• Genesis' "ahhh" machine

    From alan.pearson@bt.com@21:1/5 to Andy Tefft on Fri Aug 17 05:51:06 2018
    On Monday, 8 October 1990 05:20:28 UTC+1, Andy Tefft wrote:
    I just thought I'd post something slightly frivolous in contrast to
    all the rap-bashing, mtv-bashing, etc. that is going on around here
    nowadays.

    Whatever happened to Genesis's "ahh" machine? The synth that sounds
    like a chorus of people singing "ahhhhh.... ahhhhh..." and is most
    prevalent on Selling England by the Pound, Trick of the Tail (most
    notably at the end of the album), and Wind & Wuthering (esp. in
    "Afterglow").

    Was that a dedicated keyboard or a program on the synth (did they
    have programmable synths in 1976?)?

    Did Marillion buy the "ahh" machine? Did anyone else borrow it?
    I'm kind of interested in hearing other uses of this wonderful
    instrument.

    At first, I thought it was a chorus of children singing "ahhh" but
    the sound was just too perfect. At any rate, it has to be the
    most innovative use of an instrument in popular music since
    the flute.

    In fact, I'd kind of like to learn to play the "ahhh" machine.
    I wonder if there's one for sale anywhere?

    The voices on Afterglow are not from a Mellotron - they were loop recordings like on the 10CC track I'm Not In Love.
    They couldnt repeat this live so Banks played it on a Mellotron using the stand Choir tape set and it sounds totally different.
    Listen to the album version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA_uWtbXnh8
    then listen to the live version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRav8j3UZI

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From theodoreward@gmail.com@21:1/5 to alan.p...@bt.com on Wed Oct 3 06:32:12 2018
    On Friday, August 17, 2018 at 7:51:07 AM UTC-5, alan.p...@bt.com wrote:
    On Monday, 8 October 1990 05:20:28 UTC+1, Andy Tefft wrote:
    I just thought I'd post something slightly frivolous in contrast to
    all the rap-bashing, mtv-bashing, etc. that is going on around here nowadays.

    Whatever happened to Genesis's "ahh" machine? The synth that sounds
    like a chorus of people singing "ahhhhh.... ahhhhh..." and is most prevalent on Selling England by the Pound, Trick of the Tail (most
    notably at the end of the album), and Wind & Wuthering (esp. in "Afterglow").

    Was that a dedicated keyboard or a program on the synth (did they
    have programmable synths in 1976?)?

    Did Marillion buy the "ahh" machine? Did anyone else borrow it?
    I'm kind of interested in hearing other uses of this wonderful
    instrument.

    At first, I thought it was a chorus of children singing "ahhh" but
    the sound was just too perfect. At any rate, it has to be the
    most innovative use of an instrument in popular music since
    the flute.

    In fact, I'd kind of like to learn to play the "ahhh" machine.
    I wonder if there's one for sale anywhere?

    The voices on Afterglow are not from a Mellotron - they were loop recordings like on the 10CC track I'm Not In Love.
    They couldnt repeat this live so Banks played it on a Mellotron using the stand Choir tape set and it sounds totally different.
    Listen to the album version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA_uWtbXnh8
    then listen to the live version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRav8j3UZI

    I don't think they have access to youtube as they are stuck in 1990.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)