It's Not Unusual (Dread Zeppelin album)

Last updated
It's Not Unusual
Dread Zeppelin Its not unusual.JPG
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 6, 1992
Length45:20
Label I.R.S
Producer Jah Paul Jo,
Rasta Li-Mon,
Greg Edward
Dread Zeppelin chronology
5,000,000
(1991)
It's Not Unusual
(1992)
Hot & Spicy Beanburger
(1993)

It's Not Unusual is the third album by the musical group Dread Zeppelin, released by I.R.S. Records in 1992. The album presents a shift from reggae-tinged Led Zeppelin covers to disco music cover songs from the 1970s.

Contents

The album was produced by Jah Paul Jo, Rasta Li-Mon and Greg Edward.

Recording

Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon decided early on that they would like to attempt to record basic tracks for the album at their own home studio, The Mapletree Ranch. To accomplish this, they hoped to bring in an outside engineer/producer with the mobile equipment necessary. Early candidates were Ron and Russell Mael, collectively known as Sparks, who were keen to produce but had problems with scheduling. [1]

Greg Edward was a staff engineer and producer at Virgin Studios and also had the recording gear necessary. He became a valuable member of the production team and also served as cheerleader when the going got tough due to personnel changes within the band.

Sessions for the album began in early 1992. Within weeks it became obvious that Tortelvis had personal problems and would not be able to continue. Some early recordings of songs from "It's Not Unusual" exist with Tortelvis vocals. Basic tracks continued to be recorded despite the fact that Dread Zeppelin no longer had a lead vocalist.

After an exhaustive search for a replacement, it was decided that band bassist, Put-Mon, would take on the vocal duties. Inexplicably taking on the name of Gary B.I.B.B., Put-Mon cut a more trim, youthful, pre-Army era Elvis-like figure.

"It's Not Unusual Live!" Dztv unusuallive 72.jpg
"It's Not Unusual Live!"

With the departure of Tortelvis, as well as Ed Zeppelin and drummer Fresh Cheese 'n' Cheese, the production team decided a new approach was necessary. Rasta Li-Mon introduced "Velveeta," a computer-driven drum machine and samples box that included a lot of the sound effects that the live Dread Zeppelin had become famous for. Augmenting "Velveeta" was new percussionist, Spice.

Overdubs were recorded at Virgin Studios in Los Angeles with Greg Edward engineering. The band were honored to have Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who contribute a guest vocal and guitar solo on his composition, "Takin' Care of Business."

Also adding several amazing vocal performances was the legendary Screamin' Jay Hawkins who had become a regular at Dread Zeppelin gigs in the Los Angeles area. In the true Dread Zeppelin spirit, Screamin' Jay insisted on being credited on the album as "Dr. Paradox." "Jungle Boogie" became a vocal tour-de-force for Screamin' Jay as he both sings and performs his trademark vocal effects.

The album's final mix was recorded at Scream Studio in Studio City, CA by Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon.

Album Cover

The original working title of the album was "Groovy Booty Bomb" [2] which is where it was to be filed according to the finished cover. Photos for the album cover were by I.R.S. Art Director Hugh Brown. The band show off their new glittering Disco outfits designed exclusively by Consuela of Soto Street. Album cover and alternate longbox cover was designed by fRed Davis. On the longbox cover, each member of the band hold up their individual instruments which, by this time in their career, had become quite stylized.

Controversy

This version of the band caused more of a stir than the original explosive popularity of Un Led-Ed. Their sudden change in style to disco and the absence of Tortelvis puzzled long-time listeners. Reviews were mixed, but extremely polarized - either extremely positive or negative. Despite many positive reviews of their live concerts and a North American tour, sales of the album failed to meet expectations and Dread Zeppelin were dropped by I.R.S. Records. However, soon after Dread Zeppelin left I.R.S., the label signed another act called "The King" whose act was doing covers Elvis-style, but he never came close to achieving the popularity of Dread Zeppelin.

Two songs were withheld from the final version of "It's Not Unusual." The sequel to the Dread Zeppelin original song "Do the Claw", called "Do the Claw (Again)", was withheld for copyright considerations (too much like Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again"). "Brickhouse of the Holy" was pulled because of reservations by co-writer of "Brick House," Lionel Richie.

Track listing

  1. "Disco Inferno" - 6:57
  2. "You Should Be Dancing" - 3:34
  3. "Night Fever" - 5:08
  4. "Shaft" - 3:03
  5. "Jungle Boogie" - 4:17
  6. "Ramble On" - 5:30
  7. "More Than a Woman" - 4:10
  8. "Jive Talkin'" - 4:35
  9. "Dancin' On The Killing Floor" - 3:37
  10. "Takin' Care of Business" - 4:28

Personnel

Production

Recorded at:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screamin' Jay Hawkins</span> American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer

Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You", he sometimes used macabre props onstage, making him an early pioneer of shock rock. He received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the 1989 indie film Mystery Train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dread Zeppelin</span> American rock band

Dread Zeppelin is an American reggae rock band. Formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California, the band combines hard rock and reggae styles with humor. They are best known for performing the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style as sung by a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator. Over the years they have also performed songs originally by Elvis Presley, Bob Marley and The Yardbirds. The group toured extensively around the world during their tenure with I.R.S. Records.

<i>No Quarter Pounder</i> 1995 studio album by Dread Zeppelin

No Quarter Pounder is an album by the American band Dread Zeppelin, released in 1995. Its title is wordplay on the Led Zeppelin song "No Quarter", and the name of a McDonald's hamburger, the Quarter Pounder. The band promoted the album with a North American tour.

<i>National Lampoons Last Resort</i> 1994 film

National Lampoon's Last Resort is a 1994 direct-to-video comedy film directed by Rafal Zielinski. The film stars Corey Feldman and Corey Haim as Sam and Dave, two friends who are visiting a Caribbean island resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Miller (musician)</span> Jamaican reggae artist (1952–1980)

Jacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist and Rastafari from Mandeville, Jamaica. His first recording session was with the famous Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd in the late 1960s. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for the reggae group Inner Circle. Miller recorded and toured with Inner Circle until he and his son died in a car accident in 1980. Miller was only 27 years old.

<i>Un-Led-Ed</i> 1990 studio album by Dread Zeppelin

Un-Led-Ed is the debut album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1990. The album received a public endorsement by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant, who claimed he preferred Dread Zeppelin's cover of "Your Time Is Gonna Come" to the Led Zeppelin original.

<i>5,000,000</i> 1991 studio album by Dread Zeppelin

5,000,000 is Dread Zeppelin's second full-length album. Recorded in early fall 1990, it was conceived and recorded during a three-week break from touring to support the surprisingly successful Un-Led-Ed. Produced by Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon, the album once again featured their patented "Zeppelin-Inna-Reggae-Style" hybrid plus 3 original songs and a cover of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" by The Yardbirds. The album was released worldwide by I.R.S. Records in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boogie Shoes</span> 1978 single by KC and the Sunshine Band

"Boogie Shoes" is a funk/disco song by KC and the Sunshine Band, which first appeared on their 1975 self-titled album. The song became a hit after it appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977. It was subsequently released as a single and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 29 on the soul chart in 1978. Before its 1978 release as an A-side, the song was the B-side to the 1976 single "Shake Your Booty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Jah</span> Musical artist

Carl Jah is an American rock musician and co-founder of the band Dread Zeppelin. He was the lead guitarist with the band from its founding until 1995, and returned for a period in the 2000s. In 2012, he released his first solo album, Re-Purpose.

The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies is a band from Nashville, Tennessee, US, which was formed in April 1991. The band features a heavy southern bluesy jam oriented style which led to comparisons with groups such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Brother Cane and Cry of Love.

<i>The Song Remains Insane</i> 1996 live album by Dread Zeppelin

The Song Remains Insane is the tenth album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1996. It is a double live album from their tour recorded in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Copenhagen and Las Vegas.

<i>Rockn Roll</i> (Dread Zeppelin album) 1991 EP by Dread Zeppelin

Rock’n Roll is a limited edition Dread Zeppelin album from 1991 available only in Japan. The album contains both studio recordings and live performances. The short running time of the album suggests that it was at a promotional tool for the band in Japan.

<i>Hot & Spicy Beanburger</i> 1993 studio album by Dread Zeppelin

Hot and Spicy Beanburger, released in 1993, is the fourth studio album by Dread Zeppelin. This album saw the return of Tortelvis, the lead singer who had left the band and did not appear on the previous album, It's Not Unusual.

<i>The Fun Sessions</i> 1996 studio album by Dread Zeppelin

The Fun Sessions is the 8th studio album by Dread Zeppelin, and the first made with Imago Records. It is described as “Tortelvis sings the classics”, where “classics” are songs from the late-1960s and early-1970s particularly loved by the band. The album title is a wordplay on Elvis's The Sun Sessions.

<i>The Best of Led Zeppelin</i> 1999 greatest hits album series by Led Zeppelin

The Best of Led Zeppelin is a two-volume best-of compilation album series by English rock group Led Zeppelin; containing selections from all of the band's studio albums it was released by Atlantic Records. Volume one, Early Days was released on November 23, 1999; volume two, Latter Days, was released on March 21, 2000. Early Days is composed of tracks from the period in the band's history dating 1968 to 1971 and doesn't use a traditional "greatest hits" format as Led Zeppelin largely avoided single releases. Latter Days covered 1973 to 1979. Early Days debuted at #71 on the Billboard's Pop Albums chart and Latter Days debuted at #81. A combined disc set, called Early Days and Latter Days, was released on November 19, 2002. Both Early Days and Early Days and Latter Days were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jah Paul Jo</span> American singer-songwriter

Joseph Jack "Severs" Ramsey, better known by his stage name Jah Paul Jo was an American musician, singer and producer best known for creating the novelty band Dread Zeppelin. From 1983 to 1988, Ramsey was the singer/bass player in The Prime Movers. Ramsey was also the owner of independent record label Birdcage Records, which has released albums by Dread Zeppelin, The Prime Movers, Stan Ridgway, Ron Asheton, In Vivo, The Mystery Band and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Prime Movers (Los Angeles band)</span>

The Prime Movers were a rock band from the Sierra Madre, California area known for its post-punk ethereal sound and lyrics evocative of the New West.

<i>Dynamite Monster Boogie Concert</i> 1993 studio album by Raging Slab

Dynamite Monster Boogie Concert is a studio album by American hard rock band Raging Slab, released in 1993. It was released digitally in 2009.

<i>Ruins</i> (Dread Zeppelin album) 1996 compilation album by Dread Zeppelin

Ruins is a Dread Zeppelin album featuring B-sides, alternate mixes and previously unreleased tracks. It was originally released exclusively to members of the Dread Zeppelin fan club in 1996, before being made available to the general public later that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natty Nation</span> American rock and reggae band

Natty Nation is an American rock and reggae band from Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1995, as of April 20, 2017, the lineup included Demetrius "Jah Boogie" Wainwright, Aaron Konkol AKA Eyes of Moses, Anthony Paul Willis (drums), & Nick Czarnecki (guitar). The group has released several studio albums since their 1996 debut The Journey Has Just Begun..., in 2010 Isthmus (newspaper) named their 1998 release Earth Citizen one of the "top 25 Madison pop albums of all time," writing that "Natty Nation's mix of roots reggae and hard rock proved unique and gained a following that remains today," and their 2016 release, Divine Spark debuted at #3 on the Billboard (magazine) Reggae Chart.

References

  1. The Making Of It's Not Unusual By Jah Paul Jo
  2. The Making Of It's Not Unusual By Jah Paul Jo