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Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 7:47 am
by alanjpearson
Derek Cook wrote:Don't forget on the CP70/80, you need to run it through a chorus effect to get the Banks late 70s era piano sound. Pianoteq, its free CP model and its chorus effect is pretty good at providing this sound.
BTW brilliant keyboard player and in my top three. As it happens I was listening to "Bankstatement" tonight whilst cooking supper; 26 years on and it has not dated at all. When I play his solo albums, I always ask myself why he was not as successful in his solo career as other Genesis members. He had a great ear for chords, structure, hooks and melody, and in his solo albums he rarely trod into Genesis territory.
I never got into his solo stuff but for me he was the best because he didn't just play well (not a virtuoso like Emerson) but his construction of the music and the sounds is second to none, at least up to the 80's when it went pop in Genesis.
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 5:21 pm
by Derek Cook
Fully agree with what you say. I may be biased towards players like Banks and Rick Wright who are not virtuosos in the way that Wakeman and Emmerson were (and I love their playing as well) as I am (as a very late starter) no child prodigy.
But their is something about the keys in Genesis and Floyd that attracts me more than the technical proficiency seen in ELP and Yes. Hard to say what it is, but if I had to pick a top ten band list, Genesis and Floyd will always be at the top due to the interplay of the musicians. They might not have been the best, but what they did worked better and was possibly more cohesive.
As you say, Banks has a very unique approach.
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:02 am
by jorgemncardoso
Derek Cook wrote:Fully agree with what you say. I may be biased towards players like Banks and Rick Wright who are not virtuosos in the way that Wakeman and Emmerson were (and I love their playing as well) as I am (as a very late starter) no child prodigy.
But their is something about the keys in Genesis and Floyd that attracts me more than the technical proficiency seen in ELP and Yes. Hard to say what it is, but if I had to pick a top ten band list, Genesis and Floyd will always be at the top due to the interplay of the musicians. They might not have been the best, but what they did worked better and was possibly more cohesive.
As you say, Banks has a very unique approach.
Fully agree with you, i feel the same way. The word you are probably looking for to describe Tony Banks, Rick Wright and all those type of keyboard players and musicians is
Feel and
Soul. They are not driven by technical showoff, but for what fits the song and mood and atmosphere of the album, rather than "look how great i am, and how fast i can play" attitude.
Even tho i recognize the talent and skill of someone like, say, Jordan Rudess (and his work in DT) i never understood what the big fuss with him is all about. He can play with feel and soulfully if he wants to, but yet he chooses to play a billion different sounds per song (you don't need alll that to be prog BTW), and a billion notes per bar most of the time. No emotion, just technical skill most of the time.
I will take Tony or Rick over him any day.
And being equally a guitarist as well as a keyboard player, one of my favorite players of all time are Gilmour, Knopfler, and lots of blues guys.
I can't stand the playing of Jonh Petruci for example, for the same reasons. He can play soulfuly (i've seen it) but he chooses to play a billion notes per bar most of the time (almost like a machine).
And being primarily a chord's guy myself (keyboard wise) Mr. Banks is, and always will be the King of Chords. Nobody can make chord progressions like this man, and make it sound so natural and simple
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 10:52 pm
by laandodeman
Thanks to BillW I now have fine replica's of Tony's phased organs (thanks Bill!). I never knew that the Orange Phase is actually a modelled MRX100!
The Kronos keeps amazing me
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:41 am
by Derek Cook
jorgemncardoso wrote:Derek Cook wrote:Fully agree with what you say. I may be biased towards players like Banks and Rick Wright who are not virtuosos in the way that Wakeman and Emmerson were (and I love their playing as well) as I am (as a very late starter) no child prodigy.
But their is something about the keys in Genesis and Floyd that attracts me more than the technical proficiency seen in ELP and Yes. Hard to say what it is, but if I had to pick a top ten band list, Genesis and Floyd will always be at the top due to the interplay of the musicians. They might not have been the best, but what they did worked better and was possibly more cohesive.
As you say, Banks has a very unique approach.
Fully agree with you, i feel the same way. The word you are probably looking for to describe Tony Banks, Rick Wright and all those type of keyboard players and musicians is
Feel and
Soul. They are not driven by technical showoff, but for what fits the song and mood and atmosphere of the album, rather than "look how great i am, and how fast i can play" attitude.
Even tho i recognize the talent and skill of someone like, say, Jordan Rudess (and his work in DT) i never understood what the big fuss with him is all about. He can play with feel and soulfully if he wants to, but yet he chooses to play a billion different sounds per song (you don't need alll that to be prog BTW), and a billion notes per bar most of the time. No emotion, just technical skill most of the time.
I will take Tony or Rick over him any day.
And being equally a guitarist as well as a keyboard player, one of my favorite players of all time are Gilmour, Knopfler, and lots of blues guys.
I can't stand the playing of Jonh Petruci for example, for the same reasons. He can play soulfuly (i've seen it) but he chooses to play a billion notes per bar most of the time (almost like a machine).
And being primarily a chord's guy myself (keyboard wise) Mr. Banks is, and always will be the King of Chords. Nobody can make chord progressions like this man, and make it sound so natural and simple
I think we are of the same mind regarding technical prowess versus feel and playing for the song. Dream Theatre have some awesome musicians in it, but apart from the odd track, I just cannot get into them - precisely because the music has (IMO) no feel.
It's Gilmour and Steve Hackett for me on guitar. On one song "Twice Around The Sun" from his "Darktown" album he gets a solo out of a couple of notes! Steve Rothery from Marillion is terribly underrated as well.
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:35 am
by laandodeman
Derek Cook wrote:[
It's Gilmour and Steve Hackett for me on guitar. On one song "Twice Around The Sun" from his "Darktown" album he gets a solo out of a couple of notes! Steve Rothery from Marillion is terribly underrated as well.
+1
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:52 am
by jorgemncardoso
Derek Cook wrote:
It's Gilmour and Steve Hackett for me on guitar. On one song "Twice Around The Sun" from his "Darktown" album he gets a solo out of a couple of notes! Steve Rothery from Marillion is terribly underrated as well.
+10
Apart from Gilmour and Hackett, i agree Steve Rothery is terribly underrated. The man has a fantastic technical proficiency, but play with a ton of feel and soul.
I'm also a huge Marillion fan, have everything from them (Live and studio) and i've hardly ever seen that man play a wrong note, and at the same time, i've also hardly seen that man play anything that doesn't have feel and meaning to it.
Check out his solo instrumental album: The Ghosts of Prypiat
He certainly has that ability that makes a musician great IMO: "He knows when
NOT to play", and when he does he plays in the right amount and the right notes for what the song needs.
Same for Gilmour, Knopfler, Hackett, and so many other great ones
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:59 pm
by laandodeman
Decided to recreate the ARP on the Moog Voyager. The organs and mellotrons on the Kronos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOeBJL4HVI
Any hints, tips or tricks to improve?
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:59 pm
by Derek Cook
Hi
I have the "Ghosts ..." Album, one of the best instrumental albums ever IMO. I also have his Wishing Tree albums, which are very good. I love the solos in "Evergeen" on "Carnival of Souls" - they are dripping in emotion and feel - and of course, lovely guitar tone.
If I had to pick one Marillion track for the guitar work, it would be "Easter". I love that guitar solo in it - which is apparently a one take improvisation.
Sorry, we're drift lay slightly off topic here, but we are celebrating some great musicians who have quietly carved their respective furrows in their own unique styles...
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 10:08 am
by laandodeman
Derek Cook wrote:
Sorry, we're drift lay slightly off topic here, but we are celebrating some great musicians who have quietly carved their respective furrows in their own unique styles...
As a topic starter, I don't mind
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 11:16 am
by Derek Cook
laandodeman wrote:Derek Cook wrote:
Sorry, we're drift lay slightly off topic here, but we are celebrating some great musicians who have quietly carved their respective furrows in their own unique styles...
As a topic starter, I don't mind
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 11:27 am
by jorgemncardoso
Derek Cook wrote:Hi
I have the "Ghosts ..." Album, one of the best instrumental albums ever IMO. I also have his Wishing Tree albums, which are very good. I love the solos in "Evergeen" on "Carnival of Souls" - they are dripping in emotion and feel - and of course, lovely guitar tone.
If I had to pick one Marillion track for the guitar work, it would be "Easter". I love that guitar solo in it - which is apparently a one take improvisation.
My feelings exactly, especially the live version on the Live in Chile 2014 album. Easter was brilliant
Funnily enough, Rothery says Easter's solo is one of his favorites, that and the on on This Strange Engine.
Rothery's live double album from Ghosts, called Live at Buch Hall has the Ghosts full album on CD1, and on CD 2 a lot of Marillion early songs and a couple of newer songs all played beautifully by him and his band
Returning to the Tony Banks topic, i'm absolutly loving the Arturia Synclavier V, it's loaded with Tony Banks patches
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 11:41 am
by jorgemncardoso
Brilliant mate, very nice playing
The patches sound great too. As a personal taste only, i tend to prefer the patches Tony used on the Quadra thru the 80's rathar than the Pro-soloist ones. Yes i know that's probably blasphemy for the early Genesis lovers, but i don't have a specific Genesis period to love, i love all eras equally, from late 60's to 98, from Gabriel to Collins to Wilson (to Collins again in the 2007 tour).
I can only hope that they make just one more final album and tour before it ends for good
Since Collins came out of retirement and is open to it, as he expressed publicly already, let's see...
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 2:37 pm
by Derek Cook
jorgemncardoso wrote:
Brilliant mate, very nice playing
The patches sound great too. As a personal taste only, i tend to prefer the patches Tony used on the Quadra thru the 80's rathar than the Pro-soloist ones. Yes i know that's probably blasphemy for the early Genesis lovers, but i don't have a specific Genesis period to love, i love all eras equally, from late 60's to 98, from Gabriel to Collins to Wilson (to Collins again in the 2007 tour).
I can only hope that they make just one more final album and tour before it ends for good
Since Collins came out of retirement and is open to it, as he expressed publicly already, let's see...
Seeing as they have done the three piece back in 2007, I can only hope (probably in vein) for the classic lineup to reform.
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 3:27 pm
by laandodeman
jorgemncardoso wrote:laandodeman wrote:. As a personal taste only, i tend to prefer the patches Tony used on the Quadra thru the 80's rathar than the Pro-soloist ones. .
I think I agree. Yesterday I saw the In the Cage medley of Three Sides live on Youtube: love the Quadra sound. But then it's not the entire Cinema Show
