- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Bach music that was normally played on harpsichord or organ or by small ensembles was instead fashioned using the recently invented Moog synthesizer.
Wendy Carlos – Switched-On Bach (1968): Switched-On Bach was purchased mainly by people who didn’t often buy this kind of music and was the first Platinum-certified classical music LP. Johann Sebastian Bach lived three centuries ago and is among the most enduring figures in classical music, with many considering him the greatest composer of all time. On this album, Bach music that was normally played on harpsichord or organ or by small ensembles was instead fashioned using the recently invented Moog synthesizer, giving the music entirely different textures and feelings. My copy of the album is credited to Walter Carlos, who was already living as a trans woman and shortly took the name Wendy Carlos. Carlos has released several other albums of synthesizer music over the years, including the soundtrack for the creepy Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971).