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Curious about keyboards

PostPosted: 13 Mar 2007 20:32
by nathanarizona
Just curious...anyone know who plays piano/keyboards/synths on songs that contain said keys? For example: Does Everyone Stare, Darkness, Once Upon a Daydream, EBYT, Spirits in the Material World, etc. I know all 3 guys play keys but didn't know who played what on certain songs. And as far as I know the only 2 guys other than Stew/Andy/Sting to play on Police songs are the dudes on Magic and Low Life. Anyway, just curious...

PostPosted: 13 Mar 2007 21:00
by samburusunset
I would guess Stewart does on Everyone Stares.

PostPosted: 13 Mar 2007 21:03
by GinaSuperCat
I don't kow about the recordings but I do remember Sting was in the video for Spirits, even if goofing off :)

PostPosted: 13 Mar 2007 22:34
by howardhughes
I understand a lot of the 'keyboard'/ synths were Andys guitar synths.

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 02:14
by olivier
Sting and Andy had both Minimoog synthetizers, and also Moog Taurus bass pedals, as well as Roland synths, Oberheim...
All the instruments were played by The Police, except piano on ELTSDIM.

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 06:24
by Laz
...actually I've noticed that their use of keyboard instruments (organs etc...) goes way back to the Outlandos album but not nearly as prominent as on Ghost and Synchronicity, of course... (Can't Stand Losing You - chorus; I think I'm hearing a B3 organ w/leslie on the bridge of Born In The 50s), there are keyboards on the prechorus in Message In A Bottle etc... for the most part I'm thinking Sting, but it could be any of them for all I know...
Laz

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 06:27
by Dietmar
as far as solo albums are concerned - and that was the question, right? - it was mainly Stewart playing the keyboards

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 12:13
by New Zealand Promoter
the liner notes for 'ghost' credit the person who played keys in 'eltsdim'... i can't remember who it was and my cd is all the way over there... on the shelf

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 14:53
by nathanarizona
Jean Russell - or something like that. I guess I've always assumed that whoever wrote the song most likely played any needed synth/piano parts. Particularly with the later albums when Sting was bringing in nearly finished demos - I'm guessing he provided those parts. Anyway, thanks for the input, folks.

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 15:22
by Monz
Don't know if it's just a rumor, but I think I'd read somewere that Stewart played [u]all[/u] the instruments, on [i]his[/i] songs on Regatta.
Perhaps his good friend Klark Kent helped him out :lol:

PostPosted: 14 Mar 2007 15:45
by Divemistress of the Dark
Nothing against Sting - seriously - but I wish he'd done all the vocals as well. But I guess that kind of gets at the heart of all the rumored band friction, dunnit? ;)

PostPosted: 16 Mar 2007 16:51
by zilboy
I'm pretty certain that Stewart played piano on "Does Everyone Stare." Remember, he wrote that song way back in college for a composition class. I'm fairly certain that he played the keys on "Darkness" as well. The chords are very simple.

PostPosted: 16 Mar 2007 20:27
by Jose
[quote="olivier"]...
All the instruments were played by The Police, except piano on ELTSDIM.[/quote]

Don't forget, what saying in the back cover of Outlando's D'Amour Album, someone that weren't the boys, played an instrument in "Masoko Tanga" ( I am not sure Keyboard or percussion)

About "Fall Out"/"Nothing Achieving" single? It's Henry's Guitar or Stewart's guitar?

Besides, I was noticed by a press peruvian interview to Ian Copeland and from a peruvian Tv Interview in 1994, Ian Copeland said he was the composer of "Nothing Achieving" ( I have the clipping and video of It)

PostPosted: 17 Mar 2007 11:39
by olivier
[quote="Jose"]
Don't forget, what saying in the back cover of Outlando's D'Amour Album, someone that weren't the boys, played an instrument in "Masoko Tanga" ( I am not sure Keyboard or percussion)

About "Fall Out"/"Nothing Achieving" single? It's Henry's Guitar or Stewart's guitar?
[/quote]

It is simply written: "Thanks to Joe Sinclair - Hole In My Life, Masoko Tanga". No percussions or keyboards playing on these tunes.

What Sting said about this in Good Times, May 1979: "Joe Sinclair's contribution was much different than that. What he did was, while we were playing 'Hole in My Life', he came into the studio and danced. I thought that was a large enough contribution to say thanks."

On "Fall Out/Nothing Achieving" Stewart did the solo parts on the guitar.
That's why Sting yelled ironically "On-reee" before solo guitar in Fall Out.

PostPosted: 17 Mar 2007 16:42
by DirtyMartini
[quote="olivier"]
On "Fall Out/Nothing Achieving" Stewart did the solo parts on the guitar.
That's why Sting yelled ironically "On-reee" before solo guitar in Fall Out.[/quote]

If memory serves, Stewart did ALL the guitars on "Fall Out" cuz Henry was too nervous. I think he mentioned it in a KCRW interview.