The Moog recently turned 60. The first mass-produced and commercially available synthesiser single-handedly brought electronic music into the mainstream, and with everyone from The Beatles to Michael Jackson to Donna Summer having used one, its influence is difficult to overstate.
The Moog creates and alters sounds by adjusting the voltage input. Originally, its creator Robert Moog didn't even want it to have a keyboard because he thought it wouldn't be as pure a way to shape the sound. But a few years later, when he saw the design for the Minimoog – a smaller and more accessible version of his iconic synthesiser – he realised its true potential.
Sixty years on, the Moog is still going strong – Will Gregory of Goldfrapp recently created an album and concert by The Moog Ensemble to show off exactly what the Moog can do.
Join us as we run down some of the best tracks to ever use a Moog, and how they will test your system...
I Want You (She's So Heavy) – The Beatles (1969)
Heavy indeed. This Beatles track is said to be one of the main precursors to heavy metal. That's thanks in no small part to the white noise effect created by the Moog. It gets pretty congested in there and so is a good test of your system's organisational skills. The mixing of this track was the final time all four Beatles were in the studio at the same time. So this is a landmark track in more ways than one.
I Feel Love – Donna Summer (1977)
Giorgio Moroder is one of the most renowned Moog operators in the history of music, and a collaboration with Donna Summer led to his biggest hit. What's not to love? The lyrics are minimalist, but with a bassline like this, you really don't need much else. Amazingly, this was originally a B-side to the single Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over). But two months later, sense prevailed, and it was reissued with the sides reversed. The disco, techno and house genres wouldn't be the same without it.
Flash Light – Parliament (1978)
How many songs can lay claim to being on the soundtracks of not only Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, but also Muppets From Space? That's thanks to the irrepressible George Clinton, of course, but also fellow Parliament-Funkadelic co-founder Bernie Worrell, who created this bassline on multiple Minimoogs. With over 60 tracks sampling it in some shape or form, this is one of Clinton's most-sampled tunes ever, which is saying something. It includes over 50 voices, so is a good workout for any system's skills of separation.
Popcorn – Gerschon Kingsley (1969)
Oh, that one. This first appeared on album called Music To Moog By, although the version by Hot Butter is probably better known. In 1972, that version was at number one in the charts for four weeks in France, and 10 weeks in Switzerland, making it the biggest-selling single of the year in both countries. You wouldn't put it on at a serious listening party – not unless you want a bit of light relief – but it gets pretty frenetic at points. Just don't put on the Crazy Frog version by mistake.
Oxygene (Part IV) – Jean-Michel Jarre (1977)
Another one you will recognise, even if you didn't know its song title. Jarre was supposedly inspired by Popcorn to write this, one of his biggest hits. It sounds like a vision of the future as seen by Tomorrow's World, and has featured in countless TV shows and films. Legend has it this track has its origins in the opening jingle for the A4 autoroute in France, which Jarre also wrote. It certainly sounds panoramic and sweeping, so will test the openness of your system's soundstage. Ideal for a road trip, especially if your destination is the future.
Blow Your Head – Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s (1974)
Take legendary jazz trombonist Fred Wesley, add James Brown's backing band The J.B.'s, slather them all in Moog and this is what you get. It's just about the funkiest use of the Moog that you'll find, and with a kicking drumbeat to test your system's timing and that trumpet suffusing it like a warm glow, it's a joy from start to finish. But it's the Moog intro that really grabs you – there's a reason DJ Zinc borrowed it for his ’90s club smash Super Sharp Shooter.
Jean-Jacques Perrey – E.V.A. (1970)
This track wore its instrument of choice on its sleeve, being part of Perrey's album Moog Indigo. Keeping with the space/futurist theme of the time, it was written as a tribute to Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. It has since been sampled by Gangstarr, remixed by Fatboy Slim and featured on a TV advert seemingly every couple of years. You can see why: with its bubbly effervescence and wah-wah swagger, jazzy organ and echoing vocals, it's a production that will stretch any system worth its salt.
It also marked a sort of coming of age of the Moog, as the synthesiser went from novelty noise-maker to just another instrument in a musician's arsenal. Just like that, the Moog was all grown up.
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