrison was then successful in obtaining a bigger budget from EMI to accommodate the use of a 50-piece orchestra. Andrew Powell was hired to compose and take charge of the orchestral arrangements. In 2004, Harley recalled,
"In the backyard of a Chelsea bistro, Neil Harrison and I were sharing a pot of coffee when he told me he would like to record an orchestra and choir onto 'Sebastian' and 'Death Trip'. We were about three-parts through [the album], so Neil, my producer, must have known his announcement that afternoon would bowl the young Steve over. And it did. But seeing them in there, fifty-plus classical musicians, mostly old enough to be my dad, was a real shocker. We were young and full of dangerous ideas and adventure; ready to experiment without consideration for the consequences or cost. And Joop Visser, EMI's head of A&R and the man who discovered us, was a consistently kind ally to Neil and myself; otherwise there would have been no orchestra or choir!"
Harley added in 2012, "Such a budget for a new signing is pretty close to unthinkable today. I'm still not sure how Neil persuaded the money-men to sign such crazy big cheques, but his nous and his charm helped turn those big tracks into epics and I'll forever be in his debt for that."