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Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction are a British hard rock group.
The band is the brainchild of Mark Manning, a former graphic artist and art editor of the now defunct flexipop magazine. The magazine folded back in 1982 but the hedonistic lifesytle of the frequenting rock and pop stars to the magazine' offices fueled his desire to experience the debauchery of life as a decadent rock star, he assumed the alter ego, Zodiac Mindwarp (AKA Zed), and formed the Love Reaction back in the 1985 with Jimmy Cauty - Guitar, Kid Chaos (real name Stephen Harris)- Bass and Boom Boom Kaboomski - Drums.
The lineup was changed however for their first recording an EP called Wild Child on the FOOD Ltd label for Polgram records featuring Jimmy Cauty's replacement Cobalt Stargazer (real name Geoff Bird after an introduction from their at the time exotic dancer partners and the start of a lifetime friendship was formed. Slam Thunderhide (real name Stephen Landrum) replaces Kaboomski although Jake Le Mesurier is credited on the inner sleave. Other hellish characers that graced the stage were Flash Bastard (real name Jan Cyrka), Suzy X (who persued a legal suit after her dismissal from the group), Tex Diablo (real name Christopher Renshaw), and Robbie Vom (real name Rob Morris).
Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction play a sleazy style of commercial hard rock featuring big riffs and choruses, as was the trend in the band’s heyday of the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. The camp lyrics are intended as self-parody, and can be seen as either humorous by those who "get the joke", or offensive by those who take them at face value, for their often lascivious and misogynist tone. Song titles like "Back Seat Education", "Feed My Frankenstein", "High Heeled Heaven", and "Trash Madonna" illustrate Mindwarp's tongue-in-cheek approach. Lyrical content also exhibits a send up of cult worship, often of Zodiac Mindwarp's self-proclaimed raging libido, with Mindwarp claiming the titles sex fuhrer, love dictator, and high priest of love. Songs such as "Holy Gasoline", "President of the United States of Love", "Messianic Reprise", and "Elvis Died for You" are similarly inclined. Although often overlooked, Mindwarp has written songs such as "Hoodlum Thunder", from the album of the same name, that offer a scathing take on the then-current political actions of western powers, particularly commenting on war and imperialism.
The act produced a UK Singles Chart Top 20 hit with the breakthrough record "Prime Mover", a song that was inspired musically by Hawkwind's 1977 track "Quark, Strangeness and Charm", itself heavily inspired by the German group NEU!
They toured the US supporting Alice Cooper and Guns N' Roses on dozens of dates in 1988. After a few gigs, they were moved up to the middle of the bill between Cooper and Guns N' Roses. Stargazer, Thunderhide and Bastard were also featured in the film "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II" performing with Slash and Axl Rose (from Guns N' Roses) and Alice Cooper, in an encore from this tour featuring Cooper's hit "Under My Wheels". The Love Reaction's 1987 album Tattooed Beat Messiah failed to sell well enough in the States, resulting in them being dropped by their record label with outstanding debts, according to Zodiac himself. The Tattooed Beat Messiah LP spawned 5 videos that received regular rotation on MTV's "Headbangers Ball" and host Ricki Rachtman claimed the band as one of his all time favorites, and most underrated bands of the era.
Occasionally referred to as "biker rock", the band's style of hard rock is reflected in their outlandish attire, which tends to parody the post-apocalyptic Mad Max biker look. Mötley Crüe declared them to be their favourite band and immediately restyled themselves for the Girls, Girls, Girls record.
They adopted a more common "street look" recently, circa their comeback, around 1999.
In recent years, Manning has established himself as an author, penning Bad Wisdom (1996, with Bill Drummond), Crucify Me Again (2000), Get Your Cock Out (2000), Fucked by Rock (2001), Collateral Damage, The Wild Highway (2005, again with Drummond). Manning is also a regular contributor to The Idler magazine.
Notable collaborations[edit]
- Mindwarp co-wrote the track "There's a Barbarian in the Back of My Car" on the Voice of the Beehive album Let It Bee.
- He also co-wrote the track "Feed My Frankenstein" which appeared on the Alice Cooper album Hey Stoopid. Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction recorded their own version of the song which appeared on the album Hoodlum Thunder.
- In 1992 Mindwarp appeared on the album 456 by The Grid, performing lead vocals on the track "Fire Engine Red". Love Reaction guitarist Cobalt Stargazer also appeared on the album, performing on the tracks "Face the Sun" and "Leave Your Body".
- The Love Reaction once appeared as Belinda Carlisle's (mimed) backing band at a late 80s/early 90s award show for the song "Leave a light on for me"
Discography[edit]
Singles and EPs[edit]
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart Position[1] | UK Chart Position[2][3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 1986 | "Wild Child EP" | #9 | – |
| Aug | 1986 | "High Priest of Love EP" | #1 | – |
| May | 1987 | "Prime Mover" | #18 | |
| Nov | 1987 | "Back Seat Education" | #49 | |
| Apr | 1988 | "Planet Girl" | #63 | |
| 1993 | "My Life Story EP" | – |
Albums[edit]
- Tattooed Beat Messiah (Mar 1988) – UK No. 20 (re-released in 1997 as The Best of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction)
- Hoodlum Thunder (1991)
- Live at Reading (1993)
- One More Knife (1994)
- I Am Rock (2002)
- Weapons of Mass Destruction (live album) (2004)
- Rock Savage (2005)
- Pandora's Grisly Handbag (1986 live album and DVD) (2006)
- We Are Volsung (2010)
References[edit]
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 265
- ^ "Zodiac Mindwarp", Chart Stats, retrieved 2011-02-19
- ^ "Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction", Chart Stats, retrieved 2011-02-19