Vangelis' keyboard setup back in 1975

Micke · Post by **Micke** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:02 pm

The following vintage photo shows what keyboards were available at Nemo studios back in the spring/summer of 1975.

This is pretty much the same setup Vangelis would've used on the soundtrack to the French/Mexican flick "Entends-tu les chiens aboyer?" (aka "Can you hear the dogs barking?", summer '75) and the albums "Heaven & h**l" (fall '75) and Albedo 0.39 (fall '76).

I know that he additionally had an Arp Pro-Soloist by the time "Heaven & h**l" was recorded, so the reason that keyboard is missing in the photo above is probably that it was taken in early '75 or thereabouts, just before he would get a Pro-Soloist.

Let's see if you guys can identify all the keyboards seen in the photo above

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:42 pm

Nice one

So far I can see a Minikorg 700s if not two, a Fender Rhodes of some kind, an Elka Rhapsody 610 and perhaps the SH-3a?

aXL · Post by **aXL** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:47 pm

Clavinet (D6?), Hammond B3, some kind of home organ, Steinway grand piano...

Analogue Crazy · Post by **Analogue Crazy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:18 pm

I love a challenge. Cheers Mike!

Here are the synths i see:

SH-3a
SH-1000
Minikorg 700S
Elka Rhapsody 610
Farfisa Synorchestra

Sexor · Post by **Sexor** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:24 pm

That's too easy.

Nord Lead
JP-8000
Virus KB (the big one on the right)
and two MicroKorgs

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:34 pm

Analogue Crazy wrote:I love a challenge. Cheers Mike!
Here are the synths i see:

SH-3a
SH-1000
Minikorg 700S
Elka Rhapsody 610
Farfisa Synorchestra

Yes I was wondering about the SH-1000 also but it was hard to see, however you can actually identify it from the coloured preset and waveform buttons. Going from how dark and light they are, it can only match the SH-1000

scope4live · Post by **scope4live** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:48 pm

I believe you meant the Farfisa Synthaslalom.

It had a pull out drawbar for portamento. I had one and used it in my Junoir High, and High School talent show.

It had a great sound and was amped through a Leslie 147 Walnut, and Moog Lab Series II.

I was sick way back then, and my sickness has multiplies by the square root since then.

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:49 pm

How is it that everyone sees an SH-3a, and yet I don't? If it's the one I think it is, you people have no business thinking that's an SH-3a, you can't even see the distinguishing panel.

Anyway... I think I see a Clavioline in there!

Synthprophet · Post by **Synthprophet** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:59 pm

Automatic Gainsay wrote:How is it that everyone sees an SH-3a, and yet I don't? If it's the one I think it is, you people have no business thinking that's an SH-3a, you can't even see the distinguishing panel.

Anyway... I think I see a Clavioline in there!

I wrote SH-3a with a "?" as I wasn't sure

It's more like going from what would it be if it ain't the SH-3a. It doesn't make the one on the picture more visible, but an SH-3a has been seen with Vangelis several times on studio pictures.

Micke · Post by **Micke** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:05 pm

Very well done guys!

The other ones are a Mini-Korg 700 and Clavioline (upper-left corner)
and an Elka Tornado IV combo-organ (on top of the Rhodes piano).

Here's a better shot of this cheapo Italian organ:

Elka Tornado IV: the source for the church organ sounds on part 1
of "Ignacio" and "Albedo 0.39" (the intro to ‘Nucleogenesis’).

Here's another, slightly later, shot of Vangelis early keyboard rig:

Vangelis at Nemo studios, circa mid/late 1976. Now we can see the two Arp Pro-Soloist's plus a Korg PE-1000
polyphonic keyboard (the one he plays with his right hand). I'm not sure what that thing at the top of the
left keyboard stand could be but I'm suspecting it's the SH-3A.

The photo is contemporary with the album "Albedo 0.39" which Vangelis
recorded around the fall of 1976.

Micke · Post by **Micke** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:05 pm

Sexor wrote:That's too easy.

Nord Lead
JP-8000
Virus KB (the big one on the right)
and two MicroKorgs

You don't say

Micke · Post by **Micke** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:08 pm

Synthprophet wrote:
Automatic Gainsay wrote:How is it that everyone sees an SH-3a, and yet I don't? If it's the one I think it is, you people have no business thinking that's an SH-3a, you can't even see the distinguishing panel. :wink:

Anyway... I think I see a Clavioline in there!
I wrote SH-3a with a "?" as I wasn't sure :wink: It's more like going from what would it be if it ain't the SH-3a. It doesn't make the one on the picture more visible, but an SH-3a has been seen with Vangelis several times on studio pictures.

The keyboard you're thinking of (on top of the SH-1000) is indeed a SH-3 or SH-3A.

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:50 pm

Synthprophet wrote:
Automatic Gainsay wrote:How is it that everyone sees an SH-3a, and yet I don't? If it's the one I think it is, you people have no business thinking that's an SH-3a, you can't even see the distinguishing panel.

Anyway... I think I see a Clavioline in there!
I wrote SH-3a with a "?" as I wasn't sure It's more like going from what would it be if it ain't the SH-3a. It doesn't make the one on the picture more visible, but an SH-3a has been seen with Vangelis several times on studio pictures.

I was just giving you a bad time, Synthprophet... the truth is, I was like "SH-3a? Where???" and then I saw it. I was just embittered because I had one for years and didn't see this one in the picture. : ) After I saw which one you meant, I thought it was an SH-3a, too.

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:52 pm

Micke wrote:Here's another, slightly later, shot of Vangelis early keyboard rig:

Vangelis at Nemo studios, circa mid/late 1976. Now we can see the two Arp Pro-Soloist's plus a Korg PE-1000
polyphonic keyboard (the one he plays with his right hand). I'm not sure what that thing at the top of the
left keyboard stand could be but I'm suspecting it's the SH-3A.

The photo is contemporary with the album "Albedo 0.39" which Vangelis
recorded around the fall of 1976.

That looks like the case of the SH-3a, so I think you're right.
It looks like he ditched the Clavioline for this arrangement. Poor old Clavioline!

Micke · Post by **Micke** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:21 pm

Yeah, it's probably a SH-3 after all but the angle of the photo makes it look bigger/deeper than it is. And yes, it seems he'd ditched the Clavioline at that point. Another thing I noticed with this photo is that the Tornado IV and Korg 800DV are absent.

I think the photo dates from mid-to-late 1976 at the earliest given the presence of the Korg PE-1000 which came out in the spring/summer of that year.