We heard three pieces from Wendy Carlos's 1968 album, Switched-on Bach, the first really popular record to feature synthesizers. There had been several experimental synthesized recordings prior to this, but these were considered avant-garde and none had the success or influence of Carlos's LP. One exception was the instrumental "Telstar" by the Tornadoes, which reached #1 in 1962 and was produced by Joe Meek.
This record used four-channel multitrack technology to record each synthesizer voice. Since Bach was the master of two, three, and four-part counterpoint, his music was a logical choice to demonstrate the Moog modular synth's capability, given the limited number of tracks. You may hear the synth drift out of tune at times, which was typical of analog synths of the day.
We heard these pieces (all composed by Johann Sebastian Bach):
Tomita is a Japanese artist known for his highly crafted arrangements of popular and classical music. Although, he always lets the listener know they are hearing synthesized music, he often creates amazingly realistic textures. For example, we hear convincing brass and choral textures in Also Sprach Zarathustra (aka the "Theme to 2001"). After the brass and choral fanfare reaches its climax, we hear the sound of pipe organ sustaining (as in Richard Strauss's original score). Also included is the wistful Close Encounters of the Third Kind, by film composer John Williams.
We also heard several 1970's-era pop hits featuring synthesizers. The Beatles #1 hit, Here Comes the Sun, from 1970's Abbey Road, was the first major pop hit to feature the Moog Synthesizer. Hear it doubling the melody in the second verse and the bassline (in ascending octaves) during the choruses. Later in the song, it provides a high-pitched counterpoint. Simple textures and subtle production help it blend in with the other acoustic textures.
Lucky Man, by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, (#48 in 1971) is notable for its Minimoog solo, which enters at about 3:00. If the Minimoog is the classic analog synth, then here is the classic lead patch: three square wave oscillators slightly detuned, with a healthy dose of portamento (glide). There is something animated (and perhaps a bit unstable!) about this sound. At 4:15, extra reverberation is added as we hear resonant filter sweeps.
The Edgar Winter Group offers the tour-de-force Frankenstein. Playing an ARP 2600 sythesizer, he gets a sound that blends well with the rock guitar textures of the group's guitarist, Ronnie Montrose—at times it's hard to tell the two apart. There's a classic Drum solo from Chuck Ruff, too! After the solo, at 2:49, Edgar begins a series of climbing arpeggios with his LFO set to square wave and the depth set to create a tone that warbles between two octaves. At 3:16, he triggers the envelope Generator with an LFO, and with the filter's resonance set very high, he manipulates the filter's cutoff to get a percolating "chirp" sound. At 3:53, it's back to the heavy rock sound for the song's melody.
Jazz Fusion keyboardist, Herbie Hancock, performs Chameleon from his influential album Headhunters. Presented here in an edited form, you can hear the song begin with an ARP synthesizer bassline. A second synth is used to double the tenor sax melody—an interesting mix of artificial and organic textures. A reverberated filter sweep is also heard after the chorus. In the second half, enjoy the Fender Rhodes electric piano solo.
Gary Wright's Love is Alive (#2 in 1976) featured ARP synthesizers including the distinctive synth-bass sound (most likely an ARP Oddessy) and a synth-string sound (most likely an ARP String Ensemble or ARP Omni). Just a tasteful integration of synth textures with more traditional rock'n roll instrumentation.
The Bee Gees had a talented keyboardist, Blue Weaver, who frequently added synthetic textures to their sound. Jive Talkin' features an ARP (AXXE?) doubling the bassline and a second synth playing the melodic theme after the choruses.
The Cars are represented here by their first hit, Just What I Needed (#27 in 1978). Greg Hawke's hollow synth lead makes an excellent textural counterpoint to Elliot Easton's rocked-out electric guitar. An extra sawtoothy synth doubles during the outro (3:24) to add a rich layer.