The Human Beinz
Band members Related acts
line up 1 (1966-68) - John Richard
"Dick" Belley
-- vocals, lead guitar - Gary Coates -- drums, percussion
line up 2 (1968) - John Richard
"Dick" Belley
-- vocals, lead guitar
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- Glass Harp |
Rating: *** (3 stars) Genre: rock Title: The Human Beinz/Mammals Company: Gateway Catalog: GLP-3012 Year: 1967 Grade (cover/record): NM/NM Comments: still in shrink wrap; WOC Available: 1 Price: $40.00
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One of Youngstown,
Ohio's contributions to mid-'60s garage-rock, The Human Beinz (singer/guitarist Richard
Belley, rhythm guitarist Ting Markulin, bassist Mel Pachuta and drummer Mike
Tatman), started their careers as a modestly talented cover band. The
quartet's initial break came when they released a pair of obscure 1966
singles ("My Generation" b/w "Evil Hearted You" and
"Hey Joe" b/w "Spider Man") for the small local Elysian
label. Opting for a name change (The Human Beinz) and a shift to the Gateway
label, they managed to attract regional attention with their 1967 label
debut; a nifty cover of Them's "Gloria" b/w a competent rendition
of Dylan's "The Times They Are-a-Changin'". With the follow-on
single "You Can't Make Me Cry" b/w "The Pied Pier"
attracting some local sales, Gateway invested in a supporting album.
1.) Pied Piper (Kornfeld - Duboff) - 2:14 2.) My Generation (Pete Townsend) - 2:41 3.) Gloria (Van Morrison) - 2:45 4.) The Times They Are a Changing (Bob Dylan) - 2:00 5.) Nobody But Me (Ronald Isley - R. Isley - O. Isley) - 2:10
(side 2) 1.) I Say Love (P. Medley - B. Russel) - 2:15 2.) Hey Little One (D. Burnette - B. DeVorzon) - 2:27 3.) Stop! In the Name of Love (Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland) - 2:40 4.) Hold On! I'm Comin' (Isaac Hayes - David Porter) - 3:30 6.) Ooo Baby Baby (Smokey Robinson - Moore) - 3:00 6.) Up Tight (Henry Cosby - Sylvia Moy - Stevie Wonder) - 2:45
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Rating: *** (3 stars) Genre: psych Title: Nobody But Me Company: Capital Catalog: ST 2906 Year: 1968 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog number: 11281 Price: $30.00
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Produced by Lex de Azevedo
(who was also credited with contributed four songs to the collection),1968's "Nobody But Me"
found The Human Beinz finally making it to the big time via a contract with
Capital. Musically the set offered up a standard mix of popular covers
with the band allowed to record a couple of originals. Admittedly it
was inconsistent, but given their youth and inexperience, I've always found
this set to be charming. On YouTube, rhythm guitarist Markulin
described the band as "We were four self
taught musicians that really didn't have much studio experience before
Capitol signed us. We just listened to the way the Beatles recorded
abd realized nmost of the fullness of their sound came from the piano and
acoustic guitar." I'd argue that was somewhat of
an understatement since the overall sound was quite diverse and technically
impressive. While their cover of
Hendrix's "Foxey Lady" wasn't anything special, elsewhere 'The Shaman',
'' and 'Turn On Your Love Light' were all strong garage rockers. Blessed with a suitably
taunt and raw voice, Belley proved well suited for the material, while the
rest of the band displayed more competence than expected from your average
bar band. Elsewhere 'Flower Grave', a cover of the traditional ballad
'Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair'
and the bizarro Beach Boys-collide-with-The-Beatles 'It's Fun
To Be Clean' were interesting in that they found the band taking tentative
steps towards a more psychedelic-oriented sound. At least to my
ears the album's most atypical performance was also the standout - 'Dance
On Through'. With a distinctive pop edge, the combination of
strumming guitars and tinkling organ made the song irresistible. (side
1) Usually young white bands covering classic soul bands stands as a recipe for disaster, but this was one of those rare exception, with vocalist Richard Belley and company giving their everything to get through the two minutes. Released as a single, the band enjoyed an unexpected worldwide hit. The irony is that 99% of fans know the song from seeing it in an episode of "The Office" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfokPqeSNcw - 1967's 'Nobody
But Me' b/w "Sueno" (Capitol catalog number 5990) Given this was an almost note-for-note rote cover of the Hendrix tune, there wasn't anything wrong with it, other that why would you bother listening to a copy. Yeah, after a couple of beers, this one probably sounded pretty good in a small club. Docked a start for not putting any type of uniqueness on their cover. For hardcore fans, Capitol Records tapped it as a Japanese single:
- 1968's 'Foxey Lady' b/w 'The Face' (Cappitol catalog number CR 1990)
3.) The Shaman (Lex de Azevedo) - 2:26 rating: **** stars Okay,
they didn't write it, but their performance of producer de Azevedo's 'The
Shaman' was simply killer. The combination of Pachuta's rumbling bass
line and Belley's vocals and fuzz lead guitar made this a winner.
Shame the song was longer. One
of two original compositions, 'Flower Grave' was a decent, psych-tinged
ballad. Once again, Pachuta provided a killer bass line. The
song title always makes me smile ... While
the sound was a little more conventional than your standard Human Beinz
track, I'd argue that 'Dance On Through' was one of the album
highlights. The combination of strong melody, strumming guitars and
tinkling organ made for one of those songs that I find hard to shake out of
my mental playlist. Bobby Blue Bland had the original hit with''Turn On Your Love Light' and while his take stands as the classic version, I'll give these guys credit for turning in a more than credible cover. Yeah, Belley couldn't match Bland's intensity and their were no horns, but their version was still enjoyable. The song was tapped as the album's second single: - 1968's 'Turn On Your Love Light' b/w 'It's Fun To Be Clean' (Capitol catalog number 2119)
(side
2) I've seldom heard
a song that managed to meld Beach Boys and Bealtes influences as well as
'It's Fun To be Clean'. Yeah, the lyrics were kind of MOR goofy, but
it was still a fund two minutes. Geez, they even copped the Beatles'
trumpet sound ... My
first exposure to this Scottish traditional track came via Nina Simone's
stunning performance. About all I can tell you is that complete with
acid drenched strings, ghostly sound effects and Belley's stoned vocals,
this is the most psychedelic version you'll ever heard. A+
performance. Co-written
by Youngstown-based artist Alan Cassaro under the pseudonym Lon Leatherwood
(aka Alan Leatherwood), the ballad 'This Lonely Town had more than a little
mid-'60s Dylan dripping from the grooves. Nice enough, if one of the
album's more forgettable tracks. The
album's lone group composition, 'Sueno' was a pretty ballad with some nice
acoustic guitar and what sounded like a flute solo kicking it along. 'Serenade To Sarah' was the album's contractually mandated big ballad ... Ever heard one of those Richard Harris albums ? Think along the lines of the pretentious 'Macarthur Park' ... Yeah, that was seemingly one of the inspirations here. I'll give it an extra star for over-the-top earnestness and for keeping the whole enterprise under three minutes.
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Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Evolutions Company: Capital Catalog: ST 2926 Year: 1969 Grade (cover/record): G+/VG Comments: radio station copy; ring wear; SOC Available: 1 Price: $30.00
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Released the following year, "Evolutions"
found the band largely abandoning garage rock in favor of a blatantly
psychedelic sound. With de Alzevedo again producing and writing the majority
of material, their third effort was actually far more interesting and
entertaining than the first two sets. Exemplified by tracks such as
"The Face", "Every Time Woman", "I've Got To Keep
On Pushing" and the meltdown stunner "April 15th" the set was
full of nifty melodies, feedback guitar and Belley's snarling vocals - ah a
wonderful receipe. Actually, one of the set's highlights was the atypical
country-flavored "Two of a Kind" - always wondered if the were
actually destroying a piano in the studio ... "Evolutions" track listing: 1.) The Face (Lex de Alzevedo) - 2:32 2.) My Animal (Lex de Alzevedo) - 2:44 3.) Every Time Woman (Lex de Alzevedo) - 2:08 4.) Close Your Eyes (Jim Murray) - 2:36 5.) If You Don't Mind Mrs. Applebee (Lex de Alzevedo) - 2:08 6.) I've Got To Keep On Pushing (Lex de Alzevedo - R. Youshock) - 2:35 7.) Cement (Richard Belley) - 2:10 7.) Two of a Kind (Jim Murray - B. Kruck) - 5:05 8.) April 15th (instrumental) (Lex de Alzevedo - Richard Belley) - 7:05 Following the release of one final single ("This Little Girl of Mine" b/w "I've Got To Keep Pushing"), the band called it quits. |
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