Best harpsichord use in proto-prog?

I like how the name Sweet_water was shown by the forum filter 

Of the ones here Dawn by The Nice. If Blind by Deep Purple was one of the choices I'd have gone for that, which has a wonderfully evocative solo from Jon Lord. Another good Doors one is Wintertime Love.

Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! is popular.

Edited by earlyprog - March 26 2010 at 03:58

harmonium.ro wrote: I like how the name Sweet_water was shown by the forum filter

earlyprog wrote: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! is popular.   However, I haven't been able to verify that what to me sounds like a harpsichord actually is a harpsichord. Lewisohn's "The Beatles Recording Sessions" doesn't mention any harpsichord on that recording. It does mention that a lot of harmonium work was done by George Martin.   I guess it would be an anticlimax if the most popular harpsichord-driven song turns out not to contain harpsichord   Similarly, it kind of sounds like a harpsichord on Shaman's Blues but can anyone corfirm this?

No idea what the harpsichord in "Kite" is, except that it's not a harpsichord. Likewise, the "harpsichord" in "Shaman's Blues" is a synth, t'would seem; the harpsichord in "Love Me Two Times" is an electric clavichord. Therefore, it gets my vote. 

Or maybe "Walk Away Renee."

The list represents 7 uses of harpsichord in a classical context (Nice/ars, Sweet_water/storybook, Doors/soft, Bakerloo, Beatles/because, Renaissance, Man), 6 in R&B (Yardbirds, Beatles/fixing, Traffic, Procol Harum, Sweet_water/Pete, Doors/soft), 4 uses in folk (Rolling Stones, Sweet_water/storybook, Bowie, Renaissance), 3 uses in space rock (H.P. Lovecraft, Group 1850, Beatles/because), 3 in US psyche (H.P. Lovecraft, Sweet_water/Pete/storybook), 2 in UK psyche (Nice/dawn, Beatles/piggies).

Oh, before any off the list, in August (September) '64 the Beach Boys recorded (released) When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) with harpsichord.

earlyprog wrote: The list represents 7 uses of harpsichord in a classical context (Nice/ars, Sweet_water/storybook, Doors/soft, Bakerloo, Beatles/because, Renaissance, Man), 6 in R&B (Yardbirds, Beatles/fixing, Traffic, Procol Harum, Sweet_water/Pete, Doors/soft), 4 uses in folk (Rolling Stones, Sweet_water/storybook, Bowie, Renaissance), 3 uses in space rock (H.P. Lovecraft, Group 1850, Beatles/because), 3 in US psyche (H.P. Lovecraft, Sweet_water/Pete/storybook), 2 in UK psyche (Nice/dawn, Beatles/piggies).   Of the classical examples those without brass/strings/woodwind work best in my opinion, i.e. Beatles/because and Renaissance, while in R&B the percussive and/or woodwind examples are best (in the former case, the Yardbirds, in the latter case Traffic and Sweet_water). Generally, folk is the best environment for the harpsichord IMO; Wakeman delivers a superb performance on Cygnet Committee - very novel in his approach far from the traditional use. Hence, this gets my vote.   Perhaps surprisingly, the use of harpsichord in Space rock is also quite unique but works very well, especially for Group 1850. It's use in UK psyche is rare, but the unusual, bombastic use in Beatles/pigges is great, but I see it more as a joke.   The eclectic environment (woodwind, strings, brass) works very well in US psyche, as opposed to classical. Again, I prefer the more bombastic use in Sweet_water's Storybook.

Edited by Floydman - April 14 2010 at 10:20

harmonium.ro wrote: I like how the name Sweet_water was shown by the forum filter

Edited by Ronnie Pilgrim - April 14 2010 at 12:45

the doors "the crystal ship".