Zebra? Huh? I came across the band's debut album while digging through the racks at my local used CD shop. It wasn't dollar bin fodder, but also wasn't ridiculously priced either. As such, I decided I'd take a chance. Well, several years later, I finally got around to actually playing the thing.
Randy Jackson, and Felix Hanemann already had a working relationship, having played together in the early 70's in Shepherd's Bush. However, in 1974 they opted to depart, forming the group Maelstrom, with Guy Gelso, and Tim Thorson. Initially, they worked simply as a cover band, playing the familiar tunes of Led Zeppelin, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd (to name a few).
Thorson would depart in February 1975, and as a trio, they would adopt the name Zebra. While they initially started out in New Orleans, the band would eventually make their way to Long Island, where they'd continue to perform live, now also incorporating their own material amongst the covers they played.
It was during this time that they picked up a steady following around local colleges, and even wound up on a compilation recording produced by Long Island FM radio station WBAB. There's not much information to fill in the gaps of history between 1975 and the band's debut album in 1983, released by Atlantic Records.
While the album featured the singles Tell Me What You Want, and Who's Behind The Door?, only the latter would chart the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number sixty-one. Despite this, frequent airplay of the two would push the album to peak at number twenty-nine, a blessing and a curse, as the band wouldn't be able to repeat this success for subsequent albums.
In continuing my search for more information on the band, I was surprised to find such high acclaim from people who praised their debut as masterfully crafted, perfect almost. This intrigued me all the more to fire up the recording.
Things start out on a high note with Tell Me What You Want, a song that showcases the band's musical abilities through both hard rock instrumentation, and vocal ranges of Jackson. It was a pretty good track, and set a bit of an expectation in my head.
Though I will admit that the quality of the songs that followed was top notch, it wasn't until track four, As I Said Before, that I heard something shuffle worthy. Rather than fade out, it actually transitions into their next hit, Who's Behind The Door? Personally, I don't think it's all that amazing. In fact, it's a hard pass for me. In my opinion, the album opener noted above is a far better song.
However, following this one was When You Get There, which really hooked me with the guitar work. The lead and bass work off of each other to create a resonating sound which sucked me right in. As for the remaining three tracks, they had moments of catchy guitars, but overall didn't really feel shuffle worthy. Of the three, The La La Song probably stood out as the better among them.
I don't know, maybe Zebra didn't get the chance they deserved. Maybe they got lost in a time period of up and coming new wave synth pop. Whatever the reason, their debut isn't terrible. Is it as perfect as other reviewers have professed? No, I don't think so, but it's still a hidden gem worth checking out from the era.
They released their follow-up, No Tellin' Lies, in 1984. Ironically, it peaked at number eighty-four. This was followed by 1986's 3.V. Unfortuantely, with declining sales, Atlantic dropped Zebra after its release. Despite this, some critics claim that 3.V is actually a better album then their debut. As for me, I only have their first, and don't really plan on picking up any others (at the moment). Their second album was among the first generation Germany CD's for the USA, so it's a bit more costly than I want to spend. As for their final album, while cheaper, it wouldn't make sense to buy that one and not own the second. So, here we are in a catch twenty-two.
All three members of Zebra returned to the studio to record and release 2003's Zebra IV. However, much like their short lived original careers, most people didn't seem to notice or care. Regardless, they continue to perform live, and as of January 2025 even announced a new studio album in the works. As of this writing (May 2025), no further information has been given on the project.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS October 13, 1984 |
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