Moonquake - Self-titled- Gamma GS 510 (Canada 1973)
Montreal trio who learned their chops backing Michel Pagliaro and made a huge impression with Remember… well on this 13 year old anyhow…
The album leads off with Remember and it’s pure class with its chorus to rival Creedence at their best, a fantastic cut and slice guitar, cowbell and Jaggeresque sneering vocals…Check the lyrics out:
2 years ago it was brand new thing to wear sparkles all over your clothes
Those 4 inch heels on your imported shoes and that silver spoon for your nose
Last Year baby, well I gave it all up and bought an expensive suit from France
Now I spend my time drinking Courvoisier, honey, you know I love to dance…
It typified Rock’n’ Roll coolness and has a dark decadent Stonesy feel that permeates throughout the album
This Winter 's intro cops the riff from Maggie May adds a bit of junkie squalor to the Stonesy chug. “I worked 7 days a week never got any sleep, stuck a needle into my arm, I always broke never had a stroke of good luck…”
For me those two songs are the stand out tracks, but there are two more rockers (Seasons and Tomorrow), a pseudo 60’s sitar led track Don’t You Try To Be My Baby and a 6 part opus Crazy Situations that has its moments. They released a 2nd album Starstruck a couple of years later, but they went for a more “commercial” approach and the album is horribly over-produced (think Blue Ash 's 2nd album)
Anyhow at their best these guys rocked with attitude and didn’t sprout any facial hair. I followed through my admiration for this band by actually covering Remember as a Barracudas B side in the early 90’s, but I was quite miffed that when we played Montreal no one knew the song or had even heard of Moonquake…Bloody typical…
click below for a soundclip of Remember
9 comments:
Love Moonquake (and Pag as well). However, I must defend 'Starstruck' - 'American Girls' is a perfectly enjoyable lil sap-sucker of a tune. And also, the self-titled was the second LP - 'Star Struck' was first in '75, with the self-titled in '76.
Hi Collin American Girls (1965) is indeed a great song. There's another version of it on the Cd reissue, but haven't heard this yet. About the dates...I bought the first one in 74 (a German pressing with a doll on the cover) and bought Starstruck (on Fantasy)on release in 75. I think someone has been messing with the old spece/ time continuum again...
Hey Rob...
I think I have the same attitude towards these guys as you did. Seems very few people recognize true talent. I was probably 15 in Montreal when that came out and was equally stunned that no one caught on to these guys especially in their home town. Go figure.
I remember (no pun intended) what it was like when I even saw a TV add for the Moonquake LP while watching Don Kirshner's Rock Concert series (USA) back in 70's. They marketed that LP.
Still... noteriety seemed to evade this group despite the fact that they were a staple as musicians in the Montreal music scene. I believe I caught a short post by Johhny Hagopian on the April Wine Message Board about 2 years ago, and replied to it to no avail.
Then recently, I believe I spotted him on FaceBook as friend of Steve Segal (formerly of April Wine), also a Mtl pro musician (Pagliaro, etc). So I am summizing that it is Hovaness Hagopian. Would be a coicidence if it wasn't.
I subsequently researched the www and found your site and am now posting this reply. Contact me on FB (Don Marco) if you wish.
Hey Don
Can you contact me via email (on the profile page). I am coming to Montreal in 4 weeks time. A good time to track down Mr. Haggopian and Jack August?
BTW, Do you know The Crescent Street Stompers (2 singles on Aquarius) I believe this must be Moonquake
All the best
Robin
Does anyone have the rest of the lyrics for Remember? I have the vinyl but could not interpret all the lyrics.
I know them by heart and even covered Remember as a B side back in 1990 (B side of I Thought You Sounded That Way Yesterday. I can't be bothered to type them all out , but if you send me what you have I can make the corrections (my email on profile page) BTW be sure to use the LP version as there is an extra verse.
Good day Robin, I was going through some old vinyls and came across the 1973 (which happens to be the year I was born) album by Moonquake & decided to look it up. I hadn't the slightest clue who they were and found your blog looking them up while the LP played out on my '72 Linn Sondek LP12. I have to say I was quite impressed for a first listening yet also can't quite understand how I've never heard of them having lived my whole life in Montreal which as you know is where the trio formed and backed Pag in those days. It's stunning how many true musicians/bands barely get a mention over time let alone actual radio airtime & the airwaves nowadays are just flooded with umpteen so called musicians/bands that are next to impossible to differentiate one from another all the while being referred to as musicians or even better "artists" (in their own minds certainly) that wouldn't know which end of a flute is to be blown into if their lives depended on it! I'll soon be taking a listen to The Barracudas & in the event you'd like to fire back a message my email is christopherdufresnemontreal@outlook.com - In the meantime, from this side of the pond to yours take care laddy!
Moonquake is one of my all time favorite band. Though I had move to Ontario from Montreal in 73, I had heard of their first album through a musician I knew in Montreal (I'm also a guitar player). Their first album had it all: great songs with good lyrics complemented by excellent musicianship. As far as I am concerned, the first album contains some of the best Fender Telecaster sounds ever recorded. And one of the secret pertains to the amplifier. I saw them during the early Summer of 74 on a Toronto based TV show. Unfortunately, I can't remember the show's name (it ran for a Summer only if I remember well). Moonquake played "Remember" and "Tomorrow". April Wine also performed on another show "You Could Have Been a Lady". I wonder if the shows were recorded by the station CTV? Coming back to the amp, Johnny used an Ampeg SVT with its 8X10 cab. It's still made but beware! It's a 300 Watts tube head. He also used a (collector's today and very pricey) Fender Telecaster sunburst from the mid-sixties. The Canadian price (discounted) equals the US MRSP.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SVT810AV--ampeg-svt-810av-8x10-inch-800-watt-classic-bass-cabinet
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SVTVR--ampeg-svt-vr-300-watt-vintage-reissue-tube-bass-head
Many versions of the Telecaster exists. However, the best match will have a maple fretboard with as close as possible to other specs matching the original mid sixties.
Fun to read your post. I just "re-discovered" my copy of Moonquake and love your musician's view on the tunes. I recall buying it used at Cheap Thrills in Montreal in the mid-1980s, mostly for its look but also because I recalled a somewhat older Hovaness Hagopian hanging out at Charlie's American Pub in Montreal - he still looked the part - around the same time. It's a picture for me of the early 1970s Montreal music scene, something I didn't live. I grew up north of Montreal but was a pre-teen when this kind of thing was going on. The city produced so much good music (including Pagliaro) and has since.
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