Ja, Zoo

Ja, Zoo is the third album by hide, released under the name hide with Spread Beaver on November 21, 1998. It was re-released on, the Japan only format, SHM-CD on December 3, 2008.

Summary

It is the only full-length record to be released under the hide with Spread Beaver name, hide had retitled his solo project to formally include his previous live band. It was completed without him, due to his death on May 2, 1998.

Although all songs are credited to hide (I.N.A. is credited with additional arrangement on some songs), his ultimate level of involvement in the finished product is not clear, Zilch bassist Paul Raven in an interview shortly after the tragedy said: "He was under a lot of pressure to finish his solo record. He had three songs completed the day before he died, and now mysteriously a full album is coming out nine days before ours."^[1] The release of Ja, Zoo would eventually be postponed until November 21, 1998; Zilch's debut album 3.2.1. was released on July 23, 1998 and includes the song "Inside the Pervert Mound" which is an English version of "Leather Face".

Track listing

Reception

By the end of 1998, it sold 686,290 copies, becoming the 40th best-selling album of the year.^[2] It sold an additional 722,080 by the end of 1999, making it the 34th best-selling album of that year.^[3] Total selling over 1,408,270 copies. Together with the sales of both singles and albums in 1998 hide sold over 3,820,720 copies, and if merged with 1999, over 4,542,800 in total.

Personnel

• hide – vocals, guitar except track 9, surf guitar on track 1, bass on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–8, 10
• Chirolyn – bass on tracks 3, 9, chorus on track 6
• Joe – drums on tracks 4, 6–10, chorus on track 6
• Kiyoshi – lead guitar on track 1, electric guitar on track 9
• KAZ – backing guitar on tracks 1, 6, chorus on track 6
• Pata – backing guitar on track 6, acoustic guitar on track 9
• D.I.E. – B-3 on track 1, piano on track 10, chorus on track 6
• I.N.A – additional arrangement on tracks 1, 6, 9, 10, chorus on track 6
• Eiki "Yana" Yanagita – drums on track 4
• Eric Westfall – piano on track 8
• Hide Fujiko – female voice on track 4
• Tetsu & friends – chorus on track 6
• Marron B – tambourine on track 7
• Gotchin – acoustic guitar on track 9
• Neko Saito Group – strings on track 9
• Hiroshi Matsumoto – reading on track 10

References