Music review by Hildemollerknag

The Moth Confesses is the 1969 debut album by The Neon Philharmonic. Described as "A Phonograph Opera," it was inspired, according to the liner notes, by a production of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, which Saussy attended after The New York Times claimed that it was a terrible opera, and wanted to see what a terrible opera looked like, which he surmised was its deliberate attempt to appeal to a one-time audience. In response, he conceived this album as a condensed opera, with a moth-like protagonist, focused on the "literary theme" of desperation. Saussy did not imagine it could be staged like Tommy, but offered it up as a challenge.[1]

"Brilliant Colors" and "Morning, Girl" were both released as singles, while "The New Life Out There" was used to promote the record as a contemporary opera in radio advertisements. "Morning, Girl" hit #17 and was later covered by The Lettermen, which slowed and made rubato the tempo and was backed mostly by strings. Shaun Cassidy covered "Morning Girl, Later" with a few tweaked lyrics (omitting the reference to "Catherine" that complicates the song implying that the protagonist now has a wife or daughter) and titled it "Morning, Girl." The songs primarily cover the topic of striking out towards a new life when relationships fail for various reasons.
Tracks
01. Brilliant Colors – 4:18
02. Cowboy – 2:18
03. The New Life Out There – 5:32
04. Morning Girl – 2:12
05. Midsummer Night – 5:44
06. Little Sparrow – 3:16
07. The Last Time I Saw Jacqueline – 3:42
08. Morning Girl, Later – 2:31
Listen