Happy birthday Bob Moog, creator of the Moog synthesizer, the device that made it possible to make every song sound like a science-fiction classic!
Here’s some good examples:
1. “The Barbarian” by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Maybe the most famous band to feature the Moog so prominently. This track is a showcase for the classically trained Keith Emerson.
2. “Baba O’ Reilly” by the Who. Plenty of great, seminal synth work on the Next album, including this one, supposedly inspired by Pete Townshend’s own bio rhythms.
3. “Have You Heard/The Voyage” by the Moody Blues. I think this features the Mellotron, a predecessor of the Moog, but close enough for rock and roll.
4. “Reflections” by the Supremes. One of the first modern music tracks to feature the Moog and still one of the best.
5. “Birds Of Fire’ by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Jan Hammer on the mini-Moog.
