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Produced by Wayne Hall and Jeffrey Crecelius
I’m hoping the weekly update from around the metaverse will return next week but for now we’ll get straight on with another brilliant and fascinating conversation with progressive rock keyboard guru and all round brilliant chap, Chris Dale.
- What are all those weird sounding keyboard instruments on Tormato?
- How do they make that noise?
- How on earth did Chris get his hands on Rick Wakeman’s unique double Mellotron?
Take a listen to the episode and then let us know what you think below!
This is the instrument Chris said he’d like to own…
YMP Patrons:
Producers:
- Jeffrey Crecelius and
- Wayne Hall
Patrons:
| Aaron Steelman | Dave Owen |
| Mark James Lang | Paul Tomei |
| Joost Maglev | David Heyden |
| Martin Kjellberg | Paul Wilson |
| Bob Martilotta | Lind |
| Michael O’Connor | William Hayes |
| Brian Sullivan | David Pannell |
| Miguel Falcão | Lobate Scarp |
| Chris Bandini | David Watkinson |
| Neal Kaforey | Rachel Hadaway |
| Craig Estenes | Dem |
| Paul Hailes | Mark ‘Zarkol’ Baggs |
| Doug Curran | Robert Nasir |
| Fergus Cubbage | Scott Colombo |
| Fred Barringer | Gary Betts |
| Geoff Bailie | Simon Barrow |
| Geoffrey Mason | Stephen Lambe |
| Guy R DeRome | Steve Dill |
| Henrik Antonsson | Steve Perry |
| Hogne Bø Pettersen | Steve Rode |
| IanNB | Steve Scott |
| Jamie McQuinn | Steven Roehr |
| Ken Fuller | Terence Sadler |
| Michael Handerhan | Tim Stannard |
| Jim | Todd Dudley |
| John Cowan | Tony Handley |
| John Holden | Joseph Cottrell |
| John Parry | Keith Hoisington |
| John Thomson | Barry Gorsky |
| Alan Begg |
Robert and David
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Theme music
The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org
6 replies on “Hammond, Polymoog, Double Mellotron, Harpsichord and RMI, oh my! 531”
An excellent chat again, he certainly knows his keyboards. Just thinking I maybe one of the few to play (Lightly press down keys, not switched on! Ha) Rick’s Polymoog and Birotron in 78.
The more you dig deep into Tormato, it appears to bring up increasing difficulties the band were going through. Having to be more current with rock and punk filling the music scene, Yes had to change. It was a different sounding Yes but one that created such wonderful live shows before the break-up.
I’ve had to help lift a Mellotron about 40 years ago. My back still hasn’t recovered. A double Mellotron?! Only young and strong roadies could have moved that thing!
I live in Seattle, so I was very excited to see the Seattle Symphony may have one of these amazing an ondes Martenot.
Thanks for the interesting show!
Another excellent episode. I love this level of expertise which came across in such an entertaining fashion.
A great example of the sounds of the Ondes Martinot is French composer Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalila Symphony, a real joy!
Yep, Turangalîla-Symphonie is an extraordinary work, and it’s the Ondes that plays a crucial role in making it so otherworldly and transcendent. Credit also to Jonny Greenwood for bringing this neglected instrument back into use, if not fashion, more recently, too. Composer David Bruce highlights this, and introduces how the Ondes works very well. https://youtu.be/Zp4mBmsV6Xk
Thomas Goff (Real) Harpsichord. Rick mentions that on the greatest video hits video!
Another really fascinating episode – and a reminder of just how intrinsic the instruments themselves (and the corresponding instrumentation and arrangement, of course) are to the sound world of ’70s progressive rock, not least in Yes music. It’s mOHg (as in vogue), not mOOg, however: at least in terms of the way its creator pronounced his name. https://youtu.be/UDN-y0QQ7cs