Walter Carlos – Switched-On Bach

A landmark record, and Carlos should be placed in the pantheon of innovators in musical instrumentation, let alone the genre of electronic music. She paved the way for the explosion of synthesized sounds in the 1980s by demonstrating the versatility and adaptability of electronic instruments. While a matter of personal taste, I still find these interpretations bracing and fun to listen to. The Columbia recording is good, not great, which is typical for the label and era.

Found this for a couple of quid a year or so ago. Never heard any of it before, but heard loads about it down the years. A proper music fan should hear this and appreciate the complexities and sheer musicianship of Carlos

Do I listen to it often? No. Do I need to own it? Yes. So I do.

I don't have any other pressings to compare, but this sounds absolutely divine for my ears. The mooginess is really brought out with the half-speed master, and also it has the correct name on the cover (not the labels though). Buy with confidence!

Excellent classical music executed effortlessly with the finest synths the 60’s have to offer. This is my first Wendy Carlos album in my collection, and definitely not the last. Considering her catalog is widely out of print and unable to stream, it feels cool to own a piece of music you can only really listen to currently on physical media!

My copy is identical but has -2F on side 1 and -2C on side 2

Compitiendo en los 60s con la psicodelia, el beat sound, la fama omnipresente de the Beatles, la genialidad de músicos como Brian Wilson o Serge Gainsbourg.. Walter Carlos (Wendy Carlos) toma el primer sintetizador de Robert Moog y desentraña sonidos de orquestas para generar un trabajo basado en las sinfonías de Johann Sebastian Bach, el resultado un disco clásico, cósmico y pionero, un álbum completamente sintetizado que abrió al mundo de la música universal esta consola y sus posibilidades infinitas. Ya después nada fue igual.
Desde el progresivo y Kroutrock hasta los tiempos modernos del auto tune son ejemplos de la imponente huella del sintetizador y éste disco fue el inicio de todo.
La edición mexicana de CBS es profunda y balanceada, con frecuencias puntuales. Un gran pressing para tan importante disco que ya esté 2024 cumple 56 años.

Does anybody out there know anything about this release? I heard this mastersound series is hit or miss. And isn't Bejun Mehta an opera singer? Is he any good at mastering?

Fantastic example of early electronic music. Virtuoso performance by W. Carlos. Musical tastes aside, the album is also phenomenally mixed and mastered and sounds great on vinyl. Historic album.

This is a partial compilation of 'Switched-On Bach' (tracks 1-6) and 'Switched-On Bach II' (tracks 7-19). It needs to be made into its own separate release.