July 18, 2024
M&A 10: Essential Prog-Rock Synth Moments
Classic keyboard parts and solos from the golden age of progressive rock, featuring Rush, Pink Floyd, Yes and more.
Robert Moog introduced his signature Moog synthesizer in 1964, five or so years before the Big Bang of progressive rock. But that instrument and that genre were destined to find each other. Both pointed toward a more imaginative future: Within a decade, prog giants like Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd were using synths to both reinterpret conventional sounds (brass, string instruments) and create brand-new ones.
During the prog era, radical synths were abundant: the EMS VCS 3, the Oberheim OB-X, the ARP Pro Soloist, the Fairlight CMI, Moog’s more reliable and compact Minimoog. They all helped inspire legends like Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, Richard Wright, Keith Emerson and Geddy Lee—musicians with insatiable appetites for tonal color.
Below, we highlight 10 classic synthesizer moments from the classic prog-rock era—from tasteful melodies to epic solos.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
“Lucky Man”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970
Given their love of virtuosic showboating, Emerson, Lake & Palmer chose an awfully low-key tune for their first single: the gentle, slow-building ballad “Lucky Man,” which singer/multi-instrumentalist Greg Lake first plucked out at age 12. Short on material while cobbling together their first album, ELP reluctantly fleshed out the song—climaxing with one of rock’s first (and most iconic) Moog synth solos. After three minutes of Lake’s patient acoustic waltzing, the piece is suddenly aflame, as keyboardist Keith Emerson uses rumbling bass frequencies and high gliding effects to create an otherworldly feel.
Genesis
“The Cinema Show”
Selling England by the Pound, 1973
“It was just what I was looking for, really,” Tony Banks once said of the ARP Pro Soloist, an early commercial preset synth. “Something that didn’t require too much fiddling about with in order to make it sound good.” After adding the instrument to his arsenal of Hammond and piano and Mellotron, he reached a deeper level of nuance—elevating the drama and mastery of epics like “The Cinema Show.” These 11 minutes are stacked with classy ARP touches, but the peak arrives with the triumphant melody that begins at 6:59, glowing like a psychedelic rainbow.
Yes
“The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)”
Tales From Topographic Oceans, 1973
As Rick Wakeman once recounted to Robert Moog himself, he bought his first Minimoog second-hand—at half-price—from actor Jack Wild, who was convinced he had a dud on his hands. Turns out Wild didn’t realize it was monophonic. Blown away by the instrument, Wakeman got hold of several more and utilized their rich tones throughout the Yes catalog, including this 20-minute monster from the band’s sixth album. You could highlight a number of synth parts here, but the descending theme (see: 3:33) is a moment of genius, focusing all of the intro’s wandering ambience into a statement of purpose. (Plus, it’s super easy—and satisfying—to play!)
Yes
“Sound Chaser”
Relayer, 1974
Patrick Moraz only recorded one album as a member of Yes, and he had big shoes to (briefly) fill, temporarily replacing the cape-clad keyboard great Rick Wakeman. Still, Moraz made every note count on the band’s seventh LP, the jazz-fusion-inspired Relayer. His mic-drop moment is definitely the Minimoog masterclass during the climax of “Sound Chaser”: On that nine-minute marathon, he channels Return to Forever with a downpour of bent notes and chaotic flourishes. (He also recorded the entire solo in “one or two takes,” he has said, after dialing in his sound.)
So Much Moog: Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, onstage in 1972. Credit: Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music via Getty Images.
Pink Floyd
“Shine on You Crazy Diamond”
Wish You Were Here, 1975
Instead of structuring this nine-part masterpiece as a single 26-minute epic, Pink Floyd split it into halves that bookend their ninth LP. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” is a true full-band balancing act that showcases every member’s musical strengths, but keyboardist Richard Wright walks away as the MVP—a feat accomplished in the first 40 seconds. Over an ambient backdrop of pitched wine glasses and what sounds like an ARP Solina string-synth, he taps out a brass-toned Minimoog solo that could have soundtracked a big-budget sci-fi film.
Camel
“Song Within a Song”
Moonmadness, 1976
Even during his most technically proficient solos, Peter Bardens’ keyboards always served the track at hand—and a perfect example arrives at 4:25 during Camel’s “Song Within a Song.” Up to this point, the arrangement is relatively restrained, but here Bardens lets loose with a lengthy solo on what sounds like his trusty Minimoog. His expert use of note priority and glissando creates a wacky-sounding part that still wraps you up like a warm blanket.
Get the Sounds!
While many of the synths used on these tracks are no longer in production, today’s manufacturers offer a wide range of synthesizers and keyboard workstations that capture these classic sounds.
To start, you can approximate Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Richard Wright, Geddy Lee and other synth stylists with the most recent reissue of the Minimoog Model D, which features a spring-loaded pitch wheel—great for capturing Peter Bardens’ expressive lines. And while the Pro Soloist is no longer in production, the Yamaha MONTAGE also boasts the expressive aftertouch feature that made the ARP so popular.
To recreate Styx’s “Fooling Yourself,” look no further than the Oberheim OB-X8. To tackle Rush’s “Subdivisions,” anything Moog-y should get you up and running, but one YouTuber created a spot-on rendition using the Moog Subsequent 37. To achieve Alan Parsons’ sound on “Sirius,” check out a tactile sampler or simply a DAW.
Styx
“Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”
The Grand Illusion, 1977
Sometimes a piece of gear can transform the character of an entire album—and Styx had one such moment in 1977, adding an Oberheim Four Voice during the creation of The Grand Illusion. “[Its] rich sounds unleashed another dimension of textures no one had yet taken advantage of,” singer-guitarist Tommy Shaw once mused. The instrument has never sounded more theatrical than it does during the intro of “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” in which Dennis DeYoung sparks a series of Baroque-like lines.
Rush
Rush
“Tom Sawyer”
Moving Pictures, 1981
It’s the rare ’70s prog staple to stay put on classic-rock radio—a stadium-sized tale of free thinking and modern rebellion. But “Tom Sawyer” wouldn’t be a classic without Geddy Lee’s glorious synthesizer work. The first sound you hear is the bass-frequency filter sweep—the perfect reintroduction for Rush in the early ’80s. But the track’s signature element is the repeating six-note figure that first enters around 1:32—a squishy little hook played on what sounds like a Minimoog. It’s simple enough for a beginner to peck along to, but its shift into a skippy 7/8 time signature makes it a bit more sophisticated.
Rush
“Subdivisions”
Signals, 1982
By 1982, synthesizers were no longer merely decorative in Rush songs: On “Subdivisions,” a ghostly classic about teenage isolation, Geddy Lee’s keys are the foundation and the embellishment. There are multiple distinctive synth parts here, including the massive synth pads (most likely played on an Oberheim OB-X) that carry the verses. But the special sauce is Lee’s vibrato-heavy, monophonic Minimoog solos, which amplify the song’s sadness.
The Alan Parsons Project
“Sirius”
Eye in the Sky, 1982
It’s technically just the opener to “Eye in the Sky,” a dreamy art-pop single, but “Sirius” has become iconic on its own, played to rowdy Chicago Bulls fans at home games during the Michael Jordan era. Central to that stadium-shaking drama is the song’s pulsating keyboard theme, which Alan Parsons created by sampling a clavinet into a Fairlight CMI and adding some crucial delay. “Part of the sound of the Fairlight sample used in ‘Sirius’ is a delay upon itself,” he told Variety. “It’s the artificial echo that goes with it that gives it its character.”
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