Sic Semper Tyrannis

The Moog Cookbook by The Moog Cookbook (1996)

A Random CD Review from the Stutzman Memorial Archive
The Moog Cookbook by The Moog Cookbook (1996)

Here’s why you should never let friends borrow CDs. It’s the equivalent of kissing that CD goodbye. I haven’t heard this album in about three or four years-loaned to a friend who shall remain nameless. But I know who you are.

There are two Moog Cookbook albums that I know about. This is the first one, a collection of mostly early-to-mid 90s hits arranged into instrumentals and played on vintage 70s analog synthesizers, most notably, the Moog. The brain behind this stuff was Roger Manning, who I know quite well from the criminally overlooked powerpop band Jellyfish, as well as some session work with Beck. This is some of the most amusing listening in the Stutzman Memorial Library. Why? A couple reasons:

1) Musical instruments, (no matter what kind- flute, sax, didgeridoo, or PolyMoog), attempting to recreate the subtleties of human vocals, especially rock n’ roll vocals, ALWAYS wind up sounding a little off-kilter and “white.” I think it’s well-nigh impossible to try to recreate a recorded rock n’ roll vocal performance on an instrument and make it sound cool.

2) On top of this fact is that the arrangements are intentionally non-rock n’ roll and lacking in the “power” and “soul” that we have come to assume in songs like “Rocking in the Free World,” and “Basketcase.” For example, as Jay will tell you, it’s impossible for the synth sound on the verses of “Free World” to sound like anything other than an angry muppet. But that’s the charm of this music—it skewers our assumptions of the importance of rock n’ roll but not in a sneering, subversive way, but in a light-hearted, comical way. Most of the sounds contained herein were cutting edge about thirty or forty years ago.

Now that I think about it, I am heavily invested in the idea of musical satire like this. There is something about unnaturalness in music that just kills me. It’s just so hilarious. Ergo Frank Zappa and maybe even Grandpa Griffith.

Some of my favorite moments: the monotone speak and spell verses to Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’,” the laser battle in “Come Out and Play,” the melodramatic intro to Weezer’s “Buddy Holly,” followed by its’ mid-tempo polka and the entire arrangement of Green Day’s “Basketcase,” which sounds like the soundtrack to “Who Cares Wins.”

Anyway, you’ve not lived until you’ve heard rock favorites played with a latin organ beatbox, accompanied by blitzy, bloopy whiny synthesizers. This stuff is highly recommended.

posted by Mike @ 1:47 PM