The Cars and the Yamaha CP30

[Bill H.]

 

Cars live in 1978. CP-30 is visible at around 2 minutes in. Shortly thereafter Greg attempts a solo that's completely drowned out by the band - typical of the era (and sometimes even typical today). 

 

That's not saying that the part was recorded with a CP-30, but listening to the original track it sure sounds like it was. I played it on a Clavinet at the time because that's what I had, and it really didn't sound like that. 

 

A more general question though... Bye Bye Love was not released as a single, but was included in an album that's now over 44 years old. I can understand covering it if you're in a Cars tribute band, but other than that - do clubgoers know or remember this song anymore? 

[The Real MC]

Keyboard Magazine April 1980 interview - Greg admits to using a Clavinet C, by the time of the 1980 interview he "now" had the CP30.  The debut album was released in 1978, presumably recorded in 1977.

 

I used to own a real Clavinet and have used a CP30 in a school band for a couple of years.  The debut album sounds like a Clavinet to my ears, especially the staccato chords in "Best Friend's Girlfriend".

[Bill H.]

^That would certainly make my 1970s self feel good, because back then I played the part on a Clavinet C  

 

Interesting perspective Real MC.  

[zxcvbnm098]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:40 AM, Bill H. said:

 

Cars live in 1978. CP-30 is visible at around 2 minutes in. Shortly thereafter Greg attempts a solo that's completely drowned out by the band - typical of the era (and sometimes even typical today). 

 

That's not saying that the part was recorded with a CP-30, but listening to the original track it sure sounds like it was. I played it on a Clavinet at the time because that's what I had, and it really didn't sound like that. 

 

A more general question though... Bye Bye Love was not released as a single, but was included in an album that's now over 44 years old. I can understand covering it if you're in a Cars tribute band, but other than that - do clubgoers know or remember this song anymore? 

"Bye Bye Love" still gets quite a lot of airplay on Classic Rock stations; at least in SoCal I hear it as much as "Just What I Needed", so I assume that accounts for many people knowing it. Elektra really should have released it as a single - it's better than "Good Times Roll", which was the the third and last single from the debut album.

[Dave Bryce]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:40 AM, Bill H. said:

A more general question though... Bye Bye Love was not released as a single, but was included in an album that's now over 44 years old. I can understand covering it if you're in a Cars tribute band, but other than that - do clubgoers know or remember this song anymore? 

 

Speaking as someone who’s played this for years in a non-Cars cover band long after The Police Cars ended - yes.

 

dB

[AUSSIEKEYS]

On 12/15/2022 at 12:51 AM, Delaware Dave said:

I'm playing in a band that wants to do Bye Bye Love.  I listened to the song thinking that it was all synth and immediately notice an unfamiliar (to me) electric piano sound.  A little research shows it was a Yamaha CP30.

 

 

Substitution, mass confusion
Clouds inside your head
Involving all my energies
Until you visited this song again.

 

Thanks for the memory 

It makes me want to perform it again.

 

 

 

 

[MotiDave]

On 12/20/2022 at 6:55 AM, Delaware Dave said:

I have a MOTIF ES rack that I don't use anymore.  I hate to have to drag it out for one or two songs.  I'm fiddling around in the Kurz to see how close I can get it with a mix of Wurli and a CP80.  

I don’t know the library would play in an ES.  It was originally made for either XS or XF and it has waveform samples made for those editions.

[Legatoboy]

I did a weird thing w/ my old CP30 on one gig in the 80's once... I ran half the Pan Effects (L) into a Leslie 145 w/ a Leslie wedge pre and the other (R) into my stage amp separated by about 12 feet  on a moderately sized stage and an old dirt freak hippie freaked out and jumped up on stage next to me and wanted to dance and freak right there solo crazed by the effect, thankfully he was not involving me in his dance... a bearded dervish in white overalls and fairly toasted.. that setup threw out a huge weird Leslie  Amp arch lopsided sn moving pan wave on half of one side the stage and room...it was an odd sound.. I let him dance a short jig and told him he had to get off ... As soon as I employed that wacky CP30 setup hard and showcased the sound in the tune.... he just freaked out and sort of popped like a blueberry from the side of the stage next to me, he was sort of in the middle of the sound on the floor.. my funniest and most prominent memory of my CP30 in the 80's. We had roadies and a truck so it was easy to accommodate some unusual gear experimentation in those days ....80's covers ...straight Rock to 80's New Wave and a bit of punk .. a good working band actually... out on the East End of LI at a Hampton's gig....  The CP30's pan was powerful    

[MotiDave]

On 12/23/2022 at 5:22 PM, Dave Bryce said:

 

Speaking as someone who’s played this for years in a non-Cars cover band long after The Police Cars ended - yes.

 

dB

We played it in a mid-80s alt band, the only Cars song we did and it was always a fave of our regulars.  My keyboard back then was a JX-3P and it couldnt even come close to CP30 but no one cared.  

 

I mentioned I did a full up Cars tribute 10 yrs ago and it was a staple that people always like but in truth it never gets anywhere close to the audience reaction of Just What I Needed, which gets crowds singing and jumping up out of chairs and onto the floor like Dont Stop Believin or Living On a Prayer.  Don’t ask me why … something about common denominators i guess, it just is.

Most any modern keyboard can emulate JWIN saw and square wave synth sounds easily.  CP-30 really is a unique sound, good luck to OP finding a great emulation.  Fortunately no crowd will notice the difference that OP, as an expert, knows is there - they’d need to hear side by side in real time to say “yeah its more like that one”.  Otherwise they won’t know.