Golden Earring

[strawberrybrick]

Nope, it was this one, Winter Harvest

https://www.discogs.com/Golden-Earri...elease/1928633

[strawberrybrick]

From Barry Hay's 1972 solo album, Only Parrots, Frogs & Angels

[spacefreak]

From Barry Hay's 1972 solo album, Only Parrots, Frogs & Angels

A great album that has become quite a rarity nowadays.

[Rarebird]

A great album that has become quite a rarity nowadays.

Seen it on vinyl in some webshops, for a resonable price.

The CD seems to be very expensive.

[strawberrybrick]

Seen it on vinyl in some webshops, for a resonable price.

The CD seems to be very expensive.

I just bought a LP reissue for $11 from Amazon.

[spacefreak]

Seen it on vinyl in some webshops, for a resonable price.

The CD seems to be very expensive.

There is a recent vinyl reissue I didn't know it existed... The original has been a tough find (at a reasonable price) since the 00s.

[Big Ears]

I cannot think of many better albums than Moontan, as long as it has this tracklist:

Side One
1. Radar Love
2. Candy's Going Bad
3. Vanilla Queen

Side Two
4. Big Tree, Blue Sea
5. Are You Receiving Me

This version replaces Just Like Vince Taylor and Suzy Lunacy for Big Tree, originally on the earlier Golden Earring aka Wall of Dolls album. My guess is the Vince Taylor and Suzy Lunacy tracklist was the first to be released in the Netherlands, but would be interested to hear confirmation from the Dutch members on this site.

Vince Taylor is not a bad track and was improved on the first Live album, but I can do without Suzy Lunacy. Another of my assumptions is that Big Tree was used as a replacement to attract British and American hard rock fans. Both versions of Moontan have been labelled UK/European/US at various stages and depending on the format. Suffice to say, I bought my copy with the above tracklist, soon after the time of release, in the UK (HMV in Oxford Street 1974).

Problems occurred with the original dancing girl album cover in the US. By the time the album was available in Britain on CD, it had the horrible earring cover, but with the Big Tree tracklist.

The first Live album takes Earring's best tracks and expands them with two guitars, making it an outstanding live album. It is a great shame that Eelco Gelling fell out with the band, as he boosted the emphasis on guitars. The excellent Contraband also appeared around this time. Following Gelling's departure, they tended to revert to shorter songs, possibly with one eye on the American market. Their best post golden-era album imo was Bloody Buccaneers, released when grunge inspired a hard rock revival.

On the subject of solo albums, George Kooymans' Jojo is worth hearing, if you are a Golden Earring fan. The follow-up single to Radar Love in GB was Instant Poetry. It is almost as good, but drew predictably negative reviews and failed to chart.

Of all the albums in my collection, Moontan is the one to which I have kept returning - for over forty years!

[Trane]

The first Live album takes Earring's best tracks and expands them with two guitars, making it an outstanding live album. It is a great shame that Eelco Gelling fell out with the band, as he boosted the emphasis on guitars. The excellent Contraband also appeared around this time. Following Gelling's departure, they tended to revert to shorter songs, possibly with one eye on the American market. Their best post golden-era album imo was Bloody Buccaneers, released when grunge inspired a hard rock revival.

I also prefer the Big Tree version of Moontan (good thing they re-released that song with double the length of the one on Walls Of Dolls, too)
Yes, that first live album is stellar, but it's kind of a shame they didn't release one before (around the Seven Tears or Wall Of Dolls time would've been best)

It's kind of lucky they released that live album after a particularly good album (Contraband) and feature songs from their newest, because to be honest, I could never really get into Switch and To The Hilt

[Progbear]

It's kind of lucky they released that live album after a particularly good album (Contraband) and feature songs from their newest, because to be honest, I could never really get into Switch and To The Hilt

Funny, TTH is perhaps my favourite album of theirs. It’s certainly one of their most prog-sounding albums, thanks a lot to the heavy presence of R. J. Stips (Supersister) on keys.

Contraband is meat & potatoes Earrings. I think it’s kind of a mixed bag songwise, but I really like what Eelco Gelling brings to the table (especially that juicy slide guitar). And “Mad Love’s Comin’” might very well be their best ever song; what a riff!

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

For me the s/t (aka "Wall of Dolls") is their best album. Then "Seven Tears", "Moontan", "Together", "To the Hilt", side A of "Eight Miles High" and 2/3 of "Switch".

Pretty much my take on them as well.

[Trane]

For me the s/t (aka "Wall of Dolls") is their best album. Then "Seven Tears", "Moontan", "Together", "To the Hilt", side A of "Eight Miles High" and 2/3 of "Switch".

I used to think WoD was their best, and it would still be if Big Tree was the length of the version on Moontan...

However, I could never get into Together (something's not working on that one) so I'd squeak in Contraband in its place and invert 8MH (the whole album) and TTH in the order

[Scrotum Scissor]

TTH is perhaps my favourite album of theirs. It’s certainly one of their most prog-sounding albums, thanks a lot to the heavy presence of R. J. Stips (Supersister) on keys.

Listening to it right now, and while I'm not exactly sure I'd call it "prog-sounding", Stips' keys make the world for the setup which was - for whatever reason - much thinner here than on albums like Moontan. The best example is probably how his synths add a world of dimension to a typically rootsy Earring-ballad like "Facedancer". It actually gets almost pretty! Of course, there were famously always 'layers' to those apparent trivial and/or obvious lyrics of Hay's.

[Staun]

I liked Switch, but by the time Hole came out, there was certainly a change.

[Superfly]

I've been a huge fan ever since Moontan came out. I have the original vinyl with the 'naked' cover, and also one called Hearing Earring that was written in brail. Here's my CD collection of their work...minus just a few.

IMG_1141.jpg

[Progbear]

Listening to it right now, and while I'm not exactly sure I'd call it "prog-sounding", Stips' keys make the world for the setup which was - for whatever reason - much thinner here than on albums like Moontan. The best example is probably how his synths add a world of dimension to a typically rootsy Earring-ballad like "Facedancer". It actually gets almost pretty! Of course, there were famously always 'layers' to those apparent trivial and/or obvious lyrics of Hay's.

It helps that this song already has some beef. George Kooymans’ (acoustic!) guitar riff is to die for!

[Jones the Jug]

I liked Switch, but by the time Hole came out, there was certainly a change.

Zaragon featured two cuts from Switch on his listening/commentary channel a while back:

[davis]

I saw them once at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Seats were on the side of stage left. GE was great, but they opened for Aerosmith; this was the show where Steven Tyler was hit by a thrown bottle. Aerosmith weren't on stage long.

[moecurlythanu]

I saw them once at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Seats were on the side of stage left. GE was great, but they opened for Aerosmith; this was the show where Steven Tyler was hit by a thrown bottle. Aerosmith weren't on stage long.

Was Steven dressed like Santa Claus?

[Guitarplyrjvb]

George Kooymans is a very good and underrated guitarist.