I rewatched a clip recently of China Crisis recounting their time working with WB, and there was a bit about Walter "blowing them away" with a keyboard part he wrote. By their (cheeky) telling, his playing was on par with Liszt's.
Which got me thinking: How was Walter as a keyboard player? Obviously the keyboard was an important part of his compositional process post 1980s, and we've heard sequenced parts he's put down, but that's probably about as much as there is out there. Did he have a piano in the house? Take the playing seriously?
Can anyone––@Moderator: D-Mod?––offer their observations?
Relevant portion: 4:02-4:50:
Walter did have a piano, and was quite good at it. A lot of the demos that have been shared so far show Walter's keyboard proficiency...you listen to something like Boom Baby, and that's essentially all keyboards, with the "lead" being played right alongside the vocal.
I have always thought that the keyboard solo on Book of Liars is Walter. It just has his style. I know that DF is credited with some keyboard on that album, but he's also credited with horn arrangements...and I'm just not sure which song on 11ToW has a horn section necessitating a horn arrangement. Anyway, it could alternately be John Beasley, but I just don't hear it...it sounds like Walter. Go back and listen to the "Surprise Piano Solo" version of Book of Liars here:
He says "Big piano passage." I think that's Beasley. Then, after a little interstital domestic dialogue, he says "Piano solo. Surprise piano solo!" To my ears, that's a different keyboard, and is most likely Walter. Compare to the solo on the album cut:
Sounds similar, right?