More Boards Than Talent.......

[Old No7]

Warning! Don't listen too long!

 

As noted:  More keyboards here than... Talent.

 

A drummer friend (or was it "fiend"?) sent this link to me.

 

Old No7

 

 

[ProfD]

Yep.  That era, image and KB rig drives some folks of a certain generation to collect a bunch of old KBs. 😁

 

Yet, the onboard sounds, polyphony, features and functionality in ONE workstation KB can reproduce that whole wack azz track.🤣😎

[Bobbo Fett]

I lost a gig back in the 80's to a wanker like this.....I was playing a Rhodes and Polysix, went to audition for a band and the next guy up literally had a van stuffed full of gear. I got the gig about a month later when they figured out that in spite of setting up like a dozen boards he couldn't play his way out of a wet paper bag. He had purty hair and looked killer in the parachute pants though....

[Threadslayer]

20 minutes ago, Bobbo Fett said:

... he couldn't play his way out of a wet paper bag. He had purty hair and looked killer in the parachute pants though....

Yikes! That entire decade just flashed before my eyes. Best not to dwell on it...

[conundrum]

The last time this was mentioned, I watched a recent interview someone did with him.

 

He said the rigamarole was at the insistence of the video direction team. You couldn’t simply just be playing a board, it had to be a fanfare.

 

edit: eighties throwbacks have been in force since the turn of the century, with no sign of abating. That’s fine with me, despite the reaction in this thread. Although the song sounds more like 70s.

[The Real MC]

While I acknowledge that visual appeal sells records, that is the goofiest damn thing I have ever seen.  It's guys like him who are the reason why keyboard players are viewed as dorks.

[Rod S]

Geoff Downes had  huge setups a different points in his career.   Saw Asia around 2007 and it looked like a Roland Showroom, I think he had 10 roland keyboards.   Geoff can play, but his setups were pretty extreme.  

[timwat]

I remember talking to a Michael Jackson tribute act that said one of the guys who auditioned had gotten samples of every key sound for most of the MJ repertoire - which if true is no small feat, if we remember how MJ records in their heyday were the plum spotlight for first-call synth programmers. Only problem - he had the sounds, but couldn't play the part.

Back to the video at hand - the irony of this wack azz video - we still remember it in 2022.

[kaptainkeys]

Just now, Rod S said:

Geoff Downes had  huge setups a different points in his career.   Saw Asia around 2007 and it looked like a Roland Showroom, I think he had 10 roland keyboards.   Geoff can play, but his setups were pretty extreme.  

I've heard that a lot of that is the ability to not have to have splits or patch changes in the middle of the song, which I totally get, but I'd much rather show up with 2, maybe 3 boards, and have my splits and patch changes.

[timwat]

3 minutes ago, Rod S said:

Geoff Downes had  huge setups a different points in his career.   Saw Asia around 2007 and it looked like a Roland Showroom, I think he had 10 roland keyboards.   Geoff can play, but his setups were pretty extreme.  

 

In all fairness, getting his 2007 rig down to 10 keyboards would have been an exercise in restraint, compared to his early '80s arsenal.

[harmonizer]

At first I was afraid someone found our covers band's youtube channel. I only use two boards in my rig, but the title still fits.

[Rod S]

15 minutes ago, GotKeys said:

I've heard that a lot of that is the ability to not have to have splits or patch changes in the middle of the song, which I totally get, but I'd much rather show up with 2, maybe 3 boards, and have my splits and patch changes.

On the other extreme, I remember Jordan Ruddess talked a lot about focusing on one keyboard and have well planned program changes with the necessary splits and layers throughout the whole show.   

[BluMunk]

13 minutes ago, harmonizer said:

At first I was afraid someone found our covers band's youtube channel. I only use two boards in my rig, but the title still fits.

One. I have one talent.

[brenner13]

WHEW! Once again so glad this wasn’t some bootleg video of one of my own bad performances…

[MathOfInsects]

My thoughts whenever I see this video always go to how paper thin the membrane is between this hi-lariously campy performance of a hi-lariously campy tune from the middle of a hi-lariously campy decade...and every keyboard player everywhere, now. At our best we're all just one keytar solo away from infinite shame and mockery.

[wd8dky]

Thankfully I only have two, which is one more than my sad talent rates. 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

I think i saw this on a Casio forum or facepalm groups recently. Wasnt all the keyboards Casio?

 

I was too mesmerized by images of Carosel horses circling around in my head to his music to concentrate on each keyboard.

 

Boy ive still got my Casio AZ1 slingon (keytar to the youngsters) if only i can master the punching in the air Ill be happy.

 

But....Im a bit concerned about the red headband its obviously not there to stop sweat running down his face..he doesnt even get up a sweat very impressive.

 

Aren't these used in the medical world to cover up lobotomy stiches around the circumference of your noggin? Nah must be a sweat band.

 

All joking aside i reckon hed be deserving to demo the next Casio synth release. He obviously well versed in vintage Casio gear.

[cphollis]

Thinks "Who is this goofy dude dancing to this lame music?  Surely he can't be actually playing that for a music video!".

 

But, yes, that is exactly what it was.  He lost me between the horse riding and the orgasmic face.

 

I think the plan might have been:

1. collect old keyboards

2. perform on beach

3. make $$$

 

I wonder how it worked out for him?

[Jon E]

In lack of talent having many boards mean a lot of demo songs. Helpful when trying to get a gig….

[ABECK]

4 hours ago, AUSSIEKEYS said:

I think i saw this on a Casio forum or facepalm groups recently. Wasnt all the keyboards Casio?

 

 

Other than a few CZs and the A-Frames, this looks like a department store keyboard nightmare!

[re Pete]

This would give Bennie Hill ideas. I'd guess girls liked it though.

[roygBiv]

Am I the only one that wondered if at the 1st part of the "song', the director was randomly zapping him with the remote-controlled electrified anal-probe they made him wear?

[Piktor]

I give it one star for "enthusiasm". 

[conundrum]

If Rihanna is “talented” enough to make a couple billion, then this guy was at least as deserving.

[timwat]

Many years later - interview with Mario Mathy (with English captions). 

 

Seems like a good guy.

 

 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

4 hours ago, timwat said:

Many years later - interview with Mario Mathy (with English captions). 

 

Seems like a good guy.

 

 

Thanks for that link Tim.

 

Interesting...I loved how he said his dad helped him and the synths had to be carefully carried in one by one so as not to knock a synth setting or there was panick. Good old dads eh.

 

Ever since i heard this song i cant get it out of my head. Hee hee. And thats not a bad thing eh? 35 years later.

 

Edit: damn you Tim im now a fan of this guy.  I couldn't get that song out of my head so im listening to it again.

 

You coaxed me to check out other stuff by him and it puts a smile on my face and whats not good about that. 

 

Check out his vocal in "break out"

 

With all this forum and utube interest he just may be a hit 35 years later.

[CowboyNQ]

On 4/6/2022 at 4:18 AM, harmonizer said:

At first I was afraid someone found our covers band's youtube channel. I only use two boards in my rig, but the title still fits.

I had exactly the same reaction.  I was thinking "finally someone's created a thread summarising my career".

 

[TommyRude]

On 4/5/2022 at 4:28 PM, MathOfInsects said:

My thoughts whenever I see this video always go to how paper thin the membrane is between this hi-lariously campy performance of a hi-lariously campy tune from the middle of a hi-lariously campy decade...and every keyboard player everywhere, now. At our best we're all just one keytar solo away from infinite shame respect and mockery admiration.

fixed

[Legatoboy]

He jumps real good... I will have to work that in somehow..

[Bill H.]

This video has 1179 views guys... with 692 coming from this thread!  It's weird, quirky, and a pitch for vintage Casio CZs if you're making roller rink music, but ultimately that's just about it.