On Earth

Description

To some he's the godfather, to others he's the king. Long before bedroom recording became an aesthetic choice, R Stevie Moore built a legend of pop experimentalism, home recording, and mystic curmudgeonry. Equal parts songwriter, improviser, composer, producer, filmmaker, artist, and comedy writer, the self-taught Tennessean polymath has released hundreds of homemade albums since the '60s--and inspired a thousand times more. Rather than pose and slither in the music biz, Moore opted for a more genuine life and a spot on the staff at legendary indie radio station WFMU, sharing Bedroom Radio with the world. His independent streak extends to his record releases, the R. Stevie Moore Cassette Club successful and long-lasting enough that it became the R. Stevie Moore CD-R Club. By refusing to settle into any one genre or style, Moore has always dedicated himself to eccentric ideas and passions whether around the world or focused into his home. And as Moore now eases into a well-deserved retirement, ON EARTH stands as a powerful statement, an intimate companion, and a goofy guide through a storied career. Ranging all the way back to 1976's classic Phonography, the double-disc retrospective collects a full suite of dazzling power pop, psychedelia, and indie rock, and opens the gateway to the ultimate cult DIY hero. Documentary, “Cool Dadio: The Second Youth of R. Stevie Moore.” came out on R. Stevie Moore in 2020. For fans of Gary Wilson, Arthur Russell, Daniel Johnston, Beat Happening, Mac DeMarco, Tin Pan Alley to Frank Zappa (the angular synth lines of "I Wish I Could Sing"), from Roy Wood of the Move ("I've Begun to Fall in Love") to Sparks and the Bonzo Dog Band. Other songs are inspired by Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett (the brilliantly titled "Wayne Wayne Go Away"), Cheap Trick, and XTC. Limited edition pressing / Double Black Vinyl With Baby Pink Pink Splatter / Gatefold / Hype Sticker Since 1966 RSM has recorded nearly 2,000 songs on over 400 very original homemade double albums of alarmingly idiosyncratic variety and styles, often considered a seminal pioneer in the DIY ethic Made his first home recording in 1966 New York Times article referenced Moore as the progenitor of "bedroom pop" XTC founder Andy Partridge echoed of Moore's work: "What beauty, what invention." AllMusic's Stewart Mason summarized Moore's body of work as a "one of a kind" mixture of "classic pop influences, arty experimentalism, idiosyncratic lyrics, wild stylistic left turns, and homemade rough edges." “Although his work generally takes this humorously abstract approach, it can be straightforward, even gentle.” NEW YORK ROCKER : JULY-AUGUST 1980 “Everything he does is one-of-a-kind, because Stevie gets bored quickly. Much of his musical and lyrical content is characterised by a quirky cynicism. He also has a highly sophisticated sense of melody, again without following formulas.” NJArtform Rolling Stone listed the original release of one of his albums among the fifty most important indie releases ever. Some of those tracks are featured on this release.