POST NO. 42: THE ORIGINAL ANIMAL MAN

The original animal man was not this dude, nor was it the former Alex P. Keaton or this furball. No, folks, it was Kim Fucking Fowley, possibly the most un-sung zero of the under-over-ground rock and roll producer sect of the Swingin' Sixties and the Stoned Seventies. He had his hands on everything from Cat Stevens and The Runaways to Soft Machine and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". When he wasn't playing the part of Phil Spector-cum-Joe Meek, he was lending a helping hand to The Byrds and The Beach Boys, or better yet writing his own "obscuro" material. The man is a genius, and he's finally getting his due thanks to the compilations Underground Animal and Impossible But True, the latter of which comes more highly recommended.

Here's a few tracks from Impossible But True to showcase Fowley's warped genius. We start with "Animal Man," released in 1968 shortly after Fowley turned down an offer from Frank Zappa to become a permanent member of the Mothers of Invention. Then we'll cruise back in time to 1963 to hear "Popsicles & Icicles," a song produced (but not written) by Fowley for an all-girl group called The Murmaids. He hoped they would become the female equivalent of The Beach Boys. The single reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts, but obviously the girls lacked the staying power of the Wilson brothers.

Finally, I give you one of my favorite garage tunes of all time, the 'N Betweens' "Security". The song is a brilliant adaptation of the Otis Redding original, and while the 'N Betweens flopped, this cover has stood the test of time.

Kim Fowley - "Animal Man"

The Murmaids - "Popsicles & Icicles"

'N Betweens - "Security"

For more on Kim Fowley, see his home on the web, which appears as if it was designed in the year 1997.