Golden Earring: Moontan - Album Of The Week Club review. Dutch one-hit wonders Golden Earring prove there's so much more to their arsenal than Radar Love. (By Classic Rock October 08, 2019)
Leaving aside any bias over one of ’70s rock’s most overplayed, albeit significant, hit singles, Moontan was the album that brought the Dutch band Golden Earring’s progressive leanings right to the surface.
You can hear what’s in store on the opening track Candy’s Going Bad, which kicks off in the style of an early-70s heavy rocker, but expands to become a much moodier piece more in keeping with Van der Graaf Generator. OK, so that might be a fluke, but how do you then explain Are You Receiving Me? It’s a cosmic, Hawkwind-style excursion; a 10-minute psychedelic journey in which the technical brilliance of guitarists George Kooymans and Eelco Gelling is augmented by plunging saxophone notations from Bertus Borgers.
However, Moontan’s crowning glory is the song Vanilla Queen, a sumptuous epic that encourages every strength in the band to come through. Rinus Gerritsen’s use of synthesiser washes acknowledges a krautrock influence, while the way in which solo acoustic guitar is used as the fulcrum in one passage and the way the instrumental juxtapositions build are clearly inspired by Mike Oldfield.
Background:
Formed as long ago as 1961, Golden Earring enjoyed a golden period from the late 60s onwards, touring with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson among others.
But it was Moontan was that broke the Dutch band in America, where it was originally released with a different cover and track listing. It made the Top 20, and is still regarded by many fans as their finest work.
It shows off their dedication to innovation and disregard for conformity. Golden Earring were prepared to be both progressive and accessible, and had the ability to tie both ends of these different musical strands together.