So, I’ve kicked off a new project; one which can never be completed and is crazy to even contemplate - a database logging all verfied examples of specific synths in famous tracks (or not so famous). Here it is:
There will be a page for each synth, with a brief description of that synth, and then a list of notable artists who’ve used it on particuarly notable songs - eg, everyone knows that Herbie Hancock used the ARP Odyssey on his classic track ‘Chameleon’ - so that’s at the top of the page under ‘Archetypal use’ of the synth.
Then there’s embedded YouTube vids linking to the exact place where the synth can be heard. Eg - here’s Chick Corea solo’ing on his Odyssey:
Chick Corea trading licks with Bill Connolly
Below that is a short table of songs with YouTube links.
But the true madness of this idea lies in the database itself - an ever expanding log of ‘everything’. And here that is:
The key point about all this is that it is not yet another cheap listacle of ‘famous songs that use X’. In my experience - and this is true even of Wikipedia - most of these citations are completely unverified; there’s no link to the source or verifiable reference. So we’re just left with a load of recycled ‘internet common knowledge’, which is unreliable, could be wrong, and doesn’t add much to our pool of knowledge.
The SynthTrax database will be different. Every entry must be accompanied by a verifiable reference so that we can be as sure as possible that the synth was used on that track. The references I’m currently considering acceptable are:
Sleeve notes
Quotes from interviews in reputable journals
Videos or photographs
Advertisements (up to a point – paid promotion doesn’t guarantee usage on a song/album)
Of course, even these can be wrong on occasion, but it’s better than blindly repeating a random claim off some music forum!
Why do this at all, eh? Well, good point. I guess it’s because I love synths and the sounds they make; but even the best synthesizer is only really meaningful in terms of the music that musicians make with them. And I personally find it fascinating to see how the various synths influenced the music scene of the time, and this project will reflect and highlight that. (And even a short time into this process, I’ve already discovered some great music that I’d previously overlooked. ‘George Duke, where have you been all my life??!’ (Notable Minimoog virtuoso!)
For example - I’ve started with the Moog Minimoog and ARP Odyssey, the best selling monosynths of the 1970s. So, unsurprisingly the best example songs feature funky (funky) basslines and searing lead solos usually in a rock or funk band context. But when I come to do the Yamaha DX7, things will have morphed into mainstream pop and soul and heavy use of that electric piano sound!
So I hope to share that process of discovery of great music, and a deeper understanding of how synths shaped and influenced music history.
One last note - this is a bonkers project, and one that should probably be made an open-source project, just as ‘Who Sampled Who’ is; ideally I need someone who knows how to manage databases properly too! The Notion one I ‘m using is fine, but it would be better to have the grid behind the scene and have nicer web front end to it. Enquire within if you’re interested!
Now go and check it out!