Watcher of the skies intro

Genesis' Watcher of the skies (only the intro) performed on a Mellotron M 400 and Korg BX-3 (as Hammond substitute...). The Mello sounds are a mix of the famous 3 violins and the cello. Genesis used 3 violins and brass for the right hand keyboard on "Foxtrot" and bass accordion in the left. My version is more like the life recording on "Genesis live" when Tony Banks played Mellotron with the right hand and organ on the left — possibly with bass pedal doubled by Mike Rutherford.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Genesis
• Watcher
• of
• the
• skies
• Mellotron
• vintage
• gear
• progressive
• rock
• Tony
• Banks

[Thomasooo2003]

O dear,

you're are right — anyone can see it in the early 70's videos. But I had no bass pedals, so I used the Korg organ in the beginning for the bass notes; and in the second part for the two-voice higher parts (which should have been an octave higher, I have to say now...). Thanks for listening anyway.

[mooghammondb3]

Something's wrong with the Mello at 40... stretched tape?

[Thomasooo2003]

yes, it's a little bit wobbling... it's a feature, not a failure :-))

But you are right, it is obvious at this point. Every now and then you have to adjust a Mellotron (cleaning the pinch rollers etc) then such effects are not to recognize. But it's the same with a piano: after a while, a year or two, you'll notice the first notes a bit out of tune and it's time for the piano tuner!

[mooghammondb3]

Candles-Nice Touch.

[Thomasooo2003]

:-)

Perhaps they add a bit of gothic visual to the gothic music...

[NCMountainDavis]

Tony actually wrote "Watchers" on a Mellotron Mark II and a Hammond L-122 organ connected to a Leslie 760 speaker. He wrote the mellotron part using what he thought was the better sounding chords because some notes didn't sound that great on the Mark II. He later switched to a Hammond T-102 and Leslie and subsequently lost the Leslie and made the chorus sound through a phasor and fuzz box. He also updated to a Mellotron 400 series.

[Thomasooo2003]

Wow, that sounds very detailed! Even when I read the Armando Gallo book several times I never looked at all the details about the equipment in the first years of Genesis. In the Belgium video from 1971 or 72 you can see the MK II as well as the Hammond, but I am no expert in Hammond types. And later Tony didn't used a Leslie anymore? At which point? I guess after Peter Gabriel has left the band.

[CadillacL]

BEAUTIFUL sound.

[cactusfloyd]

anyway a mellotron is always welcome

[douzilles]

good post! banks used the hammond on the right and the mellotron on the left.

[vacuumtube1954]

Thank you for posting this wonderful music. Please keep them coming.

[Organgrinder010]

Beautiful! I always loved that intro. Never hit me that it was a Mellotron doing the strings.

[mysticradio]

i used to own a tron 400..... and if the motor mount is 90 degrees the tapes wobble.....it was always a pain... Rick Wakeman used to complain about it too.

[JIF882]

Yeah. He used Polymoog on ATTWT and Duke. I meant to ask why did he wait 'til '73 to start using them?

[NCMountainDavis]

Tony preferred ARP to Moog for the most part but did use a Polymoog in the 70s. ARP was the first to come out with a polyphonic sound even though it was only two notes at a time which we liked better than the Minimoog which was monophonic. The ARP sound was just as popular back then before going under financially. By the way, I live in the same town (Asheville, N.C.)as Moog pioneer Bob Moog. He was a great guy! We miss seeing him around town.

[JIF882]

Why did Tony 'til '73 to start using synths? Why ARP, not a Moog?