Paul Beaver (1925–1975) was a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
musician and a pioneer in popular
electronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, using the
Moog synthesizerDr. Robert Arthur Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
.
Beaver was the electronic half of an 1965 experimental free-form album for
Dunhill RecordsDunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions, originally for the purpose of releasing Johnny Rivers recordings on Imperial Records. It became a record label in 1965 and was distributed by ABC Records...
with studio drummer
Hal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and the Beach Boys...
called "Psychedelic Percussion". (Blaine played drums on most of the Mamas and Papas albums, who also recorded for Dunhill Records, and many other pop-rock studio productions of the 60s.} Beaver also played the Moog on "Star Collector", the final song on
The MonkeesThe Monkees were a pop rock quartet assembled by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider in Los Angeles in 1966 for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968...
' fourth album for
Colgems RecordsColgems Records was a record label which existed from 1966 to 1971. It was a joint venture between Columbia-Screen Gems and RCA Records, to issue records by The Monkees and other Screen Gems artists. The label would also issue soundtrack recordings for Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures productions....
,
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd and was the Moog performer for
The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds project for
Elektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
in 1966.
Later in 1966,Beaver joined with fellow synthesist
Bernie KrauseBernie Krause is an American bioacoustician, who coined the term "biophony". Krause holds a Ph.D. in bioacoustics from Union Institute in Cincinnati, and is remembered as the "Pied Piper" who lured a stray humpback whale from the Sacramento River Delta back to the Pacific Ocean, through the use of...
to form
Beaver & KrauseBeaver & Krause were a musical duo made up of Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause. Their 1966 album The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music was a pioneering work in the electronic music genre....
, one of the first groups to record pop-commercial electronic music, which later became known as
electronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
.
Paul Beaver (1925–1975) was a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
musician and a pioneer in popular
electronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, using the
Moog synthesizerDr. Robert Arthur Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
.
Beaver was the electronic half of an 1965 experimental free-form album for
Dunhill RecordsDunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions, originally for the purpose of releasing Johnny Rivers recordings on Imperial Records. It became a record label in 1965 and was distributed by ABC Records...
with studio drummer
Hal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and the Beach Boys...
called "Psychedelic Percussion". (Blaine played drums on most of the Mamas and Papas albums, who also recorded for Dunhill Records, and many other pop-rock studio productions of the 60s.} Beaver also played the Moog on "Star Collector", the final song on
The MonkeesThe Monkees were a pop rock quartet assembled by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider in Los Angeles in 1966 for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968...
' fourth album for
Colgems RecordsColgems Records was a record label which existed from 1966 to 1971. It was a joint venture between Columbia-Screen Gems and RCA Records, to issue records by The Monkees and other Screen Gems artists. The label would also issue soundtrack recordings for Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures productions....
,
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, Ltd and was the Moog performer for
The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds project for
Elektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.-Beginnings:...
in 1966.
Later in 1966,Beaver joined with fellow synthesist
Bernie KrauseBernie Krause is an American bioacoustician, who coined the term "biophony". Krause holds a Ph.D. in bioacoustics from Union Institute in Cincinnati, and is remembered as the "Pied Piper" who lured a stray humpback whale from the Sacramento River Delta back to the Pacific Ocean, through the use of...
to form
Beaver & KrauseBeaver & Krause were a musical duo made up of Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause. Their 1966 album The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music was a pioneering work in the electronic music genre....
, one of the first groups to record pop-commercial electronic music, which later became known as
electronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
. Their double album (2 LPs)
The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music was a landmark work, introducing the public to the specific individual sounds that the Moog could make in great detail.
Beaver & Krause continued releasing electronic albums, first for
Mercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
' spin-off label,
LimelightLimelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of lime , which can be raised to 2572°C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and candoluminescence...
, with their album
Ragnarok (1968), then three albums for
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
,
In a Wild Sanctuary (1970),
Gandharva (1971), and
All Good Men (1972). Combining the Moog with acoustic instruments, these albums were effectively the beginning of the "
New AgeThe New Age is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks "Universal Truth" and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of cosmology, astrology, esotericism, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature...
" musical movement.
The ending of the track, "Spaced" from the
Wild Sanctuary album, which features two synthesizers simultaneously gliding up and down to merge into a final single chord, was later re-performed to become the musical soundtrack for the original
THXTHX is a trade name of a high-fidelity sound reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. THX stands for Tomlinson Holman's eXperiment and is a throwback to George Lucas's first feature film, THX 1138...
logo used in movie theaters.
Beaver's health began to deteriorate in 1973, and he died in 1975 at the age of 50. Bernard Krause continued to record after Beaver's death, releasing at least two more albums,
Citadels on the Chrysalis
TakomaTakoma may mean:*Takoma Park, Maryland, a city located in Montgomery County, Maryland*Takoma, Washington, DC, a neighborhood in Washington, DC*Takoma , a stop on the Red Line of the Washington Metro subway system...
label in 1979, and
Gorillas in the Mix on the Rykodisk label in 1988.