Editing Synth-pop (section)

===Precursors===
{{Main|Electronic music|Electronic rock|Electronics in rock music}}
[[File:Kraftwerk by Ueli Frey (1976).jpg|thumb|left|alt=A black and white photograph of four members of Kraftwerk onstage, each with a synthesizer|[[Kraftwerk]], one of the major influences on synth-pop, in 1976]]
Electronic musical synthesizers that could be used practically in a recording studio became available in the mid-1960s, around the same time as rock music began to emerge as a distinct musical genre.<ref>{{citation |title=Rock and Roll: its History and Stylistic Development |author1=J. Stuessy |author2=S. D. Lipscomb |name-list-style=amp |year=2008 |edition=6 |isbn=978-0-13-601068-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rockrollitshisto0000stue/page/21 21] |publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall |url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollitshisto0000stue/page/21 }}</ref> The [[Mellotron]], an [[electro-mechanical]], [[polyphony (instrument)|polyphonic]] [[sampling (music)|sample-playback]] keyboard<ref>{{citation |title=Music Engineering |author=R. Brice |year=2001 |edition=2 |isbn=978-0-7506-5040-3 |pages=108–9 |publisher=Newnes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufVVgLwkcQwC&q=Brice,+%27%27Music+Engineering%27%27 }}</ref> was overtaken by the [[Moog synthesizer]], created by [[Robert Moog]] in 1964, which produced completely electronically generated sounds. The portable [[Minimoog]], which allowed much easier use, particularly in live performance<ref>{{citation|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer |author1=T. Pinch  |author2=F. Trocco  |name-list-style=amp |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-674-01617-0 |pages=214–36 |publisher=Harvard University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hjvWzkMK-sC&q=Analog+Days+The+Invention+and+Impact+of+the+Moog+Synthesize }}</ref> was widely adopted by [[progressive rock]] musicians such as [[Richard Wright (musician)|Richard Wright]] of [[Pink Floyd]] and [[Rick Wakeman]] of [[Yes (band)|Yes]]. Instrumental prog rock was particularly significant in continental Europe, allowing bands like [[Kraftwerk]], [[Tangerine Dream]], [[Can (band)|Can]] and [[Faust (band)|Faust]] to circumvent the language barrier.<ref>{{citation|title=Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music |author=P. Bussy |year= 2004|edition=3 |isbn= 978-0-946719-70-9 |pages=15–17 |publisher=SAF Publishing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyKuiI3kV_gC&q=Kraftwerk:+Man,+Machine+and+Music }}</ref> Their synthesizer-heavy "[[Kraut rock]]", along with the work of [[Brian Eno]] (for a time the keyboard player with [[Roxy Music]]), would be a major influence on subsequent synth rock.<ref name=Bogdanov2002Prog>{{Citation |author= R. Unterberger| contribution =Progressive rock | year =2004 | title =All Music Guide to Rock: the Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul|editor1=V. Bogdanov |editor2=C. Woodstra |editor3=S. T. Erlewine |isbn=978-0-87930-653-3 |pages =1330–1 |publisher =Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books }}</ref>

In 1971, the British film ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' was released with a synth soundtrack by American [[Wendy Carlos]]. It was the first time many in the United Kingdom had heard [[electronic music]].<ref name=SynthBritannia/> [[Philip Oakey]] of [[the Human League]] and [[Richard H. Kirk]] of [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]], as well as music journalist Simon Reynolds, have cited the soundtrack as an inspiration.<ref name=SynthBritannia>{{citation|title=Synth Britannia|date=2 August 2010<!--, 00:30 -->|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n93c4 }}</ref> Electronic music made occasional moves into the mainstream, with jazz musician [[Stan Free]], under the pseudonym [[Hot Butter]], having a top 10 hit in the United States and United Kingdom in 1972, with a cover of the 1969 [[Gershon Kingsley]] song "[[Popcorn (instrumental)|Popcorn]]" using a Moog synthesizer, which is recognised as a forerunner to synth-pop and [[disco]].<ref>{{citation|title=Hot Butter: Biography |author=B. Eder |publisher=AllMusic |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p25238|pure_url=yes}} |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/60gYpsUjy?url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hot-butter-p25238/biography |archive-date=4 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}.</ref>

[[File:Yellow Magic Orchestra in 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A colour photograph of three members of Yellow Magic Orchestra at the front of a stage|[[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] in 2008]]
The mid-1970s saw the rise of [[electronic art music]]ians such as [[Jean Michel Jarre]], [[Vangelis]], and [[Isao Tomita|Tomita]]. Tomita's album ''Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock'' (1972) featured electronic renditions of contemporary [[Rock music|rock]] and [[Pop music|pop]] songs, while utilizing [[speech synthesis]] and analog [[music sequencer]]s.<ref name="Jenkins2007pp133-4">{{citation|title=Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Performing, Buying: from the Legacy of Moog to Software Synthesis|author=M. Jenkins |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-240-52072-8 |pages=133–4 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3EHIpo0DKwC&pg=PA133 |author-link=Mark Jenkins (musician) }}</ref> In 1975, Kraftwerk played their first British show and inspired concert attendees [[Andy McCluskey]] and [[Paul Humphreys]] – who would later found [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]] (OMD) – to 'throw away their guitars' and become a synth act.<ref name=SynthBritannia/> Kraftwerk had its first hit UK record later in the year with "[[Autobahn (song)|Autobahn]]", which reached number 11 in the British Singles Chart and number 12 in Canada. The group was described by the [[BBC Four]] program ''[[Synth Britannia]]'' as the key to synth-pop's future rise there.<ref name=SynthBritannia/> In 1977, [[Giorgio Moroder]] released the electronic [[Eurodisco]] song "[[I Feel Love]]" that he had produced for [[Donna Summer]], and its programmed beats would be a major influence on the later synth-pop sound.<ref name=Borthwick/> [[David Bowie]]'s [[Berlin Trilogy]], comprising the albums ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'' (1977), ''[["Heroes" (David Bowie album)|"Heroes"]]'' (1977), and ''[[Lodger (album)|Lodger]]'' (1979), all featuring Brian Eno, would also be highly influential.<ref>{{citation|title=Bowie in Berlin: A New Career in a New Town|author= T. J. Seabrook |year=2008 |publisher= Jawbone Press |isbn=978-1-906002-08-4 }}</ref>

The [[Cat Stevens]] album ''[[Izitso]]'', released in April 1977, updated his [[pop rock]] style with the extensive use of synthesizers,<ref name="amg_izitso">{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Review|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/izitso-r19012|work=Izitso|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> giving it a more synth-pop style; "Was Dog a Doughnut" in particular was an early techno-pop fusion track,<ref name="wire_1996">{{citation|title=A-Z of Electro|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|issue=145|date=March 1996|author=David Toop|url=http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/210/|access-date=29 May 2011}}</ref> which made early use of a [[music sequencer]]. ''Izitso'' reached No. 7 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart, while the song "(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard" was a top 40 hit.<ref name="amg_izitso"/> That same month, [[the Beach Boys]] released their album ''[[Love You (The Beach Boys album)|Love You]]'', performed almost entirely by bandleader [[Brian Wilson]] with Moog and [[ARP Instruments|ARP]] synthesizers,<ref>{{cite web|last=Kempke|first=D. Erik |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11669-15-big-oneslove-you/|title=The Beach Boys: 15 Big Ones/Love You: Album Reviews|publisher=Pitchfork Media Inc|date=15 August 2000}}</ref> and with arrangements somewhat inspired by Wendy Carlos's ''[[Switched-On Bach]]'' (1968).<ref name="CarolineNow">{{cite web|title=Brian Wilson&nbsp;— Caroline Now! Interview|url=http://www.marinarecords.com/brian.htm|work=Marina Records|year=2000|access-date=9 September 2013|archive-date=28 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228001005/http://www.marinarecords.com/brian.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although it was highly praised by some critics and musicians (including [[Patti Smith]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Patti|author-link=Patti Smith|date=October 1977|title = october 1977 hit parader selection| work=Hit Parader| url=http://www.smileysmile.net/uncanny/index.php/the-beach-boys-love-you-october-1977-hit-parader-selection-by-patti-smith}}</ref> and [[Lester Bangs]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Phipps|first=Keith |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-beach-boys-love-you-1798211646|title=The Beach Boys: Love You|newspaper=The A.V. Club|date=19 June 2007}}</ref>), the album met with poor commercial reception. The album has been considered revolutionary in its use of synthesizers,<ref name="CarolineNow"/> while others described Wilson's extensive use of the Moog synthesizer as a "loopy [[funhouse]] ambience"<ref name="SchinderSchwartz2008">{{cite book|author1=Scott Schinder|author2=Andy Schwartz|title=Icons of Rock: Elvis Presley; Ray Charles; Chuck Berry; Buddy Holly; The Beach Boys; James Brown; The Beatles; Bob Dylan; The Rolling Stones; The Who; The Byrds; Jimi Hendrix|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-ET5tnh0MUC&pg=PA124|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-33846-5|page=124}}</ref> and an early example of synth-pop.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/the-beach-boys/562555|publisher=[[Apple Inc.]]|title= The Beach Boys Biography|access-date=1 July 2012}}</ref>