Scott's Spotlight #12-- Zebra
Originally posted to Facebook on November 21, 2024
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Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #12. For more information about this series, please click here:
Today it is time to take a deep dive into one of my favorite yet highly underappreciated bands, Zebra. Funnily enough, just after I chose to feature Zebra, I discovered that they will be doing a show in Jackson, MS in December, only about 2 hours from where I live, and I plan to attend; it will be my first time getting to see them.
The roots of Zebra go back a full decade prior to the release of their first album. In New Orleans in 1973, two teenagers named Randy Jackson (guitar and lead vocals) and Felix Hanneman (bass, keyboards and backing vocals) were part of a five piece band called Shepherd’s Bush. By the end of 1974, the two would leave that band. Jackson would start a new band with drummer Guy Gelso, a California native who came to Mardi Gras in 1972 and never left, called Maelstrom, in which they would eventually be joined by Hanneman and a fourth member named Tim Thorson (Keyboards). Eventually, Thornson would leave and the others continued as a trio. By 1975, they decided to find a new monniker. While discussing potential band names in a club in New Orleans called The Boot, the guys noticed the cover of a 1922 “Vogue” magazine on the wall with a painting that depicted a woman riding a zebra, and that inspired the name. The trio began to gain popularity on the New Orleans club scene, playing a combination of cover songs and original material. The band’s big influences were Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and the Moody Blues. The LZ influence gave the band their hard rock edge, and inspired Jackson to develop a strong falsetto voice for the high notes. On the other side of the coin, the other bands brought a prog rock touch to their hard rocking songs. Over time, Zebra wanted to expand their reach beyond New Orleans and were told about the active music scene on New York’s Long Island. The band then began splitting their time between the two areas. On Long Island, they became close with other bands on that scene such as Rat Race Choir, The Good Rats and…Twisted Sister! Zebra and Twisted Sister are known to have been very close as bands, despite the very different approaches to hard rock that the two bands pursued. After several years of building a fan base in both areas, Zebra’s music began to get airplay on Radio Stations in both markets. The song “Who’s Behind the Door,” in particular, began to gain attention and was frequently requested on those stations (WBAB in Long Island, and WRNO in New Orleans). The band finally got their big break when they were signed to Atlantic Records in 1982. The band was excited to be on the same label who signed Led Zeppelin and Yes.
The self-titled debut became the fastest selling debut album in Atlantic records history, selling 75,000 albums in just the first week after it was released in 1983. Music videos for “Tell Me What You Want,” and “Who’s Behind the Door,” began to air on MTV, and the album would achieve gold record status (and it is said on Zebra’s website that it is approaching platinum status, but I have no other verification of that). Prog fans may enjoy the aforementioned “Who’s Behind the Door,” “Take Your Fingers From My Hair,” and “The La La Song,” as those have the strongest prog leanings. The more straight-up hard rock songs include “Tell Me What You Want,” “As I Said Before,” and “One More Chance.” There is a cover of the Larry Williams R&B hit from the 60s “Slow Down,” that was also covered by The Beatles. Zebra’s version also adds in a bit of Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes.” The album was produced by Jack Douglas, famous for his work with Aerosmith and John Lennon. It reached #29 on Billboard’s album chart.
The follow up, “No Tellin’ Lies,” was released by Atlantic in 1984. It was also produced by Jack Douglas. Unfortunately, the band felt rushed to get a new album out and felt that the quality of the songs suffered as a result. That said, there are some strong tracks on the album, including “Bears,” “Wait Until the Summer’s Gone,” “But No More,” “I Don’t Like It,” and “Lullaby,” which is a tribute to John Lennon with some Beatles-like qualities to it. In my opinion, Zebra’s popularity suffered because they were lumped into the 80s glam-metal movement (later known as “hair metal”). So while they were friends with Twisted Sister, their music and especially lyrics, were much more mature and sophisticated, without the “sleaze factor” of bands like Atlantic label mates Ratt. The album only reached #85 on Billboard.
The next album from Zebra would come in 1986, titled “3.V.” By that time, any momentum they had was lost, and the album didn’t chart. It’s a real shame, as the album rivals the debut as their best. I LOVE this album! From the opening rocker, “Can’t Live Without,” to the beautiful and proggy “Time,” and the catchy “Hard Living Without You,” the album is wonderful from start to finish. Rather than go out as an opening act, Zebra chose to do a headlining tour of smaller venues and clubs to support the album. Soon after, Atlantic dropped Zebra from the label.
Or did they? Atlantic reached out to Zebra, who had continued as a live act, and offered them the opportunity to release a live album after the label received many requests from fans. The resulting album is 1990’s “Zebra Live.” The album contains songs from each of the 3 albums, as well as one previously unreleased song, “Last Time.” The album closes with an amazing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean.”
Sadly, though, that would indeed, be the final Zebra album from Atlantic. The band would take a few years off in the early 90s, and Randy Jackson formed a solo band called Randy Jackson’s China Rain in 1991 and released a single album with them called “Bed of Nails.” Zebra would re-convene in 1994, and have been touring off and on ever since. In 1998, a label called Mayhem Records released “The Best of Zebra: In Black and White.” While basically a compilation of songs from the Atlantic albums, the album is of interest to Zebra fans as it contains several demo versions of songs going back as far as 1978. The following year, the band’s appearance on the “King Biscuit Flower Hour,” (a live concert radio series that was syndicated for many years in the US) recorded on the “No Tellin’ Lies” tour was released on CD, along with an interview with the band that had been recorded in 1985.
In 2003, something highly unexpected happened. A new Zebra studio album appeared! “Zebra IV” is also released by Mayhem Records. While many people don’t know about it, it is a very strong album based on the songs I have listened to from it. The album opener “Arabian Nights” is very strong, and I also enjoyed “Angels Calling,” “K.K. Is Hiding,” and “Why.” I am currently listening to “Waiting to Die,” and it is unlike any other Zebra song I have heard. It is bluesy, with a saxophone, and a killer guitar solo.
While that has been the last Zebra album to date, the band continues to tour frequently. In 2007, Drummer Guy Gelso was treated for chest cancer, and Bobby Rondinelli (ex-Rainbow) filled-in until he returned. In 2010, Zebra were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2013, Zebra performed on the “Cruise to the Edge,” alongside numerous prog bands. There have been numerous rumblings from the band that a new album is coming in 2024, but we are deep into the year, and nothing yet. There is also word that a documentary DVD is being produced and the shows in New Orleans coming very soon on November 22 and 23, 2024 are set to be filmed for a video as well. Let's hope that these plans come to fruition soon to satisfy long-suffering Zebra fans like me!
From Comments:
Links for Listening:
From “Zebra”
“Who’s Behind the Door”
“Take Your Fingers From My Hair”
“The La La Song”
From “No Tellin’ Lies”
“Wait Until the Summer’s Gone”
“Bears”
“Lullaby”
From “3.V”
“Can’t Live Without”
“Hard Living Without You”
From “Live”
“Last Time”
“The Ocean” (LZ Cover)
From “IV”
“Arabian Nights”
“Angels Calling”
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