Published on Jul 30, 2006
In 1973, bands from Sweden, Britain and Scotland were nearing the top of the charts. So why not Holland?
The breakthrough single for our Dutch boys Golden Earring, “Radar Love” remains a wonderful driving song, a chugging rocker driven by the bassline, sparse guitar fills in the verses and that drum breakdown after the bridge. The songs sounds as fresh than ever, much faster than its six minutes.
The remaining four songs are around 9 minutes apiece, but this is hardly art rock, simply winding hard rock epics. "Candy's Going Bad" is the best of the rest, all hazy riffs, a great guitar solo and pleading lyrics concerning a family coming to terms with their daughter becoming a prostitute (with her pimp named Ted). If only the last couple of minutes weren't a meandering jam, the song would have been perfect.
“Vanilla Queen” is a three-parter, opening with a haunting two-note arpeggio that eventually breaks into an acoustic segment, then a shift into a simple rock beat with horns and keyboards piling on the sound over a rubbery bass line.
“Big Tree, Blue Sea” is lesser than those three; the jazzy flute and guitar battle is worthwhile, but the song is crammed with too many ideas to cohere. “Are You Receiving Me” is built in a similar fashion; again, impressive playing, but the 10 minutes of song never really comes into one. Perhaps separating all these ideas into different songs would have made them more digestible.
However, even during those times, Moontan lacks the pretentiousness and weighty lyrics that clutter similar releases and is a bracing listen. This one is much more than "Radar Love."
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