The Moon: Without Earth (1968)

Another dose of long-lost psychedelia, this one is long out of print and doesn't stream [2021 UPDATE: NOW IT DOES, SEE BELOW!], but if you're a fan of faux-Beatles psyche-pop from the era -- see, e.g., the Aerovons or Lazy Smoke -- it's worth hunting down. Their claim to fame at the time was guitarist David Marks, who had played with the Beach Boys early on; though the album largely belongs to singer/songwriter Matthew Moore.

The songs are mostly post-Sgt. Pepper-inspired eclectic pop with enough trippy signifiers (flanged vocals, backwards drums, the occasional sitar, weird chord changes) to keep them firmly in the psychedelic sphere. A few songs stand out, most notably the wonderful Byrdsy psychedelia of "Never Mind," a Nuggets-worthy classic if there ever was one; the upbeat Turtles-like pop of "Mothers And Fathers"; and the dated-yet-fun sitar/harpsichord drenched "Brother Lou's Love Colony" (a cover of a song from another minor psyche band, Colours). For the most part if falls into the lighter side of psyche, approaching sunshine pop, reminiscent of early Bee Gees or Moody Blues.

It's a fun listen overall. The CD version I have appends the follow-up (self-titled) album, which dropped some of the more obvious psychedelic kitsch for a mellow balladry, arguably a better album but lacking some of that late 60s playfulness.

There's a playlist of the album rip over on YouTube.

Meanwhile, here's a trippy little light show for "Never Mind":

"Mothers and Fathers":

Brother Lou's Love Colony":

"I Should Be Dreaming":