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-B

Bob Moog’s modular systems were some of the first widely used synthesizers, but the Minimoog was created for portability and performance, designed for keyboard players looking to easily tweak some expression into their playing. Use of the Minimoog gained popularity in the early 70s and quickly found its place in nearly all genres of music. Today the Mini is still the most in-demand vintage analog synthesizer and has achieved iconic status.

Sound is produced by one, two, or three oscillators - basically tone generators that can produce sawtooth, square, or triangle waves - and then processed through a mixer, noise generator, filter, and amplifier, all with fully adjustable controls. Further control of the sound was easily accessible via the modulation and pitch wheels located to the left of the keys.

It’s a monophonic synth, meaning you can only play one note at a time (ie. no chords). Mono synths are useful for leads however, in that quick melodic runs (and bass lines) never have overlapping notes and sound exceptionally neat and fluid. Besides, tweakable sound modules hardwired inside this unit guaranteed that the lack of polyphony could never be a limitation. Performing with the Minimoog goes beyond the keyboard; to truly master the instrument you have to play the knobs.

Today Minis trade at high prices on ebay and demand has led Moog Music to produce a reissue, the Minimoog Voyager boasting MIDI support and the ability to save presets. For analog purists they have even introduced the Voyager Old School with absolutely no digital interference. French company, Arturia has even released a faithful software emulation of the Mini, the Minimoog V (as well as several other classic synths).

Note: the word “Moog” rhymes with “rogue” or “vogue.” This is detailed at the Robert Moog wikipedia page and the official Moog homepage. It is considered polite not to correct people who pronounce it with a cow’s “moo” but those insisting that your “mogue” pronunciation is incorrect will not be tolerated.

Examples
Sun Ra’s “Seen III Took 4″ from The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. I is a great example of the minimoog. I believe he used a prototype that he got directly from Bob Moog on a trip to Trumansburg in 1970. It was the model B, as opposed to the Mini D that became the standard. -Kenneth

mp3: Sun Ra - Seen III Took 4

Don Preston tears the Mini apart during the encore of the Mothers performance on Fillmore East, June 1971.

mp3: The Mothers - Lonesome Electric Turkey

After three experimental records, Kraftwerk released Autobahn in 1974, a massive success and a blueprint for much of electronic pop to come. Here’s an awesome cut from side 2:

mp3: Kraftwerk - Kometenmelodie 2 (Comet Melody 2)

To be honest, it can be difficult discerning which records used the Minimoog unless it is specifically noted in the credits. But I am sure the Beach Boys had a Mini lying around during the Love You sessions. First time listeners and critics often mistake this 1977 record for a low point in the Beach Boys career, but I assure you it is brilliant synthesizer pop and the best Brian Wilson album.

mp3: The Beach Boys - I’ll Bet He’s Nice

Let us know if you think of some other essential Minimoog recordings!

Dr. Bob Moog Demonstrates the Minimoog

Clear Light were a folk-rock/psych-rock group from LA that released one lp off Elektra in 1967. Clear Light are famously known for including two drummers, one of them being Dallas Taylor of CSNY and Manassas fame. Paul Rothchild produced the lp, which explains why the recording sessions were fraught with tension and negativity. The group was really masterminded by guitarist/vocalist Bob Seal, bass player Doug Lubahn and lead vocalist Cliff De Young. Prior to Clear Light the band had been known as the Brain Train. Seal felt a name change was appropriate to coincide with the release of a newly recorded debut single, Black Roses. Seal decided on Clear Light, a concept he had come across in his readings of Eastern philosophy - a name also shared by a potent brand of LSD.

Black Roses was released in September of 1967 and written by outside songwriter and ex-boxer Bud Mathis. It was a great hard charging folk-rock single with an acid tinged guitar solo that deserved to sell much better than it did. Black Roses appeared on the group’s only full length platter, released in late 1967. Many psych fans are divided when it comes to the Clear Light lp but I think it’s a good one. Maybe not a true classic on par with Love’s Forever Changes or Moby Grape’s debut but still a very good lp without any weak tracks. The band tries nearly everything within a 2 to 3 minute pop song context, meaning the songs are loaded with good quirky ideas and great guitar solos (check out Think Again). Some tracks like They Who Have Nothing and the baroque Ballad of Freddie & Larry bear a strong Doors and Love influence but this makes sense considering the fact that all groups were on Elektra. Other songs like the outstanding fuzz guitar psychedelia of Sand and the trippy Night Sounds Loud are more original and hinted at a strong future for the group. The former track features some great organ and spiraling acid guitar interplay. The album’s most famous track, a cover of Tom Paxton’s Mr. Blue, sounds dated today with its spoken word dialogue although even this song is oddly appealing in its own way and definitely still considered a highlight.

Rothchild’s iron fist policy coupled with the lack of commercial success led to Clear Light’s demise, shortly after the release of this solid album. Not everyone will like this record because of its eccentric nature but it really is a crime that Clear Light were unable to release a followup to this debut. A very worthy release from a talented, accomplished California group.

mp3: Think Again
mp3: Sand

Vinyl Reissue | Sundazed | buy from sundazed ]
Original Vinyl | 1967 | Vogue | search @ ebay ]
MP3 Album | download @ amzn ]

Running Time: 61 Minutes | File Size: 55.8 MB
Download: .zip | .mp3
To subscribe to this podcast: http://therisingstorm.net/podcast.xml [?]

PLAYLIST
Clip from Tim Buckley “Starsailor”  [1970]
Clip from The Rising Storm “Frozen Laughter” [1966]
The Byrds “So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star” [1971]
from Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971

Bo Diddley “I’m Looking For A Woman”[1956]

Louie and the Lovers “Sittin’ By The River” [1970]

Mouse and the Traps “Sometimes You Just Can’t Win” [1968]

Dillard & Clark “Through The Morning, Through The Night” [1969]

Jim Ford “Love On My Brain” [1969]

Tony Schwartz “Music In Speech” [1954]

Johnny Jenkins “Sick and Tired” [1970]

Ronnie Lane “Ain’t No Lady” [1974]

EYE OF THE STORM
Clip from: Radio Show - Theater Five “The Eye of the Storm” [1965]
Arrogance “It’s Sad But You Can’t Really Hear Me At All” [1976]
Daughters of Albion ” Still Care About You” [1968]

The Keggs “To Find Out” [1967]

Brian Eno “Blank Frank” [1973]

SPONSOR
The Tokens “Commercial” [1971]

Space Opera “Country Max” [1973]

The Velvet Underground “Train Round The Bend” [1970]

The Pretty Things “Midnight To Six Man” [1965]

Joe Tex “The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)” [1966]

CLASSIC CLOSER
More from that live Byrds release!

A Gift From Euphoria is an well-funded album loaded with symphonic arrangements, excellent studio musicianship, psychedelic audio collage, and sound effects. It’s probably near to the apex of experimental rock from this era, and of the melding and juxtaposition of different styles of music.

The first two tracks on the record demonstrate the pace. Lisa an expansive and string laden orchestral number gives way to a legit bluegrass-country tune with banjo and pedal steel. Wait a little longer and you’ll get some fuzz guitar brain melters. Euphoria is all over the place on this album, which was recorded in Hollywood, London, and Bradley’s Barn. Some of the best session men in town put this one together, and it shows. Nary an unprofessional sound is on this record and some of the arrangements are stunning. They could use this album to replace the orchestra at the Boston Pops.

This is the only album released by the short lived Euphoria. The liner notes imply that the members disappeared, but parts of the liners are as out there as the sounds. Get this one for a supreme example of country and rock gone suicidally psychedelic, sounding remarkably fresh today.

For more from the Euphoria guys, be sure to check out the Bernie Schwartz record, The Wheel.

mp3: Did You Get The Letter
mp3: Lady Bedford

CD Reissue | 2003 | Revola | buy from amazon |
Original Vinyl | 1969 | Capitol | search ebay ]
reposted from June 6, 2007

It’s kind of a shame the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is best known for an album that isn’t really theirs. Will The Circle Be Unbroken is a landmark bluegrass recording organized by the NGDB, but the main draw are performances by legends like Maybelle Carter and Earl Scruggs and the songs are mostly traditional. To get to the heart of what the real Dirt Band were all about, you have to look past the ‘tribute’ album, delving into the solid string of albums leading up to it (and beyond), especially this excellent 1970 outing released just before Circle.

Uncle Charlie is a bold mix of classic rock, country rock, audio pastiche, and traditional bluegrass - maybe one of the best country rock records this side of the Fantastic Expedition. The songs fiddle their way into your consciousness at the same non-immediate pace it takes with Dillard & Clark. But for those familiar with classic rocknroll and Americana, these finely curated tunes should get to you pretty quick. Only a few songs were actually written by members of the Dirt Band, with great contributions from Michael Nesmith, Kenny Loggins, Randy Newman, and Jerry Jeff Walker, who contributed a major gift with Mr. Bojangles (NGDB recorded a definitive version on this record). You can hear the idea forming for Circle in the banter from the band before and after ‘live’ cuts, and the recordings of old Uncle Charlie and his singing dog. A song with hit potential, Prodigal’s Return is the equal of any classic rock radio staple, but fresher and better, completely untouched by the machine of overplayed hits.

Sweeter numbers really shine on this disc, like the bare bones treatment to Randy Newman’s Livin’ Without You and Nezzy’s laid-back and easy Propinquity, though I can’t quite get a handle on House At Pooh Corner: did they sing about Christopher Robin and Owl for kids? And why do I like it so much? There’s also such a hard rocking version of Buddy Holly’s Rave On that it resembles the feel of a Roxy Music song. Let me not undermine the strength of the original songs on the album, however as Cure, Traveling Mood, and the various other snippets bring Uncle Charlie full circle, so to speak.

The early Dirt Band albums never caught on, probably because of their jug band sound - though they were one of the few bands with the skills to pull off a successful jug band rock. Their live album, Alive, is great as is the debut, Ricochet (a true lost 60s classic), and Rare Junk. But the triumvirate of Uncle Charlie, Circle, and Stars and Stripes Forever are considered their high water mark. Nitty Gritty’s the real deal.

mp3: Some Of Shelly’s Blues
mp3: Prodigal’s Return

A couple extra tracks to represent the wide range of the record.
mp3: Randy Lynn Rag
mp3: Livin’ Without You

CD Reissue | 2003 | Capitol | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1970 | Liberty | search ebay ]
MP3 Download | buy from amazon ]

After releasing three classic garage blue-eyed soul records, the Rascals felt a need to expand their sound, become a bit more ornate, and take in the influence of psychedelia. In early 1968 they released Once Upon A Dream, a vague concept lp inspired by recent albums Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper’s. The concept is a bit unclear to me but I believe each track is supposed to represent a different dream. The group’s vocal arrangements were some of their most ambitious to date and where the previous three albums had been excellent collections of album tracks and singles, Once Upon A Dream hangs together quite well as an album - a finished product if you will.

Once Upon A Dream opens up with a fairly well known track, Easy Rollin’. Easy Rollin’ is one of the mini classics on this album and stands out from previous Rascal outings in that it’s more roots influenced with edgy acoustic guitars, harmonica, and B-3. The production on this song is remarkable: one can hear birds chirping in the background and the band itself seems to have more space and breathing room. Other tracks like the dreamy Silly Girl and zany Rainy Day are psychedelic pop songs that have strings and horns in the mix. These sweet, confectionery treats give way to harder edged psych rockers Please Love Me and It’s Wonderful. Please Love Me harks back to the band’s mid 60s garage soul period but has wonderful flute and swirling fuzz guitar effects. Other great songs are the soul-blues of Singin’ The Blues Too Long which has a clear Ray Charles influence, and the great, overlooked blue-eyed soul classic, My World. My World is notable for including female backup singers as well as the Rascals’ own excellent vocal arrangement.

The Rascals would release other good albums after Once Upon A Dream but few pop records from the time are as instantly memorable and sophisticated as this. At the time, the album’s production and sound were considered a triumph. This is a true classic and should be part of any serious rock n roll collection. There are a few cd reissues of Once Upon A Dream currently available while the original Atlantic lp is fairly easy to find.

mp3: Intro/Easy Rollin’
mp3: My World

CD Reissue | 2007 | Collector’s Choice | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1968 | Atlantic | search ebay ]

After 30 years the first Beach Boys solo album, Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue , is getting the reissue it deserves. This is a truly special album, able to touch your soul. Today it is finally available either on Sony Legacy’s Enhanced Double CD or Sundazed’s new Hi-Definition 3-LP vinyl set.

From Sundazed: “Sundazed’s vinyl edition of this lost masterpiece comes in a lavishly illustrated, triple-gatefold sleeve with the three LPs pressed in high-definition “Pacific Ocean Plue” vinyl. The first LP presents a gorgeous, newly-mastered version of the original album, and the other two LPs contain the absolute cream of Dennis Wilson’s unreleased solo work, including enthralling material from his long-rumored Bambu project.” Read more on Bambu @ aquariumdrunkard.

We’re so thrilled about the release that we’re giving away a free copy of the vinyl Sundazed LP. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment naming one of the albums we’ve used in our header image up above. Please only name 1 album per person. The contest ends when all the albums have been named (or guesses run out of steam) and the winner will be selected at random and emailed (so enter a valid email address). Sorry! Contest ended.

Honestly, I’ll be surprised if all 23 albums are identified because some are a little tough. We have reviewed a bunch on this site, but not all of them. Have fun and Good Luck!

mp3: River Song

CD Reissue | 2008 | Sony Legacy | buy from amazon ]
Vinyl Reissue | 2008 | Sundazed | buy from sundazed ]

After creating his two most commercially successful albums, FZ released a couple of beasts that many progressive fans call his apex and would become the Elements of Style for nearly every jam band in the 90s. I’m more of an early Mothers fan but there’s no denying this is some of his best.

Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)
In the midst of an old Zappa-crazed summer, this one really blew me away. I had never imagined a live band could perform like this, and I still don’t think I’ve ever heard a performance like Roxy ever since. The band was tighter than ever while playing the most complex passages Zappa had yet penned. Pygmy Twylyte and Echidna’s Arf are intricately orchestrated pieces that must have been exhilarating in a live setting. Napoleon Murphy Brock’s vocals balanced the show with a relaxed quality on Village Of The Sun and Son Of Orange County, a mellowed out retake for Frank to stretch his guitar over. The 15+ minute Be-Bop Tango gives a taste of the fun to be had at a Zappa show and a welcome Freak Out! number, Trouble Every Day, offers what may be the heaviest drum fill I’ve ever heard.

mp3: Echidna’s Arf (Of You)

CD Reissue | 1995 | Zappa Records | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1974 | DiscReet | search ebay ]

One Size Fits All (1975)
Same band as on Roxy & Elsewhere hits the studio.  The prog-rock numbers benefit from some studio attention and Ruth Underwood’s tuned percussion feats continue to amaze, but there are some new Zappa classics to fall back on, namely Po-Jama People, San Ber’dino, and Sofa (a recurring FZ theme introduced here in song and illustration). At once, the album will satisfy pop and prog fans alike as things never veer too far in one direction. One Size Fits All is a jewel from Zappa’s prime and never could enough be said of his guitar work on Inca Roads.

mp3: Inca Roads

CD Reissue | 1995 | Zappa Records | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1975 | DiscReet | search ebay ]

start youtube.
play mp3 soon thereafter.

mp3: The Soft Machine - Out Of Tunes