Shakin' the Cage

Shakin' the Cage
Studio album by The Zoo
Released	16 June 1992
Genre	Rock, blues rock
Label	Capricorn
Producer	Mick Fleetwood, Billy Thorpe
The Zoo chronology
I'm Not Me (1983) Shakin' the Cage (1992) Total Drumming (2001)

Shakin' the Cage is an album by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood's spin-off band The Zoo, released in June 1992. The album features Bekka Bramlett who would join Fleetwood Mac the following year as well as two of Fleetwood Mac's touring musicians, the former past and the latter future: Isaac Asante and Brett Tuggle. The title track was co-written by then-Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnette and reached the top twenty on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. ^[1] The album was primarily written by Australian star Billy Thorpe, who also featured in the band.

Background

Fleetwood had recorded with The Zoo since 1983 and released the album I'm Not Me that same year with the band. ^[2] During the 1980s, The Zoo continued to perform live with various lineups, some of which included Kenny Gradney, and Bobbye Hall. In 1987 interview, Fleetwood expressed interest in recording an album with Jeff Baxter. ^[3]

Thorpe joined The Zoo in 1990 as their lead singer and primary songwriter; all of the songs on the album were either co-written or solely written by Thorpe. ^[4] The Zoo was also augmented by Bekka Bramlett, who shared lead vocals with Thorpe both on the album and the accompanying tour. Fleetwood first encountered Bramlett while she was performing onstage with her father, Delaney Bramlett; he successfully lobbied her to join The Zoo after informing her of the band's touring commitments in Australia with Thorpe. ^[5]

The initial recording sessions took place at Thorpe's home studio in Encino, Los Angeles, where the vocals were also overdubbed. Additional sessions occurred at Ocean Way Recording; the music video for the title track was filmed in downtown Los Angeles. ^[5]

Track listing

All tracks written by Billy Thorpe, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Reach Out"		5:19
2.	"God Created Woman"	Delaney Bramlett, Thorpe	4:51
3.	"Night Life"		6:01
4.	"Shakin' the Cage"	Billy Burnette, Thorpe	4:15
5.	"Voodoo"		7:26
6.	"How Does It Feel"		4:17
7.	"The Night and You"		4:19
8.	"Takin' It Out to the People"		4:33
9.	"Breakin' Up"		4:57
10.	"In Your Hands"		6:17

Personnel

The Zoo

• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
• Bekka Bramlett – lead and backing vocals
• Billy Thorpe – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, synth programming, percussion ^[6]
• Gregg Wright – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals
• Tom Lilly – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Brett Tuggle – keyboards, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Isaac Asante – percussion on "In Your Hands"
• Delaney & Bonnie – backing vocals on "In Your Hands"
• Kenny Gradney – bass guitar on "How Does It Feel"

Production

• Produced by Mick Fleetwood and Billy Thorpe
• Engineered by Billy Thorpe, Ken Allardyce, Rail Jon Rogut, Bob Loftus, Eric Rudd, Allen Sides

References

1. "Billboard Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard . 8 August 1992. p. 66. Retrieved 12 May 2025– via World Radio History.
2. Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 214. ISBN   978-1-4027-8630-3.
3. Burlingame, Burl (25 March 1987). "The Eternal Rock 'n' Roller: Fleetwood Says He'll Never Stop". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . pp.  C1, C6 . Retrieved 5 July 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. Himes, Geoffery (21 June 1992). "Fleetwood Mac Alumni, On Their Own". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
5. Greene, Andy (9 March 2023). "What It Was Like to Replace Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
6. "Shakin' the Cage - The Zoo - Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 November 2017.