Favourite Tony Banks keyboard moments in Genesis

    Quote from Backdrifter

    This was answered earlier, but made me wonder if he ever used the mellotron on flute setting. I can't think of any instances, I could be missing them but I'm assuming that with a flautist in the band there wasn't any need. But I also can't think of any post-PG either.

    He did. There's a nice short passage in the acoustic opening part of Can-Utility ("but the rising tide absorbs them, effortlessly claiming"); the intro of Battle of Epping Forest is Peter's flute plus the mellotron flute register together in thirds; and I think you can hear it in Get 'em out by Friday too in the Mrs Barrow verse, though I'm not sure if this isn't the Hammond. And if I'm not wrong it appears one more time in the little interlude between Lilywhite Lilith and The Waiting Room.

    There are so many fantastic keyboard moments, that I am going to restrict myself to my absolute favourites:


    The main solo in Fountain of Salmacis - driving, urgent, and dramatic when the rest of the instruments cut out.


    The opening and closing mellotron chords sections of Watcher of the Skies - I don't care for the main song, but these sections are arresting.


    The piano intro of Firth of Firth (and the reprise on synth) - the keyboard part that got me into Genesis.


    The main refrain melody in The Cinema Show, especially the repeat with the mellotron choir - soaring and beautiful.


    The entire piano/keyboard part for The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - I'm still at a loss for how he composed this.


    The mellotron part for Fly On a Windshield - ever shifting and mesmerizing.


    The piano part for Anyway - achingly poignant, it could work as a solo piece.


    The synth solo in In That Quiet Earth - edgy, angular, and yet with a great sense of melody.


    The whole of Duke's Travel's/Duke's End - covering a whole range of moods and emotions.


    The solo in Fading Lights - triumphant, then moody, then back to triumphant.

    Out of the countless examples I could think of I'll pick out Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, particularly the synth/guitar double solo following the second chorus. That section was written by Hackett and it was one of the few times Steve's wild side made it into a Genesis song. Within this passage, the synth makes it very first appearance on the album, and compared to Tony's other Pro Soloist solos this one has a markedly different sound. He used a preset which was supposed to be an acoustic guitar sound, of course it sounds nothing like that but nonetheless it is quite surprising and unique. I wonder if it was Steve's suggestion to employ this sound as he was always keen on dueting his guitar with a keyboard instrument and he audibly tries to achieve a similar guitar sound. The synth lines are dominating though, Steve's guitar phrases appear rather improvised, Tony's synth lines are composed by every little note. (Actually, Mike's bass playing deserves to be mentioned too, he does some far out complicated stuff in this section.)


    In the background, the hammond plays some really unusual chords, even for Tony's standards. The hammond used to be his main keyboard up until Foxtrot; with the ARP Pro Soloist having become his new toy on Selling England, the role of the hammond has changed to the instrument serving for the basic background. Its swirling sound (put through the Echoplex) is nevertheless unique, different from his own previous hammond sound as well as from any other hammond player, to the point it turned into a Tony Banks trademark too, at least at the time. At the ending climax of this instrumental section, as synth and guitar go down to join the bass with just one note, the hammond comes back to the forefront with these strange two chords going back and forth. I'm not sure if it's just the hammond, it might be doubled with the Hohner pianet. Imo this is the part when Tony comes closest to resemble Keith Emerson.


    Overall this is one of the strongest examples of Tony surpassing himself because of his competitiveness to Steve and Peter. He felt he needed to prove himself and that made him give 200%.

    Too many moments to mention! Some of my favorites:


    * Me and Sarah Jane - the piano figure in the first part of the song is really brilliant, but easily overlooked, and I love how the song modulates all over the place as it progresses!


    * Firth of Fifth


    * Cage / Raven / Cinema Show synth solos & accompaniment - both in their original studio forms and various live medleys.


    * Lamb, Duke, and Abacab albums - just love the sounds Tony used and his writing throughout these three!

    Home By the Sea


    The beginning of the second verse, it only lasts for a split second, but that Tony chord that sounds like it’s out of tune, right after the first time Phil sings, “Welcome to the Home by the Sea”….one of my favorite parts of any Genesis song. It’s sounds accidental but it’s perfect; adds to the eeriness of the song.

    Quote from Liquid Len

    it only lasts for a split second, but that Tony chord that sounds like it’s out of tune

    Em(Maj7) chord, second inversion, above middle C : B / D# / E / G.

    D# and E are one semitone apart, creating the friction.

    Since it's played with a strange sound (apparently from the CP-70, at least live in 1983-1984, but maybe they used the pure acoustic sound of the strings ringing in the studio version, with the CP a bit out of tune to enhance the dissonant effect, I don't really know how they achieved this sound).

    Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

    Em(Maj7) chord, second inversion, above middle C : B / D# / E / G.

    D# and E are one semitone apart, creating the friction.

    Since it's played with a strange sound (apparently from the CP-70, at least live in 1983-1984, but maybe they used the pure acoustic sound of the strings ringing in the studio version, with the CP a bit out of tune to enhance the dissonant effect, I don't really know how they achieved this sound).

    Interesting, I always heard it as D# / F# / G. That would take the semitone between the F# and the G, leaving the D# as an outside note without context.

    Quote from Schrottrocker

    Interesting, I always heard it as D# / F# / G. That would take the semitone between the F# and the G, leaving the D# as an outside note without context.

    Actually, I hesitated between your voicing (with the B added at the bottom) and mine before writing, but I ultimately think it's D# / E / G (no B at the bottom, I was probably fooled by the staccato part playing B / E). Just three notes, you were right !

    As for the F# impression, I got that too, it's probably because all these notes are very, very close to each other.

    Try both and tell us what you think of it ! ;)