Famous Polymoog's

Gary Numan - used on The Pleasure Principle (1979), Telekon (1980), Dance (1981), I, Assassin (1982), Warriors (1983) and Berserker (1984). Gary Numan is probably the best known Polymoog owner. Numan employed both the 203a and the 280a. In fact he owned two 203a's and six 280a's, a total of eight Polymoog's! These were split, (four each) between his two keyboard players on his early tours. It was however, a preset on the 280a that became "the Numan sound" of 1979. That preset was Vox Humana and is the string like sound heard all over his best known track "Cars". The promo video for Cars is still shown on TV often and clearly shows Numan and his band surrounded by Polymoog's, (five of them at the shoot) and rather absurdly, there is a special effects shot of a miniaturised Numan gliding along the superimposed keyboards of a 203 and 280a. Numan went on to use the Vox Humana patch both live and in the studio until 1984 when he discovered the PPG. The 280a still saw active service live with his band until the late 80's until the Vox Humana sound was finally replaced by the Roland D-50 (such sacrilege). To date, the album that best encapsulates the Vox Humana in action has to be Gary Numan's The Pleasure Principle, the track "Films" being a very good example.

Jimi Destri (Blondie) - used on Plastic Letters (1978), Parallel Lines (1978), Eat To The Beat (1979), Autoamerican (1980) and The Hunter (1982). Jimi Destri used to use the sample and hold function on the 203a as a sequenced bass line on songs such as "Heart of Glass". To use his own words, sadly his Polymoog "fried its brains" in the mid 80's.

Jerry Casale & Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) - Casale's recently restored 280a appears on the Dubsounds Polymoog Owners page.

Kate Bush - used on The Kick Inside (1978).

Rick Wakeman (Yes) - used on Going for the One (1977) particularly the track "Wondrous Stories" and also on Tormato (1978).

Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake & Palmer) - Apollo & Lyra prototypes used on Brain Salad Surgery (1973) particularly the track "Benny the Bouncer" and the horn sounds on "Third Impression".

Tony Banks (Genesis) - used on Then There Were Three (1978).

Ralf Hutter (Kraftwerk) - used on the 1981 Computer World Tour with a second Polymoog brought in half way through the tour to replace their Orchestron (a kind of Mellotron) which was used on the song "Radioactivity".

Eric Stewart & Rick Fenn (10cc) - used on Bloody Tourists (1978) and 10 Out Of 10 (1981).

Benny Anderson (Abba) - used on Arrival (1976), The Album (1977) particularly the track "Eagle" and also on Voulez-Vouz (1979).

Kevin Godley & Lol Creme (Godley & Creme) - Ismism (1981).

Rush (no info).

Dave Greenslade - used on The Pentateuch of the Cosmogony (1979) Note: does this qualify as the most pretentious album title ever?

Saga - used on Saga (1978), Images at Twilight (1979), Silent Knight (1980) and Worlds Apart (1981).

Klaus Schulze - used on Body Love (1977), Mirage (1977), Body Love 2 (1977) and X (1978).

Peter Gabriel - used on Peter Gabriel 1, 2 3 & 4 (between 1977 & 1982).

Gary Wright - first used on Touch & Gone (1977). Note: apparently there is an urban myth that Gary Wright used a prototype Polymoog on "Dream Weaver" (1975) (this has been corrected by Mikael Lindgren who obtained the info from Gary Wright), he actually used an ARP String Ensemble ;o)

Gary Wright & Michael Boddicker - used on Heading Home (1979).

Richard Pinhas (Heldon) - used on Stand By (1979) and East West (1980).

Isao Tomita - used on Kosmos (1978), Bermuda Triangle (1979) and Daphnis Et Chloe (1979).

Jon Hassell - used on Earthquake Island (1978).

Patrick Moraz - used on The Story of I (1976), Out in the Sun (1977).

Chick Corea - used on Romantic Warrior (1976).

Prince - used in his early recordings (1979 & 1980).

Richard Tandy (Electric Light Orchestra) - used on Out Of The Blue (1977).

Larry Fast - acted as a consultant to Moog during the development of the Polymoog.

 

© Shaun Brooks 2005