The Wozard of Iz
The Wozard of Iz 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. 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
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. However, by the time of The Wozard of Iz, he had learned most of the techniques for using the instrument.Cast of characters
- Dorothy - Suzie Jane Hokom
- 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
Side one
- "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 " - 2:21
- "In-man" - 1:28
- "Man With the Word " - 2:00
- "They're Off to Find the Wozard" - 1:40
Side two
- "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
- Mort Garson – score, electronics
- Jacques Wilson – vocals
- Bill Lazarus – engineering
- Tom Wilkes – art director, cover illustration
- Guy Webster – photography
- Bernard Krause – producer