Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction -- Back-Seat Education
- Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction
- Title: Back-Seat Education
- Year: 1987
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1987 – I probably got it when I was working at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Maybe
With titles like “Back-Seat Education”, “Whore of Babylon”, “Lager Woman from Hell”, and “Messin’ With My Best Friend’s Girl” if you can’t guess that this is another Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction record then you’ve probably never heard of the band. On this 12 inch single these kings of sleaze rock stay true to form, lyrically and otherwise. The main track, “Back-Seat Education”, is by far the slickest with big time production and even a horn section. It’s full of the usual Zodiac hard rock hooks. The other three, for the most part, sound like the silly dashed off ditties destined for B-sides that they are.
What’s probably most interesting is the packaging. If you look closely at the picture you’ll see that the cover is a heavy vinyl material with ridges, like you might find in the back seat of an older car
Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction -- Prime Mover
- Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction
- Title: Prime Mover
- Year: 1987
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 6
- Owner: Tracy / Mary – Both had copies.
- Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Yes
Another Zodiac Mindwarp 12 inch. “Prime Mover” like some other singles would eventually end up on their first full LP. “Prime Mover” is fun single with the usual silly/funny/stupid lyrics and a rocking mid-tempo riff perfect for the dance floor. The flipside has a couple throw-away cuts that aren’t worthy of description, but the back cover artwork is cool. For some reason despite a couple rounds of purging our dupes we still have two copies of this one. I probably wouldn’t keep either, but I do have somewhat of a Zodiac collection going.
Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction -- Wild Child
- Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction
- Title: Wild Child
- Year: 1987 ? No year listed anywhere.
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 5
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1987 – Bought it when I worked at Mother’s Records in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Maybe
House hunting across the USA is not always fun. I got home at 2 AM after 8 hours of driving with my brother and his wife. We were checking out Asheville, NC, and it was definitely cool. After talking over some options with Mary I called my realtor to get an offer going on a house we really liked. He called me back with the bad news that someone had made an offer a couple hours before and the buyers had accepted it. What the hell?
Anyhow… this is a 12 inch single. I’m not really a completist, but I do have tons of Zodiac records. The only reason I may keep this mediocre disk is just because it’s part of the collection. Maybe I’m being hard on this record because of my mood, but I listened to it before I left so I don’t think so. It’s dance hall mixes of sleaze rock and there are some fun moments but overall it’s just dull. And Mark Manning/Zodiac Mindwarp’s picture on the cover is a bit much don’t you think? Still a fan, but damn.
Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction -- High Priest Of Love
- Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction
- Title: High Priest Of Love
- Year: 1986
- Format: Vinyl 12 in.
- Rating (1-10): 9
- Owner: Tracy
- Acquired: 1986 – Bought it when I was working at Mother’s Record & Tapes in Hampton, VA.
- Keeper: Yes
This EP came out at just the right time for me. There was a dearth of heavy guitar rock, at least any that I could stand to listen to. I’m not saying these guys are smart, but they are smart-assed. And that makes the otherwise completely sleazy lyrics funny. Get a load of these song titles: High Priest of Love, Hymn of The Speed Kings, High Heel Heaven, Kick Start Me For Love, etc.
There are only six songs in all and it sounds like they could barely pull those off, not that they can’t play. It’s just that this kind of rock and roll chaos clearly could be sustained much longer. This is not the most important music ever made, but it sure was fun.
