861: MOONTAN | GOLDEN EARRING

Moontan is the ninth studio album by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, released in 1973. It contains the radio hit "Radar Love", which became a classic rock anthem and a staple of live performances. The album was voted as the ninth-best Dutch pop album ever by the readers of Oor magazine in 2008, and was also ranked as one of the 40 cosmic rock albums by Q and Mojo magazines.

The album showcases the band's versatility and experimentation, blending hard rock, progressive rock, and pop elements. The songs range from the epic "Vanilla Queen", which features a string section, horns, and samples of Marilyn Monroe, to the country-flavored "Suzy Lunacy (Mental Rock)", which contrasts with the rest of the album. The album also includes a re-recorded version of "Big Tree, Blue Sea", a song from their 1970 album Golden Earring.

Moontan was the band's most successful album in the United States, where it was certified gold by the RIAA. However, it had a different cover and track listing than the original European version. The US version replaced the controversial cover featuring a nude dancer with a simple image of an earring, and also omitted "Just Like Vince Taylor", a tribute to the British rock singer who influenced the band. The US version also added "Big Tree, Blue Sea" to fill the gap.

In 2021, Moontan was remastered and expanded into a 2CD edition, featuring the original album with six bonus tracks, nine previously unreleased mixes and versions, and a 32-page booklet with a new essay, memorabilia, and photos. The new edition restored the original cover and track listing, and also included the US version as a bonus disc. The remastered edition was praised by critics and fans as a definitive version of the classic album.