Synth spotting in Heaven and Hell

As you may have read, I have recently been listening to the Vangelis album "Heaven and Hell". Whilst looking at the gatefold sleeve the images in the centre caught my eye. Both photographs show Vangelis's studio circa 1975 and feature a variety of keyboard instruments. For some strange reason I developed a sudden desire to know what all of these instruments were.

Ever since I fist saw a kit list on the sleeve of a Jean Michel Jarre record I have been a bit obsessed by what instruments my favourite artists used. As a child I would pore over images of Jarre's studio tying to identify the various keyboards and synthesisers and dream of owning them one day.  

Identifying the keyboards on the Vangeis sleeve wasn't very easy as the images are printed in halftone and the negative has been flipped horizontally. However, because the two photos were taken from slightly different angles, we can see different details in each. This would work to my advantage. 

The first thing I did in my geek quest was to flip the images through the horizontal plane and increase the contrast. As soon as I began to study the photos it was patently obvious that the instrument directly next to Vangelis was a grand piano. Equally easy to identify was the Fender Rhodes Mk I electric piano and the distinctive keyboards of a Hammond B3 organ. So far so good.

To help me in my quest I found an article from Sound on Sound magazine that gave me a gear list for Vangelis's studio in the mid-seventies. By process of elimination I soon managed to identify a Hohner Clavinet and a Farfisa Syntorchestra string machine. After another half an hour of squinting at the pictures and comparing them to images from the internet I had identified all but three of the instruments.

One of the keyboards I was having trouble with (11) looked almost identical to the Korg 700 I had already identified. After a bit of head scratching I realised there was actually an updated variant of the Korg that was designated the "S" version. Details on the 700S matched the image and when I saw the following footnote, everything made sense:

"Vangelis had more than one model of some of the keyboards in this list, to help cut down on overdubs, and to take advantage of the fact that different models of the same synth could have a different character." 

The second keyboard (7) was in shadow so I couldn't really make out any discernable features. The only clues were the presence of some sort of panel on the left of the keys and the number of keys themselves. A process of deduction led me to the Roland SHA3 as the only likely candidate on the list.

The final keyboard (9) is sandwiched between other synths and the only part that is visible are the keys themselves. However, the one tiny clue I could discern was some text nestled in Vangelis's armpit. Having zoomed into the image 'Blade Runner style' I could make out the letters "Torna". The SoS article mentioned something called a Tornado Keyboard and Google told me this was actually the Elka Tornado organ. Mystery solved. 

So here is the image and what I think are the instruments pictured:

1. Bösendorfer Grand Piano
2. Hammond B3 Organ
3. Hohner Clavinet
4. Korg 8000DV
5. Korg 700
6. Selmer Clavioline
7. Roland SHA3
8. Roland SH1000
9. Elka Tornado
10. Rhodes Mk I
11. Korg 700S
12. Elka Rhapsody
13. Farfisa Syntorchestra

P.S. Since I wrote this post I have found several photographs online from the same photo shoot that are much clearer. Happily these images seem to confirm my detective work.

One record at a time: 430. Vangelis - Heaven and Hell

For this post I initially began to write about the Vangelis album "Earth" - but I soon realised I don't actually own that album on vinyl. Therefore the next record I will look at is "Heaven and Hell" from 1975. My record is an original UK pressing that is in very good condition and sounds excellent to say it is over fifty years old. 

This concept album is split into two parts that consider the contrasting ideas of Heaven and Hell. Inexplicably there is also a song titled "So Long Ago, So Clear" stitched onto the end of side one. This track was a collaboration with Jon Anderson (the vocalist from the prog-rock group Yes) but I'm not convinced it fits within the concept.  

As we drop the needle we hear the opening sequence titled "Bacchanale". The music is big, brash and not to my taste at all. The portamento applied to the synth patch driving the melody sounds antiquated and strangely off key to my ears. There is some jazz Rhodes piano thrown into the mix but it doesn't sit comfortably alongside the chamber choir. When this first movement is over I am actually quite relived. This is not my idea of heaven.

We move on to the softer sounds of "Symphony to the Powers B" which is reminiscent of Mike Oldfield's work - it even features tubular bells for heaven's sake. After about thirteen minutes we meet the wonderful "Movement 3" which was the prototype for "Chariots of Fire".

For me the b-side is less distinctive and relatively benign - but it is also less polarising as a result. The "12 O’clock" movement is a highlight and only when "A Way" peters out into an inaudible whisper do we realise the ride is over. Something of an album of contrasts, "Heaven and Hell" seems to work in its more tranquil moments, but it fails when it tries to be too clever. 2/5  

One record at a time: 429. Vangelis - L'Apocalypse Des Animaux

I'm not sure how many studio recordings and soundtracks Vangelis released, but by my calculations it must be over thirty. Whilst I don't own all of these albums, there is a good chunk of them in my collection that we will need to work through. I have to admit, I wasn't really sure where to start with this odyssey, but "L'Apocalypse Des Animaux" from 1973 seems to be as good a place as any.

This 2016 remastered version of the soundtrack is pressed by Optimal on 180g vinyl but it doesn’t sound very good - it has numerous pops and crackles throughout. Also, the tracklisting printed on the sleeve and labels doesn't correspond to what actually plays.

Such inattention to detail seemed to spark a discussion on the Discogs website around the increasingly poor quality control in vinyl manufacturing. If you browse forums and the like on this subject you may read of people thinking of abandoning the format if things don't improve. For now I am happy to keep buying vinyl, but I have to admit, when I listen to records like this I do wonder why I bother.

The first track here is "L'Apocalypse Des Animaux - Générique" which has a riff that sounds ready to be loaded into a sampler and turned into a hit. The second track "La Petit Fille De La Mer" is another standout tune whose lush sound belies the fact that it seems to have been created with only an acoustic guitar, a Rhodes piano and what sounds like an organ. 

"Le Singe Bleu" features a soft trumpet that I imagine was played through a haze of cigarette smoke as Vangelis caressed the keys of his electric piano whist simultaneously sipping on a glass of Johnny Walker. No wonder the song is far too long. Another lengthy opus is "Creation Du Monde" which takes up a good chunk of the second side of the disc. You can't help but marvel at the fact that this music was recorded in 1970 (it wasn't released until three years later) as it sounds like it could have been made yesterday. The etherial chords and haunting guitar transfix me - this is how 'ambient' music should be done. 3.5/5

Tag your mp3's correctly or beware of the consequences

When I first dipped my toes into the pool of the Internet back in the late 90’s, Napster was the peer-to-peer network everyone used. Suddenly it was possible to download and hear “Music for Supermarkets” by Jean-Michel Jarre, I could find any obscure Pet Shop Boys mix and I downloaded all the ‘one hit wonders’ I had been searching for for years.

One of the pitfalls of downloading mp3’s illegally was that some people were not exactly accurate in labelling their files. Very odd tracks would appear that were clearly nothing to do with the artists they were attributed too.

For instance:
Vangelis and Jarre collaborating on a version of ‘Crocketts Theme’ anyone?
The previously unheard of Depeche Mode remix of New Order’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’?
Kraftwerk’s recording of the synthesizer classic ‘Popcorn’ sound good to you?

By far the most annoying (to me anyway) miss tagging was the ubiquitous “One Night in Bangkok” by the Pet Shop Boys. “One Night in Bangkok” became an international hit for Murray Head in 1984 and is seemingly regarded by many as a classic of the era. However, it has absolutely no links to the Pet Shop Boys. Not only do labels such as this rob the original artist of the credit but also tarnish the unfortunate recipient.

How this, and other bizarre tags, originated is quite a mystery. Obviously, the ignorance/stupidity of one person contributed and as the file was copied, the error spread like a virus.

Yet in this age of legal downloads and consumer shrewdness this irritation is no longer a major problem. Yes, iTunes frequently miss labels tracks, but that is down to the record company submitting them and not Apple as such. Yet if you look closely at the files people are listening to on last.fm, it seems there are STILL some dumb asses listening to ‘One Night in Bangkok’ by the Pet Shop Boys or Jean-Miche Jarre’s version of the ‘Miami Vice’ Theme.