"VIENNA" SOLO FIDDLE

This is the Fiddle that I used for the VIENNA Solo. There is no label or inscription in the instrument. I borrowed it from a friend and liked the emotional sound. The solo starts on the low G string and this fiddle had the intense gutsy classical sound I wanted. (Reminiscent of the first Classical record I bought :- Schaikovsky Violin Concerto) I played the solo in the doorway of RAK Studios in St Johns Wood, London. The doorway entrance had marble walls and this gave natural ambience for the fiddle sound and it was a perfect setting to pull off this almost over emotional solo whilst hearing all the keyboards in the headphones. It's a great lasting memory!

We were happening! So much energy!

I took this fiddle with me the following year (1981) when we went to Conny Planks studio, in Germany, to record the album Rage In Eden. We experimented with the sound by tying a Guitar pick-up under the bridge of the Fiddle. I used it for THE THIN WALL on the Textural Chord build up that starts the track.

I left the fiddle with the Studio Boffins who offered to make a more permanent and usable electronic job on the Fiddle to play live. Unfortunately when I finally received the fiddle they had done a very shoddy job! It just fell to bits leaving bad marks under the bridge where they had tried to stick the pick-up with heavy glue. It was quite ironic that they had written on the preamp NOT MADE IN JAPAN (a little joke). That is why it looks a bit sad with no Bridge or Strings on. I will get it fixed up soon, its a lovely little fiddle. I bought two fiddles that time in Germany and had to give one to my friend as I felt so bad about what happened to hers. It looked like this one so everything worked out in the end.

WOLFF BROTHERS VIOLA

This is a Viola made by the reputable Wolff brothers of Berlin. They have made instruments since 1893 and made this one in 1965. The Viola is tuned a fifth lower than a Violin, it is bigger and sounds more mellow. The top string can be very cutting. The Viola is perfect for getting weird harmonics. (See The Fragile Skin on Keys and the Fiddle.)

I borrowed it from a shop in 1980 in preparation of the upcoming Vienna album. When I went to return it (a little late I must admit), the shop wasn't there. Bonus!! I used it under the Violin solo on Mr.X. I used it again the following year on the track THE ASCENT (Rage In Eden) behind the Violin solo. Both these Viola parts where anchor parts under the Violin solo and also to keep the music moving along while I improvised the Violin solos. I thought of Ultravox as a strange orchestra at these moments. Synthesiser sounds mixing with real strings so you were not always sure what was which. I felt the Viola would work best in its rightful and usual place. In the middle of the orchestra (band).

I have just had some work done on this instrument. New Bridge, Tale-Piece, Chin-Rest, Tuning-Pegs and Sound-Post. It is very comfortable to play because it is not a full size Viola and so it is very easy to hold and keep on top of. It has a good sound.

BARCUSBERRY VIOLIN. American

I bought this fiddle in the middle of the Ultravox Vienna Tour (end of 1980) and used it straight away. The pick up was inside the body under the bridge. It had a volume knob that I used to set near maximum. So I could turn down if I got Feedback and could turn up if I needed more clout! Basic but hi-tech for what was available at the time. Coming off that tour we went straight in to doing the next album back at Conny Planks studio in Cologne, Germany (1981). I used it on “THE THIN WALL” for the solo near the end. Conny and I put a spectrum analyser on this fiddle and found that huge areas of frequencies (mostly lower mid) where missing and so had to be compensated by quite extreme EQ.

Conny always had microphones hanging up all over the place so he could mix ambient and close miking in with the final signal. He did this for this solo.

I used this Fiddle on the next Rage In Eden tour later that year. I bought a MXR transposer that had 4 presets. This was so I could do live what we were doing in the studio. For example on “Mr X” Conny and I used to put a transposer on the Violin or Viola so as to make strange effects, especially if we manually locked it on to an augmented fourth. A transposer changed the pitch of the instrument, done manually in those far off days. We used Octaves and Fifths as well. I did this live on “THE THIN WALL”, “Mr X” and ”Stranger Within”. I always had a shit load of effects on as well like Echo, Flanger, Chorus, Reverb. I had the four transposer presets set to Octave Up, Fifth Up, Augmented Fourth Up and Fourth Down. It was a lot of Fun!

I continued using this Fiddle on the next Ultravox Quartet Tour painting it grey to fit with the stage set (1982-83). I used it on the Lament Tour painting it the black it is now to go with the stage set (1984) but as my second Fiddle and only on one track. The solo on “HEART OF THE COUNTRY” was in E flat so I tuned this fiddle up a semitone so it felt like I was playing in the much easier key of D.

MITTENWALD VIOLIN 1964 German

I bought this fiddle in Cologne, Germany, while making the Ultravox Rage In Eden album (1981). We had just had a big hit called “VIENNA”. I wrote in a Violin solo deliberately playing it in a very classical way so I was well into fiddles at this time. I always loved the look of this fiddle. It had a bright, crunchy sound. I used it immediately on “NAME THAT SIN”. This fiddle was perfect for “ THE ASCENT” solo where I was looking for a classical sound. No effects, just good microphones and natural ambience which was much available in Conny,s studio. That’s what he was into Man!

“THE ASCENT” was the last Track to be Mixed on the album. Conny and I mixed it while friends where arriving in the studio for an “End of Album” party. We were looking through the glass window at them while we were mixing this. I remember Conny’s face when I pointed out a very slight feedback against the reverb, just before the fiddle solo came in. He looked like he had been pushed to the limit by us and wanted me to give him a break. So I let it go. See if you can hear it. Its very slight. He did a GREAT job!

We had a good party with Cologne musos from Can, Cluster, DAF, La Düsseldorf and lots of other weirdo's.

I used this fiddle on my solo album “Keys and The Fiddle” On tracks “SPIRIT OF HER SPIRIT” and “PLAYGROUND”.

I recently took this fiddle to a fiddle specialist who said that the bridge was too low. He said that it was probably made by a student who screwed up. Charming I thought. I got the neck pulled back and the finger board lifted. That process took weeks as they have to clamp it in a vice gradually moving it. It feels much better now with a higher bridge. I am using it on my 6th album. The one I am currently working on.

SECOND BARCUSBERRY VIOLIN. American

I bought this in L.A on the American leg of the Ultravox Quartet tour (1983). I preferred this one to the other and used this on the rest of the tour through and on to Japan. “I played the solo on “HEART OF THE COUNTRY” (Lament Album) with this Violin”. Yes I did do it in E flat! This was the fiddle I used for the remaining life of the eighties Ultravox line up. The Lament Tour (1984) and the Uvox tour (1986-87).

It was a slightly bigger Violin and felt comfortable for me, someone used to playing a Viola. The sound was much better as well! All the Violin on my solo album “STAND UP AND WALK” (1990–91) was done with this fiddle. I could plug it straight into the desk and the sound was good.

I used it on “FRENCH VIOLA” and “LIBERATION”. I also used it on “PUSH”, my recent album, on “INTO THE SPACE”.

This is the violin that I use on the Return To Eden Tour.

FRANK GEORG ROST VIOLA London 1933

I bought this beautiful instrument in 1985. It has a worn red varnish. Looks amazing. The Violin and Viola specialist (at Ealing Strings London) told me that the guy, Frank Georg Rost, (yes Georg is spelt like that) moved from Germany to London then went on to live in New York where he built more Violins and Violas up until he was in his late nineties. This was the year I built my “Hot Food Studio” in the basement of my home. I used it on the track “ALL IN ONE DAY” from the Ultravox album “Uvox” which was recorded in my studio (1985-86). I played it on that Uvox tour.

My first solo album was recorded in “Hotfood Studios” in 1987 –88. I used this fiddle on the track “ENGLISH HOME” using the transposer effects idea.

I used it on Steve Howe's album “TURBULENCE” (1989) which he did in my studio. “STAND UP AND WALK” my 1990-91 solo album was inspired very much by this Viola. I was using a pick-up called the Fishman Pick-Up which worked very well in the studio. It wasn't as hard sounding as a Barcusberry pick-up which was really better for live work. I used it on “CHANGE OF HEART”, “FRENCH VIOLA”. “LIBERATION”.“RITUAL BLISS”, “STAND UP AND WALK”, ”UKRAINE”, “JAMBOREE”,” CRISIS”, “HATCHBACK MANIA” and ”IRISH WIDDERSHINS”. I used this Viola on the Ultravox albums I did in the early nineties also performing live with this fiddle using the Fishman pick-up. In 1996 I played this Viola on a German tour I did with Blaine Reininger, we both used Barcusberry pick-ups. The tour was all Violin and Viola except two tracks with me on keys. For the two “UNEARTHED” gigs I did in London (1998) this was the Viola making those Unearthed sounds like feedback whistling. I used it also on “The Fragile Skin” soundtrack. I had a digital recording setup at that time (1999 – 2000) so I could record the Viola and manipulate small sections, reversing and duplicating like I was some kind of strange Artist (painter), especially on “PASSAGE TO POSSESION”. Good Lark that was. I performed, using this Viola, with Barry Edwards Optik last year (2002) doing 3 gigs at the I.C.A. in London. This brings me right up to when I played this Viola on my album “PUSH”. Making the track “WHY DO YOU HANG ON ME” was a real high point of my experiences with the Viola. I am playing this Viola on my 6th album. I am working on this now.

ARP Odyssey

The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable (the Minimoog was US$1,495 upon release) "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.

The Odyssey is a two-oscillator analog synth (the Minimoog has 3 oscillators and its sound is considered "fatter"). The Odyssey was the one of the first synthesizers with duophonic capabilities (the ability to play two notes at the same time). One potential appeal of the Odyssey is the fact that all parameters, including a resonant low-pass filter, a non-resonant high-pass filter, ADSR and AR envelopes, triangle (not sine) and square wave LFO, and a sample-and-hold function are editable with sliders and buttons on the front panel.

There were many versions of the Odyssey over the years.