The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds

Last updated
The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds
The Zodiac Cosmic Sounds.jpeg
Studio album
ReleasedMay 1967
Recorded1967
Genre Psychedelic rock, spoken word
Length38:25
Label Elektra
Reissued by Water Records
Producer Alex Hassilev
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds is a 1967 collaborative concept album on the theme of the signs of the Zodiac. It was issued by Elektra Records in and featured early use of the Moog synthesizer by Paul Beaver, with music written by Mort Garson, words by Jacques Wilson, and narration by Cyrus Faryar. Instrumentation was provided by members of the Wrecking Crew studio collective. It has been variously described as "a wonderful period piece" [2] and "apt to inspire more giggle fits than stoned, pull-the-shades-down reveries". [3]

Contents

Concept

The idea began in 1967 with Jac Holzman, the head of Elektra Records, which had just gained major success with The Doors' debut album. Holzman had the initial concept for the album, and hired Alex Hassilev, a member of The Limeliters, to produce it. Hassilev in turn brought in Mort Garson, with whom he had just formed a production company, to write the music. Hassilev and Garson had planned to do a series of concept albums following Cosmic Sounds. Garson wrote music for one of the other intended albums, The Sea, but Rod McKuen, who was supposed to have been on the project, left and did his own version with Anita Kerr. Hassilev temporarily left the project to produce The Dusk 'Till Dawn Orchestra's Sea Drift album, which incorporated part of The Sea's intended theme. [4]

Recording

Garson brought together a mixture of musicians, most of whom were not credited on the album sleeve. Musician and electronic instrument collector Paul Beaver, who had done music effects for films, was chosen to perform on the Moog synthesizer on the album since he was one of the few people on the West Coast who knew how to set up and use the synthesizer at the time. Beaver and Moog went to the California Audio Engineering Society convention in 1967 to showcase the Moog Synthesizer for the first time on the West Coast. [5] Emil Richards, who had worked with such musicians as Frank Zappa, Marvin Gaye and Henry Mancini, was chosen to provide an assortment of percussive instrumental surprises throughout the album. Bassist Carol Kaye and drummer Hal Blaine, both top on-demand session musicians, were The Zodiac's rhythm section. Bud Shank, a top flute performer, and keyboardist Mike Melvoin were also used. Jacques Wilson wrote the album's narration, and folk singer Cyrus Faryar was chosen (suggested by Hassilev) to narrate over the album's exotic instrumentation. [4]

The album was released in May 1967. The sleeve, by artist Abe Gurvin and art director William S. Harvey (who had worked together at Nonesuch Records), featured a florid psychedelic design. On the back, in large purple letters, were written the instructions: "Must be played in the dark".

Response

According to music critic Richie Unterberger:

Divided into 12 separate tracks, one for each astrological sign, it appeared just as both psychedelic rock and astrology itself were coming into vogue in the youthful counterculture. In some respects it was similar to other instrumental psychsploitation albums of the time, with a spacy yet tight groove that could have fit into the soundtrack of 1966 Sunset Strip documentaries, played in large measure by seasoned Los Angeles session musicians. In other respects, it was futuristic, embellished by some of the first Moog synthesizer ever heard on a commercial recording, an assortment of exotic percussive instruments, and sitar. The arrangements were further decorated by haunting harpsichord and organ, along with standard mid-1960s Los Angeles rock guitar licks. For those who took the astrology as seriously as the music, there was the dramatic reading of narrator Cyrus Faryar, musing upon aspects of each astrological sign in a rich, deep voice without a hint of irony. [4]

Garson collaborated with Wilson in 1968 on another concept album, The Wozard of Iz , on that occasion with producer Bernie Krause. Paul Beaver later collaborated with Krause on several albums. Garson later recorded several further LPs on individual zodiac signs, and became best known for composing music for National Geographic programming, though he did not, as sometimes repeated, compose its theme song.

In the liner notes for the 1997 Moody Blues compilation The Best of the Moody Blues , Justin Hayward named this album as an influence on the band's development going into Days of Future Passed .

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jacques Wilson

  1. "Aries – The Fire-Fighter" – 3:17
  2. "Taurus – The Voluptuary" – 3:38
  3. "Gemini – The Cool Eye" – 2:50
  4. "Cancer – The Moon Child" – 3:27
  5. "Leo – The Lord of Lights" – 2:30
  6. "Virgo – The Perpetual Perfectionist" – 3:05
  7. "Libra – The Flower Child" – 3:28
  8. "Scorpio – The Passionate Hero" – 2:51
  9. "Sagittarius – The Versatile Daredevil" – 2:06
  10. "Capricorn – The Uncapricious Climber" – 3:30
  11. "Aquarius – The Lover of Life" – 3:45
  12. "Pisces – The Peace Piper" – 3:19

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Perrey and Kingsley was an electronic music duo made up of French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and German-American composer Gershon Kingsley. The duo lasted from 1965 to 1967 and both are considered pioneers of electronic music. They released under Vanguard Records two studio albums The In Sound From Way Out! and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations. They also were among the first artists to incorporate the Moog synthesizer, prior to the successful 1968 release, Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mort Garson</span> Pioneering electronic music composer, arranger, and songwriter (1924–2008)

Morton Sanford Garson was a Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pioneer of electronic music. He is best known for his albums in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Mother Earth's Plantasia (1976), He also co-wrote several hit songs, including "Our Day Will Come", a hit for Ruby & the Romantics. According to Allmusic, "Mort Garson boasts one of the most unique and outright bizarre resumés in popular music, spanning from easy listening to occult-influenced space-age electronic pop."

Paul Henry Beaver Jr. was an American musician who was a pioneer in popular electronic music, using the Moog synthesizer. From 1967, Beaver collaborated with Bernie Krause as the recording duo Beaver & Krause.

<i>Electronic Sound</i> 1969 studio album by George Harrison

Electronic Sound is the second studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released in May 1969, it was the last of two LPs issued on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple record label, a subsidiary of Apple Records that specialised in the avant-garde. The album is an experimental work comprising two lengthy pieces performed on a Moog 3-series synthesizer. It was one of the first electronic music albums by a rock musician, made at a time when the Moog was usually played by dedicated exponents of the technology. Harrison subsequently introduced the Moog to the Beatles' sound, and the band featured synthesizer for the first time on their 1969 album Abbey Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moog synthesizer</span> Electronic musical instrument

The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer, and is credited with creating the analog synthesizer as it is known today.

Beaver & Krause were an American musical duo comprising Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause. Their 1967 album The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music was a pioneering work in the electronic music genre. The pair were Robert Moog's sales representatives on the U.S. West Coast and were instrumental in popularizing the Moog synthesizer during the late 1960s. As recording artists for Warner Bros. Records in the early 1970s, they released the critically admired albums In a Wild Sanctuary and Gandharva.

<i>Look at the Fool</i> 1974 studio album by Tim Buckley

Look at the Fool is the ninth and final studio album by American singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released on September 13, 1974, by DiscReet Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool, Cool Water</span> 1971 single by the Beach Boys

"Cool, Cool Water" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1970 album Sunflower. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love and later issued as an A-sided single in March 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrus Faryar</span> American singer-songwriter

Cyrus Faryar is an Iranian-American folk musician, songwriter and record producer. He was active in musical, theatrical and performance events in high school. After graduating from high school and attending college, he became involved in the entertainment industry, opening the first coffee house in Hawaii. He later moved to Southern California and became active with several groups. When Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio to pursue his interest in early folk music styles, Guard asked Faryar to join his new group, the Whiskeyhill Singers. After the Whiskeyhill Singers disbanded, Faryar moved to San Diego to perform with other folk musicians. After his San Diego period, Faryar returned to Hawaii, where he helped form the Modern Folk Quartet, and produced two records in his eclectic neo-folk style. Still living in Hawaii, he continues to perform occasionally with his recognizable and distinctive deep baritone voice.

<i>Fred Neil</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Fred Neil

Fred Neil is the second album from Fred Neil, a pioneer folk rock musician, recorded and released in 1966. The album has a more laid-back sound than his debut, and contains his best-known songs; "Everybody's Talkin' " and "The Dolphins". It was re-released in 1969 under the title Everybody's Talkin' in response to the international success of the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, which made a hit of the new title track for Harry Nilsson. Music journalist Richie Unterberger characterizes the album as Neil's "best", and it was listed in the first (2005) edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery.

<i>The Wozard of Iz</i> 1968 album by Mort Garson

The Wozard of Iz: An Electronic Odyssey is a 1968 album of electronic music composed and realized by Mort Garson and conceived and written by Jacques Wilson. It psychedelically parodies the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, setting the characters in the 1960s with a hippie mindset. Throughout the story the main character, Dorothy, seeks out "where it's at".

<i>Whats Shakin</i> 1966 Elektra compilation album with various artists

What's Shakin' is a compilation album released by Elektra Records in May 1966. It features the earliest studio recordings by the Lovin' Spoonful and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, as well as the only released recordings by the ad hoc studio group Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse, until they were reissued years later.

<i>Roots</i> (The Everly Brothers album) 1968 studio album by The Everly Brothers

Roots is a 1968 studio album by American singing duo the Everly Brothers. Originally on the Warner Bros. label, the album was re-released on CD in 1995 by Warner Bros. and in 2005 by Collectors' Choice Music. The album is a classic example of early country rock.

<i>John B. Sebastian</i> (album) 1970 studio album by John Sebastian

John B. Sebastian is the debut album by American singer-songwriter John Sebastian, previously best known as the co-founder and primary singer-songwriter of the 1960s folk-rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. The album, released in January 1970, includes several songs that would become staples of Sebastian's live performances during the early and mid-1970s. Most notably, the album included "She's a Lady", Sebastian's first solo single, and an alternate version of "I Had a Dream" which was used to open the soundtrack album of the 1970 documentary film Woodstock. John B. Sebastian also featured support performances by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash several months before that trio agreed to work together as a performing unit.

<i>Evergreen, Volume 2</i> 1967 studio album by The Stone Poneys

Evergreen, Vol. 2 is the second album from the Stone Poneys, released five months after The Stone Poneys. It was the most commercially successful of the Stone Poneys' three studio albums.

<i>The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions</i> 1966 studio album by John Fahey

The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1966. The cover simply labels the album Guitar Vol. 4 while the liner notes label it The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions. The title never appeared on the record labels themselves. It marked the beginning of Fahey's interest in his recording of experimental soundscapes and sound effects. Despite Fahey's distaste for the 1960s counterculture, it is his release most often referred to as psychedelic.

<i>Changes</i> (Modern Folk Quartet album) 1964 studio album by Modern Folk Quartet

Changes is the second and final studio album by the American folk band the Modern Folk Quartet. It was released in 1964 on the Warner Bros. Records label. The album expands upon the trend set from the group's debut: including interpretations of both traditional and contemporary folk standards, with an increased emphasis on the latter. By the time the Modern Folk Quartet recorded Changes, they were seasoned members of the folk scene, which enabled the group to produce much richer vocal harmonies.

<i>Ananda Shankar</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Ananda Shankar

Ananda Shankar is the debut album by Indian musician Ananda Shankar, the son of dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar and the nephew of Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar. It was released in 1970 on the Reprise record label. The album fuses Indian music with Western rock and electronic music, and was among the first works in the rock genre by an Indian musician. Consisting mainly of instrumental recordings featuring sitar and Moog synthesizer, it includes a cover version of the Rolling Stones' 1968 hit song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a thirteen-minute Indian-style piece titled "Sagar ".

<i>Mother Earths Plantasia</i> 1976 studio album by Mort Garson

Mother Earth's Plantasia, commonly referred to as simply Plantasia, is an electronic album by Mort Garson first released in 1976.

Black Mass Lucifer is an electronic instrumental album by Mort Garson first released in 1971.

References

  1. The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds at Allmusic
  2. Trevor J. Pinch, Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer
  3. Answers.com
  4. 1 2 3 Reissue liner notes by Richie Unterberger
  5. Holmes, Thom (2008). Electronic and Experimental Music: Technology, Music, and Culture, New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN   978-0-415-95782-3. Cf. pp. 214.