Editing Babylon Zoo

{{Short description|English rock band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Babylon Zoo
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| image_size       = 
| origin           = [[Wolverhampton]], England
| instrument       = 
| genre            = [[Alternative rock]], [[electronic rock]]
| years_active     = 1992–2000
| label            = [[Phonogram Records|Phonogram]], [[Warner Bros. Records|WEA]], [[EMI]]
| associated_acts  = 
| current_members  = 
| past_members     = {{plainlist|
* [[Jas Mann]]
* Carrie Melbourne
* Dave Goodes
* [[Darrin Mooney]]
* Paul Alcock
* Robin Alcock
* [[Broom Bezzums|Mark Bloomer]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/music-nightlife-news/broom-bezzums-germanys-most-famous-6673070|title=Broom Bezzums: Germany's most famous English folk band gear up for UK tour - The Journal|first=David|last=Whetstone|website=Thejournal.co.uk|date=5 February 2014 |access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref>}}
}}

'''Babylon Zoo''' were an English [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in 1992 in [[Wolverhampton]]. Their song "[[Spaceman (Babylon Zoo song)|Spaceman]]" gained considerable exposure through its use in a [[Levi's]] jeans television advert in the United Kingdom in late 1995. Released as the band's debut single on 21 January 1996, it entered the [[UK Singles Chart]] at number one.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 38}}</ref> "Spaceman" led to the band being perceived as a [[one-hit wonder]], when subsequent releases charted less successfully.<ref name="AM"/>

==History==
Frontman [[Jas Mann]] had formerly been in [[indie music]] band [[The Sandkings (band)|The Sandkings]]. In 1993, a three-track demo earned him a contract from Phonogram Records for his next project, Babylon Zoo,<ref name="AM">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/babylon-zoo-mn0000076211|title=Babylon Zoo Biography|website=[[Allmusic]]|last=Sutton|first=Michael|access-date=7 June 2013}}</ref> but ended up being signed to Warner's WEA record label, where the band recorded the album ''[[The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes]]''. However, around this time [[Clive Black]], managing director of Warner, was poached by rival record company [[EMI]] and so took Babylon Zoo over to EMI.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.babylonzoo.net/biography/|title=Babylon Zoo Online :: Biography|website=Babylonzoo.net|access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.confusedart.com/about/|title=About Babylon Zoo & Jas Mann|website=Confusedart.com|access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref>
 
The band's first single was "[[Spaceman (Babylon Zoo song)|Spaceman]]", which had been recorded and pressed by Warner as a CD single, before being scrapped when Black left the company. However, a promo version was played on a Manchester radio station. An advertising-agency creative heard it and decided it would be perfect for a [[Levi's]] jeans [[Television|TV]] [[advertisement|advert]] they were developing. Levi's used part of "Spaceman" for their UK TV ad and the hook of the song became popular. Even though the rest of the song turned into a slower grunge-glam style, it still became the fastest-selling debut single in British history.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Borzillo |first=Carrie |title=Popular Uprisings |magazine=Billboard |date=16 March 1996 |volume=108 |issue=11 |page=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26 |access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref> The single sold 383,000 copies in the first week of release,<ref>{{cite web |title=Clean Bandit score huge-selling Number 1 single with Rather Be |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/clean-bandit-score-huge-selling-number-1-single-with-rather-be__3710/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=11 May 2020 |date=26 January 2014}}</ref> spending 5 weeks at number 1.<ref name="OCC"/>

Critic [[Steven Wells]] wrote the "Spaceman" single (resembling the Levi's advert version for only "about ten seconds") angered many consumers. He reported Mann drew further ire through self-aggrandising interviews, and noted his ridicule in the media, including by ''[[NME]]'' and in a 1997 episode of comedy TV series ''[[Brass Eye]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com:80/reviews/reviews/19990019165041reviews.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000831232909/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19990019165041reviews.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 August 2000|title=This week's singles|last=Wells|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Wells|date=23 January 1999|website=[[NME]]|access-date=25 June 2017}}</ref>

[[Tim Moore (writer)|Tim Moore]] wrote "only failure and embarrassment" followed for Babylon Zoo.<ref>{{cite book|last=Moore|first=Tim|author-link=Tim Moore (writer)|date=2012|title=You are Awful (but I Like You): Travels Through Unloved Britain|publisher=[[Vintage Books|Vintage]]|pages=157–158|isbn=978-0-224-09011-7}}</ref> An album entitled ''[[The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes]]'' was produced at Mann's New Atlantis Productions music and video centre. It peaked at number 6 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] on 17 February,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> but quickly dropped out of the Top 40, lasting only a further two weeks on the chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19960303/7502/|title=1996 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive 9th March 1996|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=11 June 2013}}</ref> Subsequent singles charted progressively lower, failing to match the success of "Spaceman".<ref name="OCC">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/32407/babylon-zoo/|title=Official Charts: Babylon Zoo - Singles|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> The band's reputation was further damaged by a series of scathing live reviews.<ref name="Mercury">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Spaceman+band+falls+back+to+earth.-a060199381|title=Spaceman band falls back to earth|publisher=[[The Free Library]]|website=[[Sunday Mercury]]|date=9 May 1999|access-date=29 May 2013}}</ref>

In 1999, a follow-up album was released, ''[[King Kong Groover]]''. The album received negative reviews and sold fewer than 10,000 units,<ref name="Mercury"/> failing to chart in the UK. The first single from the album was "[[All The Money's Gone]]", released in the UK and Europe and peaking at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, a cover of [[Mott the Hoople]]'s "[[Honaloochie Boogie]]", was only released as a promotional single in France.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Babylon-Zoo-Honaloochie-Boogie/release/3848021|title=Babylon Zoo - Honaloochie Boogie|website=Discogs.com|date=1998 |access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> The group disbanded shortly after and Mann moved to India where he spent time working for an aid agency.<ref name="Comedy Central">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.comedycentral.co.uk/2010/08/11/watn-babylon-zoo-spaceman/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430045056/http://blog.comedycentral.co.uk/2010/08/11/watn-babylon-zoo-spaceman|url-status=dead|title=Where Are They Now?|archive-date=30 April 2012}}</ref>

In 2005, Jas Mann announced he would be issuing a new Babylon Zoo album, called ''Cold Clockwork Doll'', but no official release date was ever announced and no further updates followed.<ref name="Comedy Central"/><ref name="AS">{{cite web|url=http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/128758-happened-babylon-zoo.html |title=Whatever happened to... Babylon Zoo |publisher=altsound.com |last=Edden |first=John |date=21 April 2011 |access-date=29 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429201412/http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/128758-happened-babylon-zoo.html |archive-date=29 April 2014  }}</ref>

==Musical style and influences==
Many journalists felt Babylon Zoo was influenced by [[David Bowie]]'s musical style.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Thompson|first=Dave|authorlink=Dave Thompson (author)|date=June 1996|title=Babylon Zoo: ''The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes''|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|pages=69}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Spencer|first=Neil|author-link=Neil Spencer|date=11 February 1996|title=Music Releases|journal=[[The Observer]]|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/record-reviews-1316852.html|title=Record reviews|last=Gill|first=Andy|date=2 February 1996|website=[[The Independent]]|access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/rock-pop-1.151968|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206053251/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/rock-pop-1.151968|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2018|title=Rock/Pop|last=Courtney|first=Kevin|date=12 February 1999|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref> As such, the band can be seen as a 1990s alternative rock band with glam and electronic influences.

==Discography==

===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Released
!<small>[[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/></small>
!<small>[[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br><ref name=aus>Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
*Top 50 peaks: {{cite web|url=https://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Babylon+Zoo|title=australian-charts.com > Discography Babylon Zoo|publisher=Hung Medien|access-date=10 November 2015}}
*Top 100 peaks: {{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia|edition=PDF|page=22}}
*"Animal Army": {{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/UYHY7wh.jpg|title=The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 14 July 1996|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]]|via=Imgur.com|access-date=16 April 2020}} N.B. The HP column displays the single's highest position.</ref></small>
!Certification
|-
|''[[The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes]]''
|February 1996
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|28
|
*[[British Phonographic Industry|UK]]: Gold
|-
|''[[King Kong Groover]]''
|February 1999
|align="center"|–
|align="center"|–
|
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Song
!width="40"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<br><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/></small>
!width="40"|<small>[[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br><ref name=aus/></small>
!Certification
!Album

|-
|1995
|"[[Spaceman (Babylon Zoo song)|Spaceman]]"
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|3
|
*[[British Phonographic Industry|UK]]: Platinum
*[[Australian Recording Industry Association|AUS]]: Gold<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1996/singles-chart|title=1996 ARIA Singles Chart|publisher=ARIA|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
|rowspan="3"|''[[The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes]]''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1996
|"[[Animal Army]]"
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|59
|
|-
|"[[The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes (song)|The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes]]"
|align="center"|32
|align="center"|–
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|1999
|"[[All the Money's Gone]]"
|align="center"|46
|align="center"|–
|
|rowspan="2"|''[[King Kong Groover]]''
|-
|"[[Honaloochie Boogie]]"
|align="center"|–
|align="center"|–
|
|-
|2000
|"Love Lies Bleeding"
|align="center"|–
|align="center"|–
|
| rowspan="1" {{n/a|Non-album single}}
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of residents of Wolverhampton]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{musicbrainz artist|id=22459cde-5212-4d97-aa8f-30f0b83eaff0|name=Babylon Zoo}}
* {{discogs artist}}

{{Babylon Zoo}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:English rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1992]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2000]]
[[Category:Musicians from Wolverhampton]]
[[Category:Musical groups from West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in England]]
[[Category:EMI Records artists]]
[[Category:Phonogram Inc. artists]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]