First Demo Recording
1 –
Human Expression, The Everynight 2:43
2 –Human Expression, The Readin' Your Will 2:47
First Single
3 –Human Expression, The Everynight 2:37
4 –Human Expression,
The Love At
Psychedelic Velocity 2:39
Second Demo
5 –Human Expression,
The Calm Me
Down 2:24
6 –Human Expression, The Optical
Sound 2:35
Second Single
7 –Human Expression, The Calm Me Down 2:25
8 –Human Expression, The Optical Sound 2:36
Third Single
9 –Human Expression, The
I Don't Need Nobody 2:57
10 –Human Expression,
The Sweet Child Of
Nothingness
Written-By –
Mars Bonfire
3:11
Previously Unreleased Songs
11 –Jim Quarles
Outside Of It All 3:00
12 –Jim Quarles
Following Me 4:
10
13 –Jim Quarles Who Is
Burning? 3:09
14 –Jim Quarles You
Need Lovin' Too 4:01
The Human Expression was an
American garage rock and psychedelic rock band from
Los Angeles that released three well-regarded
singles and made additional demo recordings between 1966 and 1967
The band formed in 1966, with the members coming from
Westminster, California, and
Tustin, California (both in
Orange County). Jim Quarles came up with the name "because it had a mystical and otherworldly ring", and the father of one of the band members (
Jim Foster) served as their manager. The two then began writing songs for the new band: "I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I just wrote the songs with Jim Foster. I didn't have any prior experience." The band would start performing in local venues and school dances to create a more cohesive unit.
After rehearsing for six months, they went to a recording studio and cut the demo recordings for their first single, eventually securing a recording contract with Los Angeles-based
Accent Records. While the "
A" side of the demo single was selected, the "
B" side was replaced with a song that is probably their best known recording, "
Love at Psychedelic Velocity."
Two more original compositions made up the second single; the demos and the released recordings of each side have survived. Both singles were mixed by
Wally Heider, famed for his work with the
Grateful Dead.
Perhaps due to the slow sales of the band's own songs, their manager brought demos of two songs by then-unknown songwriter Mars Bonfire to the band to consider for their third single. They selected "
Sweet Child of Nothingness" as the "A" side of their third single, to be backed with another original composition as the "B" side.
The other song was "
Born to be Wild," which did not impress Jim Quarles; in
1968, this would become a smash hit by
Steppenwolf. The band, at this
point, also began playing across the
Sunset Strip but were limited in venues due to still being minors.
Before the band's third single was released, lead guitarist
Martin Eshleman injured his hand. The band was practicing, and were taking a break when
Tom Hamilton accidentally slammed a door on Eshleman's hand, lodging it in glass. Eshleman had severed tendons and an artery, and was forced to leave the band.Although a new guitarist was brought in, Quarles left almost immediately: "This move kind of destroyed the chemistry of the band. I felt it was time to move on"
- published: 17 Jun 2015
- views: 11054