Search - Keith Moon :: Two Sides of Moon

A lot of bonus stuff for an awful album.

A. Liebling | Long Island City, NY United States | 12/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a drummer, Keith Moon is one of my heroes. Besides influencing the greatest drummer of all time, Neil Peart, Moon was actually the first truly ROCK, if not PUNK, drummers. Dude smashed his kit apart for no good reason, drove a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool, and died from ingesting a bazillion pills. I mean, how cool is that?



But Moon is similar to his buddy Ringo Starr - overshadowed by his peers, and honestly, for a reason. Both are awful singers, foppish and silly in nature, and utterly ineffectual in their solo careers.



Two Sides of the Moon is actually Moon's only solo album, and thank god for that. It's awful. It's one of those albums where there's a million guest stars and just about every song is either a 50s r&b cover (complete with cringe-worthy backup female singers) or covers of 60s tunes (including the Beatles and even the Who), and yet nothing sounds good. It's pathetic. Moon sings throughout (like most drummers, he can't sing), and strangely, he doesn't play drums on the album. If I recall, I think Ringo actually plays drums on it, and technically speaking, Ringo is about one-tenth the drummer that Moon was.



Okay, so the original album sucks, but everyone knows that. So let's rate the re-release. It's actually quite impressive - Sanctuary has offered the original album, plus 40 - yes 40! - tracks of studio outtakes, unreleased tunes, and dopey studio banter.



Now, none of it is extraordinarily amazing for the casual Who or Beatles fan, but this is a lot of interesting stuff for the completist. So I'm giving this sucker 3 stars because it's a lot of bang for your buck, but ultimately, all this stuff - including the original album - should've just remained in the vault."

Who Cares?

Arthur Shuey | Wilmington, NC USA | 10/28/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Facetious, self indulgent and virtually impossible to listen to. As the liner notes point out, it was a time of solo albums. That trapped the great sideman, Keith Moon, in a frontman's body, and it wasn't a good fit. Some engineers and marketing people took his money. Ringo Starr came along to jam and groove along. There are up to five versions of some songs on this 50-song, two-CD set, and there's no good reason for that.



If you think Keith Moon could do no wrong, then you'll find nothing wrong with this record. If you have the patience to identify your favorite versions of the included songs and produce your own disc with just those versions and none of the extraneous studio banter, you'll have a more or less decent product. If neither of those scenarios describes you, then buy an anthology of The Who and remember how great a player Keith Moon was with that most powerful and precise of British rock bands."

Keith Moon tells it like it is ...

Gerald Heffner | Pennsylvania | 12/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah yes, Keith Moon's solo album. This was made in the mid 70's after his Who mates Roger and John both released solo albums. Keith, never one to be outdone by his peers, set off on his own recording adventure. The result is the stuff of rock legend.



First of all, let's get the obvious facts out of the way: Keith is a drummer, not a singer, but his first true musical love was 50's era Beach-Boyish surf music. He coerced his bandmates in the Who to warm up with "Barbara Ann" or something similar on every possible occasion. This album showcases Keith's grandiose send-up to the music he loved. Being a terrible singer is not an obstacle for Moonie, he just wanted to get in a studio with as many famous musicians and friends as possible and have fun. That's what this effort is all about.



The lineup of musicians on this album is impressive; even David Bowie makes an uncredited appearance in some background harmonies. The backing band is exceptionally strong, production values are good, and overall musicianship is top-notch, except for the (possibly intentional) chorus of ear-piercing cliched R&B female backing singers. The original album itself stands as a testament to Keith's indomitable spirit, even if it does score somewhere in the unlistenable category. Even so, some tracks like "Solid Gold" (which is not necessarily "sung" and sounds like something off a Monty Python soundtrack) and "Crazy Like a Fox" are not entirely terrible.



What the original album lacks in vocal finesse from our favorite lunatic, the deluxe edition makes up for with some classic Keith Moon banter, outtakes, arguments, and other assorted absurdity. For instance, I give you part of a conversation between Keith and Ringo Starr (one of Keith's best friends and drinking buddies) that rambles magically along:



RINGO: "I met a diabetic the other day."

KEITH: "What did he say?"

RINGO: "Hello!"



It's little bits like this that make suffering through endless versions and takes of "Don't Worry Baby" that make the collection worthwhile. (Side note: Legend has it when Brian Wilson heard Keith's version of "Don't Worry Baby" he wept bitterly.) On one outtake of "Solid Gold" Keith rambles about Judy Garland records and pleads with MCA to give him more money.



The lyrical evolution of "Solid Gold" is hysterical in its own right as the first few takes feature Keith singing about what sounds like his band and how "we" will be named to the hall of fame for "our" contributions ... this later morphs into "I" will be named for "my" contributions. Classic Keith ego trip right there and in the context of the album you have to wonder if he planned the joke ... Some of Keith's studio errors are great such as a horribly botched attempt at "The Kids Are Alright" and his dreadful falsetto stab at "Don't Worry Baby."



There are numerous different mixes and versions featuring alternate instrumentation, overdubs, and vocals, but most are throwaways. There are one or two backing tracks without vocals available for those of you who just want to hear the excellent band. If it seems like too much of nothing, be thankful. If Keith were alive today, the deluxe edition of this album would probably be six or seven CD's covering the entire length of the recording session with a two-hundred page book, DVD, photo album, and personalized, autographed locks of hair.



"Two Sides of the Moon" could have been twelve tracks of Keith banging away at the drums, but most fans will agree that Keith's drumming only ever truly fit when he was with the Who. Hearing him outside of that context was surprisingly jarring. Instead we have a look inside the mind of one of rock & roll's biggest personalities. The fact that he would spend the money on something this big, probably with the full knowledge that it would be a commercial failure, says volumes about his character. Additionally, the fact that he was not dissuaded in the least to begin work on a second album shortly thereafter says so much more.



No one, not even himself, ever stood in Keith's way."