Animal Logic (band)
| Animal Logic | |
|---|---|
 Promotional image of the band, circa the release of Animal Logic II | |
| Background information | |
| Origin: | Los Angeles, California |
| Years active: | 1987 - 1991 |
| Label(s): | I.R.S. Records |
| Associated acts: | The Police |
| Members | |
| Stewart Copeland Deborah Holland Stanley Clarke | |
| Former members | |
| Andy Summers | |
Contents
Band history
Animal Logic began in 1987 as a collaboration between Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke, who had been friends for years going back to Copeland's pre-Police days as tour manager for Joan Armatrading. The two were booked to perform together for a series of dates in South America and, looking to form a mainstream-sounding pop band for the event instead of something more fusion-jazz as might be expected, they listened to hundreds of audition tapes for singers before hearing a two-song demo tape by an as-then unknown piano teacher named Deborah Holland.[1]
Impressed by her voice and songwriting talents, the original band lineup came together and quickly prepared for a tour through Brazil which also featured former Police guitarist Andy Summers. Appearing on this tour under the moniker Rush Hour, Summers departed after this initial effort after deciding he no longer wanted to perform pop music and instead wanted to focus on jazz.[2] There were also some concerns that the band would be too closely looked at and compared to The Police if Andy remained in the line-up. Film scoring and other commitments delayed any further projects for the band for some time, but in 1989, they released their first studio album under the new name, Animal Logic. Holland was the primary songwriter credited on the album, which also featured Steve Howe and Pete Haycock on guitars.
A summer tour of Europe and a fall/winter tour of North America followed in that year and into early 1990. 1991 saw the release of a second album, Animal Logic II, which featured guest appearances by musicians such as Jackson Browne, Glen Phillips, David Lindley and Rusty Anderson, who had been with the band as a touring guitarist since 1989. However, the lack of commercial success of the band led to its demise soon thereafter as Copeland and Clarke were more interested in pursuing film scoring careers than going through the continual rigors of touring and record promotion. To some, the combination of Copeland and Clarke's virtuoso talents with Holland's pop songs had been an uncomfortable mix. Holland was not comfortable with the stage and touring aspects of being in the band, particularly when large sections of the audience were there only to see Copeland and Clarke. Both would both appear on Holland's first solo album, Freudian Slip, released in 1994, after which time she left I.R.S. Records and recorded several albums since then, forming a new folk ensemble, The Refugees, in 2007.
On 2013-09-11, Copeland posted a Sacred Grove video on YouTube featuring an Animal Logic "reunion". Copeland, Holland and Clarke performed a new song by Holland entitled "Whipping Boy".[3]
Band members
- Deborah Holland - vocals (1987 - 1991)
- Stanley Clarke - bass (1987 - 1991)
- Stewart Copeland - drums (1987 - 1991)
- Andy Summers - guitar (1987)
Discography
- Main article: Discography (Animal Logic)
Studio albums
Quotations and Trivia
- The name Animal Logic came about after Stewart Copeland and Miles Copeland III heard a punk tape where they thought the band was singing "Animal logic! Animal logic!" It turned out they were singing something entirely different, but the name appealed for the band and stuck.[4]
- The cover art for the first album, featuring three dalmations, was a rejected cover for The Police Every Breath You Take: The Singles which Stewart liked. When the name Animal Logic was decided upon for the band, the art was deemed perfect for this album instead.[5]
- On the problems of the nature of the band, in 1999 Holland said:[6]
"Critics and fans of Stanley and Stewart thought the music was going to be different than it was. When they saw the names Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke, they weren’t expecting it to be mainstream pop and it was. They thought it would be more wild and experimental. The initial negative reaction was difficult to get over. I also wasn’t the happiest I had ever been in my life in Animal Logic because I lost complete control over my music and because people weren’t interested in seeing me when they came to see the band. They were forced to deal with me. I remember a guy at a show in Brazil who tried to wave me aside to get a better look at Stewart. In Holland, someone threw a beer can on stage next to me. I was miserably depressed after that, but it made me much stronger and I got cockier on stage. I had to develop a tough stage persona. For those fans, the songs were vehicles for Stewart and Stanley to have drum and bass solos. If Stewart and Stanley were unknown and there were no expectations regarding what the band was going to sound like, I think Animal Logic would have done better than it did."
See also
- Discography (Animal Logic)
- Filmography (Animal Logic)
- Memorabilia (Animal Logic)
- Performances (Animal Logic)
External links
- Animal Logic at the Fan History
