Moontan

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music
This was the first GE album I came in contact with back then. And it was quite a shock, I must say.

After the success of Moontan, Golden Earring could have easily parlayed its success into international stardom by continuing to play up that album's commercial elements. Instead, the group did an about-face, pursuing uncommercial song themes and pushing the prog rock side of its sound to the fore (this move included the addition of Dutch prog rock keyboardist Robert Jan Stips, formerly of Supersister, to the lineup). The band even lampooned the sexy cover art of its recent hit album with a similar cover that replaced the gorgeous showgirl on Moontan with a marionette. The result is an album that lacks the consistent sound and coherence of Moontan, but makes up for it with an adventurous spirit and plenty of instrumental firepower.

Expanded edition of the 1975 album; the follow-up to the band's international breakthrough album Moontan. Remastered from the first-generation IBC Studios master tapes, featuring unreleased track from the Switch sessions, single edits, B-sides and various previously unreleased outtakes and early versions & mixes. Includes a 16-page booklet with essay, memorabilia & photos. Founded in 1961 by George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen, Dutch rock band Golden Earring (or Golden Earring's, until 1969) started off as a beat band, experimented as a psychedelic quartet and finally became a heavy rock group.

Best known in the U.S. for their hard rock material, Golden Earring have been the most popular homegrown band in the Netherlands since the mid-'60s, when they were primarily a pop group. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist George Kooymans and bassist/vocalist Rinus Gerritsen, then schoolboys, in 1961; several years and personnel shifts later, they had their first Dutch hit, "Please Go," and in 1968 hit the top of the Dutch charts for the first of many times with "Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong," a song that broadened their European appeal. By 1969, the rest of the lineup had stabilized, with lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Barry Hay and drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk.

2015 five disc (four CD + PAL/Region 2 DVD) set. 50 years of Golden Earring calls for a celebration! This box will take you by the hand through the history of not only the most successful Dutch band ever, but also one of the longest running Rock bands ever worldwide…