Finally this classic Moog album is finally getting re-issued for record store day 2020 to allow some of the people who can't source an original album in great condition to get one. I am pretty certain I have memories of hearing this album at one of my Uncle and Aunts houses in about 1970/1 as a 5 or 6 year old kid and my uncle telling us this was how music really was going to sound in the future and my dad basically telling him he hadn't a clue.
The album opens with Quiet Village a tune that's anything but of course with odd sounds like birdsong and glissandos of keyboard noises before it goes a little bit fairground ride noises and is a re-working of one of his tunes from 1957.
We then get what at the time was a current hit with Robert Goulet's I Talk To the Trees that was on the Paint Your Wagon soundtrack given a good Moog makeover into a wonderfully futuristic tango with load of spacey noises and almost normal percussion.
Yellow Bird is the next classic to get Mooged I think this was one of the tunes that really annoyed my dad as it was to his ears sacrilege what Martin does to the old Mills Brothers Classic in taking it almost into outer space and full of weird noises that almost buries the melody and makes it into a totally different bird.
The Enchanted Sea is a re-working of one of Martin's soundtrack tunes this time from The Islanders that wouldn't have been out of place on the soundtrack to Lost in this form as it brings up a sense of peaceful serenity and the waves washing in.
We then get the oddest version ever of Delilah don't even think of trying to sing along to this, a very way out wacky take on it, making it like the soundtrack for The High Chaparral In Space.
Let Go is his interpretation of Canto De Ossanho that you could easily sashay over a dancefloor in a futuristic jumpsuit too as expected lots of weird noises and counter melodies to keep you nicely perplexed.
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The B-side opens with a brilliant version of Midnight Cowboy that makes the theme tune sound even seedier and more downbeat than the original while keeping the air of sadness and despair that film always evokes.
He then takes on Vince Guaraldi's Cast Your Fate To The Wind and makes it sound like Jesus Christ Superstar on acid crossed with elements of Fanfare For The Common Man and it sounds better than both those tunes.
The Everley Brothers Let it Be Me gets Mooged and well stripped of the vocals you can imagine someone trying to harmonize over all the somewhat odd almost buzzing sounds and weird strings in this re-imagining.
He then tries to find the magic in Lenny Welch's A Taste Of Honey a film song that by the time this came out had been covered by everyone from Barbara Streisand to Julie London and some group called The Beatles whoever they are. Well it goes on a journey as only a Moog Master like Martin Denny could turning it into a pastoral backwash.
Was It Really Love is just a beautiful piece of almost library music that's perfect to soundtrack many a romantic movie scene.
Love Me Tonight is mad as a march hare version of the Tom Jones standard that takes us on a very Jean-Jacques Perrey style tripped out journey as if your about to make love in outer space it is wild.
Find out more at https://jackpotrecords.com/shop/martin-denny-exotic-moog-lp-limited-edition-vinyl-lp-rsd-2020
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