Los Angeles, California, US
Genres	Garage rock, psychedelic rock
Years active	1966–1967
It's pretty close to impossible to explain in mere words the greatness of The Human Expression but I'll give it a whack. Most folks were introduced to this great Los Angeles group via their inclusion on garage/psych compilations such as Pebbles, Highs In The Mid 60's and Psychedelic Disaster Whirl, and of course I'm no different. Their records are beyond rare and when they do come up for sale, usually top $2,000 or more these days. I once bid $100 for one of their singles back in 1982 and didn't win the auction. So when it comes to the garage rock "holy grail" The Human Expression are near the top of the list.

The Human Expression were Los Angeles based and issued just 3 45's during their short lifetime (1966-1967.) It is quite possible they acted as support group to Love, The Doors and most probably The Seeds. The Human Expression's lead singer Jim Quarles had all Sky Saxon's moves down and then some. One could actually say he out Sky Saxoned Sky Saxon (if that makes any sense?) 

The Human Expression's absolute peak was their psychedelic free for all "Love At Psychedelic Velocity" which I spoke about on this site a few years back. But their second 45 "Optical Sound" is every bit as potent. Musically the song is the polar opposite of "Velocity" where that track was a non-stop train ride to the sun, "Optical Sound" is a slow, brooding almost menacing number that seemed to describe a bad LSD trip. The guitars sound like they were tuned by Sonic Youth, giving the whole song a disoriented feel somewhere in the direction of My Bloody Valentine meets The Ventures. Actually there was another record by a group Chapter Four called "In My Life" (reviewed on this site recently) that had a very similar guitar sound. 

"Calm Me Down" is more in The Seeds vein, this one starts kinda slow then just erupts in a frenzy with Jim Quarles again sounding like he got a hold of some bad LSD or Speed. The group just drive it home until the listener is just as disoriented as the band. High marks to guitarists Jim Foster and Martin Eshleman for their truly inventive playing. 

The Human Expression issued one final 45 in 1967 that coupled "Sweet Child Of Nothingness" and "I Don't Need Nobody", while this 45 has it's merits, it's not quite up to the standard of the first 2 singles. There was a great compilation of all the group's material "Love At Psychedelic Velocity" (Collectables) issued in 1994, but I'm not sure if it is still available. Finding that would be the most cost effective way of hearing this incredible band. In the liner notes Jim Quarles actually claims the Human Expression were first offered the demo of the Steppenwolf mega-hit "Born To Be Wild" by Mars Bonfire but passed on it. 

I always wondered what would have happened if groups like The Human Expression had the recording freedom afforded big name acts such as The Beatles and Rolling Stones. I guess we'll never know, besides the mystery surrounding these psychedelic unknowns makes their recordings that much more special.

The Human Expression - Calm Me Down(Original Master)

The Velvet Underground - All Tomorrow's Parties (Falkodelica Dreamy Extended)

Live at the Cellar Door

Flying on the Ground Is Wrong (Live at the Cellar Door)

Meeting the love of your life on a busy train

Book Eyes (Ape On A Train)

Afro Blue Impressions

My Favorite Things (Live In Stockholm / 1963)

For the season of mists and mellow modalness.

I've just uploaded a new Autumn Jazz mix in a similar style to this one: https://soundcloud.com/mark-wayward/when-there-is-no-sun-autumn-mix

It Ain’t Necessarily So - Mary Lou Williams
Modal Forces - Fritz Pauer
Blue Mosque - Ian Carr and Don Rendell
Eboness - Yusef Lateef
Del's Theme - George Braith
I Miei Recordi - Marco Di Marco
Communion – James Tatum
The Devil is a Woman – Ada Moore
Flamenco Sketches – Frank Minion
Alex The Great – Harold Mabern
Tell Me a Bedtime Story – Herbie Hancock
Amalgam – Dudley Moore Trio
Jeansy – Novi Singers
Just a Little Lovin’ – Sarah Vaughan

Mostly Modal

Dr. Lonnie Smith - Mellow Mood

The Slits - In the beginning

Off of their Debut album 'Love in the Wind'.
LP/CD/Digital out now: http://dapt.one/ShaLaDas  

Daptone Records imprint Dunham Records present Love In The Wind, the debut album from the Sha La Das featuring harmonic sensibilities rooted in doo wop, blues, and soul. The album was truly a family affair within both the Daptone and Schalda family. 

Produced by Thomas Brenneck, Love In The Wind features a number of the players that have helped define the Daptone Sound including members of The Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, and Menahan Street Band. And, at the heart of the record, there are the four Schaldas: three talented brothers and the father who taught his boys group harmonies on the stoop of their Staten Island home growing up.

Love in the Wind

The Sha La Das - Summer Breeze

***Winner of The Quietus' Tomorrow's Cult Star Today award at BBC 6 Music Blog Awards***

"Fat White Family are sick. I don't mean this like, they're well sick la, like some scouse teenager would have said eight years ago. I mean, they're seriously not well... they're also slightly brilliant" - The Quietus

"Brilliant macabre lullaby- sung over a shonky casio metronome, full of nasty asides about druggy co-dependence" - Single Of The Week, Drowned In Sound

"We've made no secret of our deep love for the gap toothed hoodlums of Fat White Family" - SupaJam



Fat White Family will be releasing their much anticipated debut album Champagne Holocaust on 1st April through Trashmouth Records. The album will be available on digital download and limited addition vinyl. 

Fat White Family, a band who've crawled out from the crevices of Peckham and Brixton to find  gourmet burger bars, designer prams and soulless gastropubs taking over the town. Faced with the yuppie invasion their sole purpose is to cause havoc and deliver something real...

Despite the inevitable incidents of chaos, blood, nudity and weirdness that seem to have plagued/fuelled this first year of their mission, they are still the band that everyone in London wants  to see. 

For more info, photos or interview requests please contact Danny on 07973665997 or danny@allteeth.co.uk

6. CREAM OF THE YOUNG by FAT WHITE FAMILY

Order: http://latenighttales.co.uk/product.php/200/r-yksopp-late-night-tales/3d3b063ad46274b2c5e6f58d760ec22d
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/late-night-tales-royksopp/id643663833

The new edition of Late Night Tales journeys to Scandinavia to invite Norwegian duo Röyksopp to delve through their record collection.

Röyksopp announced themselves in 2001 with their hugely successful platinum selling debut album ‘Melody AM’, establishing themselves among the elite of the hip Scandinavian music scene. A further trio of albums have followed: ‘The Understanding’, ‘Junior’ and ‘Senior’ – which includes collaborations with some of Scandinavia's finest: Lykke Li and Karin Dreijer Andersson (The Knife, Fever Ray) – and there is also the matter of Grammy nominated ‘The Girl & The Robot’ featuring Swedish pop songstress Robyn and remixes for Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Beck and Lady Gaga.

Their Late Night Tales mix is eclectic, diverse and wonderful. Sliding from light folk to widescreen ambience to experimental rock to prog-pop (seasoned with the occasional guilty pleasure); it’s all in the spirit of the night.

http://latenighttales.co.uk

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The Human Expression - Calm Me Down(Original Master)

joe_ soap.