prog rock & church organ

On Chris Squire's "Fish Out Of Water" (what I have just been playing!) a church organ is heard on "Hold Out Your Hand", played by Barry Rose, sub-organist of St Paul's though whether it is the St Paul's organ I don't know.

On "Going for the One" Rick played a pipe organ in a church in Vevey (I think), the story goes that the sound was piped (sic) down the Swiss telephone lines to the studio, so good was the quality. He also used this organ on "Criminal Record".

I don't have "Six Wives" to hand but the credits on it say in which church the pipe organ was recorded. I can't be sure, but I always assumed it was the same organ used on "Close to the Edge".

Pipe organs are not easily transportable, not only their size - or at least some of them - but changes in temperature and humidity affect their sound. They need to be "voiced" (i.e. tuned) for their acoustic surroundings, usually of course a church. I believe though Rick Wakeman used a purpose built Mander pipe organ on stage from time to time.

I don't play myself but have some interest as my Father was a church organist, and had a small pipe organ built in our house. As you can imagine, this was a talking point when visitors came. It was not a loud, thundering instrument but a subtle peice of work, with some delicate sounds. My Dad was a Fellow of one of the London music colleges (forgotten which) & was very much into getting the more delicate sounds out of the instrument. He died a couple of years back and my Mum donated the instrument to a London church, where it is used for the more delicate work, and choir practices. 
Although he never played "prog" he was into some of the more "prog-like" composers like Oliver Messian (may have mis-spelt that). His pet hate (and mine too as a choir boy) was when people asked for something totally unsuitable to be played on a pipe organ at their wedding ("Morning Has Broken" or "Three Times A Lady" spring to mind...) - usually he managed, tactfully, to dissuade them. Although he wasn't, some of his organ playing buddies were quite snobby about the instrument, which I thought was ridiculous, when you consider the pipe organ started out as a substitute for having an orchestra...sort of forerunner to the Mellotron/synth!!

Sorry, I digress!

iguana wrote: Catholic Flame wrote: Iron Butterfly's  In-a-Gadda-da-Vida yeah, check out the simpson's episode "bart sells his soul" if you can! this song will never be the same afterwards!!!!!!!!

In the garden of eden...

I know The Flower Kings have some songs with a church organ...can't think of any specifics right now.

many Edgar Froese works have church organ... Well, also with a huge variety of other keyboards...

Candy Apple Red - "That Other Fear"

Rick Wakeman - Criminal Record - Judas Iscariot

Rick Wakeman - Judas Iscariot

Par Lindh Project - The Cathedral

 

 

Glass Hammer - Shadowlands (ton of very loud church organ couple with some slide guitar histrionics for that all over Going for the One vibe)

Much church organ on Gryphon's midnight mushrumps album

Catholic Flame wrote: Iron Butterfly's  In-a-Gadda-da-Vida

yeah, check out the simpson's episode "bart sells
his soul" if you can! this song will never be the same
afterwards!!!!!!!!