Quote:

The Human Expression


Personnel:
MARTIN ESHLEMAN ld gtr A
JIM FOSTER gtr A
TOM HAMILTON bs A
ARMAND POULIN drms A
JIM QUARLES ld vcls A


45s:
1 Readin' Your Will / Everynight (Acetate Demo) Summer 1966
2 Love At Psychedelic Velocity/Everynight (Accent 1214) Summer 1966
3 Optical Sound / Calm Me Down (Acetate Demo) Winter 1966
4 Optical Sound/Calm Me Down (Accent 1226) Winter 1966
5 Sweet Child Of Nothingness / I Don't Need Nobody (Accent 1252) Summer 1967


Hailing from Westminster and Tustin, California, this psychedelic punk band were formed early in 1966 and played around the L.A. area, at clubs such as Gazzari's and USO clubs. An acetate Readin' Your Will / Everynight cut in the Summer of '66 got them a deal with Accent, who released two awesome acid-punk singles in the shape of Love At Psychedelic Velocity and Optical Sound. Both singles were mixed by Wally Heider who also worked for the Grateful Dead, and are now extremely sought-after and impossibly hard to find.

After Optical Sound proved too far-out for the Charts, the band's manager offered them the opportunity to record two tracks by what he described as "an up-and coming songwriter". The first demo Sweet Child Of Nothingness would become their third single, and the other track was turned down because Jim Quarles' didn't think lyrics like "Get your motor running / Head out on the highway" were any good. The song was of course Mars Bonfire's Born To Be Wild which Steppenwolf would later cover!!

By the time the Sweet Child Of Nothingness / I Don't Need Nobody single was recorded, both Jim Quarles and Martin Eshleman had left the band.

Both their first two singles Love At Psychedelic Velocity and Optical Sound are worthy of investigation and all their released material has now appeared on compilations. Even better, however, is the Collectables CD release Love At Psychedelic Velocity, which compiles all the band's singles, plus demos and four post-Human Expression solo tracks cut by Jim Quarles. The CD also includes excellent liner notes, from which this entry has largely been taken, and is recommended to fans of the band.

Jim Quarles is still active in the music business, working in a studio as a technical engineer, and writing and recording songs.

Compilation appearances have also included: Optical Sound on Echoes In Time, Vol. 1 (LP), Echoes In Time Vol's 1 & 2 (CD), Psychedelic Disaster Whirl (LP) and Nuggets Box (4-CD); Love At Psychedelic Velocity on Pebbles, Vol. 10 (LP), Songs We Taught The Fuzztones (Dble LP & Dble CD) and Best of Pebbles, Vol. 3 (LP & CD); Calm Me Down and Optical Sound on Green Crystal Ties Vol. 6 (CD); Everynight and Readin' Your Will on Green Crystal Ties Vol. 9 (CD); Who Is Burning? (prev unreleased) on Psychedelic Crown Jewels, Vol. 1 (Dble LP & CD); Calm Me Down, Optical Sound and Your Mind Works In Reverse (all previously unreleased demo versions) on The Human Expression And Other Psychedelic Groups - Your Mind Works In Reverse (CD); Calm Me Down and Everynight on Highs In The Mid-Sixties Vol. 3 (LP).

(Max Waller)

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The Human Expression - Love At Psychedelic Velocity
3.84mb / 2:47

The Human Expression - Readin' Your Will






I give both of these songs 4 out of 5 electric sugarcubes. Enjoy and discuss......

Learyfan said:

Rock on my man. 

BTW, I've had all sorts of trouble posting these tonight.  Some of you may have noticed that both links were the same song?  I've fixed that. 

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