YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 136 (Keymasters)
(Originally finalized on April 28, 2025)
Preface: This week we're going to explore some of the most memorable keyboard players of the classic rock era. As a disclaimer, I'm a guitarist. In other words, I'm not an expert on the instrument, and so my choices may not be exhaustive. Regardless, I think I have some good selections to share with you this week.
Monday: Emerson Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2 [Brain Salad Surgery, 1973]
Comments: We'll commence this theme with one of rock's most revered masters of the keyboard - Keith Emerson (and one of ELP's biggest hits, extracted from a much longer piece). If I'm not more familiar with Emerson's output, it's because a hard rocking guitar is my instrument of choice. But I'm not incapable of appreciating good prog music, and if the number of really great songs I have lined up for you this week is any indication, I do enjoy the sound of an electric keyboard (certainly more so than an acoustic piano).
Tuesday: Deep Purple - Child In Time [Deep Purple In Rock, 1970]
Comments: It's a wonder I haven't shared this song on my music log already, because it's one of my all time favorites. To this day, I still remember the time when I was a radio DJ in college, and a girl called in requesting I play this song twice for her birthday. Normally, I like to avoid repetition, but in this case I was able to find two different live versions; so I played them back to back! From the first album to showcase Deep Purple's storied Mark II lineup, this song is a haunting tour de force, with lyrics inspired by Cold War-era threats of nuclear holocaust. Ian Gillan howls like a banshee, while Ritchie Blackmore coaxes thunder from his guitar. But it's all tied together by Jon Lord's commanding organ accompaniment, adapted from an interpretation of a song called Bombay Calling by It's A Beautiful Day.
Wednesday: Uriah Heep - July Morning [Look At Yourself, 1971]
Comments: The keyboard - or electric piano - is a versatile instrument, that can capture a wide range of sounds and moods. What I like about Uriah Heep is that, not only is the keyboard treated as a lead instrument (much like with Deep Purple), but it's played with such gusto, like a hard rocking guitar. In the original '70s incarnation of the band, we have Ken Hensley to thank for that (although Manfred Mann guests on this track, playing the Moog synthesizer). Like Child In Time, this 10+ minute epic also demonstrates the band's virtuosic guitar and vocals (from Mick Box and David Byron, respectively), and stands as a strong contender for the title of Uriah Heep's magnum opus.
Thursday: Led Zeppelin - No Quarter (Live) [The Song Remains The Same, 1976]
Comments: I like to say that a casual Led Zeppelin fan gets excited hearing Stairway To Heaven; a mature fan gets excited hearing Kashmir; and a hardcore fan gets excited hearing No Quarter. The first bootleg I ever bought opened with a thirty minute long version of No Quarter. This live version from the soundtrack to the band's official concert film - the same show that contains the song that inspired me to become a guitarist (a story I've told before) - is comparable, if only a third of the length. It creates an eerie mood, and features a killer guitar part, but it's really an excuse for multi-instrumentalist (and most unsung member of the band) John Paul Jones to show off his talent on the keys.
Friday: Pink Floyd - Sheep [Animals, 1977]
Comments: Aside from founding member Syd Barrett, who drove the early psychedelic incarnation of the band, most people identify Pink Floyd with its two clashing egos: guitarist David Gilmour, and biting lyricist Roger Waters. But much of what constitutes the "Pink Floyd sound" can be credited to the contributions of keyboard player Richard Wright. For this theme, I very nearly chose to feature his ferocious lead in Welcome To The Machine, which is like a laser light show for the ears. But ultimately, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share the last of the three main tracks from Animals. Symbolizing a workers' revolt, it opens with a serene keyboard intro, sprinkles in a little tension, and then boils over into chaos.
Saturday: Styx - Castle Walls [The Grand Illusion, 1977]
Comments: In 1977, Styx broke into the mainstream with their seventh album, The Grand Illusion - and not just because it contained the top 10 hit single Come Sail Away. Nestled among the more popular tracks - including the title track and Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) - are some hidden gems like Man In The Wilderness (which features prominently on the soundtrack to my life), and this song laced with fantasy imagery. Dennis DeYoung's keyboard drives the composition, contributing a great deal to the band's dramatic, even theatrical sound.
Sunday: Yes - Excerpts From 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' (Live) [Yessongs, 1973]
Comments: No list of keyboard virtuosos would be complete without Rick Wakeman, who (after doing session work for the likes of David Bowie and Elton John, among others) joined progressive rock band Yes just in time to contribute to their celebrated album Fragile. This track from the band's first official live album features Wakeman sampling passages from his own solo debut - a concept album about the six wives of Henry VIII. It would be followed, in short order, by subsequent albums inspired by Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and the legend of King Arthur.
Honorable Mention: The Doors - Light My Fire [The Doors, 1967]
Comments: I regret having to relegate this song to an honorable mention, because it belongs in the list proper. But I already shared it for my Heat Wave theme. And though you could argue that anyone who could be described as a "keymaster" must have more than one track worth choosing to showcase their talents (and you would be right - consider, for example, Not To Touch The Earth), this song is just too perfect a choice. It has one of the greatest keyboard parts (and solos) in rock history, courtesy of one Ray Manzarek - not the frontman, but the backbone of The Doors. I think one of the things that makes this band so distinctive is how prominent the keyboard is, arguably even more so than the guitar.