Danielle Dax (1990) Blast The Human Flower

Mixing a Gothic vibe with experimental sounds and a remarkably versatile voice, Danielle Dax left a lasting mark on Classic Alternative music. Her expression was highly visual as well, as depicted on her record sleeves, music videos and in photographs. Musically, there were no boundaries. Her voice could waver up to beautiful highs or down to menacing lows as she strummed a guitar over a dark dance tune or plucked a banjo over a quirky country-tinged number. Her lyrics could tackle the hypocrisy of religion with the catchy dance beat of Big Hollow Man, or address a cheating partner with the bouncy toe-tapper Touch Piggy’s Eyes. She could conjure a Glam rocker on the single Cat-House, or show an Eastern influence on the experimental Sleep Has No Property. Originally released in 1988, this 30th anniversary edition of the compilation Dark Adapted Eye represents the always captivating Danielle Dax from 1985-1988. In additional to the original 12 album tracks, this newly remastered edition includes additional B sides and remixes, some making their debut CD appearance.

This short-lived psychedelic pop outfit was formed in the UK at the end of the 60s. Featuring Gillies Buchan (guitar/vocals), Edward Jones (bass/vocals), David McNiven (clarinet) and John Romsey (drums), the group was originally known as Skin but did not record as such. Human Beast signed to Decca Records in 1970 and made their debut with Volume One (Instinct). Though it sold poorly at the time, it has subsequently become the subject of collector’s interest. Typical of its contents were songs with expansive titles such as ‘Brush With The Midnight Butterfly’, ‘Reality Presented As An Alternative’ and ‘Appearance Is Everything Style Is A Way Of Living’. Fittingly, each featured similarly ponderous lyrics.

Synth pop's first international superstars, the Human League were among the earliest and most innovative bands to break into the pop mainstream on a wave of synthesizers and electronic rhythms, their marriage of infectious melodies and state-of-the-art technology proving enormously influential on countless acts following in their wake. The group was formed in Sheffield, England, in 1977 by synth players Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh, who'd previously teamed as the duo Dead Daughters; following a brief tenure as the Future, they rechristened themselves the Human League after enlisting vocalist Philip Oakey. The trio soon recorded a demo, and played their first live dates; they soon tapped Adrian Wright as their "Director of Visuals," and his slide shows quickly became a key component of their performances.

A new three-CD package, ‘Essential’ offers an overview of the Virgin Records-era of Sheffield synth-pop band The Human League.

The Human Zoo's great claim to fame among garage / psychedelic fans is that they were managed by Jim Foster, guitarist with the Human Expression, the West Coast psych act that scored a modest hit with the song 'Optical Sound.' That's not a lot to base a reputation on, but the lone album the Human Zoo left behind is pretty good stuff, and suggests with better promotion they could have risen to much more impressive heights. Boasting two lead singers (Roy Young and Jim Cunningham), the Human Zoo worked up a full and dynamic sound with impressive harmonies on these sessions, and the rest of the band shows off some solid chops - John Luzadder and Larry Hanson are a capable guitar combo, with Hanson also doubling on keyboards, while bassist Bob Dalrymple and drummer Kim Vydaremy hold down the rhythm with strength and confidence…