album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Flo & Eddie (

Mark Volman Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock duo ...

and

Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan, June 22, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of ...

of

The Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

),

Spencer Davis Spencer Davis (born Spencer David Nelson Davies; 17 July 193919 October 2020) was a Welsh singer and musician. He founded The Spencer Davis Group, a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "Keep On Running", "Gimme Some Lovin'", and ...

,

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known a ...

,

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...

's sister Patti Quatro, Patti's bandmates from Fanny Jean Millington and Nickey Barclay, and future actor

Miguel Ferrer Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Quigley in '' Blank Check'' (1994), Harbinger in ''Hot Shots! Part D ...

.

Background

Moon was the last member of the Who to release a solo album: by this point,

John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...

had released ''

Smash Your Head Against the Wall ''Smash Your Head Against the Wall'' is the debut solo studio album by English rock musician John Entwistle, released in May 1971 by Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US. ''Smash Your Head Against the Wall'' was the first solo albu ...

'' (with Moon playing percussion and singing

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

),

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

released his hit album '' Daltrey'' (1973), and

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

had produced several

Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of ...

tribute albums and the demo compilation ''

Who Came First ''Who Came First'' is the debut album by Pete Townshend, released in 1972 on Track Records in the UK and Track/Decca in the US. It includes previously released material as well as tracks that originated as demos for the Who's aborted concept ...

''. Moon had moved into the

Beverly Wilshire Hotel The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It has ...

with assistant Dougal Butler in March 1974, to play on the sessions for

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

's '' Pussy Cats''. The album was produced by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

, who had been ejected from The Troubadour with Nilsson for drunkenly heckling a

Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...

performance several days before Moon's arrival. The three, along with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

(who also drummed on ''Pussy Cats''), Lennon's girlfriend

May Pang May Fung Yee Pang (born October 24, 1950) is an American former music executive. She worked for John Lennon and Yoko Ono as a personal assistant and production coordinator, and when Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Pang and Lennon began a re ...

, bassist

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

, Voormann's girlfriend Cynthia Webb, and Starr's manager Hilary Gerrard, moved together into a

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

beach house for three weeks. The sessions were affected by Lennon, Nilsson, Moon and Starr's excessive lifestyles and drug abuse, ultimately prompting Lennon to relocate the sessions to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to separate himself and Nilsson from the Los Angeles party scene. At the time of Moon's arrival, Lennon had made initial recordings for ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

'' (1975) with

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

had also released cover albums; Bowie's '' Pin Ups'' (1973) notably included two songs by the Who, "

I Can't Explain "I Can't Explain" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend, and produced by Shel Talmy. The song was issued as a single on 15 January 1965 in the United Kingdom, on the Brunswick label, and on the Decca label in ...

" and "

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was the second single released by the English rock band the Who in 1965. It features call-and-response lyrics (especially common in Who lyrics at this time) and some of the first ever recorded guitar feedback. The song ...

". Encountering

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' former road manager

Mal Evans Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...

on the Sunset Strip, Moon suggested that Evans produce a solo album for him.

Recording

The first song, a cover of

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

' " Don't Worry Baby", was recorded in late March at the

Record Plant Studios The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

, with musicians that included

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan, June 22, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of ...

and

Mark Volman Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock duo ...

,

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Eric Clapton, J ...

, and

Miguel Ferrer Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Quigley in '' Blank Check'' (1994), Harbinger in ''Hot Shots! Part D ...

playing drums. Kaylan described the album as "a fantasy record for him", allowing him to live out his fantasy to "be a Beach Boy". For this reason, Moon largely avoided playing the drums, as he considered drumming his "job". Moon left Los Angeles on 19 April to begin filming ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'', and after the filming concluded, unofficially relocated to California in August 1974, to work on the album proper. The album would be funded by a deal directly with Los Angeles'

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gen ...

Records arranged by

Bill Curbishley William George Curbishley (born 13 March 1942, London) is an English music and film producer and band manager. He has managed English rock groups The Who and Judas Priest, as well as artists Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Life Curbishley was on ...

and Peter Rudge, as funding was unavailable from London due to

Track Records Track Record (a.k.a. Track Records) was founded in 1966 in London by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of the rock group The Who. It was one of the first British-owned independent record labels in the United Kingdom. The most succe ...

' legal problems with former Who managers

Kit Lambert Christopher Sebastian "Kit" Lambert (11 May 1935 – 7 April 1981) was a British record producer, record label owner and the manager of The Who. Biography Early life Kit Lambert was born on 11 May 1935, the son of composer Constant Lamb ...

and

Chris Stamp Christopher Thomas Stamp (7 July 1942 – 24 November 2012) was a British music producer and manager known for co-managing and producing such musical acts as the Who and Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s and 1970s and co-founding the now defunct Track ...

, and Moon's extravagant spending habits that led to reluctance to fund the sessions. Biographer

Tony Fletcher Tony Fletcher (born 27 April 1964) is a British music journalist best known for his biographies of drummer Keith Moon and the band R.E.M., and also as a show director for the Rock Academy in Woodstock. ''Jamming!'' Born in Yorkshire, England, ...

expresses astonishment in ''Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon'' that MCA approved the album's recording and released the "travesty of a Beach Boys cover" as a single rather than rejecting the master tapes for "Don't Worry Baby". Much like the difficulties that befell ''Pussy Cats'' and ''Rock 'n' Roll'', the sessions for ''Two Sides of the Moon'' were affected by the "lazy and decadent self-indulgence that permeated the superstar scene of mid-seventies LA". The routine of inconsistent working hours and lengthy indulgence, particularly of alcohol and drugs, slowed down the sessions considerably; the atmosphere of the studio resembled that of a club. One of the album's engineers, Gary Ladinsky, recalled: "You'd get something done for an hour, and then it's a party scene. Eventually, you clear out the studio and you might do something for another half an hour, and then people wander out, and you realise, 'I guess the session is over.'" After "Teenage Idol", with

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known a ...

guesting on guitar, was delivered to MCA, Evans was fired as producer, which Fletcher attributes to Moon's realisation that the sessions were largely fruitless and Evans' own drinking problem was worsening. He was replaced as producer by Skip Taylor, who was described by Volman and engineer John Stronach as the main provider of drugs for the sessions. Taylor did not dispute the assessment: "I would go in and decide, is this a night where we should have a little brandy, or should we smoke some stuff, or should we put a couple of lines out?" Most of the musicians involved saw no real difference as a result of the change. Kaylan commented that after recording his parts twice, "Basically it was the same record."

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, who was then recording '' So What'' with Stronach at the Record Plant, was brought in to play additional guitar on "The Kids Are Alright" late in the sessions. He described the results as "semi-train wrecks" and expressed surprise that Moon had only used two producers since he would "fry" anyone who worked with him. Moon's contributions to the album were primarily vocals. He only played drums on three songs, simultaneously accompanied by session drummers. Stronach said that the sessions had two drummers: "One to keep time and then Keith to play over it." The first set of vocals recorded with Evans was discarded, as all had been recorded while Moon was inebriated; Taylor characterised them as "a guy from England trying to sound like a guy from Nashville but having about five belts before he did it." Taylor demanded that Moon abandon the country twang in which he had sung the early songs (and which is noticeable on outtakes such as "I'm Not Angry"), and sing in the posh accent he regularly mimicked. Fletcher comments that so many musicians were brought in to try to "salvage" the record (sixty being credited on the final album, with several others such as

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop music, pop composition, ex ...

having been rumoured to have contributed as well) that it resulted in Moon sounding more like "the guest on someone else's record". Moon's behaviour during the sessions reflected his self-destructive lifestyle and worsening health. Recording vocals one night in Studio B under a low ceiling covered in spotlights, he smashed a light bulb with an ashtray every time recording was stopped because he failed to hit a note, ending up destroying the entire light fixture. Stronach recalled, "He'd come in, reach into his pockets, and there'd be pills and cocaine falling out." While Moon had previously been able to sing adequately on several songs from the ''

A Quick One ''A Quick One'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 9 December 1966. A version of the album with an altered track listing was released under the name ''Happy Jack'' on Decca Records in April 1967 in the Unit ...

'', ''

Ready Steady Who Ready Steady Who is the first 7" EP by The Who, released on 11 November 1966, about a month prior to their album ''A Quick One''. The title refers to a ''Ready Steady Go!'' TV special the band had recently appeared in, but the EP contains diff ...

'' and ''

The Who Sell Out ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' sessions, his strained and frequently off-key vocals on ''Two Sides of the Moon'' contributed to feelings of inadequacy and depression throughout recording. MCA's then-president Mike Maitland told Taylor at their first meeting that a lot of money had been invested before he assumed production duties, and that MCA was "prepared to spend an enormous sum of money in promotion and marketing". This was exactly what happened: Fletcher states that "well over $200,000" was spent for "recording costs alone", and that Moon claimed to receive a non-returnable advance for the same amount. With the album being prepared for release in 1975, MCA initially refused to pay for the elaborate sleeve designed by Gary Stromberg. Moon, Taylor and Stronach went to meet with Maitland; Moon asked Taylor to stop in front of an Army and Navy store on the way, and returned with a fire axe, which he kept hidden on himself. Maitland once again denied their sleeve request, criticising them for the excessive cost of the album. Moon responded by placing himself directly in front of Maitland and held the fire axe above Maitland's

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus '' Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: U ...

partners desk A partners desk, partner's desk or partners' desk (also double desk) is a mostly historical form of desk, a large pedestal desk designed and constructed for two users working while facing each other. The defining features of a partner's desk are ...

, and said, "What's it going to be, dear boy? My album cover or a new desk?"

Content

Originally recorded for his own album, but not released on it,

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

gave Moon the track "Move Over Ms. L" and later did his own version. "Solid Gold", written by keyboardist Nickey Barclay, was originally recorded by her band Fanny. Vinyl pressings of the ''Two Sides of the Moon'' had text etched into the run-out groove of side 1 that read "Grown Men Did This". The record itself was contained in an elaborate reversible inner sleeve that, when flipped, changed the front cover to show Moon's buttocks hanging from the limousine window. Upon release, Moon subsequently started work on a second solo album, which was never completed. ''Two Sides of the Moon'' was re-released by Repertoire Records in 1997, including the finished songs that Moon had made for his second album. ''Two Sides of the Moon'' was again re-released by

Castle Music Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's productio ...

and

Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...

in July 2006, as a two-disc ''Deluxe Edition'', featuring the original 10 songs plus 41 bonus tracks. 9788512

Critical reception

Reviewing in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said "It's hard to imagine the auteur of this alternately vulgar, silly, and tender travesty/tour de force as anyone but Keith Moon; his madness translates not only to film (''Stardust'', ''Tommy'') but even to the supersolo studio jobs that this parodies so deliciously. I presume they thought it was funny to mix the backup singers (Nilsson, Nelson, Flo & Eddie) up in front of the guy with his name on the cover. And it was." In a review for AllMusic, Steve Leggett said the album was "so fascinatingly bad that it has assumed a certain cult status" but was nevertheless "a horrible album on all counts." The album was included in a list of 12 ill-advised solo albums, in an article produced by the NME in 2009.

Track listing

;Side one # "Crazy Like a Fox" (

Al Staehely Al Staehely is a singer/songwriter from the 1970s. He was featured in Spirit, The Staehely Brothers, The Nick Gravenites / John Cipollina Band and recorded with labels such as Epic and Polydor. He is now an entertainment lawyer based in Houst ...

) – 2:07 # "Solid Gold" (

Nickey Barclay Nicole Barclay (born 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She was a member of the all-female rock group Fanny and has collaborated with Joe Cocker, Barbra Streisand and Keith Moon. Career In the late 1960s, Barclay joined the ...

) – 2:48 # " Don't Worry Baby" (

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop music, pop composition, ex ...

, Roger Christian) – 3:31 # "One Night Stand" (Dennis Larden) – 3:36 # " The Kids Are Alright" (

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

) – 3:03 ;Side two #

" Move Over Ms. L" (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

) – 3:10 # "

Teen Age Idol "Teen Age Idol" is a song written by Jack Lewis and performed by Rick Nelson. The song reached No. 2 on the easy listening chart, No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart in 1962. The single's B-side, "I've Got My E ...

" (Jack Lewis) – 2:20 # "Back Door Sally" (

John Marascalco John S. Marascalco (March 27, 1931 – July 5, 2020) was an American songwriter most noted for the songs he wrote for Little Richard. He was born in Grenada, Mississippi and died in Los Angeles, California. Career Marascalco co-wrote several of ...

) – 2:31 # "

In My Life "In My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It appeared on their 1965 album '' Rubber Soul''. Its lyrics were written primarily by John Lennon, credited to Lennon–McCartney. George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge. ...

" ( Lennon-McCartney) – 2:43 # "Together" (

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

, Keith Moon,

Richard Starkey Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

) – 3:05 ;1997 bonus tracks #

"U.S. Radio Spot" (Moon, Richard Starkey) # "I Don't Suppose" (Nickey Barclay) # "Naked Man" (

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

) # "Do Me Good" (

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

) # "Real Emotion" (Steve Cropper) # "Don't Worry Baby" ''- U.S. single A-side'' (Brian Wilson, Roger Christian) # "Teenage Idol" ''- U.S. single B-side'' (Jack Lewis) # "Together 'Rap'" (Harry Nilsson, Moon, Richard Starkey)

2006 deluxe edition

Personnel

*Keith Moon – drums, percussion, vocals *

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

,

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

,

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

- vocals *

Spencer Davis Spencer Davis (born Spencer David Nelson Davies; 17 July 193919 October 2020) was a Welsh singer and musician. He founded The Spencer Davis Group, a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "Keep On Running", "Gimme Some Lovin'", and ...

,

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Eric Clapton, J ...

, John Staehely, Beau Guss, Patti Quatro,

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, Gr ...

, James Haymer,

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Al Staehely Al Staehely is a singer/songwriter from the 1970s. He was featured in Spirit, The Staehely Brothers, The Nick Gravenites / John Cipollina Band and recorded with labels such as Epic and Polydor. He is now an entertainment lawyer based in Houst ...

,

Mike Condello Michael Condello (May 6, 1946 – August 17, 1995) was an American rock musician, producer, and songwriter. Early life Mike Condello was born in Brooklyn, New York May 6, 1946Facebook site,The Late Great Mike Condello and moved to Phoenix, Arizona ...

, Paul Lenart – guitar *

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

– guitar, ARP synthesizer *

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known a ...

– surf guitar on "Teenage Idol" *Skip Edwards – steel guitar, Fender Rhodes electric piano *

Jimmie Randall Jimmie Randall (born February 14, 1949 in Dallas, Texas) is a bass guitarist best known for his work with Jo Jo Gunne. Career Jimmie Randall had been playing in several Texas bands since the early 1960s when, in 1972, he was invited to join Jo Jo ...

,

Paul Stallworth Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, Jean Millington, David Birkett,

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

– bass guitar * Jay Ferguson,

Nickey Barclay Nicole Barclay (born 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She was a member of the all-female rock group Fanny and has collaborated with Joe Cocker, Barbra Streisand and Keith Moon. Career In the late 1960s, Barclay joined the ...

, Blair Aaronson,

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

– piano *Norman Kurban – piano, organ *William "Curly" Smith, Cam Davis,

Miguel Ferrer Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Quigley in '' Blank Check'' (1994), Harbinger in ''Hot Shots! Part D ...

, Mickey McGee, Ron Grinel,

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

, Ringo Starr – drums *

Robert Greenidge Robert Greenidge (born 28 April 1950 in Success Village, Laventille, Trinidad) is a steelpan player. He is a member of popular music singer Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and the instrumental group Club Trini. Greenidge has also collaborated ...

– steel drums on "Together" * Steve Douglas, Ollie Mitchell – horns on "Move Over Ms. L" and "Back Door Sally" *

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Ni ...

– saxophone on "Back Door Sally" *Julia Tillman, Lorna Willard,

Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present time. Early life Matthews started ...

, Fanny,

Clydie King Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness ( ...

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Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan, June 22, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of ...

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Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known fo ...

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Mark Volman Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock duo ...

, Flo & Eddie, Jay DeWitt White, Dennis Larden, Andra Willis, Augie Johnson, Carolyn Willis, Gerald Garrett, Gregory Matta, Ira Hawkins, Irma Routen,

Ron Hicklin The Ron Hicklin Singers were a group of Los Angeles studio singers contracted and organized by Ron Hicklin. They are mostly known as the real singers behind the background vocals on The Partridge Family recordings. In Los Angeles studio circles i ...

, Cam Davis – backing vocals *

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

– vocal contribution on "Real Emotion" *

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Stee ...

– string arrangements, conductor *

Mal Evans Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...

– horn arrangement on "Move Over Ms. L" ;Technical *Don Wood,

Gary Kellgren Gary Kellgren (April 7, 1939 – July 20, 1977) was an American audio engineer and co-founder of The Record Plant recording studios, along with businessman Chris Stone. Career Engineering Kellgren was a successful and well respected audio en ...

, Gary Ladinsky, John Stronach, Lee Kiefer, Michael Verdick, Mike Stone – engineer *Bruce Reiley, Gary Stromberg, John Stronach, Keith Moon, Skip Taylor – cover concept *George Osaki – art direction *Jim McCrary, Robert Failla – photography

Session information

Credits taken from the inner sleeve of the vinyl release. "Crazy Like A Fox" *Written by Al Staehely *Keith Moon - lead vocals, drums *Curly Smith - drums *Jimmie Randall - bass *Spencer Davies and Al Staehely - acoustic guitars *John Staehely and Jesse Ed Davis - electric guitars *Jay Ferguson - piano *Sherlie Matthews, Lorna Willard, Julia Tillman - backing vocals "Solid Gold" *Written by Nickey Barclay *Keith Moon - lead vocals *Ringo Starr - "announcer" *Cam Davis - drums *Paul Stallingworth and Jean Millington - bass *Nickey Barclay - piano *Patti Quatro - guitar *Joe Walsh - guitar,

ARP synthesizer ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before de ...

*Beau Guss - guitar solo *Sherlie Matthews, Lorna Willard, Julia Tillman, Fanny - backing vocals "Don't Worry Baby" *Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian *String arrangement and conducting by Jimmy Haskell *Keith Moon - lead vocals, percussion *Miguel Ferrer - drums *Paul Stallingworth - bass *John Sebastian, Steve Adamick, Danny Kortchmar, Jesse Ed Davis, James Haymer - acoustic guitars *Norman Kurban - organ *Blair Aaronson - piano *Sherlie Matthews, James Gilstrap, Clydie King, Flo & Eddie - backing vocals "One Night Stand" *Written by Dennis Larden *Keith Moon and Rick Nelson - co-lead vocal *Mickey McGee - drums *David Birkett - bass *Mike Condello and Al Staehely - acoustic guitars *Joe Walsh - electric guitar *Skip Edwards -

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

,

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...

*Dennis Larden, Jay White, Flo & Eddie - backing vocals "The Kids Are Alright" *Written by Pete Townshend *String arrangement and conducting by Jimmy Haskell *Keith Moon - lead vocals, drums, drum solo *Curly Smith - drums *Jimmie Randall - bass *Al Staehely - acoustic guitar *John Staehely - electric guitar *Joe Walsh - electric guitar, ARP synthesizer *Jay Ferguson - piano *Flo & Eddie - backing vocals "Move Over Ms. L" *Written by John Lennon *Horn arrangement by Mal Evans *Keith Moon - lead vocals, drums *Ron Grinel - drums *Paul Stallingworth - bass *Joe Walsh - lead guitar *Jesse Ed Davis - guitar *David Foster - piano *Ollie Mitchell, Steve Douglas - horns "Teenage Idol" *Written by Jack Lewis *String arrangement and conducting by Jimmy Haskell *Keith Moon - lead vocals *Jim Keltner - drums *Paul Stallingworth - bass *Dick Dale - surf guitar and solo *Dan Kortchmar - acoustic guitar *Jesse Ed Davis - electric guitar *Norman Kurban - piano *Jay White, Dennis Larden - backing vocals "Back Door Sally" *Written by John Marascalco *Keith Moon - lead vocals *Curly Smith - drums *Jimmie Randall - bass *Al Staehely, Joe Walsh - electric guitar *Jay Ferguson, Blair Aaronson - piano *Bobby Keys - sax solo *Ollie Mitchell, Steve Douglas - horns *Flo & Eddie - backing vocals "In My Life" *Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney *String arrangement and conducting by Jimmy Haskell *Keith Moon - lead vocals *Norman Kurban - piano *Choir: ::Gerald Garrett ::James Gilstrap ::Ira Hawkins ::Ron Hicklin ::August Johnson ::Clydie King ::Greg Matta ::Irma Routen ::Julia Tillman ::Lorna Willard ::Andra Willis ::Carolyn Willis "Together" *Written by Harry Nilsson *String arrangement and conducting by Jimmy Haskell *Keith Moon - lead vocals *Ringo Starr - drums and "rap" *Jim Keltner - drums *Klaus Voormann - bass *Jesse Ed Davis, Danny Kortchmar, Paul Lenart - guitars *Robert Greenidge - steel drums *Harry Nilsson - backing vocals

References

External links

Press release
(Archived version) for the 2006 ''Deluxe Edition'' {{Authority control 1975 debut albums Keith Moon albums Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell Albums produced by Steve Cropper MCA Records albums Polydor Records albums