The Giant Panther

I had been in Boston maybe two years when I first heard Human Sexual Response on the radio in 1980. The song was Jackie Onassis and to this day I still like that single. I immediately had to investigate. Human Sexual Response was a Boston band that lasted, give or take, maybe five years from roughly 1977-1982. That isn't a long time for a band as good as HSR was, but they definitely made their mark here. I have always found their sound interesting for some reason. They had four hits, mostly on the local level; Jackie Onassis, Andy Fell, Land of The Glass Pinecones and the song I came to post today "What Does Sex Mean To Me?" They also did a cover of a 1966 song by The Capitols called "Cool Jerk" which got a little airplay early as well. Making a great song like Jackie Onassis about an American icon just about guaratees this band will never be forgotten. It's not a great Christmas song (meaning it'll get played at least once a year for decades), but it's the next best thing isn't it? They say even Jackie O liked it. Does it get any better than that?

The origins of HSR are fairly typical, but it's kind of surprising to note that they have a background that includes the kazoo and Country & Western music. These folks defy a musical category, but they got lumped into the New Wave category because nobody knew where to put them. Fig. 15, their debut record, was released in 1980 and it definitely made a splash on both local college radio and local rock stations. They had a titillating name, which always helps, but they had some shock value going for them as well. In addition to "What Does Sex Men To Me?" they included a song called "Butt Fuck" on this record. Today the Butthole Surfers are announced by DJs like it is nothing (they only play "Pepper," but that is another story), but in those days I'm kind of surprised it passed the smell test. Needless to say, it was not going to get any airplay. The thing is, this record is really very good. I like the way it was recorded and I love the way lead singer, Larry Bangor, kind of stuttered his vocals. He had a slight quake and quiver to his vocal delivery which adds to their sound. Some may not agree, but I think it has a touch of David Byrne to it. Very artsy. I'd have posted "Land of The Glass Pinecones," because I love that song too, but that doesn't quite illustrate what I'm having trouble describing here. You can find that one on their 1981 release In a Roman Mood. Do check it out if you've never heard it before. The CDs are fairly hard to find these days, but worth the hunt.

Human Sexual Response broke up in 1982. They turned into the The Zulus and what seems like half a dozen other bands over the years. It's kind of hard to explain how much impact HSR's two records had on my listening tastes over the years, but suffice to say they opened up my ears to new sounds. "What Does Sex Mean To Me?" was the first song in which I ever heard the word "vagina" used, much less rhyming it with "China." I thought that was pretty cool way back when and I haven't changed my mind since. This song is well written, it rocks and it's wonderfully irreverent. Hats off to Human Sexual Response, wherever they are. I remain a big fan almost three decades later.