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Randy Jackson, Felix Hanneman & Guy Gelso, are three
solid musicians who have an
uncanny knack for sounding like a full orchestra on stage, and for
delivering a collective AOR sound that we have all come to know and respect as "Zebra". They
have also left a more powerful
influence on my musical taste than I dare to imagine. Most
Zebra fans were
Led Zeppelin fans first, but, ironically, if it had not
been for Zebra, I might never have
discovered Led Zeppelin at all, nor
Sammy Hagar, nor
Van Halen.
I say Ironically because I met
Led Zeppelin in a professional
atmosphere early in their career -- really nice guys, but their music
didn't affect me at all. It was the late 1960's, and I was
doing some sound engineering in a
small recording studio in Hollywood, California.
Mystic studios, was owned by a
transplanted Brit named Doug Moody,
and was located a block from the famous corner of
Hollywood & Vine (Selma & Vine to be
exact). It was small, but state of the art, and located upstairs over a bank. That meant all our recording
sessions had to take place after the bank was closed, 5:00 P.M. to
9:00 A.M. To boot, the guy who showed me the way around the
studio was producer/engineer/sound guru
Chris Huston. He and Doug Moody were acquainted with these guys from
England who were in the States and wanted to lay down some tracks
for their second album. Enter Led
Zeppelin who used Mystic to
record demo masters for what
eventually turned out to be Led Zeppelin II. But, I
was too much a top forty record jock, who still loved Country music,
Classical & Opera, and had little room to squeeze in any ear
shattering "Heavy Metal" or other "Album Oriented Rock".
Photo from Zebra IV CD liner by
Robert Geiger
Fast forward to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the late
1970's: My son Joey and my brother,
Bill Hano kept raving about "these guys from Slidell, Louisiana".
Being raised on a full diet of rock'n'roll since they could toddle,
I had no doubt those two could spot talent, and the first time I heard Randy Jackson sing and play the
guitar I saw and heard what they was talking about. The group
was Maelstrom, but by the
time Zebra was formed, I had left broadcasting for a more
lucrative profession of sales and
Installation of night club and mobile disk jockey
systems. Along with the system price, came a few lessons to
young aspiring deejays which kept me too busy with the disco fad
and the Billy Idol crowd to notice much else. That's about
the time I met
Guy Gelso. Guy was into computers,
digital drums, midis, etc. and had professional dealings with a
friend of mine: Dave Richardson.
When Dave was out of town, or otherwise indisposed, and Guy was in
Metairie, I would fill in and try to help locate hardware or
software that he might be looking for. One day in 1985
Guy came in and I told him that I had
just been blown away the night before: "My son brought
home this album and I saw your face on the cover. I
remembered you from before you were Zebra. Man, I couldn't stop listening,
you guys are awesome." Guy laughed and
told me they would be playing in two
weeks at the Avalon Theatre in Algiers.
They hit the stage that night like a
hurricane, vibrant, energetic, incredibly talented. Physically and
professionally more mature than a few years back, their brilliance
shown without effort. And to add flavor,
Randy's mom was seated near the front of the stage
where Randy proceeded to play the
entire show to her. I was one row back and directly in front
of Felix on the left side of the
stage. For the next two hours I could not take my eyes off
the four of them: Randy Jackson,
who played so many different guitars I lost track, and hit so
many notes I nearly lost consciousness; and
Felix Hanneman, who played bass and keyboard and at times
seemed like he was doing both at once; and
Guy Gelso, that calm, easy going
gentleman's gentleman that I had come to know
over the past few months, had morphed into a high energy maniac on stage amidst
and under the influence of all his drums and electronics.
And during that outstanding performance, I kept glancing at
Randy's Mom, and appreciating the
glow of pride and respect on her face as she watched her son
perform. She was a solid Zebra Fan.
And from that night on, so was I.
After a full barrage of their own material, Zebra launched into a series of
Led Zeppelin stuff that
sent me soaring. The next day I went out and bought every
Zebra
and Zep album in sight.
That concert cost me a bundle, but it was worth every dime,
because it was my initiation into what has become my mid-life
obsession: "Album Oriented Rock". Spawned on that rainy night
in the 45th year of my life, I have come to appreciate the
artistry of not only Led Zeppelin, but
Pink Floyd, Bad English,
White Snake, and just too many others to name. And I owe it all to to the
guys who were not afraid to take a name that would put them at the
end of the list.
The next time I saw Zebra live was in Miami in 1986, and it
was another great show. Since then, when Zebra is anywhere near
Southern Louisiana, I make it a point to be there, and they just
keep getting better and better. Guy never relaxes on
his drums; he has become a veritable virtuoso. Felix has mastered a
variety of artistic endeavors, but I am so thankful he takes time
to get back to Zebra now and then. And Randy Jackson, his
gift to me has been, an art form that I might never
have discovered otherwise: That wailing, screaming electric blues
guitar coupled with a mellow voice that builds to a heart tearing
falsetto crescendo. Man, that's what it's all about, and
nobody does it better. Even when Randy released
"China Rain" I
devoured it. But his accoustic solo performances are also
incredible. Randy Jackson's voice just might never be duplicated, and
those bionic fingers all over those guitars of his are unsubtle reminders that,
to a lot of us, he is great as
Robert Plant and
Jimmy Page all
rolled up into one genuinely nice guy package. I can't
imagine where his talents might take him next, but I sure hope I'm around to see it.
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