Founded in 1961 by George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen, Dutch rock band Golden Earring (or Golden Earrings, until 1969) started off as a beatband, experimented as a psychedelic quartet and finally became a heavy rock group. Their ninth album Moontan (1973) hit the international album charts and is the band's most successful album in the United States, being the only Golden Earring album to be certified Gold by the RIAA. The single Radar Love reached #10 on the Cash Box Top 100 and #13 in Billboard in the United States. It also hit the Top 10 in many countries - including The Netherlands (#1), Spain (#1), Germany (#5), United Kingdom (#7), Canada (#10) and Australia (#10) - and consequently became a bonafide international classic rock song.
In June 2020, the original mastertapes of this classic album were unearthed for a long-awaited remastered edition - 48 years after its original release. Alongside a fresh remaster from the IBC Studios first-generation album masters, six bonus tracks have been added, including the 1973 remake of Big Tree, Blue Sea that was added to the UK and US editions of the original album, the original single versions of Radar Love and Candy’s Going Bad, the B-side The Song Is Over and the 1974 single Instant Poetry. In addition, a second CD entitled The Moontan Sessions features nine previously unreleased mixes/different versions that give insight into the whole production process of the album. Taken from a variety of archive tapes, these include the original basic recordings of Radar Love, The Song Is Over, Are You Receiving Me and Vanilla Queen, taped in early 1973 at Phonogram Studios in Hilversum (The Netherlands), which were overdubbed and finished at London’s IBC Studios in July 1973. All tracks have been 24 bit/192 kHz remastered from the original mastertapes.
CD 1: Original album version remastered plus bonus tracks
1. Candy’s Going Bad 6.13 2. Are You Receiving Me 9.32 3. Suzy Lunacy (Mental Rock) 4.26 4. Radar Love 6.26 5. Just Like Vince Taylor 4.22 6. Vanilla Queen 9.19
BONUS TRACKS:
7. Big Tree, Blue Sea (1973 version) 8.12 8. Candy’s Going Bad (single version) 2.52 9. Radar Love (single version) 3.45 10. The Song Is Over 4.52 11. Instant Poetry 5.08 12. From Heaven, From Hell (1974 version) 6.05
CD 2: The Moontan Sessions
1. Vanilla Queen (early version) 10.03 2. Radar Love (basic track) 6.27 3. The Song Is Over (basic track) 5.14 4. Are You Receiving Me (basic track) 9.30 5. Candy’s Going Bad (rough mix) 4.06 6. Vanilla Queen part 1 (rough mix) 5.36 7. Just Like Vince Taylor (alternate mix) 4.27 8. Big Tree, Blue Sea part 1 (rough mix) 3.14 9. Radar Love (instrumental mono mix) 6.30
