Animal Magic (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Animal Magic
Type = studio
Artist = The Blow Monkeys


Released = 1986
Recorded = 1985-1986
Genre = Pop rock / New wave
Length = 44 min : 03 sec
48 min : 15 sec (cassette version)
Label = RCA/Ariola
Producer = Peter Wilson
Dr. Robert
Adam Moseley
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gifqxqq5ldhe link]
Last album = "Limping for a Generation"
(1984)
This album = "Animal Magic"
(1986)
Next album = "She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter"
(1987)

"Animal Magic" is an album from the British band, The Blow Monkeys, published in 1986, by the label then known as RCA/Ariola (nowadays BMG). It is the group's second album, which was released in the month of May, and achieved the much sought-after breakthrough, after a typically difficult beginning with independent label Parasol, and a first major contract, signed in July 1983, which had already brought a critically acclaimed first album, titled "Limping for a Generation", but no singles in the charts.

"Animal Magic", less original and less new wave, but more pop rock and commercially mature, contains the massive worldwide hit "Digging Your Scene", which burst into the Top Ten singles listings, both on the European continent, and in the USA, reaching a respectable Number 12 in the UK. The song actually represents the first successful promotional release from the album, since the first single, "Forbidden Fruit", had been out several months before the LP (almost a year before, in fact, in 1985): a nice ballad, with a nice videoclip, it didn't get any cigars though. After "Digging Your Scene" crashed into the international charts, two more singles were taken from the album, both of which, though catchy and cleverly built, didn't succeed in replicating that huge unexpected success: "Wicked Ways", didn't get any further than a disappointing Number 60 in Great Britain, whilst the last single, "Don't be Scared of Me", didn't even chart among the first 75 positions.

In general, "Animal Magic" displays an intelligent collection of middle-beat pop rock tunes, with a couple of ballads representing the climax of the album, of which the 1985 single is one example, the other song perhaps being the masterpiece on the whole work: "I Backed a Winner (in You)" is in fact a heartfelt, essential track, almost completely a cappella, with the lead singer, Dr. Robert, softly playing his acoustic guitar, barely audible, but giving the lyrics its perceptive rhythm, where his vocals, and especially those of an aptly called ensemble, The Demon Barber, acting as a sort of doo wop choir, make this a real work of art, worth the whole pack, and getting far beyond a barber's realm of typical harmonies. Amongst the album's many gems is also a duet with bizarre Jamaican toaster Eek-A-Mouse (resurfaced, almost 20 years later, on some DJ compilations, mixed by Boy George, who is, by the way, mentioned by Dr. Robert, in one of the many B-sides issued by the band, during this highly creative period). The duet is entitled "Sweet Murder", and it foreshadows things soon to come for the UK group - as an example of many, just see "Celebrate (the Day after You)" with Curtis Mayfield, one of the four singles (again!) from The Blow Monkeys' next 1987 album, "She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter".

Track listing

Words and music by Dr. Robert.

# "Digging Your Scene" - 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) [http://www.discogs.com/release/211418] , [http://www.freedb.org/freedb_search.php]
# "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

ingles from the album

* "Forbidden Fruit" (1985)
* "Digging Your Scene" (1986) [UK Singles Chart: Number 12; USA Billboard Hot 100: Number 14; USA Hot Dance Club Play: Number 7; Germany: Number 25]
* "Wicked Ways" (1986) [UK Singles Chart: Number 60]
* "Don't Be Scared of Me" (1986)

Credits

Line Up

*Dr Robert: words & music; vocals; electric guitar tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; acoustic guitar tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12
*Neville Henry: tenor saxophone tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11; alto saxophone tracks 2, 5, 8
*Mick Anker: bass tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11; double bass track 9, 12
*Tony Kiley: drums tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11

Musicians

*Dixie Peach, Morris Michael: background vocals track 1
*Sylvia Mason-James: background vocals tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12
*Mary Cassidy: background vocals tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12
*Bernita Turner: background vocals tracks 2, 8, 12
*Yogi: background vocals track 3
*Morris Michael: background vocals track 3
*Vicky St. James: background vocals tracks 4, 5, 7, 11
*Luis Jardim: percussion tracks 1, 4, 5
*Peter Wilson: keyboards tracks 1, 8; honk box, brass arrangement track 4; string machine track 6; Hammond organ track 7; barroom piano & background vocals track 9
*Eek-A-Mouse: vocals track 4
*Guy Barker: trumpet track 5, 7, 11
*Morris Micheals: background vocals track 6
*Joe Brown: slide guitar track 9
*The Demon Barbers: background vocals track 10
*Mickey Finn: bongos track 11
*Dick Morrissey: Soprano saxophone track 12

Production

*Peter Wilson: production except tracks 3 & 6; string arrangement except track 12
*Dr. Robert, Adam Mosely: production tracks 3 & 6
*Michael Baker: mixing track 3; additional recording and mixing track 1
*John Mealing: string arrangement track 12
*Axel Kroell: drum programming

taff

*Mainartery: art direction & design
*Ian Thomas: photography

Release details

External links

* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=163650880 MySpace] : The Blow Monkeys' MySpace page, with audio clips to four representative tracks by the band, including the smash hit from "Animal Magic", "Digging Your Scene".