The Zodiac – Cosmic Sounds (Rhino) Ltd Glow In The Dark LP

Product Description

THE SUMMER OF LOVE COLLECTION

The summer of 1967 was a cultural milestone, drawing as many as 100,000 young people to the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. The social phenomena was a convergence of free thinking, hippie fashion, political upheaval, sexual freedom, drug use and creative expression. This movement spread to other cities around the US and around the world.

We will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this defining moment of the 1960s with a Summer of Love event this July. It will include several vinyl re-issues of key Warner Music titles from this era, new compilations by key artists themed around psychedelia and the Summer of Love, focused playlists, catalogue campaigns and editorial features highlighting music, mood and historical significance of this period in 1967.

The Zodiac – Cosmic Sounds

The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds was an album released on the ELEKTRA label in August 1967 in the U.K. It was heavily played by John Peel on his Perfumed Garden shows, where he used it as a basis for a competition (He had been sent a copy by Clive Selwood, the then head of Elektra’s London office and later to become Peel’s manager).
The LP was extremely popular with Perfumed Garden listeners and was mentioned in the lyrics of Geoffrey Prowse’s fan tribute to the program, “The Perfumed Garden Blues, or John Peel’s lament”.

”He played the Mothers of Invention and the Velvet Underground /
He played some freaky music called the Zodiac Cosmic Sounds…”

The 12-track concept album featured both music and spoken narration on the theme of signs of the zodiac. Based on an initial idea by Elektra chief Jac Holzman, it was a collaborative effort with music written by Mort Garson, words by Jacques Wilson, and narration by Cyrus Faryar. The early use of the Moog synthesizer was by Paul Beaver. There was no artist called either The Zodiac or Cosmic Sounds, a fact which confused some buyers of the LP. The back sleeve informed listeners that the record “MUST BE PLAYED IN THE DARK”.

In 1994, Peel played the LP again in full over three months on his BBC Radio One shows in a regular spot shortly after the 5.30 news on Saturday afternoons, to follow a similar run through the ‘Astrology Songs’ album of Harvey Sid Fisher.

Peel continued to broadcast selections from the 1967 LP into the 21st century, usually coupled with more contemporary tracks with similar themes.

Format: 1LP, Glow in the dark vinyl, Mono

Tracklist:

1. Aries – The Fire-Fighter
2. Taurus – The Voluptuary
3. Gemini – The Cool Eye
4. Cancer – The Moon Child Daredevil
5. Leo – The Lord of Lights
6. Virgo – The Perpetual

7. Libra – The Flower Child
8. Scorpio – The Passionate Hero
9. Sagittarius – The Versatile
10. Capricorn – The Uncapricious
11. Aquarius – The Lover of Life Perfectionist
12. Pisces – The Peace Piper

Rhino 081227937874