Songs Pedestrian

Moondog - H'art Songs (1978) {Kopf KD330160 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 218 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 92 Mb
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© 1978, 1999 Roof Music / Kopf Records | KD 33 01 60
Classical / Jazz / Avant-Garde / Modern Classical / Modern Composition / Minimalism / Ditties

Moondog's 1979 release, H'art Songs, is a collection of, yes, little ditties. All the songs here have a simple, traditional song structure, minimally orchestrated with voice, piano, and the occasional gong or drum. There are very few (if any) chord changes throughout the whole disc, and the chord changes that are present here are very repetitive. The melodies, however, have a grandiose or celestial feel to them, making the music feel bigger or fuller than it is – and it is this that really makes the music exciting, utilizing unusual chord structures.

Most listeners will never have heard the name Ivan Khandoshkin (1747-1804), but violinist Anastasia Khitruk has admirably undertaken to bring this little-known solo-violin repertoire to wider attention. Published in the early years of the 19th century, Khandoshkin’s Op. 3 sonatas show the influences we might expect, given the composer’s exposure to a court musical environment that included musicians from Italy, Germany, and France.

LIMITED EDITION CD BOX SET A chronicle of rare & unreleased studio, radio & live recordings. Almost four hours of music. Includes booklet with color photos, track history and more!

Basically, there are two things that rock bands do: they make an album and they go on tour. Since Paul McCartney fervently wanted to believe Wings was a real rock band, he had the group record an album or two and then took them on the road. In March of 1976 he released Wings at the Speed of Sound and launched a tour of America, following which he released Wings Over America, a triple-album set that re-created an entire concert from various venues…

The difference with this album and Rare Earth's previous release in 1978 is that the Grand Slam LP featured a Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten tune with no input from those two individuals. The addition of Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robin Gibb on "Warm Ride" off this quick follow-up features the Bee Gees singing, and it's that extra attention which made this the last of Rare Earth's half-a-dozen 1970s hits. What was really needed, though, was production from Barry, Robin, Maurice, and their partners in crime, Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten, skills which might've brought the single "Warm Ride" further up the charts…

Diana Krall paid tribute to her father on Glad Rag Doll, the 2012 album sourced from his collection of 78-rpm records, and, in a sense, its 2015 successor Wallflower is a companion record of sorts, finding the singer revisiting songs from her childhood. Like many kids of the 20th century, she grew up listening to the radio, which meant she was weaned on the soft rock superhits of the '70s – songs that earned sniffy condescension at the time but nevertheless have turned into modern standards due to their continual presence in pop culture (and arguably were treated that way at the time, seeing cover after cover by middlebrow pop singers).