Essential Moog-Featuring Songs

jamezdd73 · Post by **jamezdd73** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:57 am

Hi all,

I thought that it might be a good idea if a thread was be started where everyone could suggest a few good Moog-filled songs that they can suggest to everyone else on the forum. Or, you could also recommend some songs that you feel are important to Moog's development in the music industry.

Let me know what you think!

James

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:56 am

Great topic! Lucky Man brought the Moog out of the classical section of the record store, so that's pretty important. But I think I Want You(She's So Heavy) and Maxwell's Silver Hammer from the Beatles Abbey Road did it first...no one really noticed it there, though. Again, very cool topic!

mayidunk · Post by **mayidunk** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:19 am

If you like classical music, give a listen to Switched On Bach, and The Well Tempered Synthesizer, by Wendy Carlos. If you want essential, these are it.

If you like progressive rock, have a listen to Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Also, The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth and Journey to the Center of the Earth by Rick Wakeman.

Can't think of anything else right now.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:46 am

THeres some good but subtle use of the polymoog on Gil Scott Heron/Brian Jackson album "Secrets".

I think it would be cooler on this thread if we started listing some more obscure stuff cause most people here don't need to know every Herbie Chick Bernie song or a link to every troutman video lol.

But for some perhaps they need that introduction.

Eric

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:51 am

Also any early Devo song. Cars by Gary Numan is another favorite of mine. Of course, Gershon Kingsley's Popcorn from Music to Moog By.

jamezdd73 · Post by **jamezdd73** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:46 am

A few favs of mine are

The aforementioned "Cars" by Gary Numan
"Phaedra" by Tangerine Dream
The solo from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd
"Autobahn" by Kraftwerk
The pumpin' bass-line of "Blue Monday" by New Order

Just to mention a few...

DW · Post by DW » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:38 am

"Magic Man" by Heart
"Never Been Any Reason" by Head East
"Song For America" by Kansas
"Rock and Rollers" by Angel
"Humble Stance", "Perfectionist", "Don't Be Late" by Saga
"Illusions on a Double Dimple", "Spartacus" by Triumvirat
"Life Beyond L.A." by Ambrosia

changeofeyes · Post by **changeofeyes** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:18 am

I didnt get into Moog's until around 2001, but what did it for me was The Rentals first album.

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:11 am

changeofeyes wrote:I didnt get into Moog's until around 2001, but what did it for me was The Rentals first album.

Very cool stuff!

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:36 am

Funny how wrong I was. I think it was about 1972 when my sister came back from college for a break and brought back a small stack of albums that changed my life. I'd been listening to Don McLean (I still have a warm spot in my heart for his music) and more acoustic stuff. The albums included Aqualung by Tull, Emerson lake and Palmer (first album often called The Dove Album), The Yes Album, and Fragile. The single most responsible sound that got my attention was the end of the first track on The Yes Album, "Yours is No Disgrace" where Tony Kay dragged his finger up the keyboard of a Moog Synthesizer.

"What the HELL was that????"

I'd never heard anything like it before! It wasn't an organ... what was it? Well, I fell in love with the music on that album. The song writing was so fresh, so different and some of the most melodic I'd heard ever. Well, imagine my surprise and disgust that the man the played that synth on that album was canned by the next album, Fragile.

WHO IS THIS RICK WAKEMAN GUY?? I don't want him... I want the guy with the synthesizers!!! It took me a long time to realize my mistake. RICK was the one that would bring synthesizers to the forefront of rock music, not Tony (however, nobody and I mean NOBODY can make a Hammond sing like TONY. He's unsurpassed at a Hammond)

So, to celebrate those days of discovery, have a listen to the last portion of YES playing South Side of the Sky with Rick on Minimoog trading 8s with Steve Howe on his legendary ES157 Gibson. This is PURE TREAT for Mini enthusiasts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZmOj8nJTl8

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:58 am

Mort Garson is essential in Moog history and when I find this website with all his music for download Ill post it here.

Eric

Trigger · Post by **Trigger** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:05 pm

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this one yet:
Dick Hyman's MOOG (1969) featured the cut The Minotaur. I remember it getting a fair amount of airplay at the time, which was rare, as the album was considered something of a novelty at the time. Mr. Hyman was an early supporter and enthusiast of Dr. Moog's work (in addition to Walter Sear). The piece is pretty simple--a timed filter sweep, ostinato bass line (sequencer?) and cheesy Bossa-nova rhythm box beat, to which Hyman basically noodled around for about 6 minutes.
I think you can get it on CD, and I highly recommend it. You can literally hear the synth drift out of tune during the song--Ahh, the 901-Bs

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:21 pm

Here are links to download Mort Garson's Albums

You probably should all jump on these before the site goes bad. Good luck finding these anywhere except the most ecclectic record shops as I doubt much of his stuff is on CD.

Eric

http://www.eggcityradio.com/?p=81

Several full length albums here, courtesy of a synthesizer.com yahoo users group member.

Mr Arkadin · Post by **Mr Arkadin** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:11 pm

Gary Numan's albums The Pleasure Principle, Telekon and Dance are a Moogfest - The Pleasure Principle packed full of Minimoogs and Polymoog Keyboards and Synths, especially prest 1 Vox Humana (hey, why bother with any preset after 1?).

Telekon tones down the Polymoog a bit, although listen to some wondeful ribbon work on the title track and three Minimoogs on I Die: You Die (as far as i can tell all playing the same bass note).

Dance uses the Polymoog Synth more than the Keyboard i think and the Minimoog has been dropped in favour of the ARP Odyssey.

The following album I, Assassin puts the Poly back to the fore on tracks 'Music for Chameleons' (sharing a fantastic pitch bend with an Arp Odyssey) and on 'We Take Mystery (To Bed)'. New to the sound was the OB-Xa.

Khoral · Post by **Khoral** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:57 pm

Speaking about Rick Wright, I believe that the awesome brass pad on Wish you were here (the song) was made stacking Minimoog lines....
I could be wrong, but I don't see any other gear he used at the time that could have produced this...
So definitely, a must to hear