DAVID'S FAVORITE SYNTH SOLOS
Over the years I've been fortunate to be able to record some synth solos that I'm really proud of. Although keyboard solos on Rock and Pop records are not very common, I thought it might be cool to have a collection of them all in one place.
So, here are some of my favorites! To listen to the solos in MP3 format, simply click on the song that you wish to hear.
Artist: Hammerhead
Song Title: Early Warning
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Heart Made Of Steel, 1985, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Mini Moog through a huge Myers PA System and mic'ed.
Artist: Red Dawn
Song Title: Flyin' High
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Never Say Surrender, 1992, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: The organ section was played on a Korg BX-3 through a Leslie 147. The synth solo that follows was played on a JD800 through a Turbosound TMS-4 PA system and mic'ed.
Artist: Red Dawn
Song Title: Never Say Surrender
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Never Say Surrender, 1992, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: I performed this "double" solo along with Tristan Avakian on guitar. The synth plays the lead and is a layered sound consisting of an MKS70, a JD800, and a DX7-II.
Artist: Happy The Man
Song Title: Contemporary Insanity
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: The Muse Awakens, 2004, Happy the Man
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Roland JD800 and was layered with a Roland XV5080.
Artist: Happy The Man
Song Title: The Muse Awakens (End Solos 1 & 2)
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: The Muse Awakens, 2004, Happy the Man
Recording Notes: These solos were played on a Moog Voyager.
Artist: Happy The Man
Song Title: Barking Spiders
Album Title, Recording Date, & ProducerThe Muse Awakens, 2004, Happy the Man
Recording Notes: This double solo is performed along with Stan Whitaker on guitar. The synth plays the high part and the sound is a Moog Voyager through an Amp Simulator Plugin in Pro Tools (Amp Farm).
Artist: Niji-Densetsu
Song Title: Road to Babylon
Album Title, Recording Date, & ProducerLegends of Rainbow, 1998, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: This piece was created as an intro to the song Gates Of Babylon. The "Babylonian" style in the 1st section segues into a wailing synth solo in the 2nd section. The 1st lead is a JV1080, the 2nd is a JD800. The piece was recorded at Sonic Adventures Studio.
Artist: Rainbow
Song Title: Death Alley Driver
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Straight Between The Eyes, 1982, Roger Glover
Recording Notes: This Mini Moog solo was played through the custom keyboard monitors that I used to use on stage with Rainbow, and mic'ed.
Artist: Rainbow
Song Title: Fire Dance
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Bent Out of Shape, 1983, Roger Glover
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Mini Moog and recorded direct. The sweep at the end was created by running the signal through a PCM41 and decreasing the delay time.
Artist: Rainbow
Song Title: Can't Let You Go
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Bent Out of Shape, 1983, Roger Glover
Recording Notes: Ritchie Blackmore asked me to create an intro for this song that would be reminiscent of Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor. Using a Pipe Organ Sample on an Emulator 1, I improvised this intro.
Artist: Christina Dawn
Song Title: What's The Matter With Love
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Not Released, 1991, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: This song is from a demo by a singer named Christina Dawn who was 16 years old at the time of the recording. The solo was played on a JD800 and recorded direct. The track was recorded at Sonic Adventures Studio.
Artist: Infinity
Song Title: Secrets
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Recorded 1984, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Korg BX-3 organ through a Leslie 147.
Artist: Infinity
Song Title: On The Edge
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Recorded 1985, David Rosenthal
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Mini Moog and recorded direct.
Artist: Happy The Man
Song Title: Maui Sunset
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: The Muse Awakens, 2004, Happy the Man
Recording Notes: This solo sound is a Roland XV5080.
Artist: Happy The Man
Song Title: Stepping Through Time
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: The Muse Awakens, 2004, Happy the Man
Recording Notes: This solo was played on a Moog Voyager layered with a Kurzweil K2500r.
Artist: Will To Power
Song Title: Anti-Social
Album Title, Recording Date, & Producer: Will To Power, 1988, Bob Rosenberg
Recording Notes: Bob Rosenberg, 00:42 This "piano" solo was played on a Casio FZ-10.
