...it was dawning of the Age of Aquarius, and anything was possible. The year was 1967, the Summer of Love, and this "collective concept album" put out by Electra Records perfectly encapsulates that heady, incense scented time. With its traditional rock instruments alongside early synths and electronics, exotic percussion, sitars, harpsichords, bells and other effects, this is as gloriously an innocent psychedelic foray as you are likely to find. The Zodiac is not really a band, per se, but a gathering of some of the hottest session musicians of the time. The music is all instrumental, but backs periodic, ever so serious poetic recitations by Cyrus Faryar, as he goes through each of the twelve signs of the zodiac, giving each one a character to represent it (Aquarius, The Lover of Life; Gemini, The Cool Eye; Libra, The Flower Child, etc.) Water has faithfully reproduced the wildly colorful cover, including the purple lettered instruction on the back: Must Be Played In the Dark. I can just imagine a bunch of stoned hippies back in 1967, sitting around in the dark listening to this, deriving great meaning from Faryar's poetic musings. "Far out, man." It's a fun album, if you listen to it in light of the times it was recorded in. Quite a bit of the music is actually very creative and trippy, utilizing unusual instruments that may sound familiar to some now, but were unheard of in rock music in 1967. Cosmic Sounds is a fascinating and entertaining glimpse into the past, into a time full of innocent hope and joyous experimentation.(Aural Innovations #21, 2002)
01 - Aries - The Fire-Fighter 02 - Taurus - The Voluptuary 03 - Gemini - The Cool Eye 04 - Cancer - The Moonchild 05 - Leo - The Lord Of Lights 06 - Virgo - The Perpetual Perfectionist 07 - Libra - The Flower Child 08 - Scorpio - The Passionate Hero 09 - Saggitarius - The Versatile Daredevil 10 - Capricorn - The Uncapricious Climber 11 - Aqaurius - The Lover Of Life 12 - Pisces - The Peace Piper
