Taking Sides: Bands with Keyboards vs Bands without Keyboards

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Let's use keyboards to mean anything from a casiotone to a grand piano. I think keyboards are great. I wonder if I like any bands that didn't have a big keyboards element.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought you like Sonic Youth?

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah but they'd be better with some keyboards man.

(OK immediately after posting the question I thought ah yes the Smiths and the Pixies).

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keyboards are better than guitars.

― DG, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i know how you love Cocteau Twins tom

― gareth, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I suppose I just wanted to do a thread about keyboards and their place in rock and pop music. Usually when you read about bands and they get called "raw stripped down rock and roll" or something they don't have a keyboard player. As a quick listen to Little Richard tells you, raw rock and roll does not necessitate keyboard removal, so why this baffling absense?

I like keyboards in rock best when the rest of the band gets to rock out in whatever way they feel appropriate and then the keyboard player is left in charge of providing the sweet pop hooks.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The keyboards are the best thing about the Cocteau Twins.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love those synth effects that are applied well (eg if it adds to the racket).

Sun ra was a big fan of the moog and he used to extract these big slabs of sound form it.

Bands such as the dead C and skullflower must have been influenced by Ra because that is what they aim for when various members play them.

They really do it well and when the guitars lock in with that keyboard sound it's really wonderful to hear.

― Julio Desouza, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Anyone who takes sides one way or the other is someone I'm going to have to view with a great. . . deal. . . of. . . SUSPICION!!! ;)

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love keyboards. Favourite sounds - farfisa/vox continental organ for that authetic garage trash sound, doomy synth wash much loved by many Factory bands, Nicky Hopkins-style piano, bass clavinet (e.g Uptown Top Ranking), burbling sequencer and finally, BIG early 80's fairlight sounds (ABC).

Virtually every band I've been in has had keyboards in - although i'm sure I must have irritated virtually every keyboard player we've had by constantly asking 'can you get it MORE trashy' or 'can you get it MORE gloomy'?

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Heh, Paul 'Mike and the Mechanics' Carrack plays keyboards on the first Smiths alb.

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've decided any record that (a) doesn't have either an analogue synth on it or a celeste on it, or (b) isn't by The White Stripes, is rubbish.

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think one of the reasons keyboards are associated with so much pompous/bad music is because of some of the more terrible progressive rock bands which often overused keyboards (and every other musical instrument) badly.

One of those YEAR 1 Punk reactions that disappeared pretty quickly. The stigma remains though.

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keyboards can be a wonderful thing. But in the wrong hands, they can add an element of cheese to an otherwise mediocre song. (can't think of any examples however - but I know they exist.)

― Dave225, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Is it Love?" - Gang of Four. Synthesized string cheese arrangement.

― Dave225, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think a keyboard really does have to add something to a song texturally or it's pointless. Ideally, in pop it should provide another layer of hooks rather than just sitting behind a guitar.

I'd like to hear more Casiotones and Hammond organs in music. And not just in a cheesy/jokey/knowing way, either.

― EdwardO, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah but why is it the keyboard that's pointless in that instance and not the guitar? I just like the timbres of keyboards more in general - I wish I understood why that might be, musicologically speaking.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keyboards = yes. The interesting thing about the whole notion that stripped down rock combos sound edgier, more dangerous is that keyboards can sound a lot more psychotic on the whole. Listen to Simple Minds' "Shelter In A Suitcase" (NB. not actually a very good song, but a thoroughly scary one).

I was recently thinking that a lot could come of rock bands listening to *early* Warp. Not Aphex Twin, BoC etc. but LFO, Sweet Exorcist. How cool would one of these nu-fangled garage punk bands sound with bleeps, test-tones and sub-sub-sub bass?

― Tim, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(sonic youth have a keyboard player now, Tom is off the hook)

― fritz, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keyboards also = Yes

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like keyboards too. My favouritist band in the world, Riviera, recently got a new keyboarder because their bassist left but they didn't want to get another bassist because keyboards are best.

I think the main reason I like keyboards is because they look so cool.

― jamesmichaelward, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'I was recently thinking that a lot could come of rock bands listening to *early* Warp. Not Aphex Twin, BoC etc. but LFO, Sweet Exorcist. How cool would one of these nu-fangled garage punk bands sound with bleeps, test-tones and sub-sub-sub bass?'

That's what Dead C (effectively garage punk band) were aiming at but I think they listened to early pioneers in electronic music (rather than warp as they started when Warp was just staring).

Another band worth mentioning that used made up synths and keyboards were throbbing gristle. They used guitars but it wasn't as big part of the sound as the keyboards/synths.

― Julio Desouza, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like keyboards too. My favouritist band in the world, Riviera, recently got a new keyboarder because their bassist left but they didn't want to get another bassist because keyboards are best.

(Eeep! What I meant to say was that they got another keyboarder instead of a bassist - that's two keyboarders and zero bassists)

― jamesmichaelward, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pixies had keyboards.

Jerry Lewis is rock.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm going to add my voice to the sound of the crowd here, and support ye olde keyboard. One favorite example (though this is a synth) is the opening track from OMD's 'Architecture and Morality' - an utterly chilling, piercing synth that cuts me to the bone.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i'm very ambivalent about keyboards. the main reason is talking heads' _stop making sense_. love the record...but some of those synth-sounds...man do they suck.

― willem, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jerry (Lee) Lewis is Country!

I prefer Ornette Coleman w/out a pianist...

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This being a very subjective thread, I will give a very subjective comment : it depends on how well they're used, doesn't it? All things being equal, it's a bit of a false dilemma. -jeff

― mxyzptlk, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fave band with keyboards: the Stranglers

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fave track with keyboards : "Liquidator" by the Harry J. All Stars.

― Mark Dixon, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

**"How cool would one of these nu-fangled garage punk bands sound with bleeps, test-tones and sub-sub-sub bass?"**

I've been trying to start this band for years!

― Keiko, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I nominate Alex for worst taste on ILE.

― grace, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rock is Country!

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like bands that use keyboards instead of bass

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I nominate Alex for worst taste on ILEThis nomination was already made a long time ago (someone else will have to find the thread). Of course, there are several of us with worse taste, we're just less vocal.

As far as the question goes, generally I like keyboards, but too much can grate. I have been listening to Here Comes Everybody by the Wake quite a bit lately and just keep thinking how much more I'd like it if they gave the keyboards a rest for a while.

― Miranda, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not the original nomination, but a response to it can be found here ( I hope. Bear with me on this html stuff).

― Miranda, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that was last year miranda: i'm sure alex wd be proud to win it a second year running. unfortunately i think electric sound of jim just squeaked in with his covert doors wuv

― mark s, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

keyboards + guitar = ace. keyboards on their own =! ace

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keyboards win,because it includes the whole prog genre,and Joy Division.

― Damian, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I used to play in a trio consisting of bass drums and keyboards. We used a Fender Rhodes through a shitload of effects with a cheapo Jen synth on top. The whole sound was much better than our earlier incarnation as a b/d/g outfit.

― Braces Tower, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Proof of the utility of keyboards in rock (or proof of their devilish intent according to taste) is the Andrew WK album.

― Tom, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Or, alternately, Def Leppard's "Photograph." ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah i play in a trio that's fender rhodes, guitar, and drums. aside from not being very groovy (our drummer is kind of stiff and it's hard for our keyboard player to play more than root notes sometimes as he's often also playing trumpet with his right hand at the same time) the sound is quite full and rich. i tune my guitar dgdf#ad and play mostly on the bottom three strings which gives us a nice midrange oomph. definitely way happier with keyboards in the band than with some other stupid guitar player or something.

(sorry to plug my band or whatever)

― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

once played pedal steel with a jazzy drummer and hammond/rhodes - probably my fave combi

― a-33, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

just joined a band that = synth, bass guitar & drums.
what other bands use this setup?
(whirlwind heat? except they don't really use the keyb)

(the synth will sound like either "LFO", "Mentasm" or "Acid Thunder")

― etc, Monday, 27 October 2003 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I always wished that there was a keyboard player in Liquid Liquid.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Monday, 27 October 2003 01:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Hard to choose. There are great bands with keyboards, and there are great bands without. I feel, however, that, for instance, The Beatles would have been just as great with a keyboardist as they were without, so I guess I go for bands with keyboards here.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 27 October 2003 02:11 (twenty-two years ago)

It's harder to rock out on a keyboard. Unless you've got one of those keyboards that strap on like a guitar. Then there's a 99% chance that you'll look like a massive dork.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

(The exception being those spazzcore bands that use keyboards, if only to throw them into the audience fifteen seconds into their performance)

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:01 (twenty-two years ago)

you can rock out on a piano.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

i just noticed i was accused of being a covert doors fan. such accusations will not go unchallenged

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:03 (twenty-two years ago)

but you only like indie

― keith (keithmcl), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

i tend to listen to bands with keyboards or individuals with keyboards, but, in general, i will listen to a band without keyboards if i get the impression that their lack of keyboards is not some type of implicit criticism against them. in other words, bands with keyboards are classic, bands without keyboards can be classic as well, but bands without keyboards because they are "fake", bands that claim they dont want to have any electronics involved in their music (it would make recordig kind of difficult!), and bands think synths are for "fags" with "haircuts" are dud.

In the recording and live performance arenas, any time sound passes through an electronic device, the sound is changed, so even a guy with a guitar who sings will be manipulated electronically when hooked up to a PA. And since the "colors" added by the microphones or amps or mixers or effects boxes or speaker cables or speakers affect our perception of the music, it could probably be argued that, really, all bands that play shows or record albums are electronic. sorry to digress.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Competely forgot about this thread and missed Tom's question. Jeez I was a rockist ca. 2002.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 27 October 2003 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I love bands with keyboards in them who also adopt cool, slightly distant attitudes and play beautiful, lush, atmospheric music that could also sound a bit dated Eighties-wise. Or at least make their music sound a bit quirky and a bit dated Eighties-wise.

In other words, hi, I'm Dee, and I'm a New Wave fanatic.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Monday, 27 October 2003 04:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Not that I do neccessarily see it as a goal to "rock out", but doing it on a Hammond organ is definitely possible. At least sound-wise

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 27 October 2003 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

i play in a k-b-d trio. rocking out is left to bass and drums (especially distorted bass).
i find it a great combination, guitars are so worn out.

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 27 October 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

+1 on da side of da keybs here; I must emphasize that the notion that one can't "rock out" on keyboards is utterly preposterous.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 27 October 2003 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

fr'instance, the man on the left:
http://www.piscesposters.com/russ/mmw/trio2.JPG

― keyboard players who rock out UNITE! (nickalicious), Monday, 27 October 2003 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

Hell yeah.
Bands like Children of Bodom and Dimmu Borgir really rock the keyboard. I'll tell ya what...They would not be nearly as good without. I mean, bands like Iron maiden and metallica don't even have a keyboard and they still rock, but COB and Dimmu Really Know how to synthesize. Argg Argg. Check Some of these bands out.

― FallenToHell, Wednesday, 7 January 2004 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Did Cocteau Twins have oodles of keyboards? Garlands I remember as purely harmonic guitar wash/distortion and drum machine and loftily reverbed vocals. Even on later albums I don't recall keyboards as a main contingent. Just heavily processed guitar. I'll pull out my catalog if I can find it and I'll probably find myself wrong.

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I now want to hear vAN hALEN's Jump all of a sudden.

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm the only kid at music class that plays keyboard & actualy knows how to, which makes me sad. Devo had keyboards.\m/

― Rachel, Wednesday, 7 January 2004 04:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Our guitarist didn't show up to practice tonight, so we were rockin' it with piano, keyboard, violin, and drums. Oh, and bass for a little bit. I'm sort of not looking forward to his return tomorrow.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 05:25 (twenty-two years ago)

from about '75 up until '78/'79 i wouldn't buy anything that DIDN'T have loads of k/boards on it!

classic 70's mix of k/b's was:
piano
organ
fender rhodes
clavinet
mellotron (or string synth)
monosynth

listed in ascending order of goodness...the first 2 or 3 i wasn't much bothered about most of the time, but the zoundz from the latter were what set the nerves shimmering

(i used to watch OGWT, and whatever band it was, if they played something with distinct synth or mellotron bits, i'd be out looking for the album at the weekend...)

the k/boards heavyness of the sound was the primary attraction of prog to me - i also bought solo albums by k/board players - even if i didn't know who they were
(haha 'Score' by Duncan Mackay! on the basis of the banks of shiny keybs on the cover!)
even bought Greenslade albums on the basis of the instrumentation - drums + bass + 2 k/b players... their general disappointing crapness excused via ideological approval of NO GUITARIST...

yes i think CTwins were overwhelmingly multitracked gtr wash rather than ever using k/b to any significant extent - they had some mellotrony choir sound on last track of 'Treasure' iirc, but apart from that nothing comes to mind...

heh i never expected to see so many budding Emerson Lake & Palmer's...

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

I play keyboard in the band i'm in {P.D.A.} well i was more "moved" to then went to. and im not sure about it. I kind of want a major role {i used to be lead vocals but then we needed a drummer so i was there then we added on and my vocals was taken away then they found someone better at drums so i was moved to k/b} I said i would be k/ber for the good of the band and am trying to convince myself that being keyboardest isn't all bad. but i need a little help. anyone want to help me out????

mikki.

― Mikki, Saturday, 17 April 2004 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven months pass...

Yo! Keyboards are kind of underrated these days. I think it's mostly because of the 80s and how much cheesy keyboarding was going on. And I've got to admit that it's easier to make a keyboard sound cheesy than a guitar. On the other hand, I play keyboard (my instrument of 10 years) in a HARD rock band. Our goal is to play really badass music that makes people want to go crazy, party, smoke weed, drink, you know.

One big problem is that a lot of keyboardists have indentity issues because they can play so many different sounds and it's usually pretty easy to make nasty, digital-sounds with them. I hate fake piano. I say use the real thing or don't. I love analogue sounding patches like hammond or rhodes or clav stuff. I run my keyboard through a tube amp (Twin Reverb) and really drive the tubes. My hammond through max distortion is my favorite sound right now for the kind of music I'm playing. The leslie let's me get mad expressive and the distortion let's me KILL.

I think guitar is probably one of the best instruments on the planet, but it's too much of an image these days. You should play the guitar because that's what lends itself to what you're playing not because it's the "coolest" instrument. Keyboard has it's limitations, but it's definately as viable and badass and instrument.

― StonedAndFunky, Saturday, 16 April 2005 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I prefer not having to choose. Back in the 80s, I would have chosen bands with keyboards any day. These days, I prefer a little of both.

However, synths have come to stay, and there's a lot of great stuff with synths out there.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 16 April 2005 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always liked how Eno fleshed out Talking Heads and especially U2's sound - or Roxy Music's for that matter. Even when he left the band the keyboard sound was pretty striking; Eddie Jobson was a most effective colorist, and Bryan Ferry pounded the pianner in the best Johnnie Johnson tradition.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 16 April 2005 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I vastly prefer bands with keyboards because keyboards in general are my favorite instrument.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Saturday, 16 April 2005 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Keyboards can make a great addition to bands. What should be avoided though is when there is the extra member, and the band makes them keyboard player. If you don't know what your doing with your synths then don't have them in at all.

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Saturday, 16 April 2005 02:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Tokyo OTM.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 16 April 2005 05:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Yo! Keyboards are kind of underrated these days.

Are they?

I think it's mostly because of the 80s and how much cheesy keyboarding was going on.

The fact is that keyboards are probably even more dominant in today's hitlists than they were in the 80s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 16 April 2005 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

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