Moon - Without Earth/The Moon

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Music reviews of Without Earth/The Moon

Music Review: Matthew Moore should be remembered
Rating: 5 Stars

As another reviewer before me said, if you are a fan of The Lefte Bank, later Zombies, or Revolver/Sgt. Pepperish Beatles... you should purchase this CD in good faith. The first album included on the CD, "Without Earth", has to rate as one of the most under-appreciated and least known from it's time. It's vintage 1967 studio psych-pop that boasts vibrant harmonies, meaningful/meaningless lyrics, studio trickery and very english sounding vocals... usually over trippy arrangements. Toss in some searing lead guitar breaks by Brian "Once a Beach Boy" Marks and you've got yourself a nugget worthy of sitting alongside Pepper, Revolver, S.F. Sorrow and Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

For the opener we are treated to "Mothers and Fathers", an infectious-Lefte Bankish ditty highlighted by inventive lyrics and buoyant harmonies. The song is a memorable one, and is the perfect tune to open the album. From there the album goes into some deliciously harmony laced psych in "Pleasure". To any fans of 60's pop-psych, this song would be an instant favorite. I know that I personally replayed it several times, savoring the grand and almost heavenly vocals of the track. Next up is the token Indianesque-sitar driven song with outer space written all over it, "I Should Be Sleeping". It's pleasant enough, with some meaningful/less lyrics and competent delivery...but not what you would call instantly rememorable. After our journey to the outer-spaced land of curry and meditation is through, we arrive at "Brother Lou's Love Colony". The tune, a pysch-tinged, sitar abounding concoction, is equal parts period piece and equal parts entertaining music. The track is also full of good harmonies and is quite sing-alongable when you get to the chorus. Following our trip to "Brother Lou's", we arrive at the excellent (bizarro-world Lennon penned) song, "Got To Be On My Way". This track needs to be listened to on headphones for its full effect, as there are falsetto vocals tossed in here and there, acting as effective counterpoints to the bluesy lead vocal that sounds very much like Lennon. I know I did a double take after listening for the first time to it... "Someday Girl", one of the standout tracks on the whole CD in my opinion, is next. Great vocals that remind one of Boettchers' Millenium stuff, guide this great song. Its one of those that once you hear it, is stuck in your head forever. "Papers" is a very short song that culminates in multi-part harmonies. From there, it segues into "Faces", a rousing pop song with an awesome melody, counter-melodies, and ooohing and aahhing that are on par with Sgt. Peppers'. "Nevermind" is up next... ahh is there any other song out there that sounds SO much like Lennons' "Revolver" work that actually wasn't? It sounds to this reviewer like it belongs somewhere on Revolver... like a long lost or stolen track he wrote after "Rain" and before "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". Needless to say its a good, 2 minute pop song with quavering vocals that remind one of the unabashed Beatle during his glory days. The remaining songs on the "Without Earth" part of the CD are all quaint little pop songs that run the gamut from rousing pop number, lovey-dovey piece and outer-space psych complete with wooshing sound effects. They fill out the album with good little tunes that warrant listening to now and then.

The second album included on the CD is a more bluesy and trippy affair. There is very little wizardry in terms of studio manipulation, but that doesn't prevent "The Moon" part of the CD from being a decent rock/pop album in it's own right. If anything, "The Moon" acts as an outstanding foil to the freewheeling and outlandish "Without Earth", grounding the listener with it's simpler bluesy psych.

Description of Without Earth/The Moon

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock