Mark Klingman "Mark Moogy
Klingman" 1972 (release)
Mark "Moogy" Klingman
"Old Times, Good Times: A Musical History, Part 1 " 1999
Mark "Moogy" Klingman
"First Recordings, 1970-1972" 2000
Freak Parade " Take Your
Place In The Freak Parade" Jan 20, 2001
Mark Klingman "Mark
Moogy Klingman" 1972 (release)
With a sound much like another {@Capitol} recording artist from the
day,
{The Band}, the self-titled album debut from underrated songwriter
{Mark "Moogy" Klingman} came shortly after he appeared on releases
by
{Al Kooper}, {James Cotton Blues Band}, {Shuggie Otis}, as well
as
discs by his friend, {Buzzy Linhart}. {"I Can Love"} has
that {The
Band} sound with a strong {Klingman} vocal; the mood comes right
down
for {&"Liz, When You Waltz"}which is merely Moogy's piano
and voice
coupled with {Joel Bishop O'Brien's} mandolin. It's a great
pairing,
and the album would have had just as much heart and life had
all the
tracks received this treatment. Instead the 12 songs were
recorded in
six different facilities - a full band kicking in for {"Kindness"},
and
not just any bunch of cats, the musicians as legendary as this
strong
material would turn out to be. {Todd Rundgren}, engineer and
co-producer, lends his talents on guitar and backing vocals,
with {Amos
Garrett} adding the intentionally brittle lead guitar, {Stu Woods}
playing the bass and {N.D. Smart} providing the beat. What
is stunning
about this album is the amount of cover versions of these songs
that it
spawned. {Johnny Winter} recorded {"Kindness"}, {Carly
Simon}
included {"Just A Sinner"} on her first album, the song here
that
{Todd Rundgren} and {Moogy} co-wrote, {"Tonight I Want To Love
Me A
Stranger"}, found its way onto a {James Cotton} album, while
a {Moogy}
original which had {Rundgren} dueting on with him, {"Crying In
The
Sunshine"}, got further validation when Thelma Houston tracked
it on
one of her sessions. Todd doesn't sound like Thelma, but
it's a neat
female vocal from the wizard and true star. The inner sleeve
has a photo
of young Mark Klingman and all the lyrics, with the band receiving
the moniker of {The Rhythm Kings}, a line from the last tune,
{"The
Man At Ease"}. The cover photo has the singer/songwriter seated
at a
piano in a burnt out shell of an apartment or living room,
a painting
of the artist on the back cover has the him looking like
a bearded
{Bob Dylan} of the piano. {Moogy's} clean shaven profile next
to it is
a nice juxtaposition.{Klingman} inverted this material for a
CD release
18 years later, {^The First Recordings, 1970-1972} put out in
2000,
featuring unique copies of the back cover photos enhanced for
the new
release's front cover. Side two of this {@Capitol} disc became
the first
six songs of the CD followed by the six from side one, and augmented
with demos, a lost tape, a duet with {Linhart} and a rehearsal.
The CD
version has more bottom than this vinyl recording, but fans of
{Rundgren}, {Utopia}, {Rick Derringer} and {Buzzy Linhart} may
want
the original {@Capitol} item in their collections for sentimental
reasons or for
the red and white striped sox which stand
out in the cover photo.
Mark "Moogy" Klingman "Old Times, Good Times: A Musical History, Part 1 " 1999
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: A founding member of Utopia and a former songwriter/producer for Bette Midler, the enigmatic Mark "Moogy" Klingman fills this CD to the brim with superb melodies and heartfelt emotions. "Your Move" is not the Yes song, but it takes the double entendre sentiment that Yes first hit upon in the early '70s and tells it Moogy's way — pure pop with help from Luther Vandross on backing vocals. "A Clown & a Stranger" has Todd Rundgren firming up the backing vocals; this song is everything Billy Joel tries to be (but artistically Joel falls short of this mark). Too bad Three Dog Night didn't follow up "The Show Must Go On" with this potential hit. Rundgren again adds backing vocals to "The Kid's Got Heart"; lyrically and musically, this song seems to be a prequel to Carole King's 1975 hit "Nightingale." "Never Give Your Love" brings a funky change to this pop maestro's buffet, with Ralph Schuckett's bass adding a Jonzun Crew feel. As with Buzzy Linhart's release on Moogy Music, these journeymen have a handle on the styles that shaped the '70s and '80s. "Sister Bessie" features Randy Brecker on trumpet and Rundgren again on backing vocals. If you've ever felt that Steely Dan dipped too far into the jazz bag, this is what Fagan and Becker could have done — Moogy adds a touch more pop to the genre they forged. Nice fade on the hook too. "Do the Slop" is not the Little Joe Cook & the Thrillers tune "Let's Do the Slop" from 1956; it's another Steely Dan-style production with Rick Derringer and Rundgren adding the guitars and Randy Brecker and Pete Panzel on horns. This is a monster lineup here — Moogy, Rundgren, Derringer, and Brecker — and their enthusiasm is obvious. This is superior stuff that radio should be playing day in and day out. Brecker and Panzel add horns to Moogy's biggest hit, the tune he and Linhart wrote for Bette Midler and which she immediately released in three versions: two on The Divine Miss M and a third on the single release from that album. "(You Gotta Have) Friends" is a classic, and the all-girl band Fanny joins Rundgren and Mark Rosengarden on vocals for this version. Unlike Linhart's live track on his Moogy Music release, certainly a bookend companion to this collection, Klingman goes off with ad libs as the track fades — funny stuff, and totally classic. Derringer picks up the banjo for "Out on the Town," which changes the song's mood to — believe it or not — almost a New Orleans kind of rag. Perhaps the most bizarre twist to the recording comes from the songs about mother and father; there are five songs in all, and they segue from one to another, although lyrically the moods change and one gets the feeling there is a little dysfunction at play here. These titles bring the disc into a different area, with Moogy circling around some inner feeling. A subdued John Lennon primal scream. "Dust in the Wind" is classic preacher pop. When Neil Diamond sang "Brother Love," his commanding voice had a touch of pretension. There is none of that here with this mix of gospel and pop. Klingman's voice on "Mr. Freedom and I" is what '70s radio needed. These songs, written from 1972-1976 and recorded between 1973-1977, feature superior musicianship, and, on the last three tracks, Rundgren's engineering skills. What a diamond in the rough! This and Linhart's disc are two collections of important popular songs by two brilliant writers who have certainly not been given their due. As a founding member of Utopia, Klingman has been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But popularity shouldn't be the biggest factor when making such a decision. Listen to "Save a Dance for Me," where Klingman provides all the voices and plays all the instruments, and his induction will be justified on the strength of this CD. These are hooks, melodies, and musical passages that many popular artists have no clue exist. Old Times, Good Times is a truly spiritual experience that whispers different things each time you put it on. — Joe Viglione
Mark "Moogy"
Klingman "First Recordings, 1970-1972" 2000
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Although the liner notes state that the real first
recordings were done when Moogy Klingman was 15 and 16 years of age, this
almost hour's-worth of music — including first demos, a lost tape, unreleased
rehearsals, and duets with Todd Rundgren and Buzzy Linhart — is an essential
look at the professional beginnings of this essential musician. The liners
also note that "many of (the first recordings) became the basis for Moogy's
first album"; that they stand up so well outside of their historical importance
(and the valuable notations in the CD booklet/lyric sheet) says something
about the power of initial recordings before they are "processed" and the
strength of these very musical people. Although versions of "(You Got to
Have) Friends" are on both Klingman's Old Tmes, Good Times: A Musical History,
Part 1 and Buzzy Linhart's The Buzzy/Moogy Sessions, 1983-1994, this naïve
early take duet with Buzzy is just great, as is the duet with Rundgren
on "Crying in the Sunshine." There are two versions of "Kindness," a superb
gospel chorus on "The Man at Ease," and undeniable vocal presence on songs
like "I Can Love" and "Making the Rounds at Midnight." "Dust in the Wind"
is real pre-Utopia stuff, with bassist John Siegler, Moogy, and Todd Rundgren
all involved with this take. These recordings were tracked a full 30 years
before Moogy Klingman would bring bassist Even Steven and Kevin Ellman,
the original Utopia drummer, together for Klingman's second edition of
Utopia, a band called Freak Parade. For fans of Utopia, Rick Derringer,
and Rundgren, this is as true a find as 2001's Take Your Place in the Freak
Parade. For the rest of the world, Moogy Klingman's document of his first
legit recordings is a look at material that was covered by Carly Simon,
Johnny Winter, James Cotton, Thelma Houston, Brethren, Buzzy Linhart, Barry
Manilow, Bette Midler, and many others. Unlike artists who have peaks and
valleys, Klingman is one of the few who can keep hitting it out of the
park with very little effort. He is truly one of the most unrecognized
major talents in the music industry, and these lost tapes are highly enjoyable
and well-produced gems that deserve to be heard by a new audience. — Joe
Viglione
Freak Parade " Take Your
Place In The Freak Parade" Jan 20, 2001
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Freak Parade is the name of a band formed by founding
members of Utopia: composer/keyboardist Mark "Moogy" Klingman and drummer
Kevin Ellman. It is really the reincarnation of the first version of Utopia,
mixing visionary music with strange progressive rock — that is, progressive
rock with quirky twists and pop sensibilities, not the Emerson, Lake &
Palmer style with which the format is typically associated. Freak Parade
works better than most Utopia recordings because the skills of Klingman
are allowed to flourish here. After all, when Utopia was formed in 1973,
Todd Rundgren joined most of the members of Moogy and the Rhythm Kings,
and it started off as their band. The Dave Mason/Todd Rundgren composition
"Utopia Theme" concludes the disc, and is as long and winding as the John
Siegler/Todd Rundgren/Mark Klingman creation "Freak Parade," both reworkings
of the songs from the original Utopia album on Bearsville. In the year
2000, Moogy and the Mojos was Klingman's band. With the return of Ellman,
Freak Parade formed with members of the Mojos in a déjà vu
fashion — the way that Utopia had originally developed. The record is amazing.
Don Celenza's guitar redirects "Utopia Theme," a quagmire of vocals and
sound effects. There are only about six lines in the entire song, but it's
fantastic. The album begins with "Crazy World," a composition by Klingman
and Anthony Michael Hall; the semi-Bo Diddley beat is offset by the pop
structure, which could easily slide onto Lou Reed's Rock & Roll Heart
album. The high points of this excellent disc are the Buzzy Linhart/Klingman
collaboration "Fountain of Youth" and Klingman's "Coney Island." "Fountain
of Youth" has Klingman dueting with Katia Floreska, the very pretty female
vocalist who adds a staggering voice to this dense music. The 1994 tune
is everything Utopia was about; Freak Parade take that vision and do more
with it. The bizarre cover art of Erik Drooker has blue, black, and white
figures down long corridors of life, like some circus sideshow. The songs
reflect the various rides one can find at an amusement park, especially
the exquisite "Coney Island." Where Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby" is a
melancholy epic, and Rundgren's "I Saw the Light" fulfilled hope, Klingman
answers them both with a tour de force about having a good time with the
one you love. This is the ultimate cult recording, and that it is basically
found only on various Internet record sellers — as well as www.moogymusic.com
— it makes it a special find for fans of all the groups Klingman has worked
with. Hearing titles like "Undercover Man" (a great spy tune from 1995)
or a reworking of "Kindness" from Klingman's album The First Recordings,
1970-1972, one gets the idea that had Rundgren and Reed kept Klingman onboard
and utilized more of his ed artists owe it to themselves to seek this band
out. — Joe Viglione