The Sound of Moog: Using Vinyl Recordings to Reconstruct a History of the Moog Synthesizer

Original vinyl recordings of popular music provide a rich source of data to supplement other historical research. Vintage recordings and associated liner notes provide details about the chronologic, geographic, biographic, and artistic elements that contribute to an understanding of music, music technology, and popular culture of the time. Information derived from a study of vinyl music recordings can fortify and supplement other forms of research in popular culture, artists, and music. I have undertaken a project to archive every commercial recording made using the Moog Modular Synthesizer between the years 1967 and 1970. This study represents my initial findings regarding The Sound of Moog project, which focuses on the influence of this early synthesizer on popular music, culture, and industry. The central question behind my research is: What can we learn about the history and influence of the Moog Synthesizer by examining the recordings of the early adopters of this technology? In this study, I explore general methods of discographic practice in organizing data from vintage vinyl recordings, address the issue of dating popular music recordings, and illustrate that research derived from recordings adds unique findings and insight to historical research.