Michael Boddicker told Keyboard magazine in 1980 that he needed three Polymoogs: one that's getting repaired, one that works, and a third one he would play after the working one breaks.
That's what I was told by the concrete guys who laid a new floor for me. There's only two kinds of concrete. Concrete that hasn't cracked yet and concrete that is cracked.
As you know Alex, I was with Mr Numan in the early days - just before replicas was released. I was in a rehearsal studio with him, Chris Payne etc, and he played the snare sound on A mini-moog (I think) through a 2k PA rig. It took all our faces off. He also had the cars riff ready to go. Quite an iconic moment for wee little 19 year old me. And great cars cover :)
@@nomad1517 absolutely that. I also sat in a cafe in Ealing when he told me and Chris about his plans for how the releases would work out. That ‘are friends’ will chart, next single a number 1 etc. pretty much what happened. :)
I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves the harmonies on this. Every single time I ever hear this, I am waiting for those killer little harmonies. So cool!
Which links to Chris Payne, wh was in the rehearsal room I mentioned above. Chris is resurrecting his old school band for doing folk festivals in 2024 and I’m helping out with guitar/songwriting/arranging etc :)
Amazing stuff!!! So I had the pleasure of playing keys for Gary in 2015 on the classic albums tour/ shows so I got to play all the amazing riffs and sounds night after night and get paid for it!! so for the tech heads out there the way its done now is that we used VIRUS Ti synths for the Vox Humana and Polymoog String sounds. I had a rack VIRUS linked to a midi controller plus sampled versions in MainStage and Gary used a VIRUS keyboard in the USA or another VIRUS rack when traveling. The virus is super solid and much more reliable than the polymoog and it sounded EXACTLY like it but wow the original is still amazing!!!
I'm in Michigan... I was 12 and that was the very first cassette I ever bought in 79! Gary Numan is the first in my life to start my musical path. At 57 now... I'm always a true "New Waver" forever!
I'm also from Michigan (the Detroit area). I remember when a friend of mine stumbled on a cassette of Kraftwerk's Man Machine, and we latched onto it immediately. Shortly after, The Pleasure Principle came out. The rockers at our school thought we were insane for loving this music. I love crunchy guitar as much as anyone, but there's more to life. ❤
@@mikemeengs5720 I have many polymoog videos on my channel demonstrating the Vox Humana mod as preset 7. Here is the video reference Alex referred to in his video: ruclips.net/video/CcwitCSB66c/видео.htmlsi=oDzOHuVDCyb4J97B
My polymoog still works but plays up. Check cherry audio’s & Xils lab polymoog software versions. They are both great if you’re looking for that sound.
My mate in the UK imported a 100% renovated 280A from American synth guru, Jareth. Absolute balls of steel doing this. It did have some problems after the shipping but Jareth talked him through them. Needless to say, my mate sold it on after not so long. I think Polymoogs are for the hardest of the hardcore Numan and vintage synth fans only. They're bloody impressive to stand behind though.
Great video, thank you for taking the time to make it. I heard Cars back in 1980 and it blew me away; Gary Numan's sound was so different and "spacey" than anything else at the time. Your rendition was fantastic, by the way! 👍
Ah, thank you for the cover of Cars. I remember when that came on the radio late at night, my first time hearing it. Right up there with the first time I heard Autobahn on the radio.
I remember having to cover 'Cars' for my music tech A-level coursework. I played the teacher that second polymoog line by itself and she looked at me like I was an idiot until I played it all together.
@@AlexBallMusic any chance of giving us the chords/notes on the Patreon please? I've tried to work out the two lines by ear and can never quite get it!
Replicas is my favorite Numan/Tubeway Army album, but it's hard to argue with that synth melody in Cars, the way it holds that high note for maybe an 8th note longer than you expect, it's just pure magic.
I programmed Vox Humana on my Voyager and sampled it into Kontakt to play polyphonic... what a lovely sound. The Moog team did a great job crafting that patch.
Gary Numan is the reason why i play synths. I love the sound of the Polymoog. If i remember right, Ultravox (the John Foxx version) and Peter Gabriel used the Polymoog. Anyway.... Thanks Alex for the video
Responsible for a lot of people getting into synths, yeah. What a legend. Gabriel definitely played the Polymoog, there's some funny photos of him biting one. Not sure about Foxx, will have to find out.
I found this to be a fascinating peek into that early Gary Numan sound! It was so informative...and then to see you put it altogether and cover 'Cars'?!? RIGHT ON!!! Great job!!! ALL of thumbs up! :)
The sound of my teen years - so many memories! At age 15 I would have given almost anything to play one of these. You really nailed the song, Alex. Your grin when you were playing the bass part made me happy! Been a keyboardist most of my life, but I plan to buy a bass guitar this year and start learning... I played double bass when I was 18, so it wouldn't be entirely new to me. Multi-instrumentalists like you inspire me.
Cars has a great bass line, nice cover indeed. In the late 90's there are articles about the 'second coming' of Moog. So are we now in the 4th or 5th time of reflection.
Always a pleasure to spend time with you in RUclips land, Alex. Amazing cover of Cars too, one of my first 7" purchases. When that second Memorymoog comes in during the outro.....still gets me. Goosebump-tastic!
Another fantastic video about one of my favourite artists. I'm amazed at how well Gary Numan's work has stood the test of time, and how fresh it still sounds. I'm digging your cover. Nish!
Alex you continue to amaze me. Not only are these incredibly interesting studies of classic synths, but your covers/tracks are always fantastic. You can definitely play!
I've always been fascinated with that sound since hearing that back in 1980. It's got that beautiful "trail" that I love. Awesome job on Cars! So frikin cool! I've also really loved Gary Wright "Dream Weaver" sounds and Kraftwerk as well. Subscribed!
You never phone it in Alex, & your video was superb. It almost swayed me into thinking the polymoog was a worthwhile instrument 😁 The highlight was undoubtedly your version of cars at the end. The sound, the editing..top notch! P.s. My system 100 is currently set up in full, and I'm doing all manner of treatments with it *cue modulated sequence from bank A..*
Cheers! Glad to finally be able to do this video. System 100 - Nice. I'll get an envelope into the sequencer tempo CV in and make some harp flourishes happen.
I missed out on buying one of Numan's old 280a in the early 90s (ABC Music Addlestone).I still wanted one and I'm lucky enough to now own a Jareth Lackey restored example. Despite it's foibles, the Vox Humana sound is absolutely stunning and the Polymoog still looks a proper job.Great video, Alex.
I was lucky enough to get a 280a from ABC in Bristol probably at the same time. You can see it in my RUclips image. I wrote a bit of a story about it the other week on (I think) Retrosounds channel when he did a Numan cover. Just checked and my full story is on Synthchasers channel where he starts to fix a Polymoog. Great video as always mr Ball, especially as I’m a lifelong Numanoid.
@@AlexBallMusic - Gary said in an interview I watched a while ago that he's not interested in sounding like 40+ years ago but modern instead, so I do understand to a degree why he sold them. Also, someone on fb had shared a photo a couple of days ago of the bass Numan had bought and on which the very first thing he then played was the 'Cars' bass line: It's a Shergold, in natural finish! Basically the 4-string version of Peter Hook's 6-string Shergold he recorded 'Blue Monday' with 😀 Somehow I'd always suspected Gary's new bass had been a MusicMan Stingray! 😅
@@mightyV444Not quite true. Gary's bass (which he still has) is a Shergold Modulator. It's a 34" scale (normal long scale bass) with interchangeable modules for the switching. Peter Hook's is a Marathon 6 string, which is a 30" scale based on the 4 string Shergold Marathon bass, which was also 34" scale, but had a lot simpler switching. (There was also a 30" scale 6 string Modulator bass, of which Mike Rutherford was the main "name" player. Hooky had one but he didn't like it. I owned it briefly...) Sorry to be geeky, but I am the moderator of the Shergold Forum and owner of the UK's biggest collection! These things are important to us saddoes.
@@IanFeber - Hi there! 😀 No need to apologise, and please don't put yourself and others down by referring to yourself as a 'saddo'! 😉 I'm a bassist myself (who also plays other instruments) and always grateful for extra information, especially on musical subjects, so thank you very much for yours, too! 😊👍 It's just that when I saw the photo of Numan's bass, it straight away reminded me of seeing Peter Hook with a very similar-looking one many years ago (41, to be exact 😅). Very cool that those instruments still have keen followers! 😀👍 I hope I'll get the chance one day to try a Shergold bass out! 😊 All the best from NZ! 😀👍☀️
Looking for that comment. Vox Humana parts carefully replicated including the phaser on the overdub lines, while at more liberty on the sound design of the other instruments. Alex FTW.
OMG, can we just start with your cover of CARS, outstanding! Your history is alway spot on, informative, entertaining and that sample pack is cool. Last note, love the small scale car with visual informative staging matching the song lyrics, Robert Lepage would approve.
I hope Gary will hear this, and re-release it with this arrangement , which is absolutely marvelous. ( with his own voice). You quantized it a little too much, but it sounds amazing. ❤
Turned on my Vox Humana samples and played along with you. Stellar job; there are few songs I enjoy playing (especially live) than "Cars". Thanks for making this excellent video!
You have best job; playing with old analogue synths, and replicating some of the great sounds of the early pioneers (John Foxx, Ultravox!, Human League, Cabaret Voltaire and f course Mr. Numan). And you clearly enjoy what you're doing too. Thank you for the Cars cover, I agree with @thebreakfastmenu on the harmonized synth outro, still sends shivers!
You can absolutely get close to the Vox Humana sound with the 203a. It's not exact but it's definitely that kind of sound. I used to completely ignore the presets because they sound pretty terrible on their own. Now, I love using them all, stacked with the other sections, with the individual outs. The Resonators are beautiful, the VCF out is that classic ladder filter that loses all oomph when adding resonance (emph), but the Direct out brings all that oomph back in, and finally you have the Mode out which I think is the filter setting of the preset (?) so you have a whole other sound to mix in depending on what number you selected. Absolutely one of the biggest and most unique sounds I ever heard. I'm on my 2nd 203a and it's never going anywhere. It actually survived shipping and works really well. The Poly Pedal is a must. I hook it up a bit differently than intended and like to use one pedal to control modulation amount. That Poly Pedal is the size of a Rogue. No joke. It's awesome. Personally I think Luce, Zumcheck, Carlos, etc were the people behind all the best "Moog" ideas. It seems like Bob spent more time trying to shut down ideas.
Came for the Gary Numan... Was a bit surprised when you were tweaking settings on the synth version and I recognized some Larry Fast sounds... Another 🔥 video! ...and that cover of Cars...! Totally Awesome
Really epic, it felt at the time that out of nowhere GN made a whole bunch of music seem instantly old and passe. That it still sounds modern to my ear, 40+ years later is testament to this.
As soon as you played the Vox Humana mode, I let out a huge "OH WOW" and was instantly transported back to 1980 when I was 13 and first heard Gary Numan. Great video! Wish I had the budget to buy all the iconic 80s synths...
I have become so obsessed with synths that I’m subconsciously learning how to play the keyboard as I try and see what new sequences of sounds I can make. This thing looks like something I could fuck around with for many hours at a time and I wish I could! As of now I only have boutique Roland synths but I have a DX7 ii coming soon so I can experience some true vintage shit
Wow, that was spot on! I was just a young teenager when Gary Numan was introduced to me from a friend, who got me into so many alternative 80s bands. Thank you very much for that, great show!
That was incredibly well done! Love the details you gather, and the thing I love the most about you, Alex is that you are a true musician as well as a synth nerd. You abso - effing - nailed your cover of “Cars”! So well done! Cheers!
that cover took me all the way back to 1980 and seeing tubeway army in Hammersmith and the sheer amount of noise all around was so new ethereal if you will such sonic landscapes are no longer created
Two different synths with same name? The Emu Audity comes to mind ... and the Yamaha DX100, which was both a synth and a 100cc motorbike! Great video as always :)
That long held A in the little instrumental sections is probably my favourite synth note ever. I was about 8 when Are Friends Electric came out and I was just transfixed by that early Numan stuff. I quickly moved on to Depeche Mode, Human League and others, but no sound ever had the mental impact that sound had.
Fantastic cover of Cars at the end! Loved the video showing me what you had to do to make it and loved the appearance of the matchbox car - brilliant, thanks!
Man, these videos are the best. People who were not around to hear these early albums by GN have to realize that when Cars first hit the airwaves many of us were blown away at these sounds. I was about 9 years old when Pleasure Principal came out and was literally obsessed by the synths. No one had ever really heard anything like that before. Like Alex said, the sound was very otherworldly and combined with the rest of the production was very captivating and surreal at the time. The next few years would be the culmination of the polyphonic synthesizer era, and in my opinion the best years of the 80s. Thanks Alex.
Wonderful video. Just a small correction. The "Lyra" part of the proposed Constellation System was, in fact, later released as the Multimoog. Interesting historical bit: Keith Emerson "borrowed" a Lyra and an Apollo for use on the Emerson Lake and Palmer album Brain Surgery. He then took them out on the touring for that album. You can see them in pictures for that tour.
![[Limbus Company - Teaser] Season5 - Oblivion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8anKuEeZLeI/mqdefault.jpg)
The sample instrument.
bobmoogfoundation.myshopify.com/products/alex-balls-polymoog-soundbank-digital-download
Top work!
Thankyou bro, Bob would be proud
Thanks, Alex. That was £12 well spent. 😊
Hey Alex! I do work for the Bob Moog Foundation (graphics). Very cool of you helping them out! Great demo and Cars cover!
Wow awesome mate! Thanks for this!!
Michael Boddicker told Keyboard magazine in 1980 that he needed three Polymoogs: one that's getting repaired, one that works, and a third one he would play after the working one breaks.
😂
Well those are the two natural states for the Polymoog - About to break, or broken.
That's what I was told by the concrete guys who laid a new floor for me. There's only two kinds of concrete. Concrete that hasn't cracked yet and concrete that is cracked.
@@Garflips: as someone who lives in a house with concrete floors I would wholeheartedly agree.
Too bad Cherry Audio wasn't around then. He could get one for 50.00.
As you know Alex, I was with Mr Numan in the early days - just before replicas was released. I was in a rehearsal studio with him, Chris Payne etc, and he played the snare sound on A mini-moog (I think) through a 2k PA rig. It took all our faces off. He also had the cars riff ready to go. Quite an iconic moment for wee little 19 year old me. And great cars cover :)
Hi Trevor...was that you who played guitar on Gary's OGWT TV debut?
Holy shit. That's amazing. You witnessed something truly historical.
@@nomad1517 absolutely that. I also sat in a cafe in Ealing when he told me and Chris about his plans for how the releases would work out. That ‘are friends’ will chart, next single a number 1 etc. pretty much what happened. :)
I'm a simple man. I see a video about The Pleasure Principle, I give an instant like before even watching the video.
The ending of Cars with the harmonized lead synth is what got me into Gary Numan. What a sound.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves the harmonies on this. Every single time I ever hear this, I am waiting for those killer little harmonies. So cool!
That piece of music is addictive and infatuating. From the first listen.
Yes mate. That end sequence is.... The Future. Decades, decades pass for me listen to it...still freaks me out like I've been Alien Abducted. 👽♥️😂
@@michaelpaduch2917 Absolutely!
@johnryder8464 Uhh... yes it is? Alex clearly plays both harmonies in this video.
Nary Guman must be proud of that performance, and spotlight. Well done Blex!
Good old Nary.
Yes! Gary Numan is actually older than Gary Oldman! 😄
I thought that is what I heard.
The PolyMoog is also responsible for the string and the bass sound of visage fade to grey. What an icon.
Which links to Chris Payne, wh was in the rehearsal room I mentioned above. Chris is resurrecting his old school band for doing folk festivals in 2024 and I’m helping out with guitar/songwriting/arranging etc :)
@@DornAndGrant Did drummer Cedric Sharpley also play with Gary and play on Fade To Grey?
Fade to Grey is a fking banger alright
@@bramleydragon I'm sure Ced played the live recorded drums and programmed the drum machine (not sure if a Roland CR78) on Fade to grey.
Amazing stuff!!! So I had the pleasure of playing keys for Gary in 2015 on the classic albums tour/ shows so I got to play all the amazing riffs and sounds night after night and get paid for it!! so for the tech heads out there the way its done now is that we used VIRUS Ti synths for the Vox Humana and Polymoog String sounds. I had a rack VIRUS linked to a midi controller plus sampled versions in MainStage and Gary used a VIRUS keyboard in the USA or another VIRUS rack when traveling. The virus is super solid and much more reliable than the polymoog and it sounded EXACTLY like it but wow the original is still amazing!!!
Fantastic! You are a very lucky man! Thanks for the info on the Virus!
Including the Australian tour? That was such a great show, I saw it in Perth.
I'm in Michigan... I was 12 and that was the very first cassette I ever bought in 79! Gary Numan is the first in my life to start my musical path. At 57 now... I'm always a true "New Waver" forever!
I'm also from Michigan (the Detroit area). I remember when a friend of mine stumbled on a cassette of Kraftwerk's Man Machine, and we latched onto it immediately. Shortly after, The Pleasure Principle came out. The rockers at our school thought we were insane for loving this music.
I love crunchy guitar as much as anyone, but there's more to life. ❤
Are you seeing Gary in Grand Rapids on Monday?
Hey Alex, very much appreciate the shout out on the Vox Humana mod for the 203a. Many thanks and awesome video.
I wish I could have heard it though!
@@mikemeengs5720 I have many polymoog videos on my channel demonstrating the Vox Humana mod as preset 7. Here is the video reference Alex referred to in his video: ruclips.net/video/CcwitCSB66c/видео.htmlsi=oDzOHuVDCyb4J97B
Do you make the thing to make Mk 1 get the Vox Humana?
Mine's broke down, and now I've no-one to love.
😢
Mine too! 😭
My polymoog still works but plays up. Check cherry audio’s & Xils lab polymoog software versions. They are both great if you’re looking for that sound.
That’s sad to hear, really. You know I hate to ask, but Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
Polymoog Vox Humana, the most incredible synth preset of all time! Has to be one of the most famous synth presets ever!
I don't think that there's really any arguing with that . . . oh, wait; I've just remembered the "hoover" patch on the Roland Alpha Juno!
Amazing how a simple sound on a keyboard can make you time travel 40 years! Brilliant video!
...and it made Gary a zillionaire too!
It put me back to exactly where I was standing and who I was talking to, when I first heard it back in 1980.
How can anyone not love this synth.. or this lovely guy unveiling its charms? So atmospheric and nostalgic I'm transported. Utterly. Brilliant!
You could own one. Not so hard to learn to not love it if you have to keep it running.
My mate in the UK imported a 100% renovated 280A from American synth guru, Jareth. Absolute balls of steel doing this. It did have some problems after the shipping but Jareth talked him through them. Needless to say, my mate sold it on after not so long.
I think Polymoogs are for the hardest of the hardcore Numan and vintage synth fans only.
They're bloody impressive to stand behind though.
Fantastic cover version! 👊👊👊
Cheers!
Great video, thank you for taking the time to make it. I heard Cars back in 1980 and it blew me away; Gary Numan's sound was so different and "spacey" than anything else at the time. Your rendition was fantastic, by the way! 👍
Ah, thank you for the cover of Cars. I remember when that came on the radio late at night, my first time hearing it. Right up there with the first time I heard Autobahn on the radio.
The synth harmony at the end takes me all they way back to my 1st love. As soon as I hear it I realise how much I loved that girl.
That second string part that comes in at the end of cars always tickles. Great job overall!
Yeah. Just works as an arrangement.
It's still the Vox Humana preset with an MXR Phase-100.
I remember having to cover 'Cars' for my music tech A-level coursework. I played the teacher that second polymoog line by itself and she looked at me like I was an idiot until I played it all together.
@@polycompurhythm-7853 Bang-on, and why I have an MXR Phase-100 for my synths. Just need the PolyMoog...
@@AlexBallMusic any chance of giving us the chords/notes on the Patreon please? I've tried to work out the two lines by ear and can never quite get it!
Just saw him live last weekend in Portland with Ministry and Front Line Assembly. Such a fantastic performer!!
Superb! That Vox Humana is equal parts ethereal and mournful. Timeless.
Did you mean to say equal parts euphoric and mournful? That's how I hear it.
Replicas is my favorite Numan/Tubeway Army album, but it's hard to argue with that synth melody in Cars, the way it holds that high note for maybe an 8th note longer than you expect, it's just pure magic.
Replicas is such a stellar album. His drummer made the first 4 albums special for me.
The sound of the two voices overlaying at the crescendo in "cars" is what got me into synth music, still amazing, you got it spot on.
It's magic!
Absolutely! Along with Jarres' "Oxygene 4" and Simple minds "Promised you a miracle", one of the seminal tracks in my synth grooming programming.
Your cover at the end was so good it brought tears to my eyes. Literally. Fantastic job!
I programmed Vox Humana on my Voyager and sampled it into Kontakt to play polyphonic... what a lovely sound. The Moog team did a great job crafting that patch.
thanks very much for uploading Alex, and that is a savage cover of Cars, well done
Gary Numan is the reason why i play synths. I love the sound of the Polymoog. If i remember right, Ultravox (the John Foxx version) and Peter Gabriel used the Polymoog. Anyway.... Thanks Alex for the video
Responsible for a lot of people getting into synths, yeah. What a legend.
Gabriel definitely played the Polymoog, there's some funny photos of him biting one. Not sure about Foxx, will have to find out.
@@AlexBallMusic Foxx is/was more of an Odyssey man.
Hey! It's Enrico Pallazzo!
I think John Foxx used Korgs, certainly for his early solo stuff (Metamatic).
@@marquonuk ARP Odyssey, CR-78, and some kind of string machine.
I found this to be a fascinating peek into that early Gary Numan sound! It was so informative...and then to see you put it altogether and cover 'Cars'?!? RIGHT ON!!! Great job!!! ALL of thumbs up! :)
The sound of my teen years - so many memories! At age 15 I would have given almost anything to play one of these. You really nailed the song, Alex. Your grin when you were playing the bass part made me happy! Been a keyboardist most of my life, but I plan to buy a bass guitar this year and start learning... I played double bass when I was 18, so it wouldn't be entirely new to me. Multi-instrumentalists like you inspire me.
Cars introduced me to Gary Numan and new wave in 1979...and I never looked back. Still love both to this day.
That was brilliant Alex. Gary Numan was and remains a legend and the sounds he used are just as legendary. Your version of Cars was amazing too. 👍👍
One of the most haunting synths i've ever heard. Something about it seems like it's from a past life. Very beautiful, but haunting.
You brought me great joy with this video and a kick ass cover of Cars. Hell ya!
I agree with you and Devo. Cymbals need to be played live.
Cars has a great bass line, nice cover indeed. In the late 90's there are articles about the 'second coming' of Moog. So are we now in the 4th or 5th time of reflection.
Dude I used to watch your videos years ago as a kid! Now I’m 20 and seeing your comment haha. Think I saw you on a Beatles comment section too
Always a pleasure to spend time with you in RUclips land, Alex. Amazing cover of Cars too, one of my first 7" purchases. When that second Memorymoog comes in during the outro.....still gets me. Goosebump-tastic!
Thanks, I have always loves Cars, but never fully appreciated how complex it is until now.
Another fantastic video about one of my favourite artists.
I'm amazed at how well Gary Numan's work has stood the test of time, and how fresh it still sounds.
I'm digging your cover. Nish!
Alex you continue to amaze me. Not only are these incredibly interesting studies of classic synths, but your covers/tracks are always fantastic. You can definitely play!
Thank you!
The great news is that the first patch on the Moog Muse is "VOX HUMANA". :) Excellent job on your remake of "Cars"...outstanding!
I've always been fascinated with that sound since hearing that back in 1980. It's got that beautiful "trail" that I love. Awesome job on Cars! So frikin cool! I've also really loved Gary Wright "Dream Weaver" sounds and Kraftwerk as well. Subscribed!
Best video ever, Alex!
I've loved that Vox Humana sound for over four decades, and now I know the story. Top notch!
Thank you, sir.
Thanks Mike!
Thank you for this! The Pleasure Principle is a perfect album. Every track is fantastic.
You never phone it in Alex, & your video was superb. It almost swayed me into thinking the polymoog was a worthwhile instrument 😁
The highlight was undoubtedly your version of cars at the end. The sound, the editing..top notch!
P.s. My system 100 is currently set up in full, and I'm doing all manner of treatments with it *cue modulated sequence from bank A..*
Cheers! Glad to finally be able to do this video.
System 100 - Nice. I'll get an envelope into the sequencer tempo CV in and make some harp flourishes happen.
When I saw the title of this vid, I was hoping you'd play my fave by Numan and you did...the best for last, CARS, just subbed.😲🎹🎼🎵🎶🎶🎶😃👍🙌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I missed out on buying one of Numan's old 280a in the early 90s (ABC Music Addlestone).I still wanted one and I'm lucky enough to now own a Jareth Lackey restored example. Despite it's foibles, the Vox Humana sound is absolutely stunning and the Polymoog still looks a proper job.Great video, Alex.
I was lucky enough to get a 280a from ABC in Bristol probably at the same time. You can see it in my RUclips image.
I wrote a bit of a story about it the other week on (I think) Retrosounds channel when he did a Numan cover. Just checked and my full story is on Synthchasers channel where he starts to fix a Polymoog.
Great video as always mr Ball, especially as I’m a lifelong Numanoid.
Oh really? Interesting that he sold them.
@@AlexBallMusic - Gary said in an interview I watched a while ago that he's not interested in sounding like 40+ years ago but modern instead, so I do understand to a degree why he sold them.
Also, someone on fb had shared a photo a couple of days ago of the bass Numan had bought and on which the very first thing he then played was the 'Cars' bass line: It's a Shergold, in natural finish! Basically the 4-string version of Peter Hook's 6-string Shergold he recorded 'Blue Monday' with 😀 Somehow I'd always suspected Gary's new bass had been a MusicMan Stingray! 😅
@@mightyV444Not quite true. Gary's bass (which he still has) is a Shergold Modulator. It's a 34" scale (normal long scale bass) with interchangeable modules for the switching. Peter Hook's is a Marathon 6 string, which is a 30" scale based on the 4 string Shergold Marathon bass, which was also 34" scale, but had a lot simpler switching.
(There was also a 30" scale 6 string Modulator bass, of which Mike Rutherford was the main "name" player. Hooky had one but he didn't like it. I owned it briefly...)
Sorry to be geeky, but I am the moderator of the Shergold Forum and owner of the UK's biggest collection! These things are important to us saddoes.
@@IanFeber - Hi there! 😀 No need to apologise, and please don't put yourself and others down by referring to yourself as a 'saddo'! 😉
I'm a bassist myself (who also plays other instruments) and always grateful for extra information, especially on musical subjects, so thank you very much for yours, too!
😊👍
It's just that when I saw the photo of Numan's bass, it straight away reminded me of seeing Peter Hook with a very similar-looking one many years ago (41, to be exact 😅).
Very cool that those instruments still have keen followers! 😀👍 I hope I'll get the chance one day to try a Shergold bass out! 😊
All the best from NZ!
😀👍☀️
What an extraordinary instrument, and those selector keys look straight off a computer terminal! Awesome cover of a classic 👍
The organ sound after the strings at 2:26 is outstanding. 💥💢
Nice to hear all the background knowledge of the synths, the run through, and WOW !! love your version of CARS, fantastic job
Nary Guman is great!
Lol
He actually said that 😂
He and his molypoog
Broundgreaking artist!
Beautiful sound of the Polymoog. It takes a long time since the last time I heard this Gary Numan song. Always a gift
Your covers are great because you nail the finer points of the original while still adding your own special sauce. Thanks for another great vid.
Looking for that comment. Vox Humana parts carefully replicated including the phaser on the overdub lines, while at more liberty on the sound design of the other instruments. Alex FTW.
Dude, that cover version's sick!! 👋👌👍
OMG, can we just start with your cover of CARS, outstanding! Your history is alway spot on, informative, entertaining and that sample pack is cool. Last note, love the small scale car with visual informative staging matching the song lyrics, Robert Lepage would approve.
Thank you! I've got three kids, so toy cars are plentiful. 😀
Yesssss! Finally a raunchy video on the Poly Moog! I’m tingling all over.
I hope Gary will hear this, and re-release it with this arrangement , which is absolutely marvelous. ( with his own voice). You quantized it a little too much, but it sounds amazing. ❤
The precision of your version at the end is incredible. Amazing work. Easy subscribe!!😮
Alex I think this might be my favourite video you've done - that version of Cars is just an absolute BELTER! What a track.
Really good version of Cars, well done!
RUclips needs an Alex Ball / Anthony Marinelli collab! Great cover too man!!!
It's well underway. Can't wait to reveal as it's epic.
Nice!!!!@@AlexBallMusic
Turned on my Vox Humana samples and played along with you. Stellar job; there are few songs I enjoy playing (especially live) than "Cars". Thanks for making this excellent video!
You, sir, are a legend.
I've programed synths for decades and your videos are top notch. Thankyou
Thank you!
spectacular video & demos of this gorgeous polymoog! pure quality
Thank you so much! I have loved, worshipped and studied this album my whole life. So rad Gary is still out rocking!
You have best job; playing with old analogue synths, and replicating some of the great sounds of the early pioneers (John Foxx, Ultravox!, Human League, Cabaret Voltaire and f course Mr. Numan). And you clearly enjoy what you're doing too. Thank you for the Cars cover, I agree with @thebreakfastmenu on the harmonized synth outro, still sends shivers!
*CHILLS OF JOY! WHAT AN INTENSELY BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE! SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS GORGEOUS DEMONSTRATION AND YOUR MASTERFUL RENDITION OF GARY'S WORK!!*
You can absolutely get close to the Vox Humana sound with the 203a. It's not exact but it's definitely that kind of sound. I used to completely ignore the presets because they sound pretty terrible on their own. Now, I love using them all, stacked with the other sections, with the individual outs. The Resonators are beautiful, the VCF out is that classic ladder filter that loses all oomph when adding resonance (emph), but the Direct out brings all that oomph back in, and finally you have the Mode out which I think is the filter setting of the preset (?) so you have a whole other sound to mix in depending on what number you selected. Absolutely one of the biggest and most unique sounds I ever heard. I'm on my 2nd 203a and it's never going anywhere. It actually survived shipping and works really well. The Poly Pedal is a must. I hook it up a bit differently than intended and like to use one pedal to control modulation amount. That Poly Pedal is the size of a Rogue. No joke. It's awesome. Personally I think Luce, Zumcheck, Carlos, etc were the people behind all the best "Moog" ideas. It seems like Bob spent more time trying to shut down ideas.
Amazing breakdown of the Iconic polymoog keyboard
You're making me want to get a bass lol. Loved your cover, and great video as always!
Came for the Gary Numan... Was a bit surprised when you were tweaking settings on the synth version and I recognized some Larry Fast sounds... Another 🔥 video! ...and that cover of Cars...! Totally Awesome
Great video - the Polymoog provides a "wall of sound" in Pleasure Principle that still sounds awesome!
15:24 - that simple hanging "A", it still brings out the chills !
Lovely! I'm told these are a nightmare to maintain, but they sound cool as hell.
Once fixed up, they are pretty stable actually.
Really epic, it felt at the time that out of nowhere GN made a whole bunch of music seem instantly old and passe. That it still sounds modern to my ear, 40+ years later is testament to this.
A hauntingly beautiful instrument.
As soon as you played the Vox Humana mode, I let out a huge "OH WOW" and was instantly transported back to 1980 when I was 13 and first heard Gary Numan. Great video! Wish I had the budget to buy all the iconic 80s synths...
I have become so obsessed with synths that I’m subconsciously learning how to play the keyboard as I try and see what new sequences of sounds I can make. This thing looks like something I could fuck around with for many hours at a time and I wish I could! As of now I only have boutique Roland synths but I have a DX7 ii coming soon so I can experience some true vintage shit
Your performance of Cars is spot on in a most detailed way! Interesting demo of such a legendary synth!
Wow, that was spot on! I was just a young teenager when Gary Numan was introduced to me from a friend, who got me into so many alternative 80s bands. Thank you very much for that, great show!
Damn that's one of the most impressive Moogs out there! Its time far ahead!
That was a pretty damn cool cover. I like it a lot!
That was incredibly well done! Love the details you gather, and the thing I love the most about you, Alex is that you are a true musician as well as a synth nerd. You abso - effing - nailed your cover of “Cars”! So well done! Cheers!
Absolutely brilliant! Loved everything about this!!
that cover took me all the way back to 1980 and seeing tubeway army in Hammersmith and the sheer amount of noise all around was so new ethereal if you will such sonic landscapes are no longer created
Quite an enthusiastic synth. Thanks, Alex!
Two different synths with same name? The Emu Audity comes to mind ... and the Yamaha DX100, which was both a synth and a 100cc motorbike! Great video as always :)
That long held A in the little instrumental sections is probably my favourite synth note ever. I was about 8 when Are Friends Electric came out and I was just transfixed by that early Numan stuff. I quickly moved on to Depeche Mode, Human League and others, but no sound ever had the mental impact that sound had.
Great performance, and loved all the info about the Polymoog.
Fantastic cover of Cars at the end! Loved the video showing me what you had to do to make it and loved the appearance of the matchbox car - brilliant, thanks!
The instrumental chorus was absolutely spot on. Loved the music at the end.
The Vox Humana just made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!
Man, these videos are the best. People who were not around to hear these early albums by GN have to realize that when Cars first hit the airwaves many of us were blown away at these sounds. I was about 9 years old when Pleasure Principal came out and was literally obsessed by the synths. No one had ever really heard anything like that before. Like Alex said, the sound was very otherworldly and combined with the rest of the production was very captivating and surreal at the time. The next few years would be the culmination of the polyphonic synthesizer era, and in my opinion the best years of the 80s. Thanks Alex.
It's hard to impress me these days with RUclips videos, but you did it today, Alex. Awesome job on the cover!
That cover of Cars is why I am a patron (and all the other fantastic synth stuff!). Amazing, thank you!
Why is that song so good. Why does it feel so good to listen to. WHY
Hands down the best cover of Cars I've ever heard. Well done Alex!
Brilliant👌🏻
I’m a Numan fan and this was fascinating!
Thank you for sharing👍🏻
Yay! Any mention of Gary Numan is always welcome. He’s still making great music.
Wonderful video. Just a small correction. The "Lyra" part of the proposed Constellation System was, in fact, later released as the Multimoog. Interesting historical bit: Keith Emerson "borrowed" a Lyra and an Apollo for use on the Emerson Lake and Palmer album Brain Surgery. He then took them out on the touring for that album. You can see them in pictures for that tour.
Numan, Ultravox, others, making synths cool, making the 80s a time to remember.
Thanks for keeping it alive Alex, as you do best.