This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony Banks
| Tony Banks | |
|---|---|
Banks playing at the Old Trafford football stadium in 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 27 March 1950 East Hoathly, East Sussex, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock Classical Rock Pop rock |
| Instruments | Piano, Synthesizer, Rhodes piano, Mellotron, Organ , Vocals, Guitar, Bass guitar, Drums, Percussions |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Charisma Records Polydor Records Virgin Records Atlantic Records Giant Records Reprise Records Naxos Records |
| Associated acts | Genesis Bankstatement Strictly Inc. |
| Notable instruments | |
| ARP Pro Soloist, NEC Synclavier II, Prophet 10, Emulator II | |
Anthony George "Tony" Banks (born 27 March 1950) is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist. He is one of the founding members of progressive rock group Genesis and one of only two members (the other being bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford) who have been with Genesis throughout its entire history.
As a member of Genesis, Banks has been a pioneer in the use of a variety of keyboards, such the ARP Pro Soloist synthesiser, the Mellotron, the Yamaha CP-70 and the Hammond T-102 organ. Through most of the band's history, Banks was the leading force in Genesis' songwriting; although the group was often responsible as a whole for composing songs, his ideas were often the nucleus of their music, and he would frequently write lyrics as well. Outside of Genesis, Banks has enjoyed a modestly successful career in the world of film scoring, and a limited solo career as well. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
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Banks was born in East Hoathly, Sussex, England. He received classical training in piano, and taught himself to play guitar. He attended Charterhouse School where he met fellow pupil Peter Gabriel in 1963. Banks originally planned to study mathematics in higher education, and after Charterhouse he took a leave of absence from Sussex University to explore Genesis, and never returned.[1]
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.[1]
Banks' elaborate arrangements and keyboard solos — such as the piano introduction to "Firth of Fifth" and the instrumental sections of "The Cinema Show", "Watcher of the Skies", and "Supper's Ready"— 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", "Entangled", "The Cinema Show", and the beginning part of "Supper's Ready". Banks also was an occasional back-up vocalist and sang co-lead vocals on "Shepherd," an unreleased track from 1970 which finally surfaced on the Genesis Archive 1967-75 boxed set.
Banks's compositions are credited to be the driving force of Genesis' music, particularly in material recorded before 1979. Notable Banks-penned Genesis songs include "Mad Man Moon," "One for the Vine" and the anthemic ballad "Afterglow", which remained a popular coda to the Banks-driven "medleys" that the group played during live shows for years.
Genesis announced a reunion tour in 2006; when Gabriel declined to perform, it was decided by the band members that the three-person lineup would be more appropriate, and Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson were invited to perform. Turn It on Again: The Tour began on 11 June 2007 in Helsinki, and ended on 13 October 2007 at the Hollywood Bowl.
In March 2010, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio was asked to pay tribute to Genesis, one of his favourite bands, upon their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to Anastasio's speech, Phish appeared and performed two Genesis songs, "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply At All". Even though Banks and his Genesis bandmates (minus Peter Gabriel) attended the ceremony, they did not perform.
Banks achieved a distinctive sound by running all of his keyboards (as well as his 12-string guitar) into a mixing board and then running the signal output of the board into a Leslie speaker (both the mixer and the rotary speaker were homemade). This can clearly be heard on everything Banks plays on the Genesis Live album.
Banks' earliest setup included a Hammond L-111 organ, a Hohner Pianet N and a Mellotron mkII, all of which (as well as grand piano) are first heard on the Trespass album (except the Hammond, which was replaced with a L-122 model, with a brighter sound than the L-111, used only in the early demo tracks). Banks used the Pianet as both a substitute for a grand piano, and also as a lead instrument, with the use of a fuzz box (also homemade, similar to the Fender Blender). He would often duel with Steve Hackett's guitar, as heard on tracks like "The Musical Box", "The Return of the Giant Hogweed", or "Supper's Ready". Banks in 1974 switched to an RMI 368x Electra Piano and Harpsichord, which was soon integrated into the sound of Genesis, as first heard at various points on The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album. It was often affected with the homemade fuzz box and an MXR Phase 100 - later these pedals were inserted in the panel of the Electra Piano. After 1978, the RMI was replaced with the Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano.
The first synthesiser to be used by Genesis was the monophonic ARP Pro Soloist, which Banks first acquired in 1973 along with a Hammond T-102 and a Mellotron M400 instead of the Hammond L122 and the Mellotron mkII. After 1977, Banks ditched the Leslie for another MXR Phase 100 and a Boss CE-1 Chorus effects pedals on his organ. From 1976 from the time of Wind & Wuthering he began to use a ARP 2600 semi-modular synthesizer that he used in studio like on stage until around 1978, and also one of the first polyphonic Synthesizer the Polymoog very present on ...And Then There Were Three... their 1978 album, that gave some new sounds complementing his organ and mellotron. He used this technique all the way up to Duke in 1980. On Abacab in 1981, the organ was no longer featured; organ sounds were emulated using a Sequential Circuits Prophet 10 synthesiser through the Boss CE-1. The Mellotron phased out altogether with the addition of the Roland RS-202 string and brass synthesizer, then the SCI Prophet 10 and the ARP Quadra synthesizer.
Banks pioneered many unique keyboard and synthesiser sounds throughout his career; music historian Wayne Studer has referred to him as "the most tasteful keyboardist of prog rock.".[2] One of his achievements was the technique of using the trigger output of a LinnDrum drum machine to have the hi-hat pattern trigger an ARP Quadra synthesiser, creating such parts as the pulsating drum sound in "Mama" (from 1983's Genesis) and "By You" on The Fugitive. Another unique synth technique was used on the track "Who Dunnit?" from the 1981 album Abacab; a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 was programmed with a few sounds, and the patches were switched manually (via the panel preset tabs) while he played.
Banks used a cross-hand playing style in several songs to allow himself to play faster. This is notable on "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and "The Carpet Crawlers". He also used the cross-hand technique on "No Reply At All" (which can be seen briefly in the accompanying music video), "Robbery, Assault and Battery" (also seen in the accompanying music video), "Duke's Travels" and "Fading Lights".
Banks has also created some film scores. The movie The Wicked Lady features a score by Banks as well as The Shout, co-credited with Mike Rutherford and Rupert Hine. 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.
After the departure of Peter 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 Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, who saw great solo success, and Mike Rutherford, who had a hugely successful side career with Mike + the Mechanics, Banks's solo efforts achieved only modest sales. In 1998, fans formed a tribute band called Strictly Banks, and performed a set of Banks's solo songs.
Apart from the album The Fugitive and selected other songs, Banks has employed guest vocalists on his solo albums; these have included (amongst others) Fish, Nik Kershaw, Toyah Willcox, Jack Hues and Jim Diamond.
Banks's most recent solo release is entitled Seven: A Suite for Orchestra which is in the classical genre. Banks's compositions are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mike Dixon, and Banks himself played piano with the orchestra on three tracks. The album received a worldwide release on Naxos Records.
A Curious Feeling' was remastered into new stereo and 5.1 mixes by Nick Davis and released in 2009 to commemorate the album's 30 year anniversary.
While Banks's rig varied from year to year, many pieces of equipment made repeat appearances. In addition, the rig sometimes changed between an album and the subsequent tour. Below are lists of the various rigs that Banks used live and on each album.
Live Rigs
- 1968-1969: Hammond L-111 organ, Hohner Pianet N, Farfisa Compact Deluxe.
- 1969-1972: Hammond L-122 organ, Hohner Pianet N, Mellotron Mark II.
- 1973-1977: Hammond T-102 organ, RMI 368x Electra Piano and Harpsichord, Mellotron M-400, ARP Pro Soloist.
- 1977-1979: Hammond T-102 organ, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, ARP 2600, Moog Music Polymoog, ARP Pro Soloist.
- 1980-1981: Hammond T-102 organ, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Moog Music Polymoog, ARP Quadra.
- 1981-1982: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Yamaha CS-80, ARP Quadra.
- 1983-1985: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, NED Synclavier (VPK version), E-mu Emulator, ARP Quadra.
- 1986-1988: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, NED Synclavier (VPK version), E-mu Emulator, ARP Quadra, Yamaha DX7.
- 1991-1992: Roland JD-800, Korg Wavestation, Roland Rhodes MK-80, E-mu Emulator.
- 1997-1998: Roland A-90, Korg Wavestation, Korg Trinity, E-mu Proteus.
- 2007-2008: Roland A-90, Korg Wavestation, Korg OASYS.
Studio Rigs
- From Genesis to Revelation: Hammond L-111 organ, Hohner Pianet N, Farfisa Compact Deluxe Organ, Acoustic piano.
- From Trespass to Foxtrot: Hammond L-122 organ, Hohner Pianet N, Mellotron Mark II.
- From Selling England by the Pound to Wind & Wuthering: Hammond T-102 organ, RMI 368x Electra Piano and Harpsichord, Mellotron M-400, ARP Pro Soloist.
- ...And Then There Were Three...: Hammond T-102 organ, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, ARP 2600, Moog Music Polymoog, ARP Pro Soloist, Roland RS-202.
- Duke: Hammond T-102 organ, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Moog Music Polymoog, ARP Quadra, Yamaha CS-80.
- Abacab: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Yamaha CS-80, ARP Quadra, Moog Music Polymoog.
- Genesis: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, NED Synclavier (VPK version), E-mu Emulator, ARP Quadra.
- Invisible Touch: Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, NED Synclavier (VPK version), E-mu Emulator, ARP Quadra, Yamaha DX7.
- We Can't Dance: Roland JD-800, Korg Wavestation, Roland Rhodes MK-80, E-mu Emulator, Ensoniq VFX.
- Calling All Stations: Roland A-90, Korg Wavestation, Korg Trinity, E-mu Proteus.
Banks currently lives with his wife Margaret, south of London. The couple were married on 29 July 1972, and have two children Ben (b. 1978) and Emily (b. 1981).