Iconic Tony Banks?

[BluMunk]

So I told a friend of mine that Tony Banks was my favorite keyboardist in the prog world, and he’s asked me for a playlist so he can dive into some of the “best” examples of Tony Banks doing his thing.

 

I’ve got a few, but am finding it difficult to pull things that are going to impress from a purely technical or “wow factor” point of view for a non-pianist. Part of what I like about his work is that it’s a little less bombast/rock and roll/lead guitar and often more woven into the fabric of a full orchestration.

 

I kind of just want to say: “here are my favorite Genesis songs. Just listen to how perfectly all the keyboard parts fit together.” 
 

But, I was asked for something a bit more specific. What are your favorite Tony Banks moments? And so I pass that question on to this group. 

[wjwilcox]

Anything he does is magical.  A few of my favorites:  Second Home by the Sea, Cinema Show, all of Wind and Wuthering, Los Endos......the list goes on and on.

 

[Tusker]

24 minutes ago, BluMunk said:

I’ve got a few, but am finding it difficult to pull things that are going to impress from a purely technical or “wow factor” point of view for a non-pianist. Part of what I like about his work is that it’s a little less bombast/rock and roll/lead guitar and often more woven into the fabric of a full orchestration.

 The three most "wow" inducing moments I would suggest are:

 

The "In the Cage" synth solo from Three Sides Live

The synth solo in "Riding the Scree" from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

The piano introduction to "The Lamb Lies down on Broadway" from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

 

Honorable mentions are

- The "Old Medley" from The Way we Walk tour It's got the Firth of Fifth synth solo and the Lamb introduction.

- The keyboard solo in "Robbery Assault and Battery" from Trick of the tail. it's got the hand over hand technique that Tony Banks also uses on the Lamb intro and on No Reply at All

 

Still, as you point out he is a marvelous ensemble player and composer. Can't wait to read other responses!

 

[Werno]

To get the obvious out of the way, I'd go with the piano intro to Firth of Fifth. Most folks seem to like the hypnotic RMI cascades in Carpet Crawlers, not sure that counts as a Tony Banks 'moment'. Mad Man Moon is a tasty piano-based journey, a good example of his harmonic/compositional chops back in the prog days but moving still farther from the 'moment' idea. Hmmm, what do non-keyboard players like? Ouch, I think I just had an epiphany on why I'm not making a living in music.

[pawelsz]

Firth Of Fifth intro

Cinema Show solo

Apocalypse in 9/8 from Supper's Ready

In the Cage solo

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway intro

 

 

[Stokely]

Tony Banks is one of those players (to me, just my opinion) like Richard Tandy from ELO where it's not so much about technical chops (though of course they have them) but more about melody and making the parts integral to the song.   On the yellow shape Genesis album, one of my favorites, you can listen to almost any part and think "well, that sure sounds easy to play!"  Which of course is not the point.  Coming up with the perfect yet minimal part is the hard thing!  You hum along with those keyboard parts the same as you do with the lead vocals.

I haven't listened quite as much to the older progressive Genesis but from what I heard (example, the songs posted just above) then you get the more technical challenging stuff.

[Ivan May]

I really enjoy the tone that Tony Banks got out of his CS-80 synth, which he used on Duke and Abacab.

 

To me, he was the only member of Genesis who took their progressive edge seriously, compared to the more pop/ac flavored arrangements that Rutherford and Collins headed towards in the seventies.

[Dave Bryce]

1 hour ago, pawelsz said:

Firth Of Fifth intro

Cinema Show solo

Apocalypse in 9/8 from Supper's Ready

In the Cage solo

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway intro

All these, for sure.

 

I'd add One For The Vine, and Second Home By The Sea.

 

dB

[Finale]

Watcher Of The Skies Intro

From The Undertow

[dbran]

The "In The Cage" medley from Three Sides Live immediately came to mind. Definite "wow factor" there.

 

Also, Second Home By The Sea is just awesome.

[Stokely]

This thread reminded me that I had wanted to look up the synths used on that '83 self-titled album.  (I hate self-titled albums, makes it hard to talk about or find stuff!)

From an interview made just afterward:

"Prophet 10, the Synclavier, the Emulator, and the Yamaha piano"  for the most part was what Tony B said.

[jazzpiano88]

No Reply at All.

[ABECK]

3 hours ago, Dave Bryce said:

Second Home By The Sea.

 

dB

This!

Tony is an interesting one.  He isn't flashy.  He doesn't rip through solos.  His parts aren't unfathomable to learn.  He's not funky...not even a little...not even by accident.  But everything he plays is right and consistent.  His timing is perfect and everything he plays tells a story and is an integral part of the composition.

[SteveCoscia]

The Dance On A Volcano keyboard parts are subtle, but vital.  The various textures TB plays among the Hammond, Mellotron and Pro-Soloist are very tasty.  If they weren't there that tune would fall flat.  The value of TB's playing is knowing where and when to add the texture.

[David Emm]

"Charm" from "The Fugitive." He got that pattern by rhythmically switching between Prophet-5 (or P-10) patches.

 An obvious device to us synth types, but I love it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGS9xzyp9go

 

Then there's this colossal keeper from "Bankstatement."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-fFYXamO0

[Al Quinn]

So many great example of Mr. Banks brilliance. I saw Genesis at Madison Square Garden in the late 70’s and it has had a huge impact on my playing since. Besides the fact that they we’re easily the best sounding band I ever heard at MSG, Tony’s musical choices were stunning. Very much like a great classical composer. More specially, the textures, choices of register, sound choices, the expressiveness, how his choices complimented the rest of the band, every move he made elevated the music to higher heights. Although he has plenty of technique I think his musicality is on full display when he’s playing the simplest keyboard parts. I never wish that he would play more notes. Everything sounds perfect to me.
 

 

[Winston Psmith]

I'm a Guitarist who uses Guitar Synths, and Tony Banks's sound has long been a touchstone for me.

 

I can recall going to a Genesis concert at an outdoor venue, where they started the set with "Eleventh Earl Of Mar" and that swirling Keyboard opening seemed to come rushing up the aisles like flood waters! One of the most amazing things I'd ever heard, and that was just the song opening.

[Shamanzarek]

"Fountain of Salmacis" is primarily a Banks composition for which he also co-wrote the lyrics with Peter. The dramatic Mellotron sweeps are brilliant unlike anything I've heard anyone else do.

 

"Seven Stones" is a composition by Tony for which he wrote all the lyrics. His keyboard textures, chord progressions, and melodies in this are beyond amazing.

 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

The relatively simple harp-like keyboards are what I have always listened to on In Too Deep. It is not a chops flashy Banks showcase piece. It is a beautiful song and sung very well, however, everything is there for the beautiful keyboards instead of the other way around. At least that is how I feel about it.

[Jim Alfredson]

Banks was never about flash. But with the possible exceptions of Dave Stewart and Keith Minnear, his harmonic concept was lightyears ahead of the other prog gods. Just listen to this intro on Evidence of Autumn, which wasn't even an album cut. It was a discarded B-side to Misunderstanding. Listen to that intro and then go transcribe it. It's absolute genius. And it perfectly captures the mood of the song to come; the age old tale of a lost love, the heated passion that turns into a cold loneliness, the transition both figuratively and literally of summer into fall, etc.

It's a masterwork in five minutes. And this was a throwaway.
 

If you're looking for pure technical prowess, his work on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is insane. The double-handed piano technique all over the place (including the very first song on the album), arpeggios into arpeggios, huge synth solos. That's probably his most technically brilliant work.

[Motif88]

You’re missing the best album of his solo work “A Curious Feeling” and every track, in particular:

• The Lie
• After the Lie
• The Waters of Lethe

[Motif88]

The Cage

 

The Arp Quadra years…

[Shamanzarek]

I was reading that some of the other members of Genesis would only allow Tony to have around three songs per album due to the complexity of his compositions which took too much time and effort for them to work out. He had a backlog of material that was mostly used on his solo recordings.

[TommyRude]

Pretty much everything.  Forced to choose... I guess I'd go with Abacab.

 

Similar to other comments, not as much about the playing itself, but the parts, the landscape, the artistry, the composition, and how it all made me feel.

[o0Ampy0o]

Phil Collins composed on keyboards. He is a drummer first but he only played drums on In The Air Tonight and one of his instrumentals during his solo shows. However he contributed keyboards around half the time during his solo shows. I have not seen him playing keyboards for any live Genesis. I don't know whether he ever played keyboards in Genesis. Did Peter Gabriel contribute on keyboards in the studio or live? Tony Banks has been able to handle all the keyboards live during the Collins fronted Genesis at least. 

 

[tonybanksfan]

18 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

don't know whether he ever played keyboards in Genesis. Did Peter Gabriel contribute on keyboards in the studio or live? Tony Banks has been able to handle all the keyboards live during the Collins fronted Genesis at least. 

Nobody else ever played any keyboards in Genesis, Tony was pretty militant about anybody even touching, adjusting, or playing his equipment even in rehearsals. He butted heads with band members, particularly Peter who liked to noodle around with his setup if Tony wasn’t there or was late arriving. They had a few blowouts about it in the early days before they learned it wasn’t worth provoking Tony. He was a little on the temperamental side.
In the middle solo of Ripples, I think Phil did play a keyboard live at one point, it was a basic pad or bass accompaniment.
 

[tonybanksfan]

Some tasteful prog here from the man himself.

 

[Motif88]

Being of the age of “Duke” I spent considerable time in the 80’s playing most of the Duke album in several cover bands….We kicked butt on Squonk too. I do miss those years.

[Synthaholic]

The synth solo in 'Follow You, Follow Me' has always been a favorite. Simple, melodic, and a great synth patch.

[marczellm]

Maybe less iconic but all his synth sounds on the pop flavoured album We Can't Dance are perfect in my opinion. Even when you know that he mostly used presets by then, he found uses for them that most of us would never think about. Also the synth solo in Fading Lights has a great emotional arc.