EMI/Honest Jons Label
2006
The Viking Of Sixth Avenue
About This Album
Moondog, much like Sun Ra, was a notorious musical eccentric whose reputation almost certainly reached more ears than his music (the use of a Mr. Scruff remix in a commercial doesn't count). Also like Sun Ra, Moondog was a serious and idiosyncratic composer/musician who jumped from label to label and even resorted to self-releasing material back before there the D.I.Y. ethic was a movement. Viking of Sixth Avenue is the first compilation that spans more than one label, and therefore serves as probably the best introduction to Moondog's music that's out there. The music covers a lot of territory: from full orchestras to solo performances and from brief rhythmic percussion exercises to vocal rounds to swinging horns or dulcimers. Moondog was affected early on by Native American music when his father took him to an Arapaho Sun Dance, and this rhythmic pulse played a prominent role in his music. There are also a number of animal "tributes" ("Rabbit Hop," "Dog Trot," "Snaketime Rhythm"), including "Big Cat," which uses the sounds of a lion or tiger in the tune. He gets to the heart of the matter on "Enough About Human Rights!" where he inquires about the rights of other members of the animal kingdom.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27 and 28)

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