Top ten of the 70s
The who’s who and what’s what of 70s synthesis
01 THE MINIMOOG It’s the synth that arguably set the bar for all synths that followed; the stylish concept and framework laid down by Bob Moog in this 37-note, monophonic classic, gave a vaguely affordable option for keyboard players, that could compete sonically with the loudest guitarist in the band! As much in demand today as it was a full 50 years ago.
02 CHICK COREA
The extraordinary jazz pianist and keyboardist Chick Corea was a leading light in the jazz and fusion scene, using multiple keyboards in his rig, which included Yamaha’s and, of course, the Minimoog. While one of his later albums, The Mad Hatter utilised the Mini’s features in a highly orchestrated setting, he was possibly better known for his work in the early 70s with his all-star band, Return to Forever – musically complicated but sonically out of this world.
03 THE ARP 2600 AND R2D2
In 1977, we caught the first glimpse of a film franchise which is still very much in progress today. Star Wars : Episode IV - A New
Hope was the first of the franchise to make it to celluloid, thanks to director George Lucas. The actors were accompanied by two ‘droids’; C3PO was upright and humanistic, while R2D2 was short and had a voice that was a generated series of bleeps and slides from an ARP 2600.
04 KEITH EMERSON - EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER
No band better demonstrates the prog-rock era than ELP; technically gifted keyboard player, Keith Emerson, had the biggest of rigs, even in the early 70s. Apart from his use of a Hammond organ, at which he would throw knives, he used a huge Moog Modular live, alongside a Yamaha GX-1 Dream Machine. His keyboard rig was rumoured to weigh around three tons. At that size, you’d best have an articulated lorry with ‘Emerson’ written on the roof… so he did!
05 ROLAND SYSTEM 100
The semi-modular design of the System 100 was an appealing prospect; if fully assembled, you could generate two different synth voices, sequence them with the appropriate module and route the audio signal to the assembled stereo speakers, via the included mixer. Early Human League tracks were highly dependent on this little system, favoured by some producers, who preferred the tighter Roland sound.
06 RICK WAKEMAN
Rick Wakeman’s career in the 70s included solo work, and two stints with the prog rock band Yes. In all settings, he was never far from a multitude of synths, the most notable being the Minimoog. He would often have up to four set up in his keyboard rig; a sign of the times, where patch saving on a Mini was not an option. His exuberant playing style is as legendary as it is technically extraordinary!
07 PROPHET-5
Apart from being the first synth to offer micro-processor control for patch-memory saving and recall, in 1978 the Prophet-5 was the synth that all musicians wanted. After years of synth-mono-dom, they longed to play chords, and as one session player once told me, it was the only synth you needed! It certainly shook up the late 70s market.
08 I FEEL LOVE - DONNA SUMMER
While this extraordinary hit record was released under Donna Summer’s name, synth boffins will immediately know that it was visionary producer Giorgio Moroder who provided the innovative sound. The tech was so limited, Giorgio developed a way of sync’ing his sequencer to the tape machine using a click, which provided the pulse for the entire song. It was the biggest-selling UK song of 1977.
09 JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - OXYGÈNE
In 1976, little known French keyboardist, composer and producer JMJ released an album of evocative instrumental music, providing him with a chart hit in the summer of 1977. Oxygène was not only critically acclaimed, but popular with the public, utilising organs, Mellotrons and synths in a new and exciting sound world, all produced from a home studio, set up in the kitchen of Jarre’s flat.
10 JOE ZAWINUL
Legendary fusion band Weather Report was the brainchild of Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. They were the constant for a band that involved many legendary jazz musicians, over a period of 16 years. Joe’s love of synthesisers resulted in him using two ARP 2600s in a live setting, along with a Fender Rhodes and multiple other keyboards. His sound relied heavily on the 2600, and its internal spring reverb..