Album of the Day

If the cover and concept behind The Zodiac's COSMIC SOUNDS practically scream 1960s psychedelia, the music was a little more forward-looking. The 1967 Elektra album was label-founder Jac Holzman's idea, but the execution fell largely to composer Mort Garson and keyboard wizard Paul Beaver, both among the earliest proponents of the Moog synthesizer. With the addition of a couple of Wrecking Crew players, exotic percussion flourishes and the narration of Modern Folk Quartet member Cyrus Faryar, these 12 tracks – one for each astrological sign - emerged. This is a novelty record perhaps, but it's an unusual and ambitious one, and rockers including Graham Bond and The Moody Blues were big fans. As we move from Virgo into Libra, it's the ideal time to listen to COSMIC SOUNDS.