Why the criticism for Tony Banks?

FuseProg94 wrote: Catcher10 wrote: by who? By a lot of people that write and frequent amateur record review sites. Even some journalists have made comments about Banks' interview manner.

Links? I'm curious to see who are those fools

Well, in the past a few prog fans (not necessarily on PA) have probably stated that Banks is not on a par with Wakeman and Emerson, but I think Banks never cared for virtuosity.

Edited by Moogtron III - June 12 2015 at 12:13

Svetonio wrote: FuseProg94 wrote: Catcher10 wrote: by who? By a lot of people that write and frequent amateur record review sites. Even some journalists have made comments about Banks' interview manner. Links? I'm curious to see who are those fools

funny... before calling them fools.  I've seen those reviewers. Two stand out. Both very intelligent and insightful. Fans of Genesis.. but not the slobbering group of lovestruck fanboys that populate prog sites like this haha.

Both LOVE Genesis.

in spite of Tony Banks.. 

I have my own problems with him. He is reason one why I find Genesis bland and completely boring musically. He has one moment.. ONE (Cinema Show) of all the stuff Genesis did.  Sorry man.. that doesn't cut it for putting him anywhere near the brilliance and myriad of fantastic keyboard moments a great many other prog keyboardists have deliverered.

I have never really had a "problem" with Tony Banks but I know there are those that do. It almost always seems to center around personality conflicts. For good or ill, absolutely nothing happened in Genesis without either his explicit approval or at least his grudging acquiescence. And yes, the previously mentioned "pecking order" was very apparent in the recent group interview.

As for his playing, he never tried to be a standout a la Wakeman, etc. He was more the steady, workman type of player who was responsible for some of their finest moments, both in playing and writing. He may not be the kind of bloke you could chat up and enjoy a pint with down at the local pub but he more than made up for that with his talent and exacting perfection. At least that is how I see it.

anyone who dislikes tony banks is an idiot

x1yyz wrote: prog4evr wrote: chopper wrote: prog4evr wrote: rogerthat wrote: Hackett is definitely my favourite Genesis member and I don't think Banks or Rutherford should be blamed too much for Hackett's exit.  Somebody who has had such a long and prolific solo career probably wouldn't have been satisfied with any amount of freedom or any amount of weight given to his compositions.  The time had come for Hackett to break out and start his own band and so he did.  With that said, I do think Banks could have avoided drowning out the sound of Hackett's parts the way he did on say Ripples.   If you mean the Steven Wilson re-master of 'Trick of the Tail' then, yeah.  But, blame the keyboards drowning out Hackett on Wilson's f**ked-up remastering - not on Banks.  On the pre-Wilson original (I had both the cassette and the vinyl originals), Hackett's playing on Ripples was meant to be subdued against the arpeggiations of Banks - almost like a rippling effect through a still pond.  You can tell (with my expletives not deleted) that I have no love for any of Wilson's re-mixes. Even the original CD mastering off of the analog tapes (in the late 80s / early 90s) was better before Wilson got his grubby hands on it... When did Steven Wilson remaster Trick of the Tail? The last remaster I'm aware of is in the green 1970-75 box set. From "Trick of the Tail (CD/DVD)". Genesis (official web store). Retrieved on 13 April 2015 as Note 35 in the Wikipedia article, it states:  "A new version of A Trick of the Tail was released in the UK and Japan in 2007 as part of the Genesis 1976–1982 box set. This includes the entire album in remixed stereo, surround sound, and related video tracks." While it does not specifically mention Steven Wilson, I believe I read elsewhere that his grubby hands were behind this unfortunate remix of a wonderful album... where did u read that elsewhere? if youre gonna spout your mouth off put facts out there and sources! it was nick davis 100% get over it. a country boy can survive

My bad.  Thanks for calling me on that.  The Prog Magazine article, "Steven Wilson won't work on ELP again", Retrieved 21 February 2013 as Wikipedia footnote 13 states that: "Steven Wilson has remixed a series of albums by other artists including:  King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull and Yes."  So, two clarifications:  I am still not a fan of Steven Wilson's remixes - of KC, ELP, JT, and Yes; and, the overlay of Banks' arpeggiations against Hackett's guitar soloing was meant to convey a 'rippling' effect.  Thank you, x1yyz - I got over it...

FuseProg94 wrote: I enjoy Tony Banks' compositions very much. He is a unique songwriter, his lyrics can often be eloquent, and he is a very skilled keyboardist. No musician is perfect, but I don't feel that Banks deserve the lashing that he gets from fans. How do you all feel? Do you feel that Tony Banks is unfairly criticized?

                          

With the phenomenal solo successes of Peter Gabriel & Phil Collins one would think it would be difficult to take notice of anybody else. Not so with iconic Genesis. Especially when the 'beating heart' of the band has always been Tony Banks. To me Banks has always been the eponymous founding member of Genesis. Quoting their manager Tony Smith, "Genesis was Tony's solo career..."

Yes, rather acerbic, astute, unassuming, and self-critical at times in his interviews, has always given the best description and analysis of the music. Technically capable as a player, his style and technique  has always derived more out of his songwriting rather than for the sake of trying to display grandiose playing. Yet and despite that he has been responsible for some of the most memorable keyboard solos and accompanying style unlike any other keyboardist. His unique approach and sound has influenced many Prog keyboard players.
I think its unjust and unfair to compare Banks to Wakeman and Emerson. All are great in their own right with their own distinct  styles and approaches to their music.  Tony Banks just happens to be my favorite.



  

I like Tony Banks's keyboard playing. It's not even wise to compare him to players like Wakeman or Emerson because his playing style is different. It's melodic, dramatic, at times melancholic, but very grandiose, but not as showoffy as, say, Emerson. Good examples include "The Knife", "Watcher of the Skies", and "The Cinema Show". The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a wonderful showcase of Banks's growing use of synthesizers.

Edited by ProgressiveHypocrite - June 14 2015 at 14:13

I like both but I do enjoy Banks' keyboard playing more the Wakeman's, too.

Banks has done some killer solos, too. I love his solo on "Down and Out" from ...and then there were three... (an underrated album IMO), the unison passages on "Dance on a Volcano" from A Trick of the Tail, and his awesome, awesome work on "Firth of Fifth".