In the audio commentary of "Seven Seas of Rhye" on the new Absolute Greatest compilation Brian says Roy Thomas Baker plays the Stylophone during the outro.
I've always heard a low sound following the melody (I do like to be beside the seaside... etc) but I always assumed it was a varispeed guitar (like the bass lines on God save the Queen) or perhaps even a distorted bass. But now we know :-)
So, they did use a synthesizer after all in the 70s!
pittrek · Member since
Well we all know how accurate Brian's commentaries are these days
QUEENexpert · Member since
Brian is old. He doesn't remember things. Roger doesnt either. He called Adam Lambert, Adam Bolton on BBC. I'm sure Brian knew what was happening better, when it actually happed, then looking back on it now.
liam · Member since
They never used synths in the 70's. They proudly displayed it on their records and wouldn't have lied. Brian is just a bit senile these days.
Togg · Member since
I wonder if it's the same one as seen in the new Roger Taylor video?
Interesting, I guess technically it does qualify as a synth.
Sebastian · Member since
> So, they did use a synthesizer after all in the 70s!
It was already known: [i]Save Me, Sail Away Sweet Sister[/i] and [i]Coming Soon[/i] were recorded in 1979. The 'news' about this is that they used synthesiser in a 'no synth' album.
> Well we all know how accurate Brian's commentaries are these days
Indeed. I think it'd be better for one of the musician QZers to record that bit with a stylophone and see if it sounds the same.
> Brian is old. He doesn't remember things.
While both statements are true, we've got to consider:
* There IS an 'alien' instrument during that bit.
* Unlike other comments by the doctor (e.g. saying [i]MFK[/i] is on 'Queen II'), this time we've got no counterevidence, which means that based on what we can document so far (unless we get hold of multitracks, for instance), the most reliable source is his quote.
> Roger doesnt either. He called Adam Lambert, Adam Bolton on BBC.
Loads of people have a better memory for things that happened decades ago than for things in the recent past. Just think about those orchestral conductors who can't even remember what they had for breakfast but know by heart every part of a symphony. And while Roger's memory isn't perfect (nobody's is), it's virtually eidetic compared to Brian's.
> I'm sure Brian knew what was happening better, when it actually happed, then looking back on it now.
Wrong: at least Roger remembers [i]My Fairy King[/i] is on the first album. Between the two of them, the blond one's more reliable.
> They never used synths in the 70's.
Of course they did: even if [i]I Do Like...[/i] had been with another instrument, 1979 is part of the 70's, and they recorded [i]Sail Away Sweet Sister[/i] (with synths) then.
> They proudly displayed it on their records and wouldn't have lied.
Of course they could've lied. Or more than 'lied', having a background stylophone during 10+ seconds in an album outro didn't count as a 'synth' for them if they wanted to quibble. Remember that, by that time, Moog's and VCS3's were what was descriptively known as 'synths' (though technically the stylophone fits that definition as well). Likewise they didn't mention the organ on [i]Liar[/i] in the credits, etc.
It's not a question of lying, it's a question of leaving more general liner notes rather than specifying every little thing... I do know for a fact that, occasionally, percussion instruments or effects (tambourine, handclaps, maracas) were played by whoever was around at the time (a band member, the producer, an engineer, a teaboy, a girlfriend, an acquaintance), but only [i]Who Needs You[/i] lists the situation in depth. It's totally believable that, for instance, the handclaps on [i]Best Friend[/i] were done by a random person who just happened to be in the studio at that time, and who didn't ask for a credit since the handclaps aren't a crucial part of the recording.
> Brian is just a bit senile these days.
I don't think that's fair. I'm the first to say his memory isn't perfect (nobody's is), but that doesn't mean we should discard [i]everything[/i] he claims. The stylophone quote could easily be right (as many recollections from Dr May have been), and could easily be wrong (as many recollections from Dr May have been), the topic still deserves much more research.
BTW, if you think Maylor aren't a reliable source, you should ask Roy: he'll surely tell you he played ten thousand stylophones in a four-track tape and had the band overdubbing their voices twelve million times!
> I wonder if it's the same one as seen in the new Roger Taylor video?
Indeed it is.
> Interesting, I guess technically it does qualify as a synth.
Technically, the human voice is also a synth. Since the word usage is almost exclusively (and especially in 1974) for electronic (keyboard) synthesisers, I don't see a 'lie' in using a stylophone (not a keyboard), a Syndrum (ditto), an organ (electronic keyboard, but not synthesiser) or a Wurly (ditto). Even the headphone+can 'trick' they used for Freddie's voice in [i]Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon[/i] could be considered a synthesiser (since they synthesise sound through the set-up in question).
Queen's 'no synth' motto meant that wherever you heard an [i]exotic[/i] sound you could be sure they hadn't used (keyboard) synthesisers there, but instead something else: voices on [i]Rendezvous[/i], prepared piano on [i]Nevermore[/i], guitar+piano on [i]Father to Son[/i], cymbal rolls (with phasing or something like that) on [i]Rhapsody[/i], etc.
masterstroke_84 · Member since
Senile?
I wonder how many "senile" people could do a PHD in astroph.. with the thesis and everything else...
Sebastian · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]masterstroke_84 wrote: [/b]
Senile?
I wonder how many "senile" people could do a PHD in astroph.. with the thesis and everything else...
[/QUOTE]
Actually, more than one would think at first. Brian's not senile, but if he were, it wouldn't stop him from doing his PhD and playing some great solos, most of which he learnt 30+ years ago.
dragon-fly · Member since
Was it supposed to be funny? But it seems for me so :)
Brian forgot what he supposed to lie about or simply messed up :D
Wiley · Member since
So, until earlier this week I didn't even know what a Stylophone was. I saw one in Roger's vid that looked like a Nintendo DS and thought it was something relatively new. Now it turns out there's one in frickin' Queen II, of all albums??!
Next we'll find out half of the synth-like sounds in every Queen records was done by the fifth Queenie, a very modest Stylophone virtuoso known to the band only as 'Bob'.
Interesting find, indeed.
The Real Wizard · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Sebastian wrote: [/b]
And while Roger's memory isn't perfect (nobody's is), it's virtually eidetic compared to Brian's.
[/QUOTE]
That's right, I forgot... Roger's the one who just got his PhD in astronomy after writing a 400-something page paper and orally defending to the panel it for hours, and wrote a book on the subject. My mistake!
Sebastian · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Sir GH wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]Sebastian wrote: [/b]
And while Roger's memory isn't perfect (nobody's is), it's virtually eidetic compared to Brian's.
[/QUOTE]
That's right, I forgot... Roger's the one who just got his PhD in astronomy after writing a 400-something page paper and orally defending to the panel it for hours, and wrote a book on the subject. My mistake!
[/QUOTE]
It's Brian who wrote the PhD. So what? It's not related to having a good memory. Brian wrote a 400-something page paper and orally defended it to the panel for hours, and wrote a book on the subject. That qualifies as being a good scientist and a skilled person in science.
But it does NOT change the fact that, when it comes to Queen history, [b]Roger's memory (while not perfect - nobody's is) is virtually eidetic compared to Brian's.[/b]
The Real Wizard · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Sebastian wrote: [/b]
It's Brian who wrote the PhD. So what? It's not related to having a good memory. Brian wrote a 400-something page paper and orally defended it to the panel for hours, and wrote a book on the subject.
[/QUOTE]
...which requires an excellent memory. Do you think a doctor of science is constantly looking up scientific information for reference? They know it.
You categorically stated above that Roger's memory was better than Brian's, not just in terms of Queen's history. Thanks for clarifying that.
Sebastian · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Sir GH wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]Sebastian wrote: [/b]
It's Brian who wrote the PhD. So what? It's not related to having a good memory. Brian wrote a 400-something page paper and orally defended it to the panel for hours, and wrote a book on the subject.
[/QUOTE]
...which requires an excellent memory. Do you think a doctor of science is constantly looking up scientific information for reference? They know it.
You categorically stated above that Roger's memory was better than Brian's, not just in terms of Queen's history. Thanks for clarifying that.
[/QUOTE]
It doesn't require excellent memory per se, but being a good scientist (which Brian is, of course). If the person also has excellent memory, that's always a plus, but AFAICT, Brian's more the sort of bloke whose academic output uses clarity of concepts rather than encyclopaedic collection of data in the top of one's head.
Of course, it doesn't mean Brian's senile, it doesn't mean he's got a lousy memory, it doesn't mean he can't even remember 2+2.
And I didn't categorically state anything, I said that Roger's memory, while not perfect (nobody's is), is virtually eidetic compared to Brian's. There's nothing categorical about it.
Indeed, Roger's memory, while not perfect (nobody's is), is virtually eidetic compared to Brian's. Brian's is eidetic compared to Bowie's (for instance), and Bowie's is eidetic compared to many rock stars.
BTW, 'knowing' scientific information is not the same as 'memorising' it. They're both related, but they're not the same (just like an e-piano's not a synth).
In terms of recalling specific data (such as venues, equipment, which album each song belongs to), Roger's demonstrated throughout the years that he's way more dependable than Brian.
GratefulFan · Member since
I had to look up eidetic.
Though I don't know the historical accuracy of the comments of May or Taylor, I would add that Brian is really quite generous with his comments and answers through his website etc. and there is perhaps more opportunity for him to mix up details because he's simply fielding a lot more of these issues. Ask me to answer details about a 20 year old work project (never mind 30+ for Queen) and the chances are good my recollections are going to be flawed. Pretty normal stuff.
