We've Lost Another Legendary Musician...

[happyrat1]

Al Jarreau dead at age 76...

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/12/entertainment/al-jarreau-dead/

All of our childhood idols are going to the big sleep

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yes, I heard. We've been losing a lot of musical legends during the last year or two-- more than usual, it seems.

 

[Becky]

Sad news!

We've been losing a lot of musical legends during the last year or two-- more than usual, it seems.

Indeed, it's such a shame

 

[Rayblewit]

Yes, I heard. We've been losing a lot of musical legends during the last year

Yes indeed. Did we overlook Geoff Nichols keyboadist of black sabbath. Sadly we lost him a couple of weeks ago.

 

[happyrat1]

I hadn't heard. Actually I didn't even realize that Black Sabbath had a keys player. Was he a later addition to the group?

Gary

 

[Rayblewit]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Nicholls

 

[happyrat1]

Yeah, he became a member in the 80's, long after I'd lost interest in Sabbath's style of music.

The Sabbath I listened to back in the 70's didn't use any keyboards at all. Songs like War Pigs, Paranoid, Fairies Wear Boots, Sweet Leaf and other early tunes were 100% guitars and drums.

After Ozzie bit the head off of that bat he became more of a joke in our circle and his later ventures in reality TV did little to change that image.

Gary

 

[Rayblewit]

Everything you said above I agree with. I was a huge Sabbath fan in their beginning. Lost interest just like you did!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I can't imagine a musical group without a keyboard player. Okay, the Beatles didn't have a keyboard player per se, but at least some of them could fill in on keyboards when needed. And as for other bands besides the Beatles, were there any others?

 

[happyrat1]

It's pretty much a given that most metal bands don't usually have or need a full time keyboard player.

Groups like Blue Oyster Cult and Metallica really don't rely much on keyboard voices as a rule.

If memory serves me correctly, I don't believe that Frank Zappa used a lot of keys either.

Back in the 60's and 70's a lot of groups were basically a guitar or two, a bass and drums and that's all.

Then again, these were groups that never really appealed to me in the first place so while a few of them may have been multi instrumentalists or picked up keyboards later on, at the time, their act was basically rhythm, bass and lead on strings.

Don't forget that keyboards were crazy expensive back in those days while guitars were dirt cheap. Sure nowadays any garage band can afford a decent Korg or Roland or Yamaha but back in those days a used DX7 or Hammond cost as much as a decent used car.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

I went to MainStreet Live last weekend. I'd say, as a rough estimate, that only 10% of the acts had keyboards. If you remove the solo acts, then it may be closer to fifteen percent.

As a keyboardist, I find this depressing.

 

[Fred Coulter]

If memory serves me correctly, I don't believe that Frank Zappa used a lot of keys either.

Zappa had lots of keyboard players at various times. At first on organ, but later as the technology changed he added others. Among the players was Eddie Jobson, who played in a bunch of bands at different times.

Don't forget that keyboards were crazy expensive back in those days while guitars were dirt cheap. Sure nowadays any garage band can afford a decent Korg or Roland or Yamaha but back in those days a used DX7 or Hammond cost as much as a decent used car.

My DX7 cost $1,400 (grey market). Adjusted for inflation, that would now be $3,106.56. Interestingly, that's in the ballpark for the Kronos 61.

For those who aren't ancient, a grey market keyboard is a keyboard that was imported into the United States by someone other than the authorized import company. They bought the keyboard (new) overseas, replaced the power supply, and set the language to English. Also, if memory serves I got ROM cartridges 1 & 2 rather than 3 & 4 which is what the USA version included. I'm not sure this is even a thing any more. But it did save me a couple hundred bucks.

 

[happyrat1]

My first car was a 1972 Plymouth Cricket (Plymouth version of the Dodge Colt) that I bought in 1975 for $800 and managed to drive for another 5 years.

A DX7 (grey market or otherwise) was more than double that amount.

The original Polymoog had a Canadian price tag of $5000.00!!!!!!!!!!

I think you've made my point for me.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

My first car was a 1972 Plymouth Cricket (Plymouth version of the Dodge Colt) that I bought in 1975 for $800 and managed to drive for another 5 years.

A DX7 (grey market or otherwise) was more than double that amount.

The original Polymoog had a Canadian price tag of $5000.00!!!!!!!!!!

I think you've made my point for me.

Gary

My first car was the Deadly Dart, which I purchased for $600. Unfortunately, it didn't have the life of your Cricket. Within a year or two it became the Dead Dart.

I never owned a Polymoog, but my father did. It was fun to play, although not very programmable.