Moontan
1973 studio album by Golden Earring
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Moontan is the ninth studio album by Dutch rock band Golden Earring, first released in August 1973 through Polydor internationally, Track Records in the United Kingdom, and MCA Records in the United States. It contains the radio hit "Radar Love". Moontan is the band's most successful album in the United States, being the only Golden Earring album to be certified Gold by the RIAA.[5]
| Moontan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1973 | |||
| Studio | Phonogram (Hilversum) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:19 39:41 (US version) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Golden Earring | |||
| Golden Earring chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 United States rerelease cover | ||||
| Singles from Moontan | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock |  [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[4] |
"Vanilla Queen" twice samples Marilyn Monroe's character in There's No Business Like Show Business: "Well, in simple English I'm..." from the "Lazy" performance and "What's your name, Honey?" from the "Heat Wave" performance.
Track listing
All tracks are written by George Kooymans and Barry Hay, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Candy's Going Bad" | 6:12 | |
| 2. | "Are You Receiving Me" | Kooymans, Hay, John Fenton[6] | 9:31 |
| 3. | "Suzy Lunacy (Mental Rock)" | 4:24 | |
| 4. | "Radar Love" | 6:26 | |
| 5. | "Just Like Vince Taylor" | 4:33 | |
| 6. | "Vanilla Queen" | 9:16 | |
| Total length: | 40:19 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radar Love" | 6:26 | |
| 2. | "Candy's Going Bad" | 6:12 | |
| 3. | "Vanilla Queen" | 9:20 | |
| 4. | "Big Tree, Blue Sea" | 8:13 | |
| 5. | "Are You Receiving Me" | Kooymans, Hay, Fenton | 9:32 |
| Total length: | 39:41 | ||
This is also the track listing on the original UK vinyl release (see above), as well as on early U.S. LP pressings (Track/MCA 396). The U.S. version of the album was originally issued with the UK "exotic dancer" cover with Jilly Johnson, but this was quickly withdrawn and replaced with the "earring" cover depicted at right.
In September 2021, Moontan Remastered & Expanded, a new 2CD edition of the 1973 classic album, was released, featuring the original album newly remastered for the first time from the first-generation master tapes, and featuring six bonus tracks, nine previously unreleased mixes/different versions, a 32-page booklet with a new essay, memorabilia, and photos.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Big Tree, Blue Sea" (1973 version; replaced "Suzy Lunacy" and "Just Like Vince Taylor" on UK/US 1973 releases) | 8:12 | |
| 8. | "Candy's Going Bad" (single version) | 2:52 | |
| 9. | "Radar Love" (single version) | 3:45 | |
| 10. | "The Song Is Over" ("Radar Love" B-side in continental Europe) | Kooymans | 4:52 |
| 11. | "Instant Poetry" (single A-side, 1974) | 5:08 | |
| 12. | "From Heaven, from Hell" (1974 version; "Instant Poetry" B-side) | Kooymans | 6:05 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vanilla Queen" (early version) | 10:03 |
| 2. | "Radar Love" (basic track) | 6:27 |
| 3. | "The Song Is Over" (basic track) | 5:14 |
| 4. | "Are You Receiving Me" (basic track) | 9:30 |
| 5. | "Candy's Going Bad" (rough mix) | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Vanilla Queen Part 1" (rough mix) | 5:36 |
| 7. | "Just Like Vince Taylor" (alternate mix) | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Big Tree, Blue Sea Part 1" (rough mix) | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Radar Love" (instrumental mono mix) | 6:30 |
Personnel
- Barry Hay — lead vocals, flute, saxophone, backing vocals, percussion, sound effects
- George Kooymans — electric and acoustic guitars, lead vocals, backing vocals, sound effects
- Rinus Gerritsen — bass guitar, minimoog, ARP 2500 synthesizer, piano, organ, accordion, sound effects
- Cesar Zuiderwijk — drums, percussion
- Additional personnel
- Patricia Paay — backing vocals
- Bertus Borgers — saxophone
- Eelco Gelling — slide guitar on "Radar Love"
Production
- Producer: Golden Earring
- Executive Producer: Fred Haayen
- Engineer: Pieter Nieboer
- Engineer: Damon Lyon-Shaw (mixing), IBC Studios, London, England
- Arranger: Golden Earring
Charts
| Chart (1973–1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] | 13 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] | 15 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 24 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 12 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[12] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Accolades
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | August 1973 |
| United Kingdom | December 1973[2] |
| United States | April 1974 |