10 Fave Lead Synthesizer Solos

[WytchCrypt]

At the age of 10 I heard Lucky Man on the radio and was hooked by that other-worldly and alien sound at the end of the song. When I learned it was something called a Moog synthesizer, the phrase took on a magical meaning for me that still resonates...so...your top 10 lead synth solos:

1 Lucky Man - Emo
2 The Colony of Slippermen - Banks
3 Song Within a Song - Bardens
4 Just for the Record - Kelly
5 Blues Variation - Emo (from the original Pictures at an Exhibition album)
6 In the Cage - Banks
7 And You and I - Wakeman (the middle section)
8 Aquatarkus - Emo (live version on Welcome Back...)
9 The World Became the World - PFM (not sure who played it)
10 Re-Make Re-Model - Eno (love that crazy bleep-bloop solo)

[ThomasKDye]

I don't know if I have it in me to list a top 10, but I'll try a top five:

1. Moraz - Sound Chaser
2. Wakeman - The Revealing Science of God
3. Emo - Trilogy
4. Ryo Okumoto - Waiting For Me
5. Tony Banks - Fading Lights

There are probably better ones, technically and emotionally, in a lot of the fusion rock I listen to but these are the ones with the staying power as far as I'm concerned at the moment.

[walt]

Roger Powell-The Seven Rays from Todd Rundgren-Utopia-Another Live
Dave Stewart-Share It-The Rotters Club........

[klothos]

DISCLAIMER: With the exception of "Lucky Man" - because it is THE quintessential synth solo song without a doubt - I could fill this Top Ten with nothing but George Duke (in almost any incarnation but particularly with Zappa) so Ill just add one George Duke and try to spread the love around a little bit:

1. Lucky Man - ELP
2. George Duke - Reach Out
3. Electric Light Orchestra - Poker or Daybreaker (they are similar)
4. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
5. Herbie Hancock - Chameleon
6. Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein
7. The Cars - Bye Bye Love
8. Saga - Ice Nice

[nosebone]

Nevermore ~ Eddie Jobson (UK)
Hell's Bell's ~ Dave Stewart ( Bruford)
Caravan ~ Roger Powell (Utopia)
Night Meets Light ~ Mark Parrish ( Dixie Dregs)
Imaginary Voyage ~ Allan Zavod (Jean Luc Ponty, the whole album)

[walt]

Jan Hammer-Ethereggae,from John Abercrombie- Night.

[trurl]

Geeze *lol*

Something by Roger Powell
Something by Eddie Jobson
Something by Jan Hammer (yeah, that's right!)
Something by Keith Emerson
Something by George Duke

I don't have time or mental energy to narrow it down right now.

And just to have that obligatory "bet cha didn't think of this one!" curveball pick I'll go with Commercial Breakup by Thomas Dolby.

Oh wow, Night Meets Light is a good one too.

[Reid]

Jan Hammer-Blue Wind on Wired
Tommy Mars-Alien Orifice on YCDTOSA vol 6
Peter Wolf-Pound For A Brown on YCDTOSA vol 4
T Lavitz- Kat Food
Chick Corea-Got A Match
Billy Childs on Holdsworth's Funnels
Holdsworth's Synthaxe solo on Ana Maria
George Duke-Dawn
Kimara Sajn-Happy Where You Are
Scott Kinsey on Tribal Tech's Black Cherry

[walt]

Mike Ratledge-Nettle Bed-Soft Machine-7

[grego]

Manfred Mann - Countdown
Manfred Mann - Earth Hymn
Rick Wakeman - Merlin
Rick Wakeman - Anne Boleyn
Rick Wakeman Catherine Of Aragon
Keith Emerson - Trilogy
Keith Emerson - Fanfare for a Common Man
Tony Banks - Dance with Moonlit Knight
Tony Banks - In The Cage
Jan Hammer Celesitial Terrestial Commuters

[trurl]

Holdsworth's Synthaxe solo on Ana Maria

Sneaky

[Digital_Man]

[4. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right]

Wow. You may as well put "Lido shuffle" by Boz Scaggs on your list.

[Reid]

Sneaky

Hey, nobody mentioned keyboards only!

[trurl]

Hey, nobody mentioned keyboards only!

Definitely not! Don Buchla would be proud

[GuitarGeek]

Sun Ra: Space Probe
Sun Ra: The Code Of Interdepence
Morton Subotnick: first section of Sidewinder
Wendy Carlos: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Adagio (on Switched On-Bach)
Tony Banks: Colony Of The Slippermen (or March Of The Slippermen, as I used to think it was called)
Del Dettmar: Electronic No. 1
Tom Bailey: Doctor Doctor
Tom Bailey: If You Were Here
Freddie Mercury (probably): Ming's Theme
Ken Hensley: Gypsy (live version on Uriah Heep Live)

[WytchCrypt]

Dave Stewart-Share It-The Rotters Club........

Oh man, how could I have missed that one

[bob_32_116]

Lots of love in this thread for "in the Cage", but there are at least two Banks solo portions that I like better: "Cinema Show" (possibly his finest ever), and "Follow You Follow Me".

Outside Genesis, I'd nominate "Fool's Overture" by Supertramp.

[JKL2000]

Under Betcha didn't think of this one category I'd include something off of The In Sound From Way Out album - a key album in forming my musical taste.

[walt]

Alvin Curran-Songs And Views from The Magnetic Garden--just about all of Part II.

[rcarlberg]

Something by Eddie Jobson

Everything by Dave Stewart
Everything by Kit Watkins

[klothos]

4. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right

Wow. You may as well put "Lido shuffle" by Boz Scaggs on your list.

Sure, the song sounds like a 1970s TV Game Show theme, but Sloan Hayes' synth solo kicks ass

[Digital_Man]

Sure, the song sounds like a 1970s TV Game Show theme, but Sloan Hayes' synth solo kicks ass

So does the one on "Lido" which to me is a pretty intense synth solo for a "pop" song(not sure who played it though). Funny how both those songs came out around the same time. You wouldn't hear many synth solos like that in top forty after that.

[trurl]

Lido was almost certainly Steve Porcaro. That track was basically Toto backing up Boz. I wouldn't quite say it's a major lead break, just a bunch of arpeggios overdubbed on each other but it's pretty cool.

[klothos]

So does the one on "Lido" which to me is a pretty intense synth solo for a "pop" song(not sure who played it though). Funny how both those songs came out around the same time. You wouldn't hear many synth solos like that in top forty after that.

i guess i shouldnt post Jan Hammer's part on Mike Post's "The Rockford Files" Theme as another fave

[nosebone]

Sanford and Son