Mick's synths

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KCportland
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Mick's synths

Post by KCportland »

I've probably asked this before, but what were the synths used in Sandinista, Rat Patrol and early B.A.D.?

I know about the Roland SPV355 he used live and I'm sure that was used in the studio too but did he, or Topper, use keyboard synths? I'm sure electric ladyland had top notch gear to play with, Jupiter 8, Prophet V or maybe even a CS80? (I feel like I'm hearing a CS80 on Fulham Connection, that brassy sound especially)

I have to believe he used a Fairlight with BAD and maybe a DX7 or something digital.

Kory
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Re: Mick's synths

Post by Kory »

I'd like to know this too. I'm particularly interested if that reedy sound in Car Jamming is the Dalek's handbag or a keyboard synth.
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KCportland
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Re: Mick's synths

Post by KCportland »

Kory wrote:
25 Apr 2023, 3:51pm
I'd like to know this too. I'm particularly interested if that reedy sound in Car Jamming is the Dalek's handbag or a keyboard synth.
That sounds like the SPV355 for Car Jamming, that rack mounted analog synth that was intended for other instruments to be played through it, like guitar or sax, as Gary Barnacle did on Sean Flynn (those big bassy hits are the sax triggering the SPV). Mick used it on the far east tour too I think?

Honestly, listening closely to a lot of the synth parts, I bet most of RP/CR is actually just the SPV. There are barely any polyphonic synth sounds I can pick out, aside from the brassy hits on Fulham Connection, which might be paraphonic at best but probably just overdubbed.

Micky Gallagher didn't play on CR, I assume he and Watt Roy were not feeling great about the snub(s) from Sandinista, so they didn't really have a good keyboarder aside from Topper. Side question, did Topper play the Hammond organ on Red Angel Dragnet?

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Re: Mick's synths

Post by Marky Dread »

Tommy Mandel listed as Poly Mandel plays keyboards on OBF. So my guess would be him playing keys on RAD.
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Re: Mick's synths

Post by OutOfControl »

Polymoog and Synare on Sandinista and Combat Rock, or so I recon. The "jet fighter" on Rock The Casbah is the Synare. If I recall, there is a Polymoog in the Bankroober promo video.

Good guess the synth percussion in Long Time Jerk and Cool Confusion is also Synare. You can see Mick playing it in the Tokyo concert footage.

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