Wakeman isolated.

[Baldwin Funster]

It's amazing what he plays and doesn't play even though he could play anything.

 No arppeggiator I assume.

Enjoy.

 

[AWkeys]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[D. Gauss]

hey i wasn't there, and i haven't listened to Yes in decades, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that hyper fast synth intro was recorded at half speed (7.5ips) then sped up back to normal speed (15ips). (much like the beatles "hard days night" solo or lotsa lindsey buckingham stuff).  Considering, iirc, that record was a recorded and punched in bar by bar, hundreds of spliced together bits by eddy offord, nightmare to make, i'd say the odds are good.  just to be clear, i love that record.

[Tusker]

Didn't Rick play the opening on B3 live? Sounds like a Mini in this recording. Wonder why he made the choice he did....

[ABECK]

The polysynth stuff around 5:30 sounds great, as do the Mellotron strings.  Haunting.

[AnotherScott]

50 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

hey i wasn't there, and i haven't listened to Yes in decades, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that hyper fast synth intro was recorded at half speed (7.5ips) then sped up back to normal speed (15ips)

31 minutes ago, Tusker said:

Didn't Rick play the opening on B3 live? Sounds like a Mini in this recording. 

It's certainly playable at full speed, and yes, minimoog. There was a thread about it at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/171517-close-to-the-edge-opening-ostinato-instrument/ (where I actually demonstrated playing it with the Minimoog app).

 

[Tusker]

Hey Scott, that's great. Beautifully spotted and demonstrated. Thank you. 👍

 

So why is it that in this 1972 video, he's already doing it on the B3? I've never performed this live, and the only idea I have is that maybe there were other roles the Minis needed to play in the song (with different settings)?

 

I have no clue. If anybody knows, that person would be on this forum I should think? 👍

 

 

 

[David Emm]

Fascinating. Its a solid reminder of how even modest parts all help to make a song. What a memory Rick has! By contrast, mine has all the weight of the faux coffee stain on the first M-Tron.

[AnotherScott]

6 hours ago, Tusker said:

So why is it that in this 1972 video, he's already doing it on the B3? I've never performed this live, and the only idea I have is that maybe there were other roles the Minis needed to play in the song (with different settings)?

Yeah, I'd say either he wanted his available Minimoogs set up for other sounds coming up later in the song (they had no presets), or maybe he just decided he preferred the sound of doing it on the organ, e.g. felt that sound worked better, at least in the context of their playing it live.

[wineandkeyz]

22 hours ago, D. Gauss said:

hey i wasn't there, and i haven't listened to Yes in decades, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that hyper fast synth intro was recorded at half speed (7.5ips) then sped up back to normal speed (15ips). (much like the beatles "hard days night" solo or lotsa lindsey buckingham stuff).  Considering, iirc, that record was a recorded and punched in bar by bar, hundreds of spliced together bits by eddy offord, nightmare to make, i'd say the odds are good.  just to be clear, i love that record.

 

You could be right, but Wakeman can (could?) definitely shred. Check out the riffs he throws down starting around 2:37.

 

 

[D. Gauss]

23 minutes ago, wineandkeyz said:

 

You could be right, but Wakeman can (could?) definitely shred. 

 

 

yeah my point wasn't about the "shred" factor (we know rick could play fast), but more about the actual sound. it sounds cartoony to me. sped up. 

listen the the OP's video on youtube with the playback speed (YT settings) at .75 percent and it sounds much more "normal" to me.  given that it's pretty much common knowledge (multiple articles mention the fact) that the nature sound loops at the very beginning were sped up, it isn't too much of a stretch to arrive at this part being sped up for effect as well.  again, i wasn't there and this is only opinion/speculation.

[Old No7]

38 minutes ago, wineandkeyz said:

...Wakeman can (could?) definitely shred. Check out the riffs he throws down starting around 2:37.

 

Yes!  YES!

Check out how he shakes his right hand and trills the fingers while "off the keyboard" before he launches into that high-speed riff.  I've done something similar, especially before playing a piece like Foreplay or Hoedown.

 

Old No7

[Baldwin Funster]

I doubt Rick Wakeman would consider for 1 second slowing down tape to get a part. His friendly rivalry with K Emerson and J Lord and personal pride would never allow that. Could you imagine the ribbing?

Hey Keith did you slow down tape to record karnevil #9?

you mean like you did for closer to the edge Rick?

No way.

[Finale]

I think the recording is self-explanatory. Obvious slight rhythmic imperfections show it was done in real-time. Also, since playing at that speed on a mono synth can easily lead up to some erratic envelope triggering, it likely explains why Mr Wakeman later chose a more docile instrument like his Hammond organ for that part.

[Ivan May]

Rick Wakeman used dozens of effects on his keyboards, he used a wah pedal and a Leslie speaker (presumably for his Hammond B3 organ) and fed it all through Fender amps.

[SteinwayB]

How did he get the pipe organ sound at 11:00?

[Baldwin Funster]

24 minutes ago, SteinwayB said:

How did he get the pipe organ sound at 11:00?

I believe the story is they rented a cathedral with a pipe organ for that part.

[analogman1]

I think what the masters (Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Tony Banks and Jon Lord) demonstrated was a balance of virtuosity and restraint when needed. 
 

Today, someone just shreds aimlessly and it’s considered “epic”.