Switched-On Bach

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Switched-On Bach
Switched-On Bach cover
Studio album by Walter Carlos
Released 1968
Recorded 1968
Genre Electronic music
Length 39:45
Label Columbia Records
Producer Rachel Elkind
Professional reviews
Walter Carlos chronology
Switched-On Bach
(1968)		 The Well-Tempered Synthesizer
(1969)

Switched-On Bach is a musical album by Wendy Carlos (then Walter Carlos) on CBS Records, released in 1968. It played a key role in popularising classical music performed on electronic synthesizers, which had theretofore been relegated to experimental and "pop" music. This fostered a significant increase in interest in electronically-rendered music in general, and the Moog synthesizer in particular. The album was the first classical album to sell 500,000 copies, and go platinum. Entering Billboard's pop Top 40 charts on March 1, 1969, it climbed quickly to the Top 10; it stayed in the Top 40 for 17 weeks [1], and in the Top 200 for more than a year. In the 1970 Grammy awards, the album took three prizes: Best Classical Album, Best Classical Music Performance, Instrumental Soloist(s) (With or Without Orchestra) and Best Engineered Classical Recording.

Wendy Carlos - Switched-On Bach

First Movement (Allegro) of Brandenburg Concerto Number 3.
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Contents

[edit] Details

The album consists of a selection of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed on a Moog Modular synthesizer system, one of which can be seen at the back of the room on the album cover. "Switched-On Bach," or "S-OB" as Carlos referred to it, was recorded on an 8 track Ampex tape recorder using numerous takes and overdubs. This was long before the days of MIDI sequencers and recording the album was a tedious and time-consuming process.

Carlos followed the release of this album with a number of other classical Moog albums:

[edit] Influence

The album received a mixed reaction at the time of its release. Some critics reviled it for trivialising the work of one of the most revered classical composers of all time, but others were excited by the freshness of the sound and the virtuosity that went into its creation. Regardless of the negative reviews, the album caught the public attention and sold better than anyone had expected. Suddenly Moog's company found itself inundated with requests from record producers for Moog systems, and a rash of synthesizer albums were released to capitalise on the popularity of the new sound.

Some of these albums were similar to S-OB in being synthesized versions of classical pieces including:

  • The Moog Strikes Bach by Hans Wurman (RCA 1969)
  • Chopin À La Moog by Hans Wurman (RCA 1970)
  • Switched on Gershwin by Gershon Kingsley & Leonid Hambro (Avco 1970)
  • Everything You Always Wanted to Hear on the Moog* (*But were afraid to ask for) by Andrew Kazdin and Thomas Z. Shepard (CBS 1973)
  • The Unusual Classical Synthesizer (ABC 1972) by Mike Hankinson -- unusual in that it was performed on an EMS VCS3 synthesizer rather than the more typical Moog modular synth.
  • Snowflakes Are Dancing (Clair De Lune) by Isao Tomita (RCA Red Seal 1974)
  • Jon Santo Plays Bach (Synthesized Electrons) MCA 1976)

Others capitalised on the Moog craze by creating synthesized versions of contemporary artists and other genres:

  • Switched On Bacharach and More Switched On Bacharach by Christopher Scott. (Decca 1969)
  • Switched-On Rock by The Moog Machine. (Columbia Records 1969)
  • Music to Moog By by Gershon Kingsley (Audiofidelity 1969)
  • Moog Plays The Beatles Marty Gold (Avco 1970)
  • Country Moog - Switched on Nashville by Gil Trythall (Athena 1970)
  • Plugged-In Joplin by The Eden Electronic Ensemble (Pye 1975)

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Sinfonia to Cantata No. 29"
  2. "Air on a G String" (from Orchestral Suite No. 3)
  3. "Two-Part Invention in F Major"
  4. "Two-Part Invention in B Flat Major"
  5. "Two-Part Invention in D Minor"
  6. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (from Cantata No. 147)
  7. "Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E Flat Major" (from Well-Tempered Clavier)
  8. "Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C Minor" (from Well-Tempered Clavier)
  9. "Chorale Prelude" "Wachet Auf"
  10. "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major - Allegro"
  11. "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major - Adagio" (see note)
  12. "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major - Allegro"
  • Note: the Adagio of Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is Carlos' own composition. J.S. Bach provided only a Phrygian cadence consisting of two chords (A minor and B) between the two movements in G major.

[edit] Personnel

  • Wendy Carlos (under her birthname of Walter Carlos) - Keyboards, programming
  • Rachel Elkind - Producer

[edit] Re-releases

Carlos released Switched-On Bach 2000 in 1992 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original album's release. It is essentially a remake of the original LP—not a rerelease—using state-of-the-art (as of 1992) digital synthesizers and computer-assisted recording. Although the CD contains the same track listing as the original (with the additional inclusion of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and a brief original composition) the new digital synth sounds are radically different in feeling, prompting some criticism from fans.

In 1999, Carlos released the Switched-On Boxedset, a lavishly produced 4-CD boxset comprising the following albums in their original form:

  • Switched-On Bach
  • The Well-Tempered Synthesizer
  • Switched-On Bach II

The remaining disc differs from its original vinyl LP format by including only the remaining Brandenburg Concertos not heard on the previous three discs:

  • Switched-On Brandenburgs

The albums have been remastered by Carlos and include some bonus tracks. The boxset also includes a 150 page booklet with photos, production notes, etc.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Joel Whitburn. Top 40 Albums. New York: Billboard Books.

[edit] External links

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