Moodtapes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1986– present |
| Labels | Moodtapes (A Ron Roy Production) |
| Members | Ron Roy |
| Past members | Ray Colcord, Frank Josephs, Jim Lum |
| Website | moodtapes |
Moodtapes are a series of nature/relaxation videos and audio collectibles (DVD, LD, CD) produced, directed, and filmed by award winning producer and director Ron Roy. They were some of the first of the New Age nature documentary/music genre in the 1980s and 1990s along with Windham Hill and Narada Productions.[2]
They include Roy's original cinematography of natural scenery edited in perfect harmony to soothing original instrumental music by Ron Roy and various other professional composers.
Sixteen videos including Serenity, Ocean Reflections, Whispering Waters, Nature's Bouquet, Autumn Whispers...Winter Dreams, Pacific Surf, Contemporary Christmas etc, eight audio CD's, 6 Singles and numerous specialty music videos [3] [4] [5] were released by Moodtapes and Ron Roy from 1986 to 2019. [6]
Credits
editRon Roy served as the producer, director and cinematographer on all the video productions and the producer/composer of original music on Pacific Surf, Whispering Waters, Contemporary Christmas, Sizzlin' Christmas and others. [7]
He also designed all the productions album covers and artwork utilizing the original photos he took while on location for each project.
While filming one production, Ocean Reflections, Roy joined the San Diego State University Marine Mammal Research and Conservation team capturing bottlenose dolphin images with R. H. Defran,[8] the director of the Cetacean Behavior Laboratory for his Moodtape Ocean Reflections.
Moodtapes musical presentations have been played in heavy rotation on Musical Starstreams, Los Angeles smooth jazz station KTWV - The Wave and numerous radio networks coast to coast. They charted Top Twenty on the national Adult Contemporary Music charts and Moodtapes iTunes podcast Relax with Moodtapes achieved top ten status in their Fitness & Nutrition category. [9] [10] [11]
Moodtapes only solo CD release Energy was produced by Ray Colcord, an ASCAP, BMI, and Drama-Logue Award winner. Colcord also produced Aerosmith's second album Get Your Wings as well as numerous TV themes such as The Simpsons, Big Brother, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, and Boy Meets World.
Most recently, Ron Roy has become involved in Americana music as a composer, producer and singer/songwriter. His recent releases Now It's All Just Stuff, Bible Belted, You Could Hear The Sound of Panties Drop and You'll Never Ever Be Alone At Christmas [12] have received worldwide airplay on numerous terrestrial and streaming stations including Renegade Radio Nashville, Trucker Radio Nashville, The BandWagon Network Radio, Jango Radio, ReverbNation and more.
Roy’s Yuletide song "You’ll Never Ever Be Alone At Christmas" charted #1 on RadioAirplay’s popularity charts [13] and was named one of the Best New Holiday Songs four years in a row in their international Independent Songwriters Holiday Contest. It was also featured as the “Premiere Christmas Song” on Nashville’s Worldwide Trucker Radio Network whose Radio icon DJ Stan Campbell proclaimed: “The song is so relatable... I recommend it for ever radio station for Christmas!”
Roy’s Americana songs also landed him at #1 in his hometown on ReverbNation’s Americana Regional Charts [14] and are also featured continuously on iTunes, Spotify, and more.
Album releases
edit
| # | Release Date | Album | Genre | Duration | Reviews | Ron Roy as | Other credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Tranquility (Video & CD) | Easy Listening, | 33:23 | AllMusic:  [15]
|
Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Ray Colcord (producer); Eric Bikales (artist) |
| 2 | 1988 | Energy CD | New Age | 47:43 | FMQB: positive[16] |
Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Ray Colcord (producer); Eric Bikales (artist) |
| 3 | 1987 | Floral Fantasy Video | Easy LIstening | 49:37 | Billboard: positive[17] |
Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Carmen Dragon, Eric Bikales (artists) |
| 4 | 1989 | Autumn Whispers… Winter Dreams (Video & CD) | Easy Listening | 53:30 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Eric Bikales (artist) | |
| 5 | 1991 | Contemporary Christmas (Video & CD) | Easy Listening, Christmas Music | 44:52 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (composer, arranger) | |
| 6 | 1993 | Sleigh Ride
(CD Single)
|
Upbeat Christmas | 2:54 | Artist, Composer | Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 7 | 1993 | It's Christmas Time
(CD Single) |
Upbeat Christmas | 3:17 | Artist, Composer | Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 8 | 1991 | Ocean Reflections (Video & CD) | Easy listening | 43:03 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Ray Colcord (producer); Eric Bikales (artist) | |
| 9 | 1992 | Natural Environments - Whispering Waters (Video & CD) | Easy listening | 44:00 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (artist, arranger, composer) | |
| 10 | 1995 | Pacific Surf (Video & CD) | Easy listening | 47:20 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (arranger); Frank Josephs (composer) | |
| 11 | 1996 | Romantic Classics by Firelight (Video & CD) |
Classical music | 44:24 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 12 | 1997 | Moments - Serenity (Video) | Easy Listening | 56:00 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (artist), Jim Lum (guitarist), Eric Bikales (artist) | |
| 13 | 1998 | Nature’s Bouquet (Video) | Easy Listening | 54:46 | Producer, Director, Cinematographer | Frank Josephs (artist, arranger) | |
| 14 | 2009 | Romantic Classics by a Gentle Mountain Stream (CD) | Classical music | 48:37 | Producer, Co-arranger | Pachelbel, Tchaikovsky, Debussy (composers); Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 15 | 2009 | Romantic Classics on Piano (CD) | Classical music | 48:54 | Producer, Co-arranger | Pachelbel, Tchaikovsky, Debussy (composers); Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 16 | 2009 | Romantic Classics by the Sea (CD) | Classical music | 50:51 | Producer, Co-arranger | Pachelbel, Tchaikovsky, Debussy (composers); Frank Josephs (arranger) | |
| 17 | 2009 | Act Naturally | Country | 2:07 | Reverb Chart | Singer | Frank Josephs, JIm Lum (guitar) |
| 18 | 2011 | Christmas (CD Single) |
Christmas Music, Rock | 3:35 | Producer, Arranger | Frank Josephs (arranger); Jim Lum (guitarist) | |
| Jingle Bells Chicken (Video) | Children's Christmas Song | 2:02 | Producer, Singer | Frank Josephs (arranger) | |||
| 19 | 2012 | Pacific Blue (Video) | Music Video | 4:12 | Reverb Chart | Composer/Director | Jim Lum Guitar |
| 20 | 2014 | Impressions of Winter (Video) | Music Video | 4:53 | Reverb Chart | Producer/Director | Jim Lum Guitar |
| 21 | 2015 | You’ll Never Ever Be Alone At Christmas (Single) | Upbeat Americana | 3:59 | Reverb Chart | Singer/Songwriter | Frank Josephs (arranger) |
| 22 | 2015 | Now It’s All Just Stuff (Single) | Americana | 3:48 | Reverb Chart | Singer/Songwriter | Frank Josephs (arranger) |
| 23 | 2015 | Bible Belted (Single) | Americana | 3:25 | Reverb Chart | Singer/Songwriter | Frank Josephs (arranger) |
| 24 | 2015 | You Could Hear the Sound of Panties Drop (Single) | Americana | 2:54 | Reverb Chart | Composer/Lyrics | Kris Feldman Vocals |
| 25 | 2018 | Amazing Grace Trilogy (Music Video & Single) | Gospel | 2:21 | Reverb Chart | Singer/Arranger | Frank Josephs (arranger) |
Media coverage
edit
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The Moodtapes videos and music received national critical acclaim in Billboard, [18][19] the Los Angeles Times [20], The New York Times [21][22] and numerous others. [23][24] They have been featured on leading national entertainment television shows such as Entertainment Tonight,[25] The 700 Club, Live with Regis, The Oprah Winfrey Show [26] as well as various other regional talk shows.[27][28]
Therapeutic reviews
editVarious authors have recommended Moodtapes in their publications to use for relaxation and to treat insomnia.[29][30][31]
Commercial success
editMoodtapes reached their greatest commercial success during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s by becoming bestsellers in thousands of specialty stores in the United States, most notably The Nature Company outlets, Natural Wonders specialty stores, and also reaching an audience of millions via the Reader's Digest Video Catalogs .[32][29] Bloomingdale's department stores also featured Moodtapes as A Best Bet Gift Idea in 1988.[33]
References
edit- ^ "Ron Roy and His Moodtapes - archive.org".
- ^ "New Age Music: Moodtapes". New Age Journal. 5. 1988.
- ^ "Pacific Blue".
- ^ "Impressions of Winter..."
- ^ "Clare de Lune".
- ^ "Moodtapes Channel".
- ^ "IMDB Ron Roy".
- ^ "The Profile of R. H. Defran". sci.sdsu.edu. San Diego State University. 2004. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ "Podcast Review: Relax With Moodtapes - UBook".
- ^ "Review: Best Surf Music Podcasts - Player.fm".
- ^ "Podcast: Relax with Moodtapes (by Ron Roy)". iTunes. Apple Inc. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Americana Song List - Ron Roy".
- ^ "RadioAirplay Best New Holiday Song Winner".
- ^ "ReverbNation's Top Ten Songs Chart".
- ^ The review score of Moodtapes by Allmusic
- ^ "New Horizons: Energy by Eric Bikales". FMQB Magazine. May 1989. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "World's First Video Bouquet". Billboard Magazine, Volume 100, #39. 24 September 1988. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "New Age Tapes Evoke Soothing Atmosphere". Billboard Magazine, Volume 99, #6. 7 February 1987. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ "Moodtapes Review".
- ^ "Moodtapes Tranquility Review - LA Times".
- ^ Deming, Mark (1991). "Moodtapes: Ocean Reflection. Review Summary". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ Seibert, Perry (2009). "Moodtapes: Contemporary Christmas. Review Summary". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ^ Barbara Greenleaf (1986). "The review of the "Tranquility" video by Ron Roy". A/V Update, Volume 1 - #4. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ Pat McCoy (1988). "The review of the "Energy" music by Eric Bikales". Mainly Adult Contemporary. The Exclusive A/C Review. Issue 149, Volume 4. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Moodtapes Entertainment Tonight".
- ^ "Moodtapes Ron Roy on Oprah".
- ^ "Moodtape's Ron Roy Good Day Atlanta".
- ^ "Moodtape's Ron Roy - Future Visions LA".
- ^ a b "Alternative Avenues for a 'New Age' Video". Video Extra. April 1987. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ Ellen Mohr Catalano (1990). Getting to sleep: simple, effective methods for falling and staying asleep, getting the rest you need, and awakening refreshed and renewed. New Harbinger Publications. p. 118. ISBN 0934986932. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Psychedelic Video High On `Atmosphere`". Sun-Sentinel. 24 April 1987. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Moodtapes Reader's Digest Video Catalog".
- ^ Spies, Michael (6 September 1988). "Video producer-director in mood to take comedy show sitting down". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
