The First Synthpop Song, Part One

The Modular Electronic Music System, 1963
Image from Buchla and Associates

Concerned that an exploration of the word “synthesizer” would lead me down yet another rabbit hole, I was surprised to find a rational explanation on a Swedish website, which was tantalizingly titled “The history of synthesizers.”

Already in the 1870s some people had started to experiment with electronically produced music. But it was not until the 1950s it began more seriously. For example there was a studio built in Köln, Germany, only for this purpose. The first synthesizer was built at RCA, USA in 1955. The synthesizers made in this early time were however very expensive and also very hard to handle. In the 1960s the first really useful synthesizers were made, for example by Don Buchla and Bob Moog. Bob Moog is the most legendary of the synthesizer producers with synthesizers like the MiniMoog and others, which has been much used by synthpop musicians. In the 1970s the production of synthesizers started in a larger scale. (7)

Now I was getting somewhere! There was also a handy section called “The history of synthpop,” which featured some intriguing statements:

In the end of the 1960s some already famous musicians started to use synthesizers, for example Beach Boys, but it still didn’t change their music very much. In 1968 the first synthesizer only record was released, “Switched On Bach” with Wendy Carlos. It was music of Bach played on a Moog synthesizer.

In Germany the experimental band Organisation was formed in 1968. They changed their name to Kraftwerk in 1970. At this time they played a disharmonious, but innovative music based upon synthesizers.

In 1968 Jean-Michel Jarre from France, also began to work with electronic music. For example he combined opera with synthesizers and this attracted some attention in 1972. His first real album “Oxygene” was released in 1976, and it became a success. (8)

I decided to address each point in turn.

The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations,” which reached number one in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December of 1966, utilized the theremin. (9) This chart position confirms the “popular” aspect, but the theremin is not technically a synthesizer. (10)

Image from
Kraftwerk & Organisation site

Kraftwerk, nee Organisation, didn’t release an album until 1970, and it did not sell many copies. (11) It may have been “synth” but it wasn’t exactly popular.

Jean-Michel Jarre started working with synthesizers in 1968 and released his first solo single in 1971, but it only sold 117 copies, so it wasn’t a chart-topper, either. (12)

Interestingly, there was nothing mentioned about Hot Butter or Chicory Tip. So I was back to square one!

Read Part Two here.
Read Part Three here.

Sources:

1. Wikipedia, “Synthpop”
2. Google search for “Synthpop”
3. Mog.com, Rollingunderground blog, “What is synthpop?”, August 16, 2007.
4. Side-Line.com, forum, thread on “The Most Influential Synth Pop Bands,” April 11, 2005.
5. Stargarden synthpop fanlisting, About section
6. PowerPop blog, “Talk to the hand,” June 9, 2007.
7. Synt,nu, “The history of synthesizers,” last update January 10, 2008.
8. Synt.nu, “The history of synthpop,” last update January 10, 2008.
9. Wikipedia, “Good Vibrations”
10. Wikipedia, “Theremin”
11. Kraftwerk, The Early Years ’68 –73, “Organisation, Their First Band”
12. Wikipedia, “Jean Michel Jarre “

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