RMI Electra Piano
Encyclopedia
The RMI Electra Piano is a model of electronic piano
, manufactured by RMI
. Several models with varying features were produced from 1967 until 1980.
Although it was marketed to rock musicians as a substitute for a grand piano in live performance, the instrument's sound is dissimilar to an acoustic piano. It has, however, endured in popularity due to its distinctive character, which is high, chiming, and harpsichord
-like. Because it uses transistors for sound generation, its sound is very different from similar piano substitutes marketed by Rhodes or Wurlitzer
, which used reeds or tines for sound production.
It features distinctive, combo organ
-like control tabs. It had 3 different sounds which could be mixed in combination (Piano, Harpsichord, & Lute, plus 2 variations called Piano PP and Harpsichord PP), an organ mode (which increased the decay of the sound generated by the keyboard), and Accenter mode (which was similar to the percussive harmonic effect of a Hammond Organ
). A bass tab was later added, which when oscillated rapidly, gave the sound a warbly quality. http://www.hollowsun.com/vintage/rmi/
Electronic piano
An electronic piano is a keyboard instrument designed to simulate the timbre of a piano using analog circuitry....
, manufactured by RMI
Rocky Mount Instruments
Rocky Mount Instruments or RMI was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, established in about 1966. It was based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina...
. Several models with varying features were produced from 1967 until 1980.
Although it was marketed to rock musicians as a substitute for a grand piano in live performance, the instrument's sound is dissimilar to an acoustic piano. It has, however, endured in popularity due to its distinctive character, which is high, chiming, and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
-like. Because it uses transistors for sound generation, its sound is very different from similar piano substitutes marketed by Rhodes or Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
, which used reeds or tines for sound production.
It features distinctive, combo organ
Combo organ
A combo organ is an electronic organ of the frequency divider type, generally produced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The combo organ concept, at least in the context of mass-production, is thought to have been born from the accordion, probably in Italy, as the brainchild of necessity...
-like control tabs. It had 3 different sounds which could be mixed in combination (Piano, Harpsichord, & Lute, plus 2 variations called Piano PP and Harpsichord PP), an organ mode (which increased the decay of the sound generated by the keyboard), and Accenter mode (which was similar to the percussive harmonic effect of a Hammond Organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
). A bass tab was later added, which when oscillated rapidly, gave the sound a warbly quality. http://www.hollowsun.com/vintage/rmi/
Users
- Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
("A Wizard, A True StarA Wizard, a True StarA Wizard, a True Star is a progressive rock recording by Todd Rundgren, released in 1973.The album, and especially the first side of the vinyl recording, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatles' late recordings; brief songs segue into one another, and the lyrics are frequently...
")http://www.guitarsite.com/news/features/interview_with_todd_rundgren/ - Dr. JohnDr. JohnMalcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
("Right Place, Wrong Time") - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
("Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo " is the fourth track on The Rolling Stones' 1973 album Goats Head Soup.Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo "'s lyrics relate two stories: one based on the true story of New York City police shooting a boy because they mistook him for a bank robber,...
", played by Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
) - Don PrestonDon PrestonDonald Ward Preston also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie born September 21, 1932 in Flint, Michigan. Preston is an American jazz and rock and roll musician.-Biography:Preston was born into a family of musicians and began studying music at an early age...
(of The Mothers Of InventionThe Mothers of InventionThe Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
) - Delaney & Bonnie ("Only You Know and I Know", played by Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
) - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
(on the YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
albums, FragileFragile (Yes album)Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
, Close to the Edge, Tales From Topographic OceansTales from Topographic Oceans-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
, and the live album, YessongsYessongsYessongs is the first live album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. The album is formed of recordings from their supporting world tours for their studio albums, Fragile and Close to the Edge, between February and December 1972...
, as well as his solo albums "The Six Wives of Henry VIIIThe Six Wives of Henry VIIIThe Six Wives of Henry VIII is a series of six television plays produced by the BBC and first transmitted between 1 January and 5 February 1970....
" and "No Earthly ConnectionNo Earthly ConnectionNo Earthly Connection is a 1976 progressive rock concept album by Rick Wakeman. It was recorded in France for tax purposes.The LP record's sleeve attributes the album to Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble...
") - GenesisGenesis (band)Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
(The Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayThe Lamb Lies down on BroadwayThe Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British rock band Genesis. It was their sixth studio album and the last album by the group to feature the involvement of lead singer Peter Gabriel.-Premise:...
, A Trick of the TailA Trick of the Tail-B Side:*This is the first song in the Genesis catalogue to feature an ellipsis in its name, used to convey the mysteriousness of the track. All future issues of this track omit the elipsis, however....
, and Seconds OutSeconds OutSeconds Out is a live double album by Genesis, released in October 1977. It reached No.4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for 17 weeks. The performances were recorded in Paris in 1976 and 1977 on their tours in support of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering...
, played by keyboardist Tony BanksTony Banks (musician)This article is about the musician. For other people named Tony Banks, see Tony BanksAnthony George "Tony" Banks is a British composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who performs as a keyboardist and a guitarist...
) - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
("ImagineImagine (song)"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
", on which the RMI piano, played by Lennon, is mixed with the main acoustic piano track; also "Oh My LoveOh My Love"Oh My Love" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that appeared on Lennon's Imagine album in 1971. George Harrison contributed guitar on this and several other songs for the album.-Information:...
", played by Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
) - Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
's primary on-stage keyboard in the early days of WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
. It can be heard on the title track of the first Wings album Wild Life. - Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
("Isn't She LovelyIsn't She Lovely"Isn't She Lovely?" is a song by Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. In it he celebrates the birth of his daughter, Aisha. There are three verses, each ending with the phrase "isn't she lovely, made from love"...
") - Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
("You've Made Me So Very HappyYou've Made Me So Very Happy"You've Made Me So Very Happy" is a song written by Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, Frank Wilson and Berry Gordy, and was released first as a single in 1967 by Holloway on the Tamla label...
", "And When I Die") - Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
(of The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, "Hello, I Love YouHello, I Love You"Hello, I Love You" is a song by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. It was released as a single that same year, reaching number one in the United States and selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone. In Canada, it hit number one as well...
" [also seen in the accompanying promo video that was filmed in Germany], "Waiting For The SunWaiting for the SunWaiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band The Doors. It was released in 1968 and became the band's first and only number one album and spawned their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it peaked...
", "Shaman's BluesShaman's Blues"Shaman's Blues" is a song written by Jim Morrison and performed by The Doors on their 1969 album The Soft Parade. The song describes a shaman pleading with his ex-lover to return back to him. He states that he knows the woman's "moods and your mind" but doesn't seem to be able to sway her and...
", "The Soft ParadeThe Soft Parade (song)The Soft Parade is the ninth and final track on the fourth studio album of the same name by the rock band The Doors. Many listeners believe that this and Shaman's Blues are reminiscent to the old style of The Doors, as heard in the albums The Doors and Strange Days. This is mainly because the song...
") - LaBelleLabelleLabelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
("Lady MarmaladeLady Marmalade"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
") - SparksSparks (band)Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
(the RMI was keyboardist/songwriter Ron MaelRon MaelRonald David Mael , is an American musician and songwriter. He and his younger brother Russell, make up the pop duo Sparks.Ron Mael was born in Culver City, California. Ron plays keyboard and writes most of the songs for Sparks...
's primary keyboard for many years, and can be heard on most of the band's songs from the 1970s) http://graphikdesigns.free.fr/rmi-electra-piano.html - Alan PriceAlan PriceAlan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
(used the RMI Electra Piano as his main keyboard in the 1970s, most prominently in the film O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
, as well as it's accompanying soundtrack.) - Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
(played one on Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
's 1968 album, Filles De KilimanjaroFilles de Kilimanjarois a studio album by American jazz recording artist Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968...
) - Keith JarrettKeith JarrettKeith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
(was provided with one for his performance with Miles Davis at the 1970 Isle of Wight FestivalIsle of Wight Festival 1970The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of...
) - Jon LordJon LordJonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
of Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
. (Used on "Demon's Eye", "Space Truckin'Space Truckin'"Space Truckin" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the seventh and final track on the Machine Head album. Its lyrics talk of space travel and it showcases the vocal abilities of singer Ian Gillan and powerful drumming of Ian Paice...
", & "Never BeforeNever Before"Never Before" is a song by British rock band Deep Purple, which appears on their 1972 album Machine Head.This was originally the only single from the album besides "Smoke on the Water", with "When a Blind Man Cries" as a B-side, which surprised fans as the album contained hits such as "Lazy",...
". Had the tone generators of his RMI Electra Piano installed into his Hammond OrganHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
in 1973, which allowed Lord to play layered RMI and Hammond tones simultaneously) http://www.thehighwaystar.com/interviews/lord/jl19890100.html