Sweet Item of the Week

While ‘80s music was best known for asymmetrical hair, puffy pants, and the spawning of the music video, many may not realize the role Fairlight CMI keyboards (i.e. synthesizers) played in generating much of the era’s most defining tunes. Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket,” and U2’s “Unforgettable Fire” were among the most notable numbers that used a Fairlight.

Earlier this week, a vintage Fairlight keyboard – signed by 44 big-name musicians, composers and producers – sold through eBay Giving Works for $100,000. Gracing the white keys were signatures from Bono, Stevie Wonder, Sir George Martin, Gabriel, Thomas Dolby, Elvis Costello, and Annie Lennox, to name a few.

While the keyboard has no "engine" and is not intended to be played, it is a collectors item as the Fairlights discontinued production in the late 80s. The charity auction, managed by AuctionCause, benefited WITNESS, which uses the power of video to expose human rights abuses.