Gershon Kingsley- Kernel of the Electronic Music Revolution- Part 2

To work on the synthesizer during Gershon Kingsley’s time took not only technical genius, but also a daring inventiveness and a thirst for experimentation. Prior to the Moog, inventor/musicians such as the great Leon Theremin and Jewish synthesizer pioneer Raymond Scott attempted to push the bounds of sound with new electronic devices like the Mellotron and the Theremin. Both of these required technical mastery and musical genius, which was a barrier to entry for the common musician. The theremin, a sine wave based electronic instrument, was the first of many experiments that made Kingsley's Synthesizer Revolution a possibility.

Despite the advances made through the 1970s, the works on the Theremin and Mellotron languished as a novelty act. No Theremin or Mellotron music could enjoy popular success. Until Kingsley's popcorn, most electronic music was done on a contractual, rather than artistic basis. The life and work of Raymond Scott, a Jewish inventor, is a nifty exemplar of the difficulties that electronic musicians faced in gaining popular acceptance. Raymond Scott invented a number of electronic instruments, including the clavivox, electronium, voice modulator, and pitch sequencer, with his Manhattan Research Institute. He collaborated with Robert Moog to build the world's first synthesizer.

Yet, Raymond Scott was never to grasp the reins of fame popular appeal. His musical genius was languished on career of commercial contracting for advertisements, television shows, and cartoons. His legacy as inventor, however, is much more important. What Gerhson Kingsley accomplished would not have been possible without Mr. Scott. No history of electronic music can be complete, without giving credit to inventions and sounds of Raymond Scott:

Raymond Scott's Electronium: 

The Sounds of Scott's Electronium:

Raymond Scott & His Clavivox:

The Sounds of Raymond Scott's Clavivox:

Raymond Scott was able to produce this music, mostly of his own technical genius. The difficult of acquiring and mastering the synthesizer was the main barrier for entry through the 1970s. The moog synthesizer’s earliest models used entirely analog equipment, and occupied the space of almost an entire room. Those lucky enough to have mastered the Moog, could now produce sounds never before heard by human ears. Still, the genre was mostly a novelty. It took Gerhson Kingsley’s Popcorn in 1969 to turn the tide towards popular acceptance of electronic music. The synthesizer was now beginning to reach those outside of electronic music's tiny cult scene. 

In 1970, Gershon Kingsley and the First Moog Quartet became the first elctronic musicians to play carnegie hall, a landmark in the history of electronic music. Surprisingly, his act was not universally acclaimed. Crowds were not mentally open to his radical avant-electronic act. Kingsley's early synthesizer performances included mixed media collages, modern dance, and spoken word poetry over moog synthesizer sound beds and solos. Still, this trailblazing was necessary for what was to follow. Kingsley's dedication established electronic music as a legitimate, relevant, and popular form of artistic expression. His breadth of creativity was equally important to open up the numerous avenues for creativity of the revolution to follow.

Distressed by the initially icy public reception to avant-electronic music, Gershon Kingsley recorded an album of covers of the Beatles, Paul Simon, and others to add a semblance of similarity to the instrument. Soon after, the Doors, and the Beatles, and other wildly popular acts of the time, would start to borrow Kingsle's idea, and had synth parts added to their music. With more accessible synth technology, and a warming popular reception to the synth, Yes, Rush, and the progressive music scene made the synth a key part of their arsenal. Dance music was to follow suit, in the 1970s the disco producer Giorgio Moroder was largely responsible for makingthe synth and dance music inseparable, with his album 'From Here to Eternity.' 

Classical music was next up to be reinterpreted for by synthesizer. Isao Tomita recorded a synthesizer interpretation of Gustav Holst’s the Planets. and Walter Carlos (now Wendy Carlos, via gender reassignment surgery) played Moog synthesizer covers of classical music on the now classic, Switched on Bach. A personal highlight from these synth takes on classical music, can be found in the 1989 academy award nominee for best picture*, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. During the climactic scene of the movie, a time traveling Ludwig Beethoven is abandoned in a mall, and rocks out on a stack of seven synthesizers, while Genghis Khan Terrorizes a sporting goods store. 

During the 1980s, the synth revolution was it its peak, the synthesizer came to embody the sound of the future. The rise of 'New Age Music,' involved some of the most nauseating synth driven harmonic cliches, and artist like Yanni and Kitaro rode the synth all the way to the bank. Still, there was still an influx of talent, and a new generation of synthesizer virtuosos such as Jean Michel-Jarre, Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis were soon were playing sold out stadium sized laser light synthesizer shows to audiences of the 1980s. Taking a look at these shows in retrospect, gives me the impression that people in the 1980s were much more convinced that they were living in the future, than we are today.

Kinglsey's revolution hit its tipping point in the 1980s. The synth was now the primary instrument for the production of pop music. Artists like Soft Cell, the Human League, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, aHa, Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, became masters of synth pop. The 1980s were the right place and the right time for synth pop,  Backed with the promise of Reagan’s Star Wars, synthetic fashion, and the widespread ability of consumer electronics, made it so that the music of the time mimicked the changes in society. Electronic instrumentation is now king.

The final post in this three-part synthesizer history will be a look at the best dozen releases by synthesizer virtuosos, along with secret prizes, and a final thoughts on Gershon Kingsley's career.

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