This is the final piece in the trilogy of posts dedicated to the godfather of the electronic music revolution, Gershon Kingsley.
Gershon’s Kingsley’s early albums, Music to Moog By, The In Sound from Way Out, and Kaliedoscopic Vibrations, all share the same general Moog driven, electronic sound. From a purely historical perspective, Music to Moog By is the essential one to own, as it was the original LP that contained 'Popcorn,' the song that begun the pop-electronic movement. Popcorn aside, Music to Moog by is also a brilliant psychedelic 1960s Jam session.
Music to Moog By's opening track, Hey, Hey, is a driving synthesizer-rock crossover masterpiece that inspired the sound of Gary Numan. It may sound familiar to you because RJD2 sampled the song wholesale:
The album takes a turn to Novelty cheese, with a cover of Twinkle Twinkle littler star, as amusing a listen as it is embarrassing. The album also includes a wildly indulgent cover of the Beatles' Paperback Writer, with absolute shredding on keys the entire time.
The foundations of ambient music can be found on the album's mellower moments with the heavily textured waves of 'Scarbourough Fair' and Nowhere Man. This album's commerical crossover appeal makes it more impotant in terms dictating mainstream acceptance of his music. Kingsley's best work musically, however, is found elsewhere.
The In Sound From Way Out a collaboration with Jean Jacques Perrey, is a bizarre collection of found sounds, tape loops and early oscillator synth technology, mashed together to form Space Age bachelor pad music. The songs on this album are shorter, stranger, and more futuristic sounding than any of his other works.
Kingsely & Perrey: Spooks in Space:
The recording process for this album is as legendary as the man himself. Its creation required 275 hours in the studio and required several miles of tape.
The Beastie Boys, Jewish musical legends in their own right, paid tribute to Kingsley by naming their most recent instrumental album ‘The In Sound From Way Out’ as well.
For those interested in religious side of his music, Kingsley has produced albums of Hebrew prayers and songs on the albums: Shabbat for Today, God is a Moog, and Jazz Psalms.
For those of you who think you’ve seen some experimental takes on a Shabbat service, take a listen to God Is A Moog. After listening to this album a cantor on guitar or a synagogue pipe organist will seem like conservative choices.
Kingsely's Yismchu:
Kingsley is still alive, performing and composing today the age of eighty-five. Do your part to preserve his cultural legacy, switch him on next time you’re treating a guest to a cosmic martini or glass of Manischewitz.
As a parting gift for making it to the end of this three part series, I will now show you the path to continue your foray into the art of ancient electronic music.
THE DOZEN ESSENTIAL RELEASES IN SYNTHESIZER HISTORY
Philip Glass- Einstein on the Beach (1976)- A four-hour long synth driven concept opera dedicated to Albert Einstein. One of the most manic and frentetic pieces of ever scored.
Gershon Kingsley (1966-Present)- Discography- God is a Moog is the most bizarre take on Jewish prayer even recorded. Music to Moog hold the first ever pop-electronic compositions. The In Sound From Way Out turns groundbreaking experimental electronic effects into space age bachelor pad music.
Louis and Bebe Barron- The Forbidden Planet (1956)- The first ever entirely electronic film music soundtrack, composed on electronic tape. Spacy atmospheres and innovative synthesizer work.
Walter/Wendy Carlos- Switched on Bach-(1968)- Widly popular early synthesizer interpretations of the works of Johan Sebastian Bach. Remains one of the best selling classical albums of all time.
Raymond Scott- Manhattan Research Institute (recorded 1953-1959)- Some of the earliest electronic music ever recorded, and made by one of the genre's most important inventors. A necessary artifact for anyone interested in the early history of the genre.
Brian Eno- Music For Airports Volume (1978)- The first ever ambient album composed. Eno lulls the listener into a trance with beyond subtle vocals, tape loops, and with airy synthesizer use. An earlier recording, of his No Pussyfooting, with Harold Budd is an equally important ambient synthesizer work.
Isao Tomita- The Planets (1976)- Synthesizer symphonic interpretation of Gustav Holst’s the planets. At the height of Tomita's powers, he would play for crowds of over 50,000, suspended above in a glass pyramid.
Clara Rockmore (1977)- The Art of the Theremin- Vilnius theremin virtuoso and protege of Leon Theremin gives a stunning rendition of what sine-wave Electronic music sounded like in the 1920s and 1930s. Sweeping and heartbreaking theremin jazz ballads.
Jean Michel Jarre (1976)- Oxygene- The seminal electronic odyssey of the synthesizer. A bubbly, analog soaring electronic epic. Simply the greatest synthesizer album of all time.
Thelonious Moog- Yes We Didn’t (2004)- Modern synthesizer quartet in the same vein of Gershon Kingsley revives the nostalgic analog synthesizer sound
Aphex Twin- Selected Ambient Works (85-92)- A landmark in electronic music, and must own. Laid the groundwork for all ambient techno and analog synth music to date.
Giorgio Moroder- From Here to Eternity (1977)- The liner notes state "only electronic keyboards were used in the making of this album." Moroder was the man responsibly for the fame of Donna Summer and on this synthesizer masterpiece Moroder breaks the ground for the creation of Eurodisco and House Music with a thudding kick-drum beat and delicious vocoder ingenuity.
That's it for this series, ladies and gents. Much love and a thousand thanks to Robert Moog, Gershon Kingsley, Leon Theremin, Raymond Scott, and Ray Kurzweil for making electronic music possible. Happy listening, and remember sell your Steinway! Buy a Moog!
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