The Human Expression

The Human Expression
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1966
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States
Products	Music recordings, singles, albums

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article The Human Expression, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 20253 sources

The Human Expression was a garage and psychedelic rock group originating from Los Angeles, California, known for releasing three significant singles along with multiple demo recordings during the years 1966 and 1967.

History

Established in 1966, the ensemble consisted of musicians from Westminster, California and Tustin, California within Orange County.^[1] The name was chosen by Jim Quarles, who felt it conveyed a "mystical and otherworldly" vibe, while Jim Foster's father took on managerial duties. Despite limited prior experience, Quarles and Foster began crafting songs and performed locally to develop their synergy.^[2]

Following half a year of rehearsing, they produced demo tracks that secured them a deal with Los Angeles-based Accent Records. The A-side of their debut single was selected from these demos; however, the B-side was replaced with their most recognized tune, "Love at Psychedelic Velocity."

Their sophomore single consisted entirely of original material; both the demo versions and final mixes have been preserved. Notably, both singles were engineered by Wally Heider, famed for his collaborations with the Grateful Dead.

Due to underwhelming sales of their original songs, management opted to feature demos by emerging songwriter Mars Bonfire for the third release. "Sweet Child of Nothingness" was chosen as the A-side, accompanied by another original composition on the flip side. Interestingly, the discarded track "Born to Be Wild" later gained fame as a major hit for Steppenwolf in 1968. The band started playing gigs on the Sunset Strip, although their opportunities were limited because some members were still underage.^[3]

Prior to the launch of their third single, lead guitarist Martin Eshleman sustained a serious hand injury when Tom Hamilton accidentally slammed a door on it, causing tendon and artery damage. Consequently, Eshleman exited the group.^[3] A temporary replacement joined briefly before Quarles also left, expressing that the incident "destroyed the chemistry of the band" and signaled his readiness to move forward.^[2]

Musical highlights

"Love at Psychedelic Velocity" is featured on the final LP among ten released by BFD Records in the Pebbles series, as well as on Volume 7 of the Garage Beat '66 CD collection by Sundazed Music. The song is distinguished by two striking tempo changes—initially slowing to a style reminiscent of the Vogues before rapidly accelerating. Despite its psychedelic-sounding title, it aligns more closely with garage rock.

The initial B-side of their first release, "Readin' Your Will," was likely removed due to its cautionary narrative about illicit sex and drug use, similar in theme to "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Their second single, "Optical Sound," presents an ethereal psychedelic rock experience that appears to reflect a drug-induced perception shift, possibly alluding to synesthesia during an LSD trip. This track is often considered their finest work and appears on twice as many compilation albums as "Love at Psychedelic Velocity."

One critic observed: "Had circumstances been different, they might have emerged as a more polished rival to the Seeds, potentially even reaching achievements akin to those of the Doors, but without their literary affectations or excesses."

Post break-up

Following the dissolution of The Human Expression, Quarles produced several demo recordings that were later included in a 1994 retrospective compilation (refer to below). Since then, he has been actively involved in work as a studio engineer.

In 1994, Collectables Records and Cicadelic Records issued a collection of the band's output titled Love at Psychedelic Velocity. Concurrently, Martin Eshelman and Armand Poulin established a new group named "Rap," which featured guitarist Tony Foley and bassist Able Rodrigez; however, the band eventually disbanded for reasons that remain undisclosed.

The year 2000 saw the release of The Human Expression & Other Psychedelic Groups by the same label, containing three tracks by The Human Expression alongside selections from other artists. The track "Your Mind Works in Reverse," promoted as exclusive to this CD, is in fact the same recording as "Room of Shadows" found on other compilations. Its exact attribution—whether to the band collectively or solely to Jim Quarles—remains ambiguous; unreleased material featured on Love at Psychedelic Velocity is credited exclusively to Quarles.

Numerous digital music services provide access to downloads of The Human Expression’s songs.

Original 45 rpm records continue to be highly prized by collectors; for instance, an original pressing of the "Optical Sound" single was sold for $2,300 on eBay in 2003.

Retrospective album

Love at Psychedelic Velocity; Collectables Records (#COL-0588); CD release, 1994

Singles

"Every Night" b/w "Love at Psychedelic Velocity"; Accent Records (#AC 1214); approximately summer 1966
"Optical Sound" b/w "Calm Me Down"; Accent Records (#AC 1226); approximately winter 1966
"Sweet Child of Nothingness" b/w "I Don't Need Nobody"; Accent Records (#AC 1252); approximately summer 1967