Completely overlooked by both press and public at the time of release,
Babylon Zoo's sophomore album could not help but wilt beneath comparison with its predecessor. For starters, there was nothing in sight to even approach the peaks that their debut hit "Spaceman" attained; nor, with almost two years separating its release from the band's moment of fame, could it even pretend to be a timely follow-up. But, get past those immediate prejudices, and
King Kong Groover actually emerges at least as strong as its illustrious forbear, from the opening (and hopefully not autobiographical) lament of "All the Money's Gone," through to the delicate grand slam finale "Aroma Girl." It is, after all, recognizable
Babylon Zoo, even if that aforementioned opener sounds more like an unholy collision between
Oasis and
Barry Blue's "Dancing on a Saturday Night." What, after all, were
Jas Mann's strongest influences if not the current crop of Brit-poppers, clashed with a healthy regard for old glam rock (and the wryest hint of
Nirvana)? Certainly the cover of
Mott the Hoople's "Honaloochie Boogie" leaves nothing to the imagination, while the sci-fi inflections of "Manhattan Martian" and "Honeymoon in Space" are nothing if not the disinherited offspring of old
Jobriath. There's the same yearning majesty, the same neo-operatic flair and, above all, the same ambitious attempt to raise the whole shebang so far above the norm that only the most extreme reactions -- absurd success or abject failure -- could await. Posterity took the latter course, but in years to come, this album will be rediscovered, reappraised and, if there's a
Babylon Zoo revival around the year 2020, remember you read it here first. ~ Dave Thompson