Golden Earring-Moontan-Review

        Dutch rockers "Golden Earring" released their ninth album in 1973. A transatlantic hit, The album is their most well-known outside of Holland. I was surprised how much I like this album, as I had spent years largely passing it by in the record bins of my life.

   "Candy's Going Bad" rocks with Stones-like swagger and sway.  The riff rolls over everything like a steamroller, bluesy but almost punk-like (I know this was long before punk)  in its simplicity. The chorus is awesome, very catchy and full-sounding, beautiful bass and keyboards from Rinus Gerritsen really bolster the sound.  A very underrated musician and of course, band. My only caveat is that the song is somewhat too long, and I find the instrumental outro somewhat anti-climatic.But, a very good song. "Are You Receiving Me" is my favorite song on the album. The sound is very similar to fellow Dutch rockers "Shocking Blue" in my opinion. Singer/Guitarist "George Kooymans" has a great voice, very smokey and ragged. The chorus is very pop, reminding me of both Shocking Blue and even to a certain extent, ABBA. I am not a big fan of rock horns in general, but they really work on the chorus of this song, adding pomp to the already bombastic chorus.The song again features a very long instrumental outro, which I don't usually listen to, fairly useless and boring, but the guitars solos are pretty good, and the chorus does come in a few last times before the song fades out. "Suzy Lunacy" closes out Side 1. Very Stones-sounding, it reminds of something off "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile on Main Street". A bluesy acoustic guitar is backed by a drunken piano and wobbly bass. Not bad, but it fails to stick out in my opinion.

   Side 2 begins with "Radar Love" A classic rock radio staple, the influence of American bands such as "Steppenwolf" and certainly the Doors. The song is even confused often for Steppenwolf by those less informed. After hundreds of listens, the song has begun to wear a bit thin. However, it's an enjoyable, if somewhat repetitive and again "too long" song. Golden Earring loved to test the limits of song length, and made sure to include a solo from each member of the band on most occasions. Despite a few faults, it's still quite a good song. "Just Like Vince Taylor" reflects Taylor's popularity in continental Europe. Slightly cliche, it's a very European interpretation of early R and B. British R and B being already "second-generation, English", "third generation, Dutch" R and B sounds somewhat inauthentic, but it has its own European flair. "The Vanilla Queen" is the most "prog-rock" of all the songs on the album. Drenched in synths, fantasy-based lyrics, and gentle acoustics. But for those who don't find the word "prog-rock" a bad name, it's a classic of an era where grandiosity in music was accepted and revered. Great song.

  "Moontan" is a very good album. You can easily find it on vinyl for less than 5$, and I would recommend picking it up. A great starting point to the discography of a very underrated and somewhat forgotten band.

Rating-7.5/10