For this peculiar release, Gateway Records split an LP between tracks by
the Human Beinz and a much more obscure band, the Mammals. The five tracks by
the Human Beinz are the ones that interest collectors, since
the Human Beinz were a '60s group that actually had a hit, albeit just one ("Nobody But Me"). All five of these cuts, however -- including an earlier demo version of "Nobody But Me" that's pretty good, but not as exciting as the familiar chart single recording -- were done prior to the success of the "Nobody But Me" 45 on the Capitol label. The other four
Human Beinz tracks are from 1967 singles on the Gateway label, and show them to be a decent but unoriginal band, offering well-performed covers of
Crispian St. Peters' "The Pied Piper,"
the Who's "My Generation,"
Them's "Gloria," and
Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin' " (following
the Byrds' folk-rock arrangement). The six tracks by the Mammals are all covers as well, though while
the Human Beinz were a very good cover band, the Mammals were a colorlessly competent one, offering unmemorable blue-eyed soul renditions of hits by the likes of
the Miracles,
Stevie Wonder,
the Supremes, and
Sam & Dave. Even
the Human Beinz tracks are only for fanatics, given that they were a minor group and that all of the songs are covers. If you are fanatical, however, you'll probably find it easier to locate the 1999 CD reissue (on the Italian Get Back label) than the original LP. ~ Richie Unterberger