The Moog Modular Synthesizer—First Recordings

Episode 10

 

The Moog Modular Synthesizer—First Recordings

 

Playlist

 

Countdown to number 1.

 

10. Perrey and Kingsley, The Savers B/W Pioneers of the Stars. Single. Released: December 9, 1967. Moog Programmer: Gershon Kingsley and Jean Jacques Perrey who also played Ondioline on the recording. This is an early single release from the marvelous Kaleidoscopic Vibrations album released in the same month. Produced in New York without the aid of Paul Beaver.
11. Toshi Ichyanagi, Extended Voices. Released: November 18, 1967. New pieces for chorus and for voices altered electronically by sound synthesizers and vocoder. Toshi Ichyanagi, Voices (for Voices with Moog Synthesizer and Buchla Associates Modular System).
12. The Monkees, Daily Nightly, from the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. Released: November 11, 1967. The Monkees, with Micky Dolenz and Paul Beaver on Moog.
13. Hal Blaine, Tune In – Turn On, from the album Psychedelic Percussion. Released: September 30, 1967. Moog programmer: Paul Beaver. Also featured multi-percussionist Emil Richards.
14. The Electric Flag, Flash, Bam, Pow, from The Trip soundtrack album. Released: September 9, 1967. Moog programmer: Paul Beaver and The Electric Flag, a Los Angeles rock group led by Mike Bloomfield (guitar).
15. The Doors, Strange Days from the album Strange Days. Released: September 7, 1967, with Paul Beaver using the Moog to modify Morrison’s voice on the title track.

 

4. The Seeds, Six Dreams, a single. Released: June 24, 1967. No Moog credits given, but that wind sound heard throughout closely resembles the Moog white noise generator. Recorded in Los Angeles.
5. Emil Richards, Garnet, from the album Stones. Released: June 1967. Moog programmer: Paul Beaver. Although Paul Beaver set-up the Moog, Richards was actively engaged in playing the synthesizer for this session.
6. Hal Blaine, Love-In (December) B/W Wiggy. Single. Released: June 3. 1967. Moog programmer: Paul Beaver. This single preceded Blaine’s Psychedelic Percussion album by three months, a case where the single achieves date priority over the album from which it was taken. This also marked the first 45 RPM single to feature a Moog.
7. Mort Garson, Aquarius: The Lover of Life from the album, The Zodiac Cosmic Sounds. Released: May 20, 1967. Moog programmer: Paul Beaver. Recorded in Los Angeles in late April 1967, with Paul Beaver credited for “electronic instruments.”

The Archive Mix in which I play two additional tracks at the same time, to see what happens.

1. Tillicum, the theme from the Canadian TV show “Here Come the Seventies,” by Syrinx. From 1970. John Mills-Cockell on Moog.
2. Komarovsky and Lara’s Rendevous, from the soundtrack to Doctor Zhivago, music by Maurice Jarre, excerpt. This soundtrack from 1965 is rumored to have included an early Moog, but audible evidence is scarce. I think I may have found an example in the deep bass bed midway through this cut.

Read my book: Electronic and Experimental Music (sixth edition), by Thom Holmes (2020).

Link to my blog for the Bob Moog Foundation.