Sounds of Analog Synthesizers

As a keyboard player, I've always been fond of any band that has keyboard and synthesizers. Whether it's strictly piano-based (Ben Folds, Tori Amos) or all synth (Thomas Dolby, Moog Cookbook). Usually I prefer a good mix of traditional instruments with keyboards (Jellyfish, Yes). I mentioned that I'd had many keyboards and synthesizers in the past. None of them, to my knowledge, were analog-based. Analog synthesizers have a different feel than any others. They sound more electronic, less "real" than other synthesizers that try (and often fail) to imitate natural sounds and instruments. For some reason I've always been drawn to the analog sound, without ever specifically realizing it.

Here's a few of my favorite examples of songs and music with analog synthesizers.

One of the earliest synthesizer hits, "Popcorn" by Hot Butter:


Moog Cookbook, a novelty band with one of my favorite artist, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., covered many Grunge and classic rock songs on vintage synthesizers:


Air is another really great band who's album "Moon Safari" is a great combination of analog sounds and acoustic instruments. Here's a couple of my favorites. "La Femme d'Argent":


"Kelly Watch The Stars" (which uses a vocoder. Seeing a live version of this song is where I first remember seeing a vocoder actually used for the first time.):


Something a little newer, Chateau Marmont "Anything & Everywhere":


One of the earliest completely electronic themes, "Dr. Who":


And just for fun, here's Moog Cookbook's remix of Air's "Kelly Watch The Stars." Someone has added an unrelated video to the song, but it makes it all the more fun and funny: