Moondog 1 & 2 [Original recording remastered, Import]

Moondog (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: BGO
• ASIN: B00004YU0K
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,662 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Dance & DJ > Techno > Minimal Techno

Track Listings

1. Theme

2. Stamping Ground, in D minor

3. Symphonique No.3 ("Ode to Venus")

4. Symphonique No.6 ("Good for Goodie")

5. Minisym No.1

6. Lament 1 ("Bird's Lament")

7. Witch of Endor

8. Symphonique No.1 ("Portrait of a Monarch")

9. Bells Are Ringing, for chamber ensemble

10. Voices of Spring, for chamber ensemble

11. What's The Most Exciting Thing, for chamber ensemble

12. All Is Loneliness, for chamber ensemble

13. My Tiny Butterfly, for chamber ensemble

14. Why Spend a Dark Night With Me, for chamber ensemble

15. Coffee Beans, for chamber ensemble

16. Down Is Up, for chamber ensemble

17. Be a Hobo, for chamber ensemble

18. Remember, for chamber ensemble

19. I Love You, for chamber ensemble

20. Nero's Expedition, for chamber ensemble

See all 34 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

In the early 1990s, Sony did issue a CD which combined the two albums they made in 1969 and 1971 with "classicist at heart" street musician Louis Hardin, better known as Moondog. The Sony reissue arrived at a time when interest in Moondog was at an all-time low, as he had lived in Germany for two decades and his popular first Columbia album had been out of print for nearly half that time; while his second album was so obscure it barely survived its initial release. This BGO Records reissue of same, Moondog/Moondog 2 debuted in England literally on the heels of news of Hardin's passing in 1999, and it is hard not to fault them for cashing in on stakes made liquid by the ever-unpredictable vicissitudes of the grim reaper. On the other hand, it is nice to have these two recordings available again, and as both albums were short to start with, both made for CBS, and both produced by James William Guercio, it is only natural that they should be combined onto one CD. The first LP, Moondog, features Moondog jamming with some of the top-flight studio musicians in New York on his own charts in an ambitiously scored bag reminiscent of a forgotten Epic LP from the '50s, Moondog and His Friends -- difficult to reissue as, like its successors, it's really, really short. The second, the inaccurately titled Moondog 2, consists of 26 canons drawn from his first two collections of 100 canons each, composed in the '50s and '60s and printed up in editions Hardin sold hand to hand on the street. These are performed by a small group led by Hardin and include then-wife June Hardin, a small band of period instrument musicians, and Guercio himself pitching in with the percussion. The vast majority of critical notices you may read on these two albums favor the better selling Moondog over Moondog 2, but present company tends toward Moondog 2. It seems to epitomize Hardin's recorded work in regard to his "Art of the Canon," and serves to summarize this particular period in Hardin's development, given the dearth of any live recordings from this time. One aspect of Hardin's work for CBS that is intriguing is how well he and Guercio utilized the resources on hand at Columbia and how the Moondog fit into the CBS of the time. Some of the things on Moondog 2 are not terribly far away musically from what quirky pop groups like Matching Mole and Gentle Giant were recording on contemporary CBS albums that sold equally poorly, and at times Hardin's voice sounds coincidentally a little like Robert Wyatt's. Of course, in hindsight we recognize how great all of this stuff is, whereas in its time a lot of it went unrecognized by critics and public alike as the hippie-driven music scene gave way to the Nixon era. For many listeners, the first Moondog CBS album is his defining statement, even as what came before, and after, broaden the picture of Hardin's output considerably. To have a package like Moondog/Moondog 2 available is almost too good to be true, as it both delivers the basic goods on Hardin and opens the door to a broader appreciation of the truly special circumstance that was Moondog. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This needs a more articulate review..., December 9, 2005

By 

Josh Z. Bonder "a sound painter" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moondog 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

To tell the truth, the only reason I even listened to this disc in the store is because I spotted the cover, and wondered what the hell a guy who looked like that could sound like. I had a gushing smile on my face as I realized there was real talent and expression behind Moondog's odd facade.

The first album on this disc (there are two herein) is made up of more "orchestral" material like none you've ever heard before (one of these tracks "Stamping Grounds" is in "The Big Lebowski"). The second album is made up of a series of short rounds; cyclical songs with naturally repetitive compositions (think row row row your boat, or three blind mice). Due to the familiar nature of such song forms, and the unique compositions employed by Moondog, the second album is quite buoyant and joyful.

After acquiring a number of other Moondog discs, I would still say that this is the strongest I've heard, and a great place to start. This is an all around great and very familiar listening experience, and quite a timeless set of albums. Get it while you still can!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have, November 4, 2007

By 

Nina Shishkoff "mycologist" (Mount Airy, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moondog 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Every music lover needs to hear Moondog as much as he or she needs to hear Charles Ives and Aaron Copeland. I'm currently reading Robert Scotto's biography of Moondog, but it's not necessary to know anything about his life to enjoy his music (although it's kind of fun to know that Moondog once sued Alan Freed and Arturo Toscanini was brought in as a character witness). The first Columbia album is your best introduction to the music, which is like nothing else you've ever heard. I'm not much of a fan of the second album: there's not enough variety among the madrigals, and the singers sound amateurish. Scotto's book comes with a CD that has performances of some madrigals by Moondog, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Jon Gibson that are much better. Nevertheless, since these come as a double album, you'll get both, and you won't really mind.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music From Other Lifetimes, July 27, 2007

By 

Kurt H. Selvig (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moondog 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

I have been listening to Louis Hardin since 1974 when I was simultaneously introduced to MOONDOG and ALL GOOD MEN by Beaver & Krause - I think I must have used up all of my musical luck because nothing (including The Beatles, who are right up there next to God) has since resonated in me the way these two albums have. Hardin's unabashed musical honesty can be found but in two places, children and geniuses, and I think there must be a lot of both in Hardin. Each composition takes you on a different journey, if the listener has the courage to jump aboard; I always close my eyes, to be closer to the way the music was composed. I am particularly fond of his first album MOONDOG for a lot of reasons, but mostly I think because it was my introduction to a composer who has yet to meet his match, even within himself. As times change (and they inevitably will), other of his works will come to the fore and take their rightful place among the few that will always rise above all the rest.