#2 – Planet of the Apes… A Musical Trip
Okay, I’m stretching the rules a bit here. I’m not really certain how ‘official’ this bizarre rock concept album is – after all, it doesn’t understand that the Planet of the Apes is not a different planet in space. But the band who recorded it, known as Electric Cowboy, were given the honor of being on the Mego Toy Company float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 1974 – dressed up in full Apes regalia.
Planet of the Apes… A Musical Trip was apparently brought to the Electric Cowboy, a Connecticut band, by their manager. Legend has it that the songs on the album were written by an unnamed (but we’re assured big time) songwriting pros, as demos for a children’s album. The Electric Cowboy recorded the songs as acid rock tracks, and there were actors playing the parts of Gaylen, Dr. Zaius and “Irko” inserted between tracks. These characters would talk about the differences between men and apes, and the differences between Earth and the Planet of the Apes.
They would lead into the songs with a lesson about not judging people by the way they looked, or about how dancing helps get out aggression – absolutely retarded stuff like that. The songs themselves are right on the border of being good, and some of them are certifiably bizarre and trippy.
Here’s the intro to the album:
Here’s the last track on the album, The Planet of the Apes (Reprise):