Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The Zoo - Presents Chocolate Moose (1968 us, exciting blend of garage blues and psych)



Under the tutelage of Mike Cobb, 1968 found the band signed to Cobb's own Sunburst label. A single "Subset Strip" b/w "One Night Man" (catalog number )did little commercially, but attracted the attention of Bell Records which subsequently agreed to finance an LP. Produced by Cobb (who also contributed several songs), 1968's "The Zoo Presents Chocolate Moose" served as an interesting debut. 

With all five members contributing material, the set was musically pretty varied. Straddling genres,'Chocolate Moose' offered up a distinctive garage influence; 'Get Some Beads' and 'From a Camel's Hump' found the band taking a stab at lightweight psych, while 'Soul Drippin's' showcased a penchant for blue-eyed soul . While you couldn't really consider them artistic innovators, the collection was still enjoyable andl worth hearing. The collection sold poorly and the band subsequently calling it quits. 
Tracks
1. Chocolate Moose (M. Carfagna, M. Flicker, T. Gottlieb, H. Leese, I. Welsley) - 2:42
2. Written On the Wind (Ed Cobb)- 2:21
3. I've Been Waiting Too Long (Mike Flicker, Howard Leese) - 2:23
4. Soul Drippin's (Dick Monda) - 1:56
5. Get Some Beads (Joey Levine, M. Bellack, E. Kahn) - 2:02
6. Ain't Nobody (Carolyn Franklin) - 2:11
7. Try Me (Joey Levine) - 2:25
8. Love Machine (J. Griffin, M. Gordon) - 2:14
9. Have You Been Sleepin' (Mike Flicker, Howard Leese) - 2:31
10.From a Camel's Hump (Mike Flicker, Howard Leese) - 3:00

The Zoo
*Murphy Carfagna - Rhythm Guitar
*Mike Flicker - Drums, Percussion
*Terry Gottlieb - Bass
*Howard Leese - Lead Guitar
*Ira Welsley - Vocals

Related Act
1969  Mad Dog - Dawn Of The Seventh Sun

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