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〕〔Buckley 2003, p. 211〕 | Length = 44:18 | Label = EMI | Producer = Neil Harrison | Last album = | This album = ''The Human Menagerie'' (1973) | Next album = ''The Psychomodo'' (1974) }} ''The Human Menagerie'' is the debut studio album by Cockney Rebel. Produced by Neil Harrison, it was released by EMI Records in November 1973. The album failed to appear on British or American charts.〔 ==Background== Having trained as a journalist for three years, Harley embarked on his musical career through "floor-spotting" within London folk clubs during 1971 and 1972.〔http://www.steveharley.com/biography.html〕 The songs that would appear on ''The Human Menagerie'' were largely penned at a time when Harley was on the dole. He spent 1972 busking with the songs in London, in subways and runways under such places as Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Harley would use busking to test his own songs on an audience, and to supplement his income from benefits.〔Booklet of 2012 compilation album Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974〕 He first met violinist John Crocker when he became a member of the folk band Odin. However not feeling entirely suited to the folk scene, as well as wanting a vehicle for his own songs, Harley decided to form his own band Cockney Rebel.〔http://www.steveharley.com/biography.html〕 With Crocker on board, the pair advertised and auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and guitarist Nick Jones. This line-up played one of the band's first gigs at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London, on 23 July 1972, supporting The Jeff Beck Group. Nick was soon replaced by guitarist Pete Newnham but Harley felt that the Cockney Rebel sound did not need an electric guitar and they settled on the combination of Crocker's electric violin and the Fender Rhodes piano of keyboardist Milton Reame-James to share the lead. During 1972, representatives on behalf of the band began to send demo tapes to various labels. Mickie Most discovered the band at a London nightclub known as The Speakeasy, and offered the band their first contact with his RAK Publishing. In turn this influenced the A&R personnel at EMI Records, and during the same year the label offered the band a contract.〔Booklet of 2012 compilation album Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974〕 The band was signed to EMI after having only played five gigs. This three album deal commenced with the recording of the debut album ''The Human Menagerie'' during the summer of 1973.〔http://www.steveharley.com/biography.html〕 The album was recorded in June and July 1973 in Air Studios, London, which at that time was located in Oxford Street above a department store. The album was produced by Neil Harrison, who was an EMI staff producer and A&R man at the time. Harley later recalled Harrison was "fearless as he allowed my imagination to run loose". Harrison had made the suggestion of using a large symphony orchestra and choir for the album. With Geoff Emerick on board as the album's engineer, Andrew Powell was hired and put in charge of the orchestral arrangements. The use of an orchestra required a large budget, and despite Cockney Rebel being a new, uncharted act, Harrison was successful in obtaining the money from EMI.〔Booklet of 2012 compilation album Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974〕 In the booklet for compilation album ''Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974'', Harley recalled the songs for the band's first two albums: ''"I do remember where the songs came from. They came from a young man's dream, where the blending of musical literature and mad, formless imaginings, could hang out together at the same folk club and present him with an entire raison d'etre."''〔Booklet of 2012 compilation album Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974〕 In an article for the Birmingham Post, Harley recalled the first two Cockney Rebel albums: ''"Those first two albums were heavily orchestrated. I was 22 years old, at Abbey Road with a full orchestra and a choir for songs like Sebastian. I'd busked with those songs for a year before Cockney Rebel signed to EMI, so to get all that was just... oh, it was magnificent for a young man."''〔http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/whats-on/music/steve-harley-still-engine-make-6252479〕 Before the album was released, EMI issued the band's debut single "Sebastian" on 31 August 1973. Despite becoming one of Harley's most popular songs, the song failed as a single to break the Top 100 within the UK, though it did peak at #2 in both Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as #30 in Germany.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=ultratop.be - Cockney Rebel - Sebastian )〕 In November 1973, ''The Human Menagerie'' followed, but again failed to make an impact in the UK, though it would end up later gaining critical acclaim and cult status. After "Sebastian" and the album failed to make the UK charts, EMI Records told Harley there were no potential singles from the album, and that the band had yet to record one. Harley responded by writing the follow-up non-album single "Judy Teen" which broke the band into the UK mainstream when it went to #5 in early 1974.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Judy Teen by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Songfacts )〕 A second single from ''The Human Menagerie'' was "Hideaway", released in Denmark only during 1974.〔http://www.45cat.com/record/6c00605562〕 On 24 November 2012, Harley performed live at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. The band, with the orchestra and chamber choir, made up about 50 performers together, saw ''The Human Menagerie'' and ''The Psychomodo'' albums performed in their entirety for the first time. In 2013 the performance was released as a CD album, and DVD release, under the title ''Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir)''.〔http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DQC3T52/ref=dm_rogue_cd〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Human Menagerie」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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