Zodiac, The ‎– Cosmic Sounds

This is truly a great album, as far as I'm concerned. Many people might dislike the narration from Cyrus Faryar, the subject matter, or perhaps the psychedelic rock (which was just shortly before Sgt. Pepper). Anyways, Elektra put out an album inspired by the Zodiac with the help of LA session musicians and had it released in May 1967 (not November, as popularly believed, read on). The label on the LP reads: "This recording was published in May 1967", and a May 20, 1967 issue of Billboard was already advertising the album, with further mentions in a June 10 and July 8 issues (the July 8 issue has the album mentioned in the "New Action Albums" section which is a short section on albums that hadn't entered the Billboard charts but reported getting strong sales action by record dealers).

Most of these musicians involved has appeared on many major hits from major L.A. acts of the time, The Beach Boys, the Byrds, the Association, the Monkees, the Mamas and the Papas, just about any L.A. group that emphasized vocal harmonies. They were Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Bud Shank, as well as Paul Beaver and Cyrus Faryar. Mort Garson helped in the writing (he also recorded a 12 LP set of the zodiac himself called Signs of the Zodiac in 1969 on A&M, each sign sold separately). The instruments included the usual rock setup of guitar, bass, and drums, plus flute, sitar, Moog, electric harpsichord, and Hammond organ. Narration reminds me of Jim Morrison, I guess intentional given the massive success Elektra had with The Doors. Although I don't know a whole lot about Cyrus Faryar, he was apparently involved in the folk scene.

It seems like the British caught on to this album (it did receive a UK release). The Scottish band Writing on the Wall covered "Aries" in a Black Sabbath/Crazy World of Arthur Brown manner on their album The Power of the Picts (1969), and East of Eden borrowed "Taurus" for their "In the Stable of the Sphinx" off their album Mercator Projected (1969). Also Justin Hayward stated this album had a big impact on the Moody Blues as they were recording Days of Future Passed, another proof that Cosmic Sounds was released earlier than November 1967, as Days of Future Passed was recorded in October 1967 (and released the following month). The spoken dialog was probably what inspired the Moody Blues to do the same (it was Mike Pinder, not Graeme Edge who recited the poetry, even though it was Graeme Edge who wrote them).

What I love is the combination of psychedelia, world music, and synthesizer, all this shortly before the release of Sgt. Pepper. I doubt even if Sgt. Pepper was never released, that Cosmic Sounds would take the world by storm as many detractors thought of it as a dated relic (if not the rock music part, many felt the astrological subject matter was what dated it the most). The psychedelic rock seems pretty much of its time, but I really love the non-commercial approach these musicians did here (given the very commercial approach they did on those hit records they played on). The electronics are often ahead of its time, some of it downright ambient. The Moog was never used here to show it off like an Emerson, Lake & Palmer album, it was used for embellishment much like on the Beatles' Abbey Road. Plus the world music influence really trips me out, especially the flute found on "Virgo" (sounds like Paul Horn's Inside the Taj Mahal backed by a psychedelic band). Since I wasn't alive in 1967, I don't have any problem with whatever aspect of it being dated. I really find this an underrated album, but is one of my favorites from the late 1960s.

The astro-speak deep voiceover may be difficult for many to handle, but for anyone wishing to dismiss the music, they should first consider it has been sampled and drawn on for inspiration by electronica psychedelicists Broadcast, as well as one or two other contemporaries. But even without those credentials, any accomplished musician listening past the words to the music will know it is far from 'thin'. In fact, if Elektra were to release a sessions mix of this album, sans voice, it would skyrocket to paramount cult status in no time. Mort Garson never did anything so sophisticated before or after this.

For all these years. I hadn't thought much about it, but this album...Yes, I had bought it back in 1968. The years of 'Nam, UFO blackouts on the East Coast...it added mystery to the night skies in the crisp New England (Ct.) nights. Searching and searching for someone to take me away from this violent planet.
Anyway, if you think of what people were listening to at that time...Cosmic Zodiac was way far beyond anything. What do you mean thin. Listen to some of the riffs of the guitar and harpsicord...and sitar, and percussion...man that was OUT there.
I always searched for new music and I still do...Americans have become more clones like the Japanese and follow the media's capitalist push. Long live those who really strive for freedom...without trying to make a million bucks....yeah yeah

So, put on those space boots and flow thru the Cosmic Zodiac...well recommended.

The Zodiac was not a band as usual, but a collective of top L.A. session-musicians. The idea for this experimental concept-album on astrology goes back to Jac Holzman, Elektra's founder and president. The Moog was hired right from an AES (Audio Engineering Society) convention, which took place in town.
The result is a piece of very hippiesque pathetic psychedelia-babble. The recording is only interesting due to historical issues, it musical content is very thin.