Animal Logic: What Happened?

[jeffseitz]

[quote="jerseyfan"]sockii, thanks for the link.

I just found out two amazing facts. First, Andy Summers was going to be in Animal Logic. Wow! I always thought that Stewart and Andy should find another singer- similar to what Van Halen did- and put out albums and tour as a band with a different name. So this all leads to another question: What happened to Andy Summers? Why did he drop out? That would have been an awesome group? Was is creative differences?

The second amazing fact in that article is that Miles Copeland was having financial trouble. How is that possible? At that point Miles had been Sting's manager for ten years. What did he do with all money he made with Sting and with the Police? We're talking about millions and millions of records sold, at least 1,000 sold out concerts and millions of dollars made from T-Shirt sales. What about the money he made with Squeeze, the Go-Go's and all those other groups he had?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT8CY7m9HmE[/quote]

Jerseyfan,

quote "I always thought that Stewart and Andy should find another singer- similar to what Van Halen did- and put out albums and tour as a band with a different name".

At that time The Police was technically still a band and hadn't broken up! Stewart and Andy were busy with their solo careers.

This is my perspective, several decades after the fact, on Andy's non involvement in Animal Logic.

Andy Summers had toured in Brazil and had been invited back by the promoter there to do a few shows in the fall of 1989?? (help me Dietmar or Giovanni). After being asked by Andy if he'd be interested in performing on the tour, Stewart recruited Stanley to join them as a trio. Not being a big fan of the all instrumental concept Stewart campaigned hard to add a vocalist so, as Deborah points out in her interview, he listened to and went to see numerous singers until he came across her demo tape. The trio listened to and liked her material and vocals which resulted in a live audition and Deborah being added to the band. During those shows in Brazil, under the name "Rush Hour", they performed a few of her songs as well as material from Stewart, Stanley and Andy. After returning to the states Stewart and Miles wanted the band to rehearse and go into the studio to record. I believe Andy was more interested in pursuing his own material and was not in a POP frame of mind, so he bowed out. Stewart, Stanley and Deborah arranged, rehearsed and recorded two tracks: "Firing Up The Sunset Gun" and "There's A Spy (In The House Of Love)". The rhythm tracks were recorded at A&M studios in Hollywood with overdubs being added at various studios employing the guitar work of Michael Thompson. Miles signed the band as "Animal Logic" to IRS Records on the strength of those tracks after which they proceeded to record the album followed by some promotional touring.

Regarding your comment about Miles having financial trouble. Financial trouble comes in all shapes and sizes as evidenced by our Government's woes. In most cases a record label or business venture is the entity responsible for an artists career not an individual. Hope this helps.

[TheEqualizer]

Wait. So when did The Police stop being a band? I always though it was over by 1987.

[Dietmar]

Oasis gig: http://www.policefans.org/Police_wiki/i ... 1989-11-02
Palace gig: http://www.policefans.org/Police_wiki/i ... l_Logic%29

the 1987 Rush Hour tour: http://www.policefans.org/Police_wiki/i ... _Hour_Tour

[Kim]

Wait. So when did The Police stop being a band? I always though it was over by 1987.

In hindsight, it was, for us, but I suspect the door was left open in some regard, and at the time, nobody knew it would take Sting so long to get back to that place again, even him, I'll bet. Just my opinion.

[jerseyfan]

Thank you, jeffseitz, for giving us such great historical insight.

This is all, of course, ancient history. However, I have to say that's one train that pulled up to the station and Andy missed. Fans would have flocked to that band with Andy and Stewart. And Holland was an excellent singer/songwriter. Andy and Stewart also had some pretty good songs so that could have been a major band playing big venues. Too bad.

And I catch your drift about Miles. There's a difference between an individual's personal finances and a corporate entity/record company.

The entire history of the Police/the Copelands/Sting/Stewart/Andy/Miles/Ian/CIA/Middle East/archeology is fascinating. It should be made into a movie or a mini-series. I've read all the books written by Andy, Stewart, Sting, Ian Copeland and a Sting bio by Christopher Sandford. They are all great reads. I'm just sorry that Stewart chose not write his own definitive bio with a deep index like Andy. He missed a big opportunity to his stamp on Police history. I hope he will go back write a complete book.

Ian Copeland's story alone is worthy of a movie. His Vietnam War experiences as described in his book are amazing and quite frightening.

[njperry]

Thanks for the background.

I was a fan of Animal Logic, although I wish there were more songs written by Stewart and Stanley Clarke.

The only released Stewart written AL song is a song called "Night Owls" which is discussed here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11349

I was able to see them live. I was going to go in college with a friend and his visiting sister, but the venue was a bar that only allowed those 21 and over in and my friend's sister wasn't yet 21, so I missed the chance.

[cillae]

If you like Animal Logic music go there
Another late Holland - Copeland collaboration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2anCECK-M

Track 'For one moment ' is drawn from Afterburn 1992 TV movie.

Still desparately seeking a boot from the Rush Hour era.........

[giovanni]

I love the first album, I keep on listening to it every now and then...really cool, great songs, great production, great arrangements...love it!
The second did disappointed me a little, but it's still a good piece of work.
...and live...well, when you see on the same stage Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke....no words...just ears!
Deborah Holland has a great voice!!!

[TheEqualizer]

I like the second better than the first, though listening to it now, it is better than I remember

[sockii]

I like the second better than the first, though listening to it now, it is better than I remember

I also *greatly* prefer the second album to the first. I think the second is much more complex and interesting to listen to, especially in terms of Stewart's playing - and Holland's songs.

Yet that does seem to be the unpopular opinion and I don't understand why.

[njperry]

[quote="sockii"]I also *greatly* prefer the second album to the first. I think the second is much more complex and interesting to listen to, especially in terms of Stewart's playing - and Holland's songs.

Yet that does seem to be the unpopular opinion and I don't understand why.[/quote]

It seems that people have a strong preference for either the first or the second (and many people like neither).

I am in the first camp myself. The first has a more comercial, pop sound, which I don't think it necessarily a positive.

[Pezish]

I had a great Animal Logic experience in February 1991 in Chicago. I promise to post some photos of the show and pre-show.

I was hanging around the back of the Park West and I asked one of the local audio hands if she could ask Jeff to step outside to say hi. Sure enough Jeff walked out and we chatted a bit. The stagehand ended up letting me come in during soundcheck (which I bootlegged) because it was so cold out and she figured we were friends with Jeff. It also helped that I was wearing my Klark Kent Kinetic Ritual Tour Jacket...thanks Pecos! I'm considering selling it being that I was only 21 when I got it and I'm thinking it shrunk or maybe I got bigger? Stewart appeared in an issue of Rolling Stone wearing his jacket standing next to Peter Gabriel.

After soundcheck my girlfriend and I hung around and got Stewart, Stanley, and Deborah to sign a bunch of stuff. They could not have been nicer! The show was great; we stood dead center against the stage. The show aired live on WXRT.

Thanks Jeff!!

More to come...

[AndysTelecaster]

[quote="cillae"]

Still desparately seeking a boot from the Rush Hour era.........[/quote]

Bit of a holy grail for me as well - I'd love to hear this band. I've heard of its existence, as apparently some of the shows were televised, but have never come across a recording.

I do get the feeling that the timing just wasn't right for Andy to do commit. He was just coming off his XYZ album and tour and it hadn't been particularly successful. I think he was soured on pop music generally and interested in doing his solo instrumental thing.

[smax]

i forgot that i won a copy of the first album signed by all from the outlandos club. that was cool.

when i saw them in london in '89, it was filmed and broadcast with lots of shots of a 15 year old me getting squashed at the front, and i remember some old bootlegger threatening to break my legs if i pushed into him again. wanker. i was only 15.

[Bob from NJ]

Animal Logic Live was far better than the CDs.
I saw The Palace show and The Oasis in San Jose. Some secret show or warm up show at a restaurant in LA?

The problem with the band that I think led to its dismissal apart from elusive commercial success, is that Stewart and Stanley absolutely blew Holland off the stage and into the balcony. They also had some guitarist named Rusty I think who was eternally lost in songs like Lopsy Lu and others.

That would be Rusty Anderson, who has played guitar for Paul McCartney for the past 10 years.

Good to see Stewart found him first