What is the best song ever recorded using a C.M.I system?

[DaveUK]

We all know that the music industry in the 80's wouldn't have been what it was without the C.M.I, but what song from that era made the most of the C.M.I?

[Kristien]

Anything by the Art of Noise in the 80s was processed, sampled or sequenced using a Fairlight CMI and that band based their entire sound on the Fairlight, apparently.

[DaveUK]

For me songs like, 'Army Dreamers' by Kate Bush, 'Shock the Monkey', and 'Sledgehammer' by Peter Gabriel, are stand-out tracks.
It's difficult to find many hits from the mid to late 80's that don't feature the C.M.I. which is an incredible achievement for any musical instrument manufacturer!!!

Even tracks that don't feature a C.M.I, You can see that the producers have tried to engineer in the 'Sound of the C.M.I'.

Other outstanding artists have all used the C.M.I to great effect, ie: Thomas Dolby, 'M', F.G.T.H, Tears for Fears, The Thompson Twins, Landscape....('Einstein A Go-Go'.....what a fantastic example of '80's synth pop!!), Jan Hammer, Jean-Michel Jarre, ABC, Hall & Oates, Supertramp, Jon Astley, Michael Jackson, Yes, Trevor Horn (Art of Noise), Geoff Downes, Stevie Wonder, Vince Clarke (Yazoo), Sir Paul McCartney, Devo, Julian Lennon, The Cars, Yellow, Lindsey Buckingham, Herbie Hancock, David Gilmour, Elvis Costello, Scritti Politti, Starship, Teddy Riley, Brian Wilson, Foreigner, Madonna, Eurythmics, Mike Oldfield, Prince, OMD, Steve Winwood, Duran Duran, John Paul Jones, Paul Hardcastle, Queen, Keith Emerson, Alan Parsons, Fleetwood Mac, B-52's, Pet Shop Boys and Stewart Copeland.
and last but by no means least, Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, (R.I.P....I had the pleasure of meeting Rick many moons ago.....he was one of the kindest, gentlest, and talented people I have ever met....he will be sadly missed, I still can't believe he is no longer with us).

[samyama]

hi everyone...

there was an AMAZING record many years back - 1985 i recall, called "The Speckless Sky" by Jane Siberry.  i'll never forget that record; many of you probably know JS' work, and her lovely voice was enhanced to great effect by Fairlight work all over the album.  it still holds up to this day, and i've lusted for many years to have those sounds available for my own expression.

"Seven Steps to the Wall" and "The Taxi Ride" were my favorites - the latter used to render me sobbing every time i listened to it as i was going through a painful breakup at the time, and it really was the theme of the song as well....sorry if that was too much information 

anyone remember this LP/CD?

cheers

John

[samyama]

Anything by the Art of Noise in the 80s was processed, sampled or sequenced using a Fairlight CMI and that band based their entire sound on the Fairlight, apparently.

quick story:  i was in a band in the early nineties on Geffen Records - "The Spent Poets" - we were on tour and did a festival show at what used to be called the "Starplex Amphitheater" in Dallas, TX.  on the bill were the Art of Noise.  me and another of the band were huge fans, so we actually walked around the stage, just to get "close" to the Fairlight and take some pictures.  to us, the Fairlight was "mythical" and we couldn't believe we were actually near one.  amazing.

we were, indeed, a band of geeks

cheers

John

[Kristien]

SAMYAMA: You are lucky to have been able to even get near one, or were there loads of them on stage? As i know JJ and the Art of Noise crew used a few Fairlights for stage and studio work. I am, like you a real technology-fan and love anything that is music-technology based, of course FAIRLIGHT is at the top of my list, naturally, although i am a fan of lots of different synthesizers / workstations such as the new Open Labs Systems NEKO / MEKO and D-Beat and also the Korg OASYS Workstation.

Just one question to u if i may, Samyama? Were the Fairlight's the earlier Series II model or the later Series III model that the Art of Noise were using on that stage?

[samyama]

Just one question to u if i may, Samyama? Were the Fairlight's the earlier Series II model or the later Series III model that the Art of Noise were using on that stage?
[/quote]

well, i must claim ignorance.....i am not sure if they were series II or III     it was '92-'93 so that might help you - i *think* they were series II based on my memory of what they looked like....

yes, there were 2 on stage that evening - i'll search and see if i can find the photo i took - it was actually a Polaroid shot! 

funny you should mention it - i am an OpenLabs owner/user - just took delivery of the new Neko XXL!

thanks for the interest!

JB

[Kristien]

if it were the lightpen on screen models i suspect the Series II or IIX, if the monitors were on the main musical keyboard then they are Series III, i know JJ Jeckzalick used all the models of the CMI when he worked with Trevor Horn (UK Mega producer). I have heard that even when using his Series III J.J Jeckzalick, allegedly, recorded his sounds on the Fairlight Series III  using the lowest sampling rate for an old school Series 1 or 2 effect on the samples which is why The Art of Noise to me are THE people of the Fairlight-Generation of the 80s and early 90s and i believe J.J Releases albums as 'The Art of Silence' now, although don't quite me on that one as its only something i've heard.

Another inovative user of the Fairlight is Jean-Michel Jarre, who, along with Peter Gabriel was one of the first international Fairlight owners and he used it on most of his 80s albums and on the Revolutions album used a Series 1, 2 AND Series 3 - although i am sure Fairlight Australia helped Jean-Michel with these, as in the 'Thank you's' on the back it says 'special thanks to..' and lists Fairlight Australia for their help. Jean-Michel's first proper sample-based album 'Zoolook' used the Fairlight CMI to great effect by sampling voices in different languages and transforming the samples with complex editing and effects. truly an inspiration - Jean Michel Jarre.

[Supervisor 194]

Can't pick a song, but I quite like the entire album "So Red The Rose" by Arcadia - heavy use of the Fairlight on that one.

[andrewkirkby]

Yello - I Love You is my favourite.

Boris & Dieter are still using their Fairlight extensively on new works

[fc]

Can't pick a song, but I quite like the entire album "So Red The Rose" by Arcadia - heavy use of the Fairlight on that one.

Man, I was listening to this album (So Red the Rose) today and thinking about it. It's from 1985 and since then I am sick to have a Fairlight CMI. I specially love the samples from "The Flame" song. "Rose Arcana" it's all Fairlight. An amazing album!

[Diginerd]

Wow, what a tough question - There were so many great records made with them!

I no particular order here's a couple of other tracks/albums/artists/producers that haven't bee mentioned yet who should be...

Chris Hughes (aka "Marrick" - one of the 2 Adam & The Ants Drummers!) Producing Tears For Fears - The Hurting (In particular Mad world), Songs From the Big Chair (Everybody Wants to Rule to world)

Trevor Horn - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (I'm shocked that 2 Tribes, Relax & War Didn't get mentioned yet)

Trevor Horn (Again) for doing a credible job dragging Yes out of Self-Indulgent excess for a brief moment with "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

Mike Oldfield - Crises

The guys behind the Petshop Boys' Early Material
All the other artists mentioned to date too (+1 for Yello)

[Tax-5]

Very difficult to tell but i would say: Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel...
That is just an amazeing song that never gets old...

[Ultra404]

Sign o'Times, by Prince

[HJS]

My favorite songs are -
Rhythm of the Heat & San Jacinto - By Peter Gabriel (+the Birdy and Last temptation sound tracks)
And ZooLook - By Jarre.

These songs alone were key to me buying my CMI's, that and the 1984 south bank show on Peter Gabriel.

I just LOVE the sounds...
Cheers
H