Friday, May 17, 2024

The Human Expression: Love At A Psychedelic Velocity (1966 - 1967) 2013

 

The Human Expression was an American garage 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). The Human Expression came together in 1966 taking their name at the suggestion of band member Jim Quarels. He was joined by Jim Foster and the duo would compose and bring the rest of the lineup together.
                   
JIM QUARLES

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.
                        
MARTIN ESHLEMAN

The Human Expression might've been a lot more than an obscure but beloved psychedelic band from

Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1966 by Jim Quarles (lead vocals), Jim Foster (rhythm guitar), Martin Eshleman (lead guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), and Armand Poulin (drums), with Quarles providing the name and Foster's father as their manager. They cut a demo single ("Everynight" b/w "Readin' Your Will," which got them a recording contract with Los Angeles-based Accent Records. An official single of "Everynight" b/w "Love at Psychedelic Velocity" was issued soon after.
                   
JIM FOSTER

"Love at Psychedelic Velocity" is featured on the last of the 10 LPs issued by BFD Records in the Pebbles series as well as on Vol. 7 of the Garage Beat '66 CD series, put out by Sundazed Records.[7] It

has an unusual structure in that, in two places, the pace of the song slows down dramatically – sounding like the Vogues, according to the liner notes for Pebbles, Volume 10 – and then speeds to a breakneck pace immediately afterward. Despite the song's name, "Love at Psychedelic Velocity" is more in the style of a garage rock song than a psychedelic rock song.
                
TOM HAMILTON

The Human Expression's history ended, though Quarles continued writing songs and pursued some solo

recording, and later establish his own studio. In 1994, Collectables Records released a 14-song CD (Love at Psychedelic Velocity) of the complete Human Expression demos and released singles, rounded out with a quartet of Quarles solo sides.
                 
ARMAND POULIN

LINE - UP

               

 

Armand Poulin - Drums
Jim Foster - Rhythm Guitar
Jim Quarles - lead singer, song writer
Martin Eshelman - Lead Guitar
Tom Hamilton - Bass
Mike verlingieri - ?

           


THE HUMAN EXPRESSION - LOVE AT A PSYCHEDELIC VELOCITY (1965 - 1967) 2013

                    


Judging from what's here, the Human Expression were certainly better than the average band on the

California rock scene at the time; Quarles and guitarist Jim Foster were imaginative songwriters with a clever, slightly bent approach, and Foster's guitar style was an interesting mixture of traditional folk-rock jangle, tough fuzzy leads, and a willingness to play with reverb tanks and pickup switches to come up with unusual sounds.
       
MARTIN ESHLEMAN & TOM HAMILTON

But Love at Psychedelic Velocity also tries to make an album out of a band that didn't have an album's


worth of recordings; "Calm Me Down" is a great tune, but not so great that this album needs three versions of it, and the demo of "Every Night" doesn't reveal much except that the group's early recordings were done in a really crummy-sounding studio. And while Quarles' pre-Human Expression tapes are interesting, they also capture a teenage kid working out ideas that he'd handle with greater skill later on.
                       

Human Expression – Love At A Psychedelic Velocity 1965-1967
Label:Moi J'Connais Records – MJCR020, Mississippi/Change Records – MRP-043
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation + Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: Switzerland
Released: 2013
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock
        
SIDE A.

                  

 
A1. Readin' Your Will
A2. Every Night
A3. Optical Sound
A4. Calm Me Down
A5. Sweet Child Of Nothingness
A6. I Don't Need Nobody
A7. Outside Of It All

SIDE B.

           


B1. Love At A Psychedelic Velocity
B2. Optical Sound (Alternate Version)
B3.Calm Me Down (Alternate Version)
B4. Every Night (Alternate Version)
B5. Jim Quarles: Room Of Shadows (Complete Version)
B6. Jim Quarles: I Told Her
B7. Jim Quarles: Return Nevermore
B8. Jim Quarles: Judgement Of Rejection

THE HUMAN EXPRESSION -  FOLLOWING ME / WHO IS BURNING VINYL 7" 45 RPM SINGLE

                 



Previously unreleased songs by Jim QuarIes, vocalist/guitarist for Human Expression. It’s unclear as to whether the rest of The Human Expression musicians play on this recording or when it was actually recorded.
MARTIN ESHLEMAN

The labels on the 45 are reversed: the A-side label lists “Following Me” as the song but the music is actually the recording of ”Who Is Burning”, and the label on B-side lists “Who Is Burning” as the song and it’s actually “Following Me”. Issued to be sold with The Human Expression - Love At A Psychedelic Velocity and The Human Expression - Love At A Psychedelic Velocity LPs issued by Moi J'Connais Records and Mississippi/Change Records in 2013.
         

 

The Human Expression – Following Me / Who Is Burning
Label: Mississippi/Change Records – MRP-043/MJCR-020
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

SIDE A.
                 


A.Following Me

SIDE B.
              

B.Who Is Burning

Flac Size: 338 MB

5 comments:

  1. How dedicated you are, thank you.

    I see the cover of an UGLY THINGS number. Friend Erwin hast most of them. He has now received the missing numbers from an estate. He fought for it for three years and last week he received a positive response. In addition to the long magazines, he also gets tons of cds. I'll meet him in a week.

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  2. Many thanks for this.
    ...And the rip (The Sound) is excellent!!!
    As Mr. Josef said, by far the best blog, with all the beautiful kinds and styles of Rock, from the sixties to now. Thank you again.

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