The Rogue is in Vogue
Who Pronounces it "Mohg"

"Moog" records are those created to show off the early, analog synthesizer; some related, non-Moog instruments are included here. The sound of the true pop Moog LP is cheesy: the ice-cold, computer reproduction of warm, 1960s hits such as "Spanish Flea" and "Aquarius." The space funk of Sun Ra relied on Moog, and a handful of records by Ananda Shankar, Mort Garson, and others deliver the ultra-bizarre sounds only master musicians achieve.

In the beginning there were electronic organs. Many organ virtuosos, from Korla Pandit to Lenny Dee and Klaus Wunderlich, were tinkerers and customizers, never satisfied with the built-in tones. From the 1960s through the early 1970s, a breed of "super-organs" emerged, and on rare promotional recordings, these "missing-link" instruments often are indistinguishable from the early "true" synthesizers.

The team of Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley had the gretest impact on broad-minded consumers and other musicians. Solo records show that of this pair, Perrey is the creative genius. (Only Kingsley's later projects are interesting.) And Mort Garson, the master of original esoterica, consistently turned out occult/horror masterpieces. Wozard of Iz, the hippest vocal Moog record, and Black Mass Lucifer are rare, heavy classics. Some other Mort Garson records are nearly as wild.

The Moog craze popped onto the airwaves and into the national consciousness with 1972's classic instrumental hit, "Popcorn." This was the period for experimentation, and thankfully a few experiments leaned toward another major develpment of the era: funk. Funky Moog is great, from Moog Indigo and Blues Current to the Zeet Band's Moogie Woogie, featuring guitar-god Mike Bloomfield dodging his contractual identity with Electric Flag. (And the Flag appears on the Moog-inflected "You Are What You Eat" ST.) Finally, there are plenty of European and even Korean Moog LPs!

Buying: Moog albums are relatively plentiful, although many of the better, hipper, funkier ones are quite rare. Production (sound library) LPs are a great source for odd tracks. Some super-organ LPs provide the sound as well.