Tony Banks (musician)

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(L–R) Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Tony Banks in November 2006, promoting the upcoming Turn It On Again tour

Anthony George "Tony" Banks (born March 27, 1950) is an English songwriter, pianist/keyboard player, and guitarist. He is one of the founding members of progressive rock/pop group Genesis and one of only two members (the other being guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford) to belong to Genesis throughout its entire history.

Banks is the most private of the Genesis members; most of what is known about his early life is from the book on Genesis by Armando Gallo.

[edit] Early years

Banks was born in East Hoathly, Sussex, England. He received classical training in piano, and taught himself to play guitar. He attended Charterhouse School in the mid-1960s, where he met fellow student Peter Gabriel in 1965. Banks originally planned to study mathematics in higher education, and after Charterhouse he took a leave of absence from higher education to explore Genesis, and never returned.^[1]

[edit] Career

Banks and Gabriel, together with drummer Chris Stewart, formed a band called The Garden Wall. This band merged with another called Anon, which included Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips. They recorded a set of demos which ultimately led to the formation of the band that became Genesis.^[2]

[edit] Role in Genesis

Banks's elaborate keyboard solos — such as the piano introduction to "Firth of Fifth" and the instrumental section of "The Cinema Show" — helped to establish Genesis' sound. In addition to playing keyboards, Banks contributed (along with Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford) to Genesis' 12-string acoustic passages in songs such as "The Musical Box" and the introduction to "Supper's Ready." Banks also was an occasional back-up vocalist and sang co-lead vocals on "The Shepherd," an unreleased track from 1970 which finally surfaced on the Genesis Archive 1967-75 boxed set.

Notable Banks-penned Genesis songs include "Mad Man Moon," "One for the Vine," and the anthemic ballad "Afterglow," which remained a popular exeunt to the Banks-driven "medleys" (conglomerations of Genesis' most-popular keyboard solos) that the group played during live shows for years.

After the departure of Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett from Genesis, Banks was the first of the three remaining members of the group to release a solo album. But unlike bandmates Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, who saw great solo success, Banks's solo efforts usually sold only to a core audience of Genesis devotees. In 1998, fans formed a tribute band called Strictly Banks, and performed a set of Banks's solo songs.

On 7 November 2006, after so much speculation regarding a reunion, a press conference held by Banks, Collins, and Rutherford announced an upcoming tour in 2007.^[3] This announcement comes as the band are about to celebrate 40 years in the music business.

[edit] Film scoring

Banks has also created some film scores. The movie The Wicked Lady features a score by Banks, and the film escaped sinking into total obscurity only because it featured (a bare-breasted) Marina Sirtis who later became well-known for her work with the Star Trek television program. He wrote the soundtrack to Quicksilver, starring Kevin Bacon the single from which was produced by Richard James Burgess. After Genesis went into hiatus in 1998, Banks continued to write. A set of (mostly) recently-composed orchestral pieces was recorded and released on the 2004 album Seven: A Suite for Orchestra.

[edit] Sound Innovations

Unless there is some example of another keyboard player doing this before Banks, he is the first keyboard player who used the MIDI interface to the Roland drum machine "backwards", using the drum machine to switch the keyboards on and off, to create the pulsating sound in "Mama" (on the 1983 Genesis album) and "By You" on The Fugitive. (Probably on other songs as well, but the effect was used sparingly.)

[edit] Solo discography

[edit] Guest vocalists on Tony Banks albums

Kim Beacon
Fish
Jim Diamond
Toyah Willcox
Alistair Gordon
Jayney Klimek
Nik Kershaw
Andy Taylor - this is not the Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, as is commonly mistaken.
Jack Hues

[edit] Songs sung by Tony Banks solo

All songs on The Fugitive album (besides two instrumentals)
"Big Man" on Bankstatement album
"Hero of the Hour" on Still album

[edit] Equipment used by Tony Banks over the years

The equipment lists in this section are derived from The Genesis Discography ^[4] up until the 1991 era keyboard rig. This list was compiled in the early 1990s from various sources, including album liner notes, lists of tour gear for the band, etc. (The origin of the rest of the equipment lists is unknown.) Banks would not take his entire rig with him on tour, but did take most of it. Taking a grand piano on tour was not practical, so those parts on the albums were played on the electric piano. (Before it was dropped, for example, the "Firth of Fifth" intro was played on the electric piano.) He did take the Synclavier on the road with him, and it is visible in many of the performance videos from the 1983-1987 era. Changes to the keyboard rig were incremental over the years. Probably the two most drastic changes were the removal of the acoustic sampling Mellotron around 1980, when the then-new polyphonic synthesizers made it possible to play string sounds; and the dramatic overhaul of the rig for the We Can't Dance tour where Banks had only four slim keyboards onstage. (This latter shakeout involved the jettisoning of the Synclavier, and made songs like "Home by the Sea" sound quite different.)

[edit] From Genesis to Revelation (1969)

Piano

[edit] Trespass (1970)

Piano
Hammond L-122 tonewheel organ
Hohner Pianet N
Mellotron Mk II - hired from King Crimson

[edit] Nursery Cryme (1971)

Piano [used on album only]
Hammond L-122 tonewheel organ
Hohner Pianet N
Mellotron Mk II - hired from King Crimson

[edit] Foxtrot (1972)

Piano [used on album only]
Hammond L-122 tonewheel organ
Hohner Pianet N
Mellotron Mk II - hired from King Crimson

[edit] Selling England By The Pound (1973)

Piano [used on album only], notably "Firth of Fifth"
Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ
Hohner Pianet N
Mellotron M400 - with the 3 violins, 8 voice choir and brass tape sets. The flute set is used on The Battle of Epping Forrest
ARP Pro-Soloist analogue synthesizer

[edit] The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)

Piano [used on album only] - Steinway - used on intro to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and elsewhere
Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ
Electra 368 Electric piano
Mellotron M400 - with the 3 violins, 8 voice choir and Brass tape sets
ARP Pro-Soloist analogue synthesiszer
ELKA RHAPSODY analogue synthesizer

[edit] A Trick of the Tail (1976)

Piano [used on album only]
Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ -> Leslie Rotating Speaker
RMI Electra 368 Electric piano -> Fender Blender fuzz effect and MXR Phase 100 phaser
Mellotron M400 - with the 3 violins, 8 voice choir and Brass tape sets-> Echoplex tape echo and MXR 10band EQ
ARP Pro-Soloist analogue synthesizer -> Echoplex tape echo and Leslie Rotating Speaker
ARP 2600 analogue synthesizer -> Echoplex tape echo [studio only]
Roland RS-202 string synth

[edit] Wind and Wuthering (1976)

Piano [used on album only]
Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ -> MXR Phase 100 phaser and BOSS CE-1 stereo chorus
RMI Electra 368 Electric piano -> Fender Blender fuzz effect and MXR Phase 100 phaser
Mellotron M400 - with the 3 violins, 8 voice choir and Brass tape sets-> Roland RE-201 space echo and MXR 10 band graphic EQ
ARP Pro-Soloist analogue synthesizer -> Roland space echo
ARP 2600 analogue synthesizer -> Roland RE-201 space echo [used on album only]
Roland RS-202 string synthesizer [used on album only]
Fender Rhodes electric piano [used on album only]

[edit] And Then There Were Three (1978)

Piano [studio only]
Hammond T-102 tonewheel organ -> MXR Phase 100 phaser and BOSS CE-1 stereo chorus
Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand piano -> BOSS CE-10 stereo chorus
Mellotron M400 - with the 3 violins, 8 voice choir and Brass tape sets-> Roland RE-201 space echo and MXR 10 band graphic EQ
ARP Pro-Soloist analogue synthesizer -> Roland space echo
ARP 2600 analogue synthesizer -> Roland RE-201 space echo
Roland RS-202 string synthesizer [used on album only]
Moog Polymoog polyphonic analogue synthesizer -> MXR Distortion+ and Phase 100

[edit] Duke (1980)

Acoustic grand piano (studio only)
Yamaha CP-70 (through boss ce1 chorus)
Yamaha CS80 (through boss chorus) [studio only]
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 (through boss ce1 chorus and MXR phase 100)
ARP Quadra (through MXR distortion)
Moog Polymoog (studio only)
Roland VP330 (trough MXR 10 band EQ and Boss chorus)
Hammond T102 organ trough MXR phase 100 phaser and Boss CE1 chorus)

The CS80 was used a lot on the album as well as the CP-70 piano. Tony used the Prophet 5 and Quadra on just a few occasions on the album. But the Quadra especially was used a lot as a polysynth and lead synth on the duke tour. The Prophet 5 was used more for string like sounds as well as the flutes on Duke's Travels (last bars before Dukes End kicks in) and Cul-de-sac.

[edit] Abacab (1981)

Piano (studio only)
Yamaha CP-70 (through Boss CE1 chorus)
Moog Polymoog (studio only)
Yamaha CS80 (studio only) (through Boss CE1 chorus and MXR distortion)
ARP Quadra (through MXR distortion and lexicon digital delays)
Sequential Circuits Prophet 10 (through MXR distortion, MXR phase 100 and boss ce1 chorus)
Roland VP330+ Vocoder (through MXR 10 band EQ)
NED Synclavier 2 [studio only]

There are rumors that the EDP Wasp was used.

[edit] Genesis (1983)

Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano -> BOSS CE-1 Stereo Chorus
ARP Quadra polyphonic analogue synthesizer
Sequential Circuits Prophet-10 polyphonic analogue synthesizer MXR Phase 100 and BOSS CE-10 stereo chorus
NED Synclavier II digital synthesizer (FM and Additive, no sampling option)
E-mu Emulator early digital sampler
Roland VP-330 Vocoder and string/choir [studio only]
Some equipment put through MXR and Lexicon digital delays

[edit] Invisible Touch (1986)

Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano (with Kenton MIDI retrofit)
ARP Quadra synthesizer/string machine
Sequential Circuits Prophet-10 synthesizer (with Kenton MIDI retrofit)
NED Synclavier II digital synthesizer (FM and Additive, no sampling option)
E-mu Emulator II digital sampler (with analog SSM filter and VCAs)
Yamaha DX7 digital FM synthesizer
AKAI S900 12-bit Digital Rack sampler
Roland MKS-80 analogue rack synthesizer
Yamaha TX816 digital FM rack synthesizer - 8 DX7s in a rack
Korg DVP voice processor - vocoder
Equipment put through Yamaha REV7 digital reverb and Lexicon digital delays

[edit] We Can't Dance (1991)

Korg Wavestation digital vector synthesizer
Roland JD-800 digital synthesizer
Roland Rhodes MK-80 digital piano / mother keyboard
Roland Rhodes VK-1000 digital organ / electric piano
Ensoniq VFX digital synthesizer
Yamaha CP-80 electric grand piano- (88-key version of CP-70)
E-mu Emulator III digital 16 bit sampler
Equipment put through Yamaha SPX1000 and SPX90 effects plus Roland reverb unit

[edit] The Way We Walk (We Can't Dance Tour) (1991–1992)

Korg Wavestation digital vector synthesizer
Roland JD-800 digital synthesizer
Roland Rhodes MK-80 mother keyboard
Ensoniq SD1 digital synthesizer - More reliable sibling of VFX
Sequenced by Alesis MMT-8

Tony used these synths to also control his 2x 20HE rack units with the following stuff in it:

E-Mu Emulator III digital 16 bit sampler in rack form
Kurzweil 1000PX digital piano module
E-Mu Proteus/2 XR sample playback modules (four units with Tony's own samples, one with Proteus presets)
Voce DMI-64 MkII digital organ module (two units)
Yamaha TX7 synth module DX7 in a rack

All of the above are mixed into two Roland M480 mixers and put through Yamaha SPX90 effects and a Roland SDE3000 reverb unit. All midi routings done by two MidiTemp MMP88 patchbays. Audio routings from the mixer through the effect units done with the Yamaha PLS1 line switcher which is also used to extract the Roland JD-800 audio and send it to the main PA desk.

Also used was a MIDI Gate unit (brand unknown) which is used for the song Mama which they performed 5 times in the USA leg of the WCD tour.

[edit] Calling All Stations (1997)

Korg Trinity digital workstation synthesizer
Korg Wavestation digital vector synthesizer
Roland JD-800 digital synthesizer
Roland JV-1080 digital rack synthesizer
Yamaha CP-80 electric grand piano

[edit] Calling All Stations Tour (1997–1998)

Korg Trinity Plus digital workstation synthesizer
Roland A-90 MIDI mother keyboard
Roland JD-800 digital synthesizer

These are then linked into 2 Opcode Studio 5 LX MIDI processor and 2 custom-made MIDI mixers and used to control these rack units:

Two E-mu Emulator]] 4 digital 16-bit rack samplers
Two Korg Wavestation SR digital rack vector synthesizer
Korg Wavestation A/D digital rack vector synthesizer and vocoder
Korg 01R/W digital rack synthesizer
Roland JV-1080 digital synthesizer
Three E-mu Proteus/2 XR digital sample playback modules
E-mu Proteus/2 XR Orchestral digital sample playback module
E-mu Proteus/1 digital sample playback module
Two E-mu Vintage Keys digital sample playback modules
Yamaha TX7 synth module - Yamaha DX7 in rack

All of the above are mixed into a Mackie LM3204 line mixer then put through Yamaha SPX1000 effects processor (four units) and Roland SRV-2000 effects processor. A Yamaha PLS1 line selector sends this to a Chiddingford Mixer for his Shure SM600 transmitter to his ear monitor.

[edit] Notes

^ Gallo
^ Gallo
^ Masters, Tim. "Genesis reunion 'not about money'", BBC News, 7 November 2006.
^ cyberreviews.skwc.com/genesis.html

[edit] External links

Unofficial site

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