The Who "Eminence Front" Isolated Keys

Note the VCS3 synth on top of the organ

Here's a piece from a song that you've probably been hearing on television commercials a lot lately. It's the isolated keys from The Who's "Eminence Front" from their It's Hard album (the last with drummer Kenny Jones and bassist John Entwistle).

The keys are pretty buried in the song (although the sequenced synth carries it), so it's pretty interesting to hear just how intricate they are.

1. Listen to how the sequenced synth constantly changes throughout the song in both feel and timbre. This was supplied by Townshend's favorite: the EMS VCS3 (see the picture on the left). Unlike the way most sequencers are used in the studio, Pete Townshend's approach was totally unique in that a sequence never seems to repeat and it carries the rhythm of the song.

2. Likewise, the keys (electric piano and organ) also change with the different sections of the song. They're pretty loose parts in that you'll hear some mistakes (like the second verse around the 2 minute mark) here that you won't hear on the final mix.

3. The song is built around a primitive rhythm machine with is very apparent at the very beginning of the song, but fades into the keyboard mix to where you only hear the kick sound.

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New Music Gear Monday: The EMS VCS3 Emulator

The EMS VCS3 synthesizer was one of the most widely used synths in the '70s in the UK, but never quite made it to the States. That said, it made its mark on songs by The Who ("Won't Get Fooled Again"), Pink Floyd ("On The Run"), Roxy Music, King Crimson, The Alan Parsons Project, and many more, not to mention its use as the main sound effects generator for the early Dr. Who series.

The VCS3 was actually one of the first portable synths, and one of the first to have a built-in sequencer. It also featured a very distinctive patching matrix that did away with the patch cables that most synths of the time needed for routing.

The EMS VCS3 now is available as a software synth thanks to Trunk Records. You can get it from the iTunes Store for just $14.99. Read more about the VCS3 here.

If you're looking for that vintage early English sound, this is one way to get it.

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