Genesis: In the Cage 2. The Amazing Tony Banks

[mizmite]

that was so digital, want warmth, go see the musical box with all original equipment and a mellotron too.

[PeterMayer]

@mizmite agreed...and wrong key...

[riviouveur]

@PELLEWGRA: LOL, he's playing chords on another instrument with his left hand.

[PELLEWGRA]

He forgot that a keyboard can be played with 2 hands....... What about his left one????

[untensil]

@PELLEWGRA he's playing chords on a nearby keyboard with his left hand.

[funkerella]

This very solo grabbed me so many years ago, never to let me go again, sort of..

TB has very long been my keyboard hero..!

[Johnnysynth]

Tony: my fave, though I prefer the Quadra sound of this solo from.. say.. the Mama Tour.

[Xanaseb]

but alos he is the chord changes, the tune, the base of Genesis sound and music. And he rocks!

[gringochucha]

All the members of classic Genesis were gifted, but methinks Tony Banks was the glue that stuck it all together.

[kamwrites]

@gringochucha Even Phil has said Tony's the backbone of Genesis.

[pacific707]

He DID drop the Pro Soloist for the 2600 on the 1978 tour. The keyboard sat on top of his Hammond, facing Phil, but the 2600's guts were off to the side. The 2600 sure sounded a lot better than the OASYS he's using. I wonder why he just didn't whittle this sound down to a single oscillator with a cut square wave? It would have sounded closer (and better) to the original solo. I remember the 1st time I heard this solo on 'The Lamb' LP. My jaw dropped....

[pacific707]

Yes, his ARP Pro-Soloist sounded much better for this lead. Why didn't he just sample the preset? This squawking Korg just doesn't cut the mustard. Tony did play a Moog once. A Polymoog that he used on W&W and ATTW3, mostly for string patches.

[pacific707]

He also took the Polymoog out on the 1978 tour. It sat on top of the CP-70 - which actually faced Phil (not the 2600 kb).

[vachalia]

Banks, Wakeman, Emerson... they all recorded their original stuff with the jurassic keyboards which were available back then. Listen to them today and all you hear is digital mainstream without any personality shining through. Go back to your Hammonds, ARPs and Mellotrons!!!

[rodolfostanic]

@vachalia You don't need old keyboards to get that 70s sound, which is made of subtractive synthesis. Any digital synth of today can be exactly like that, so if this solo is sounding too digital, it's because Tony Banks want it to be.

[PeterMayer]

Ok, he used Moog once...

[PeterMayer]

Terrible sound. These guys just didn't sound that great. Everything a whole step down. It sounds uninspired. And this is coming from a former die hard fan. Glad I didn't spend the $100 or so.

[netmazter]

how many fingers does mr. banks have...?

[genesisinsideme]

he has blessed hands... only him can do that magical movements of fingers , like another user said ... he has must have a genetic anomaly ,, sounds funny but it's a good definition of that incredibly man and his virtuosism... love Tony , the real thing and soul of Genesis!

[BaronvonCase]

Gorgeous solo. Hard to play, too.

I agree that they keyboard patches are not up to par with what they used to be. Anything sounds better than the Los Endos effect on Rock Honors though.

[SonOfYoungwood]

Tony Banks is the original Kevin Moore (first keyboardist for DT).

[Ursulauu]

Tony is the Keyboard King!!

[PeterMayer]

I don't care for his digital sound very much. I like the analog ARP sounds he use to use.

[pauleyh]

me too his moog osunds are very signature

[aihoschema]

Sorry to chime in. Tony never used Moog. His 70s signature synth sound is all ARP (Pro Soloist, 2700 - studio only - and Quadra). In 1980 he used a Prophet V synth (and Roland vocoder to replace the Mellotron 8-choir tapes) and in 1982 also a Prophet 10 synth to replace the Hammnond T-102 organ. That's where the trouble started... His last good choice IMHO was the Yamaha CP7o piano in 1978,From then on it went all downhill... IMHO

[prosoloist]

Pro Soloist studio only? He used it all the time in concert for Selling England and The Lamb tours.

Funny that he's not concerned about the sounds but yet the sounds were a big part of the greatness!

[aihoschema]

No no, sorry I might have been unclear. Tony used the modular Arp 2700 in the studio only. The ProSoloist was on top of his Hammonds on every live gig from 1973 through 1977. Love the ProSoloist: even thogh it's a single oscillator preset synth, it has a wonderful tone and aftertouch (which is greatr when the left hand plays organ and isn't available for the mod wheel. But yes, Tony isn't conmcerned about the sounds of his past. The sounds of the 2007 tour could have been so much better.

[prosoloist]

OH, o k ...the ARP 2600 (not 2700)was used in the studio. I'm pretty certain he used the 2600 live in 1978. The Pro Soloist was actually model 2700 and 2701. The Pro DGX is model 2800 and is the same as a Pro Soloist except it used updated switches (LED). Some say the sound was not as phat but I'm not convinced of that.

[aihoschema]

Googled it: sorry got the number wrong. I was referring to the famous modular Arp 2600, Yep. I have many written souces and checked in Genesis forums. Tony started using the Arp Quadra live in 1978 (the ATTWT tour with Daryl on bass and lead guitar.). As far as I know Tony never had any keyboard rig with a modular synth on top. He needed to switch patches pretty fast.

[prosoloist]

hello again! I've seen photos and text that show he used the ARP2600 on tour in 1978. It's a semi-modular and he probably didn't need to do a lot or any patching on stage. The claim is that for ATTWT he used Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano

Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ

ARP 2600 synthesizer

Moog Polymoog synthesizer

Mellotron 400

and they say he didn't use the Quadra until 1980

[aihoschema]

Haha, this is going turning into a chat room ;-)

O.K. perhaps I have missed the gigs where Tony used the Arp 2600 during the 78 tour. Anyway: check bootlegs from this tour (Dijon is a good one, and Chicago is great): Tony clearly uses a twin oscillator synth on that tour for the first time. You can hear the slow oscillator beating and also some 2 note polyphony on synth solos - which would't be possible with a Pro Soloist. Tony used a Prophet V from the 1980 tour on. I'm positive.

[prosoloist]

Yes, you're right about him ditching the Pro Soloist after W&W and that the sounds heard on the '78 tour wouldn't be possible with the Pro Soloist. I think I have the Chicago boot. Those synth leads must be the 2600 unless in fact he was using the Quadra that early.

[pianist007]

Till now I fail to understand why Banks took the "sounds" department so lightly on those tours, the sounds are disappointing.Ok Hammonds are damn heavy: get a Nord C1 and get the organ sounds right, also I don't think that going on stage with a laptop and software is any easier than getting a real Pro Soloist for this act, time and experience has shown that this little mono synth has a sound that is IMPOSSIBLE to recreate on much more complex gear it IS a main feature of his signature sound !

[keego19]

You can now get a Pro Soloist VST!

[pianist007]

I tried that vst, it's a joke . . doesn't compare to the real sound !

[argonnj]

He didn't use a laptop and software, all sounds were created on the Korg Oasys for this tour. And do you really think Banks or Genesis would risk going on tour with a 30 year keyboard that would probably shit the bed after a few nights. Keyboards DO NOT get better with age.

[pianist007]

Musicians in Bank's caliber have people behind them taking care of those things. Old boards DO stay in top shape if aging parts are replaced. Imagine listening to Hendrix without a Fender Strat and a Marshall amp or Keith Emerson without a Hammond and a Moog Modular or Rick Wakeman without a real Minimoog. Five of Genesis best albums were recorded with that synth. I'm not a synth hardliner but even using digital keys could have produced more pleasing results than the ones heard on this tour.

[argonnj]

I agree the Oasys sounded horrible, but you still can't afford to have your rig go out during a performance. Tony also has never been one to hang on to old equipment. He is pretty much out with the old and in with the new.

[PeterMayer]

umm, actually he never used Moog. He used ARP...

[pianist007]

You are right ! I have both and they sound identical . . the only difference is that I change the sounds on the DGX with one push for the upper presets or two simultaneous pushes for the lower ones instead of flicking two different switches on the pro soloist to change a preset.

[prosoloist]

Same here, I have both the original and the DGX.

[mfnickster]

Actually he used a Polymoog on ATTWT - you can see it (and the ARP 2600) in the promo video for "Follow You, Follow Me."

[aihoschema]

Yep. Awkward choice BTW. I already tried a Polymoog back in early 1983, I had a few days to try it out (I considered hiring it for a few gigs). I hated it. I ended up buying the Roland Jupiter 6, which was a crazy choice because the yamaha DX7 craze was on at the time. Guess what: I still have my Jupiter 6 and it sounds sweet. But I digress....

[OronOfMontreal]

@aihoschema

As a music listener, rather than a musician, I always hated the thin, wheezy, reedy sound of the DX7. It was . . . weak and thin. Awful sounds came from it, no matter how popular the sounds and their songs were.

[aihoschema]

@OronOfMontreal absolutely! I never bought sa DX7 even people kept asking me why I don't have one. It was a trendy thing and many musicians had no choice but buy one: it was velocity sensitive and you hat "that" glassy e. piano sound. Yamaha made a brilliant marketing campaign back then. Not to forget that Tina Turner's big comeback in 1984 was in part based on the DX7 sounds. I hated it. Thin, glassy, unmusical, didn't blend in well - it was a brilliant makketing move by Yamaha.

[muuuusic]

tony banks genius musician. he is aa "mathematician" on the keys. one of the sharpest minds in prog rock ever. awesome work ethic, and very driven

[sonicdeath10]

Tony has always been the most melodic of prog keyboardists. Not the most technically accomplished, but the solo exists to serve the song, not the performer, which is so rare.

[Laminateddeffect]

well said. I always thought about not only banks, but the same thing about genesis & their music.

[NarcissistsDie]

@sonicdeath10

"Not the most technically accomplished"

No, the point is, he is the most technically accomplished. Wakeman et al never play their solos as the album most of the time and bad improvisations and bum notes are all over the place. Banks plays it how it is on the record - night after night - note for note perfection. That is accomplished playing.

[sonicdeath10]

@NarcissistsDie Good point.

[mugwamp4]

@sonicdeath10 so true its not how many notes you can play its how musical they are!! Tony Banks has far more musical sensability than most prog rock players

[jcmcgeekster]

Wonderful solo. I like his work ethic. xDD Anyway, beautiful solo, and nice camera angles.

[gwf64]

I was there at this show on Friday 10/12, and Tony Banks and the rest of the band were on as this clip so appropriately demonstrates.

[mikubozu]

I saw there show in late October in Detroit. Flew in from Japan to see them. Worth every single penny.

[spurs1971]

Amazing indeed.

Legend.

[jringer]

very nice, takes me back to an awesome show at the bowl