The_Wozard_of_Iz Knowpia

The Wozard of Iz
The Wozard of Iz
Studio album by Mort Garson
Released	1968
Studio	EmGee Electronic Studio
Genre	Electronic music, spoken word, Psychedelic music
Length	35:05
Label	A&M
Producer	Bernard Krause
Mort Garson chronology

The Wozard of Iz (also known as The Wozard of Iz: An Electronic Odyssey) is a 1968 album of electronic music composed and realized by Mort Garson and conceived and written by Jacques Wilson. It psychedelically parodies the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, setting the characters in the 1960s with a hippie mindset.^[1] Throughout the story the main character, Dorothy, seeks out "where it's at".

The album was released the year following another collaboration between Garson and Wilson, The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds, a concept album issued by Elektra Records.

Production edit

In a 1969 interview, Garson admitted that he hadn't used the Moog synthesizer in "a very sophisticated way" for his 1967 album, The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds.^[1] However, by the time of The Wozard of Iz, he had learned most of the techniques for using the instrument.^[1]

Cast of characters edit

Dorothy - Suzie Jane Hokom^[A]
Scared Crow - Barney Phillips
In-man - Jay Jasin
Lyin' Coward - Barney Phillips
Baddy Witch - Julie Haas
Goodie Witch - Jadine Vaughn
Narrator - Jacques Wilson

Track listing edit

Side one edit

"Prologue" - 3:05
"Leave the Driving to Us" - 2:50
"Upset Strip" - 2:25
"Never Follow the Yellow-Green Road" - 2:40
"Thing-a-Ling (Scared Crow)" - 2:21
"In-man" - 1:28
"Man With the Word (Lyin' Coward)" - 2:00
"They're Off to Find the Wozard" - 1:40

Side two edit

"Blue Poppy" - 6:27
"I've Been Over the Rainbow" - 2:10
"Big Sur" - 3:20
"Killing of the Witch" - 3:35
"Finale" - 1:04

Personnel edit

Mort Garson – score, electronics
Jacques Wilson – vocals
Bill Lazarus – engineering
Tom Wilkes – art director, cover illustration
Guy Webster – photography
Bernard Krause – producer

Legacy edit

Kim Cooper, in the 2005 book Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed, described The Wozard of Iz as "the pinnacle of the rather small genre of psychedelic Wizard of Oz-themed albums", also citing The Wizard of Oz and Other Trans Love Trips, by the West Coast Workshop, in this genre.^[2] Garson's album was sampled by the Avalanches for their 2016 album Wildflower, and gave its name to one of the tracks on that album.^[3]

References edit

Notes edit

^ Contrary to popular legend, Suzi(e) Jane Hokom is not a pseudonym for Nancy Sinatra.

Citations edit

^ ^a ^b ^c Mclellan, Dennis (2008-01-11). "Composer was a synthesizer pioneer". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
^ Cooper, Kim (2005). Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-96998-0.
^ Ducker, Eric (2019-06-21). "Music For Plants Is Real (Even If The Science Isn't)". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-17.