Rock Archeologia

Mark “Moogy” Klingman - Moogy (1972 Capitol Records)

Artist: Mark “Moogy” Klingman
Album: Self Titled
Label: Capitol Records
Catalog#: ST-11072
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock, Pop
Total Time: 00:37:12

• Mark "Moogy" Klingman (September 7, 1950 – November 15, 2011) was an American musician and songwriter. He was a founding member of Todd Rundgren's band Utopia, and later became a solo recording artist, bandleader and songwriter. He released two solo recordings, and his songs have been covered by artists as wide ranging as Johnny Winter, Carly Simon, James Cotton, Thelma Houston, Eric Clapton, Barry Manilow and Guns N' Roses. He played on stage with Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Luther Vandross, Lou Reed, Jeff Beck and Allan Woody & Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule. Other than Rundgren, his longest musical association may have been with Bette Midler, whom he served as band leader and who adopted for her signature song "(You Gotta Have) Friends", composed by Klingman and William "Buzzy" Linhart.
 
• With a sound much like another Capitol recording artist from the day, the Band, the self-titled album debut from underrated songwriter Mark "Moogy" Klingman came shortly after he appeared on releases by Al Kooper, James Cotton Blues Band, and Shuggie Otis, as well as discs by his friend Buzzy Linhart. "I Can Love" has that Band sound with a strong Klingman vocal; the mood comes right down for "Liz, When You Waltz," which is merely Klingman's piano and voice coupled with Joel Bishop O'Brien's mandolin. It's a great pairing, and the album would have had just as much heart and life had all the tracks received this treatment. Instead the 12 songs were recorded in six different facilities, with a full band kicking in for "Kindness" -- and not just any bunch of cats, the musicians were as legendary as this strong material would turn out to be. Todd Rundgren, engineer and co-producer, lends his talents on guitar and backing vocals, with Amos Garrett adding the intentionally brittle lead guitar, Stu Woods playing the bass, and N.D. Smart providing the beat. What is stunning about this album is the amount of cover versions of these songs that it spawned. Johnny Winter recorded "Kindness"; Carly Simon included "Just a Sinner" on her first album; the song here that Todd Rundgren and Klingman co-wrote, "Tonight I Want to Love Me a Stranger," found its way onto a James Cotton album; while a Klingman original which had Rundgren dueting on with him, "Crying in the Sunshine," got further validation when Thelma Houston tracked it on one of her sessions. Rundgren doesn't sound like Houston, but it's a neat female vocal from the wizard and true star. The inner sleeve has a photo of young Mark Klingman and all the lyrics, with the band receiving the moniker of the Rhythm Kings, a line from the last tune, "The Man at Ease." The cover photo has the singer/songwriter seated at a piano in a burned-out shell of an apartment or living room; a painting of the artist on the back cover has the him looking like a bearded Bob Dylan. Klingman's clean-shaven profile next to it is a nice juxtaposition.Klingman inverted this material for a CD release 18 years later, The First Recordings, 1970-1972, which was put out in 2000, featuring unique copies of the back-cover photos enhanced for the new release's front cover. Side two of this Capitol disc became the first six songs of the CD, followed by the six from side one, and augmented with demos, a lost tape, a duet with Linhart, and a rehearsal. The CD version has more bottom than this vinyl recording, but fans of Rundgren, Utopia, Rick Derringer, and Buzzy Linhart may want the original Capitol item in their collections for sentimental reasons or for the red-and-white-striped socks, which stand out in the cover photo.
                                                                                                            - review by Joe Viglione

  • Side One:
A1. I Can Love 3:55
A2. Liz, When You Waltz 2:09
A3. Kindness 3:30
A4. Crying In The Sunshine 2:56
A5. Kilpatrick's Defeat 3:03
A6. Just A Sinner 3:23
  • Side Two:
B1. Making The Rounds At Midnight 3:04
B2. On Your Own 2:55
B3. Tonight I Want To Love Me A Stranger 3:17
B4. The Sun And The Moon 3:10
B5. Me And Richard 1:15
B6. The Man At Ease 3:45

Members:

Richard Corey - Violin
Tom Cosgrove, Rick Derringer - Guitar
Amos Garrett, Douglas Rodriguez, Robbie Kogel - Guitar
Terry Eaton, Keith Johnson, Colin Wilcox - Horn
Ben Keith - Dobro, Guitar (Steel)
Mark "Moogy" Klingman - Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals
Peter Labarbera - Background Vocals
John Miller, John Seigler, Stu Woods - Bass
Joel Bishop O'Brien - Mandolin
Mark Rosengarden - Conductor
Todd Rundgren - Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer
Ralph Schuckett - Keyboards
John Siomos, Norman D. Smart - Drums

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