Ruben's Contributions

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Post by weird user »

Reuben Valterra is known to us as Al's main keyboard player. He plays keyboard in concert along with Steve, Jim, and Bermuda (am I forgetting somebody? Oh, yeah, Al... :D ). He has been considered part of the band since 1992 (there are many musicians who have performed with Al on many songs, but don't seem to be considered part of the band, and as far as I know don't appear in the band photos). However, on Al's last two albums, which are the only ones to list individual credits for every song, Reuben was only credited for having played the keyboard on a handful of songs (I forget what exact songs, and I think Straight Outta Lynnwood only credits him on one song). This makes me wonder how often Reuben actually performed on the other albums he was credited in (Alapalooza, Bad Hair Day, and Running with Scissors).

So does anybody know how often he played the keyboard on the other albums (could that be one or two per album as well?)? Only two albums have featured him in group photos with the other band members (the first of which his face wasn't shown, and then there was a gap between albums). I also wonder about his average availability. He has never been given a vocals credit (I've seen either an Ask Al reply or an online chat where Al says that Bermuda and Reuben only sing in concert when it's absolutely neccessary... And Bermuda's vocal credits are limited, too). Reuben wasn't interviewed for Behind the Music (either that, or his interview material was completely cut). He has also only appeared in a handful of music videos: Headline News (and he didn't even play on the audio track), The Saga Begins (and the top half of his face was covered), and It's All About the Pentiums (and he can barely be seen at all in that video). I couldn't find him in Amish paradise, and he obviously wasn't in Gump (Jim West wasn't in Gump either, and if it weren't for Jim's long hair being unable to fit under the required wig, Steve Jay wouldn't have been there). I've only seen the White and Nerdy video once and don't remember if the band even appears in that video.
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Post by Bruce the Duck »

I don't have a complete list of songs that Ruben has played on, but you can check the liner notes of the albums that have that information, including "Permanent Record: Al in the Box."

Ruben is an official member of the band, but he is mostly just the touring keyboardist. They usually have other people play keyboard. What I'd be more interested in is how they decide who will do that part for each song.
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Post by TMBJon »

It's probably a mix of who can play specific types of keyboards best as well as availability.
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Post by weirdojace »

I think Kim Bullard plays keyboard on a lot of the studio recordings. Ruben's only the official touring keyboardist.

If I'm not mistaken, Al's been known to play keyboard on a lot of the recordings as well.
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Post by Well, Well, Well »

Make it right: Rubén.
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Post by weirdojace »

I always spell Pokémon with an é but never Ruben.

See I did it again.
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Post by weird user »

I don't know how to type accent marks. Anyway, I recall that the Greatest Hits Vol. 2 booklet did credit at least one song to Reuben (and I think it was only one song, but it makes sene since by that time he only worked on one of Al's albums). I can't remember if he was credited for any songs on The TV Abum. Permaneant Record is the only compilation I don't own a copy of (and since it's out of print due to the artwork being lost, I probably won't ever get a copy anytime soon).
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Post by Well, Well, Well »

weird user @ Apr 3 2007, 10:21 PM wrote: I don't know how to type accent marks.
Use Alt+0233. ;)
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Post by Pancreas »

weird user @ Apr 3 2007, 10:10 PM wrote: Reuben Valterra is known to us as Al's main keyboard player. He plays keyboard in concert along with Steve, Jim, and Bermuda (am I forgetting somebody? Oh, yeah, Al... :D ). He has been considered part of the band since 1992 (there are many musicians who have performed with Al on many songs, but don't seem to be considered part of the band, and as far as I know don't appear in the band photos). However, on Al's last two albums, which are the only ones to list individual credits for every song, Reuben was only credited for having played the keyboard on a handful of songs (I forget what exact songs, and I think Straight Outta Lynnwood only credits him on one song). This makes me wonder how often Reuben actually performed on the other albums he was credited in (Alapalooza, Bad Hair Day, and Running with Scissors).

So does anybody know how often he played the keyboard on the other albums (could that be one or two per album as well?)? Only two albums have featured him in group photos with the other band members (the first of which his face wasn't shown, and then there was a gap between albums). I also wonder about his average availability. He has never been given a vocals credit (I've seen either an Ask Al reply or an online chat where Al says that Bermuda and Reuben only sing in concert when it's absolutely neccessary... And Bermuda's vocal credits are limited, too). Reuben wasn't interviewed for Behind the Music (either that, or his interview material was completely cut). He has also only appeared in a handful of music videos: Headline News (and he didn't even play on the audio track), The Saga Begins (and the top half of his face was covered), and It's All About the Pentiums (and he can barely be seen at all in that video). I couldn't find him in Amish paradise, and he obviously wasn't in Gump (Jim West wasn't in Gump either, and if it weren't for Jim's long hair being unable to fit under the required wig, Steve Jay wouldn't have been there). I've only seen the White and Nerdy video once and don't remember if the band even appears in that video.
This is an interesting topic. I think that Ruben is very talented and diverse, its too bad that his schedule can't always allow him to play on all the recordings with the band. His singing is pretty good too, especially on the "Polka Power" live videos I've seen on YouTube. Have you been to his myspace and heard some of his original material? There's some pretty cool stuff in both Spanish and English. I think Bermuda and Ruben are kind of the two "unsung heroes" in the group -- they're both extremely great artists who are really "good sports". Great topic! Thanks for starting it.
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Post by CatraDhtem »

weird user @ Apr 3 2007, 11:21 PM wrote: I recall that the Greatest Hits Vol. 2 booklet did credit at least one song to Reuben (and I think it was only one song, but it makes sene since by that time he only worked on one of Al's albums).
"Achy Breaky Song"

I can't remember if he was credited for any songs on The TV Abum.
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