Ars Nova (Japanese band)

Cairo (1990s American band)

Pär Lindh Project

Eccentric Orbit

Triumvirat

Social Tension

Quill

Gerard

Castle Canyon

Mastermind

Lars Boutrup's Music for Keyboards

Jaime Rosas

And, welcome to the forum!

Anyway, you might like the band Glass. 

Also, how about Tangerine Dream? 

I'm pretty sure Glass is mostly synth. There could be a little organ in there since there's a bit of canterbury influence in there. Illuminations is a good one to check out by them first. There's also Glass Hammer (different band) who are also pretty synth heavy but I don't know them that well except that they are in the classic symph direction. Definitely check out the stuff on progaardvarks list too. 

Have you ever heard the Refugee album? That has Moraz on it as well as the other former Nice members minus Emerson(obviously). I'm not sure how much synth is on it but I'm guessing just as much as relayer. I haven't heard it myself though so I can't really comment much.

I'm pretty sure Glass is mostly synth. There could be a little organ in there since there's a bit of canterbury influence in there. Illuminations is a good one to check out by them first. There's also Glass Hammer (different band) who are also pretty synth heavy but I don't know them that well except that they are in the classic symph direction. Definitely check out the stuff on progaardvarks list too. 

Sounds like I have some Glass to check out! lol  Glass Hammer sounds like they would be pretty cool, love that classic symphonic sound.

*Knew I would mess up the quote lol 

No I have not, is Refugee a self-titled album?

I particualrly recommend you try "Solar Fire"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gkyxRW1mc" rel="nofollow - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND -- Solar Fire 1973 - YouTube

and maybe even "Nightingales and Bombers"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MhqxN3OCfM" rel="nofollow - M̤a̤n̤f̤r̤e̤d̤ M̤a̤n̤n̤’s E̤a̤r̤t̤h̤ B̤a̤n̤d̤ Ni̤g̤h̤t̤i̤n̤g̤al̤e̤s̤ & B̤o̤mb̤e̤r̤s̤ Full Album 1975 - YouTube

As a massive ELP fan I too seeks out all things keyboards.

Here are a few of my favourites

And some fine Canadian Pop-gressive stuff

Thank you, I will have to give them a shot. Solar Fire's art looks super cool!

Thanks for the recommendations! You and I are on the same page musically it seems, I love all things keyboards as well, especially synthesizers. Just finished listening to Score, that was magical!

We've noticed, Doug!!  You are priceless!!  

Quill

Trilogy (Geman band)

Polyphony 

Yes it is. 

There's a thirty second sound sample to check out on their wikipedia page.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_%28Refugee_album%29" rel="nofollow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_(Refugee_album)

Sweet, will do! The whole Italian prog scene fascinates me. It's wonderful how one nation can rise up to be a prog juggernaut like that. 

Will do! Your profile picture tells me it will be a great listen. 

Thanks! Have not experienced any of the music of Argentina yet so this is exciting. 

Wow, this track was really cool! Love the sound of the synths here. 

For a thirty second sample, that was pretty dang magical! You guys have been on fire with the recommendations. 

It's what we do.

And since it hasn't been mentioned yet...

And some a little on the Symphonic end...

I seem to recall an old thread here on PA that claimed the German band, Stern Combo Meissen, had the most resemblance to Keith Emerson's keyboard play. I can't recall if it's organ- or synth-based.

You should stick to their first 4 albums. After that they go in the '80's pop direction.

Stern Combo Meißen (1977)
Weißes Gold (1978)
Der weite Weg (1979)
Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen (1980)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFy4liIpREQ&t=3064s" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFy4liIpREQ&t=3064s

SEVENTH WAVE ... both albums are fantastic. And their previous incantations are also worth a listen ... SECOND HAND.

On a show/tour that SEVENTH WAVE did, it is my understanding that the list of musicians was ... yep ... 7 keyboard players! I don't think you can get heavier than that!

QUATERMASS is a great album that had some material made famous by someone else. But it's style was never really done right or well, even though many other bands tried it in England, to have a similar sound and style, but I don't think they had the moods, the well defined music, and the great singer to help it along. Mostly, bands took the "sound" and tried to inject it into conventional rock music, and the album by QUATERMASS is not quite a conventional album at all!

Some of the stuff listed here is way too pop musak oriented for me, and not as interesting, but there are some good things. 

But in terms of an all synth band, there will never be a better one than Tangerine Dream, and when they added the ladies and the guitar, for almost 20 years, and it is very clear in their DVD's, are incredibly strong and beautiful. It's a shame that we can only thing of rock songs, and ignore what is, really, a bunch of soundtrack music, and quite literary at that, later in terms of idea and design. The album on Kafka is unreal, but not something that most folks would ever consider or think about! Or handle the music without "lyrics" to explain the strangeness and the moods! (I wish we would get off the idea of "lyrics" telling us the story ... most don't!)

Hi,

REFUGEE was the next incarnation of THE NICE and it was an excellent, and well thought out album, that also included classical music, which tells you that Keith was not the only one that appreciated that!

The album is way better than what Patrick went on to do in YES, which was not exactly very good, as he had to try and "redo" the well known pieces, that prevented him from doing something better or more interesting. In the end, I think that Patrick was not a good fit for YES, even though some folks think that one album shows that Patrick does well, though I really thought that some parts were not in tune, or done right, or well, which was likely the beef with Chris, or even Steve, possibly.

Sadly, after that, the solo albums by Patrick paled in comparison, and I think that he took his ability with these synths really well, but when he could not make enough playing them he had to give up and go back to the piano. Although interesting, but scary, he did a tour in America by playing in anyone's house that had a piano, and was prepared for a couple of hours at least. As usual, no one ever reviewed any of those shows, but it really spoke as to how much Patrick gained from it all ... still broke after all those years. Later it seems like he did well on The Moody Blues, only to suffer the same result as had happened in YES. 

Sweet, thanks! I may even venture into the 80's pop era, just because synth-pop is the first genre I ever really dove into heavily!  (Assuming it is synth-pop and not pop rock / aor ).

Will do! Can't go wrong with metal & keyboards. 

And if you want to stray down the purely electronic synth symphonic stuff...

Wow... seven keyboard players? That's nuts... and beautiful!  It's funny you mentioned more pop oriented stuff, that is where I usually have to get a lot of my synth fix because it is abundant, but would love a much more progressive form of it. People seem to praise Tangerine Dream quite highly in the electronic prog scene, so they are high on my list! Also I agree with you completely about lyrics, nothing can convey emotion and paint a picture like an instrument can! 

Here's a total ripper of a track, from the Japanese trio/quartet Gerard. No vocals on this one, just fantastic playing. Play it loud!

Moraz was "much more of a synth player" than Rick "tape the settings into place and grab another MiniMoog" Wakeman? Really? 

Squire & White are on this! Rick plays piano, a MiniMoog & PolyMoog, and the RMI Keyboard Computer.

You also might love some Frumpy

that is a fantastic album 

Also the Robert Berry lead band 3.2 have a couple of albums that are well worth checking out.

Yes, that one has a lot of ELP-ness.

Hi,

I think even better is his version of The Planets, and of course his Stravinsky in Firebird, both of which are very explosive, specially his Stravinsky which is BY VERY FAR, one of the best renditions of that piece of music EVER DONE. The style even fits, as a "psychedelic" thing ... which makes it even more fun to listen to, but it may be too weird for some folks to hear and then think that Stravinsky is just another pet out there!

richardh wrote: verslibre wrote: Squire & White are on this! Rick plays piano, a MiniMoog & PolyMoog, and the RMI Keyboard Computer. that is a fantastic album

One of his top three, for sure! 

Will do!

I'm not super familiar with this guy, but your question made me think of this immediately. Not necessarily ELP sounding, but it's synth heaven! Norlander was part of a band called Rocket Scientists that you might want to check out.

Yes.  In an interview in "Keyboard" magazine about the time that "Relayer" was released, Moraz stated that he had "invented a new way to play the synthesizer."  He said "I play the oscillators more expressively." 

Compared to most of his contemporaries, who simply used the same general setting and didn't noodle with the filters etc. while playing, I'd say he was correct.  I saw the "Relayer" tour twice and could not believe his skills on the Mini-Moog. 

Hi,

Outstanding keyboard player and his band put on one of the most professional shows I have ever seen in the 1999 SF Progressive Music Festival. It was well done, and strong ... and even at the time, the knock was that they sounded way too metal ... and I thought that was an unfair comment. 

Lana Lane is very good, and it's a shame that she has not gotten better known, but I wonder how much of it was because some of the wording in a lot of her songs, was kinda weak, and perhaps forced to try and attract a new age crowd which did not fit with the band and the musicians behind her, even though they could do that with eyes closed!

Outstand stick player, better than some of the named ones in my book, since he also helps lay down the strength of the RS's music, and not just be a bass guitar playing just another song and being a rhythm player with the drummer ... 

I really miss a lot of their work and love to listen to it, and never tired of it. Wish Lana Lane could do one more album, or more albums, but I wonder how much disillusionment is involved here, specially with progressive folks, who thought that their show in that event was not progressive but too much metal! They did not even hear Erik's keyboards, just like they did not hear Per Lindh's either ... just pathetic and a bunch of popsters that came to see a couple of bands and trash the rest! Even Brand X and Bondage Fruit kinda went by as if they were not noticed.

He probably heard Jan Hammer's MiniMoog wizardry on Billy Cobham's Spectrum the year before. Hammer is one of the best MiniMoog soloists ever, maybe my favorite.

Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record. The album cover is visible in the embedded YT link. Check it out. Probably Rick's best work till The Red Planet.

Indeed!  My jaw dropped when I watched how Hammer would manipulate his Mini Moog pitch-bend wheel and other controls during a Mahavishnu Orchestra concert on TV!  

Moraz was amazingly aggressive on his synth - many of his contemporaries, including Tony Banks, seemed to use pre-set sounds exclusively.  When I saw my first Relayer show (November 16, 1974: Gryphon, Yes -Relayer tour, Horton Fieldhouse, Normal IL), I was confused at first by what I was hearing....I ascribed Moraz's lead lines to Steve Howe, who was simply playing rhythm guitar at that moment!  It was a revelation....

Sorry it's not just one guy as I suggested , not sure why I had that in my head

bio per PA:

https://youtu.be/9b5fXAWyAeA

OP also wrote : 'Also they can use Organ, I love all my keyboards,...'