[Switched-on special] Synthesonic Sounds: Ye Olde Moog (1974)

The list of more or less notable composers who dipped into the novelty Moog scene either before they started their "serious careers" or to cash in the moog hype reads like a list of actors/actresses with early secret outings into porn.

Mike Batt (the man behind Synthesonic Sounds) is one example: While his career is peppered with some success stories in mainstream music (most recently he produced the excellent British-Georgian singer Katie Melua) his two Moog albums remain a well-hidden footnote in his biography.

After 1973's Moog at the Movies, an interpretation of famous cinema tunes, Mike now turnes to some prominent entries in the American Songbook: Scarborough Fair, Morning has Broken, Amazing Grace and House of the Rising Sun - all played on the Moog. But this isn't yet another "I was young and needed the money" lp recorded in one day to soothe a profit-hungry record company: it's still quite a nice album to listen to, even after 33 years after its making.

01 - English Country Garden

02 - Riddle Song

03 - Scarborough Fair

04 - Ash Grove

05 - The Drunken Sailor

06 - Danny Boy

07 - Morning has Broken

08 - Oh No John

09 - Strawberry Fair

10 - Streets of Laredo

11 - Amazing Grace

12 - Early One Morning

13 - Greensleeves

14 - Cockles and Mussels

15 - Loch Lomond

16 - House of the Rising Sun

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vinyl @ highest vbr

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[Switched-on special] Eberhard Schoener: Destruction of Harmony (1971)

I recently hoarded a truckload of "switched-on"/"novelty Moog" LPs and will post them from time to time in a special edition. Encoding quality is often medium to low due to different sources (this one is only 128...please feel free to post better versions if you have).

I begin with one my favourites: Eberhard Schoener's much-talked-about-but-rarely-heard, hence legendary 1971 LP Destruction of Harmony. Three years after Wendy Carlos' Switched-on Bach record which started quite a fashion there were already quite a few classical Moog albums on the market, for instance Hans Wurman's Chopin à la Moog & The Moog Strikes Bach (both will be posted here later). Being aware that recording a Moog album with classical stuff wasn't too adventurous anymore in 1971, Eberhard Schoener decided to play a little bit around with the original compositions.... the outcome is actually more pleasant than the eye-catching title suggests....

01 - Overture
02 - Rondeau
03 - Sarabande
04 - Bourree
05 - Polonaise
06 - Menuet
07 - Badinerie
08 - Allegro 1
09 - Largo
10 - Allegro 2

Given the fact that Schoener later recorded with Sting his Wikipedia entry is surprisingly short:

Eberhard Schoener (born May 13, 1938, Stuttgart) is a German composer and conductor.

He crosses borderlines, leaves his past behind just to find his way back to it. He gets down to music without any pre-judgment, surrendering to any foreign or strange influences to create unerring bridges to follow his very personal direction. Eberhard Schoener's work is difficult to describe as there are too many completely diverse compositions and an array of projects and events. Such versatility is reflected in his Biography.

"My message is the music. The goal of my life is to create an original form of contemporary music in which the opera, jazz, ethnical and electronic music melt together. I believe in emotionality."

Sharebee (encoding @ 128; didn't have a better copy)

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