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Current Mellotron users |
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Fifteen years or so after the last Novatron rolled off the production line, the number of artists taking Mellotrons out on the road is on the up. After the sterile '80s, it took a few years for the dust to settle before people began to realise that the best of the older keyboards sounded as good as, or better than their stacks of MIDI gear; when Simple Minds' keyboard player bought a Hammond, he was quoted as saying that it 'sounded bigger than all my modern synths put together'. And he was surprised? Of course, the Mellotron found itself included in the list of the exalted - problem was, a shockingly limited supply of working machines, unlike Hammonds, which seem to be almost indestructible.
Thankfully, there are now two outfits repairing and restoring 'Trons, in the States and the UK, and the number of working machines has risen sharply over the last decade. As a result, more 'retro' bands are now to be seen with a real live 'Tron on stage; here are some of the most persistent offenders.
Many thanks to Gary Knight for the idea for this article.
Ankedoten, from Sweden, sold their MkV a few years back, but can still be seen, in Europe at least, touring an M400. Their tape frame doesn't seem to have the 8-voice choir, so they sit a sampler on top (and as a backup?!), but the violins and flutes are the real thing.
Änglagård reformed in 2002, playing live dates in the summer of '03. They never use less than one 'Tron on stage, and if others are offered, they use up to three, covering (tapes permitting), strings, choir, flutes, cellos and brass or oboe if possible.
Well, to be totally accurate, Barclay James Harvest Through the Eyes of John Lees. Bit of a mouthful, I know - I believe there's some legal stuff between Lees and Les Holroyd. Anyway, Lees is taking original keyboardist Stuart 'Woolly' Wolstenholme out with him, complete with M400, playing theatre-sized venues.
Dan toured the US East Coast with an M400 in late 2000.
The Charlatans have been going since the late '80s, initially lumped in with the Manchester-based 'baggy', or 'Madchester' scene. Always major Hammond fans, their new keyboard player put some excellent Mellotron parts down on their last album, '99's Us and Us Only, so the band bought an M400 and took it out on tour.
'Saint Julian' is a bit of a hero on several fronts, actually. An environmentalist, pagan and amateur historian, he has published several books and still manages to release a couple of CDs a year. He tours a wonderfully eccentric one- or two-man show, much of which consists of him chatting with the audience, often clambering off the stage in his six-inch platforms and wandering among the faithful. His equipment includes an M400 wrapped in fluorescent yellow plastic, which tends to get played on several songs, invariably including 'When I Walk Through the Land of Fear' from his 20 Mothers opus. He apparently always has a spare backstage, and I can't really say I blame him...
Gomez took an M400 out on their 2001 UK tour.
A UK-based Jean-Michel Jarre tribute band, Jarrelook apparently play a two-hour-plus set, and feature one M400 and an M4000 in their keyboard setup. Top marks for a small outfit...
Paul took his Mark V round the States in early 2002. Apparently he had to be persuaded not to take his Mark II...
Not sure if they tour their MkII (actually a converted FX machine) or their MkVI. Whichever it is, apparently it died during their last tour. Oops...
Weller's owned Steve Hackett's old Novatron 400 for years, but apparently hired one to tour with.
The Flower Kings, who use one when it's offered - twice in the UK in the last few years. ReGenesis have used one (mine, I'm afraid) a couple of times, but are unlikely to ever use one on a regular basis. The Strawbs have been known to hire one, or even occasionally two, depending on the gig, but Radiohead won't tour theirs.