Friday, February 26, 2010

dick hyman - the electric eclectics of - `69 - command records




alright !
here is another request. gotta luv this one. all out MOOG from the man himself , mr. dick hyman ~ i am still seeking his 2nd one on command , the orange one !
but this one rox - very experimental & vintage .. this one is real fun !
enjoy

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Dick Hyman. Tell me this guy did not get beat up in school because of his name! Yet, somehow he managed to survive and become a prolific musician, multi-keyboardist, and film composer. Though he is best known for his talent at capturing the keyboard sounds of the past, some of his earliest work was with giant Moog synthesizers.

The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is a snapshot of some of the earliest Moog music, at the height of Moog-mania. Moog albums were popping up everywhere, thanks to Switched-On Bach, and Gershon Kingsley’s cheesy psychedelic Moog albums. This CD captures that era in all its glory(?). The tracks range from the goofy to hardcore lounge synth work that will bring a smile to your face. Hyman’s tunes may sound a little dated, but that’s part of their charm, and his playing is nothing if not virtuosic.


Several cuts foreshadow the music of recent electronica artists. “Topless Dancers of Corfu” is cheesy as hell, with its squawky synth sound, and European folk dance melody. Yet, Hyman was doing something that nobody had really done before, making pop music with the giant Moog modular synthesizer. “The Legend of Johnny Pot” is cheesy, too, but the songs have a retro appeal. In fact, you’ll hear some sounds and grooves that would be right at home on some modern lounge electronica.

“Four Duets in Odd Meter” are more experimental. The sound choices are more “far-out”, sounding odd, if not quite spacey. The track has an improvised feel, and it explores continous key changes and complex rhythms.

Listen to “The Minotaur”, and you can hear where Keith Emerson cribbed some of his ideas. The track starts with a primitive drum machine track, and some early sequenced bass. On top of this, Hyman plays a short tune, and then plays variations and improvisations on the theme. The sound he uses sounds very familiar…think “Lucky Man”. Hyman’s improvisational style on “The Minotaur” seems to anticipate the chromatic style that Emerson made popular a few years later. He also uses lots of octave jumps, with the notes sliding from one octave to another. This is one of the most listenable cuts on the album because of the great playing. It’s also interesting as one of the earliest examples of jazz-rock synthesizer improvisations.

Several other improvised tracks explore other territory, from a quiet, almost ambient track, that will remind some listeners of Raymond Scott’s work, to a funky take on James Brown’s “Give it up, turn it loose”.


Not a classic, but nevertheless enjoyable listening and an interesting record, The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is old enough to be appreciated for what it is, well-crafted pop electronica from the early days of electronica.

dick hyman - the electric eclectics of - `69 - command records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans of front/back - inside covers ~!


Topless Dancers Of Corfu
The Legend Of Johnny Pot
The Moog And Me
Tap Dance In The Memory Banks
Four Duets In Odd Meter
The Minotaur
Total Bells And Tony
Improvisation In Fourths
Evening Thoughts



DOWNLOAD -- HERE --


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found this linked from Portal of Groove. Thanks. I had this when I was in college and somehow lost it since.
Susan

Any middle-aged German Witch in Amerika said...

Hello, thanks from me too. I also saw the link on Oracle's site (Portal of Groove), and I find it nice to get back here.

I have been on your site years ago, when I was in my sunshine pop phase. I guess I should come back and have a new look around. See ya.

JJ said...

AMAZING... STUFF...

SAY NO MORE!

thanks a lot man!

akashaman said...

u know that it is , thanks for all the feedbax jOsSse !

aka

Anonymous said...

If I had a dollar for every time I passed this LP over in the 25-cent bins, I could afford to buy one now. :) Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

I remember in the mid 60's popular tunes were being "mooged" or some form of easy listening music being moogied. Younever heard this on rockNroll radio, synth music has been gurgling since before 1900.
search Raajmakers, Elvis has nothing on him...heh

AN90 said...

Thank you!