Strange Animal
| Strange Animal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Gowan | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 at Starling Studios; Ascot, Berkshire, England | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, pop | |||
| Length | 42:18 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Producer | David Tickle | |||
| Gowan chronology | ||||
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| Allmusic |   |
Strange Animal is the second studio album by Canadian musician Lawrence Gowan, released in 1985. Despite not having an American release, Strange Animal is considered to be Gowan's breakthrough release; the album would go on to reach #5 on the Canadian album charts and spawned the singles "(You're a) Strange Animal", "A Criminal Mind", "Cosmetics" and "Guerilla Soldier".
After his 1982 debut album Gowan did not fare well, Gowan "found himself naturally gravitating" to the Queen Street West music scene that was developing in Toronto in the mid 1980s. This drew the attention of Columbia Records, which would fund his next album. Gowan spent a year writing songs, and also travelled to Scotland and Ireland to trace his heritage.
While there, he received a telephone call from English record producer David Tickle, who said he would produce the album and arranged a recording session. Tickle secured the services of several session musicians from the backing band of Peter Gabriel for the recording session, including bassist Tony Levin, drummer Jerry Marotta, and guitarist David Rhodes. The album Strange Animal was recorded at Startling Studios owned by Ringo Starr.
The opening track, "Cosmetics", was inspired by Gowan's interest in the attractive and artistically sensitive, and the thin line between the deep and the superficial in the fickle world on modeling. Gowan's inspiration for the title track, "(You're a) Strange Animal", came from the writing's of Hermann Hesse and an interest pull that various individuals can have on life. "A Criminal Mind", which Gowan has often been asked to explain his inspiration for, was inspired by a character than Gowan imagined in his psyche. According to Gowan, the words in the song are that character's declaration. The title originated from a conversation Gowan had with a retired prison guard.
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