|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
By the way, if you know of any Mellotron albums that aren't listed here, please look at my albums page first! Thanks.
 |
Asia (1982, 43.54) */½Heat of the MomentOnly Time Will Tell Sole Survivor One Step Closer Time Again Wildest Dreams Without You Cutting it Fine Here Comes the Feeling |
 |
 |
Enso Kai - Live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1983 (2001, 57.29) **/½ |
|
| The Heat Goes on Here Comes the Feeling Eye to Eye Steve Howe - Guitar Solo Only Time Will Tell Open Your Eyes Geoffrey Downes - Keyboard Solo The Smile Has Left Your Eyes |
Wildest Dreams Heat of the Moment Sole Survivor |
||
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
It's fairly unlikely that you've never heard Asia, especially if you're the wrong side of thirty; they were irritatingly ubiquitous in the early '80s, and this album was a major hit. All the progheads went wild when the band's formation was announced; "Howe, Wetton, Palmer and er, that bloke from Buggles? Dream team!" Except it wasn't. Far from being a prog supergroup, Asia were out-and-out AOR, with the occasional pomp flourish just to keep the old fans happy. Asia produced two HUGE hits in Heat Of The Moment and Only Time Will Tell, which made them an awful lot of money, while not endearing them to old proggers in the slightest. Like they cared.
Geoff Downes was a total keyboard freak, with the most outrageous collection of instruments; on their second tour, he lined up thirty or forty of the things (right) on a riser along the back of the stage, then just moved up and down the line during the set. In the middle of the massed banks of keys was his Mellotron M400; he may have used it more live than in the studio, but as far as I can hear, it's on just one song on Asia, Cutting It Fine, and not much at that (a small burst of choir), although it's hard to tell, there's so much going on at once.
Now, this will probably piss a few people off, but I feel I have to say it. I hate Asia. Sorry, but I really, really can't stand them. Asia is immaculately produced, and generally brilliantly done, but I loathe it. It flies in the face of everything about music that I hold dear, especially from musicians of their calibre, who weren't entirely unsuccessful before... Everyone's entitled to make a decent living, but not when they foist this kind of dross on the general public. This gets one star simply in recognition of the work that went into it and the intelligence behind it, not for the music. Avoid.
If you're of a seriously masochistic bent, there are a couple of recently-released live albums from this phase of the band's career, both of which feature a bit of 'Tron. The first (Mellotronically unconfirmed at the time of writing) is 2001's Alive in Hallowed Halls, followed swiftly by Enso Kai - Live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1983, from their brief 'Greg Lake' period, after temporarily falling out with Wetton, reissued the following year as Live at Budokan, with two extra tracks. Well, despite loathing their studio work, it's difficult to fault this at what it does, although most of the material's still highly irritating. Only Time Will Tell still has a great intro (but that's it), while most of the rest passes me by without really making any impression. Downes sticks a bit of 'Tron choir onto Eye To Eye, but that's your lot, so don't even think about this on that front.
See: Steve Howe | Yes | John Wetton | Buggles
 |
Between Flesh and Divine (1980, 34.01) ****½/TTNightwindNorthern Lights Boundless Dedicace Lost in a Dream Yell Dreadful Memories |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Asia Minor were a French/Turkish band who released two albums around the turn of the '80s, inserting a unique near-eastern influence into a by-then decade-old genre. Their first album, '79's Crossing the Line (****) was good, but they'd honed their sound even further by 1980's Between Flesh and Divine. Actually, this is a seriously underrated band; they had a fantastic sound, and the material is top-notch, with excellent dynamics and instrumental colouring, not to mention an unsurprising Arabic feel in places.
In the keyboard department, Robert Kempler relied heavily on a string synth, with occasional bursts of organ and monosynth in places. The Mellotron choirs on three tracks are heavily understated, except on closer Dreadful Memories, where they leap out of the mix in a fairly startling manner. I wouldn't go as far as to say that Between Flesh and Divine is a Mellotron Album per se, but it's more than worthy of your attention for the excellent music. Buy.
 |
Tadj Mahall Gates (2001, 55.25) ****/TTT½ |
|
| Tadj Mahall Gates Nightmare And I Hate Her Autumn You Who Know Ghost of Love Tu Qui Omnia Scis Friends |
Christmas Time Loneliness Carelessness Song Fruits of Meaning [untitled track] |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
I believe Tadj Mahall Gates is French newcomers' Aside Beside's first album, and rather fine it is too. Sounding distinctly French, despite the English lyrics, it has some of the jazziness of an earlier generation of French bands such as Atoll or Shylock, mixed with a pan-European symphonic feel. There's practically no neo-ness to their sound and a welcome propensity for experimentation, such as Romaric Hubert's operatic vocal in the brief Tu Qui Omnia Scis, lacking in so many of their contemporaries.
The instrumentation on the album is largely 'retro', although I can hear the occasional modern synth patch, mainly brass and strings. The Hammond, however, is real, and beautifully recorded. The whole feel of the album harks back to the '70s in many ways, actually, so while the band could be chided for refusing to take modern influences on board, they certainly won't be by me. More of this, I say! 'Retro' be damned - one Aside Beside are worth fifty dodgy fifth-rate neo outfits, peddling their sub-Marillion drivel... Er, sorry, got slightly carried away there.
Anyway, the Mellotron is played by both keyboard players, Frédéric Woff and Vincent Chevallier, with some tracks, notably Nightmare and Ghost Of Love being smothered in the thing (mainly strings and choir, with a smattering of flutes), although others are oddly 'Tron-free. Whatever sounded right on the day, I suppose. I feel compelled to give this album a distinct thumbs-up, which is a bit of a result, given that I'd never heard of the band until those nice people at Musea sent me a copy. If you like your prog symphonic, tuneful and a little bit different, BUY. Incidentally, the CD length above has been reduced by the blank space between Fruits Of Meaning and the unlisted rather weird extra track stuck on the end.
 |
Tender City (1996, 59.02) **½/½ |
|
| Corrinne I'm Still Looking for a Home Big Sky A World So Rare Little Darling Cool Water Tender City Strangebird |
From the Lips of the One I Love This Ring I Could Be Dancing Hands Tied Tongue Tied |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Joy Askew's a British girl with a long and varied career behind her, who moved to the States in the early '80s. After singing backing for Peter Gabriel on his Us tour, she ended up getting him and several of his band to play on her fourth album proper, Tender City. Although Askew's own voice sounds nothing like her, the backing vocals are very reminiscent of Kate Bush circa The Hounds of Love or The Sensual World; sadly, the music is far less inventive, being largely laid-back, slightly new-age/'world'-influenced stuff, which is OK for two or three songs, but begins to grate after a while, at least for this listener.
Mellotron on one track only, with strings from Gabriel collaborator Larry Fast (a.k.a. Synergy) on the title track, strangely alongside real ones. As a result, you can hear about two chords of the (real?) 'Tron, accounting for the extremely low T rating above. So; if yer into rather moody, slightly 'ethnic' music, you may like this, but I found it too upfront for background listening, even when played quietly, but not interesting enough to actually listen to properly, though you may well disagree.
 |
Hin Vordende Sod & Sø (2003, 42.09) ***/T |
|
| Af Helvegum Bruderov Paa Hægstadtun Huldrandans - Hin Grønnkledde Til Rondefolkets Herskab Over Ægirs Vidstragte Sletter Slit Livets Baand Efterbyrden Op af Bisterlitjernet |
Vargr i Véum Blodhevn Valgalder |
|
 |
Arv (2008, 42.14) ***/T½Fandens MælkebøtteHiertebrand Generalen og Troldharen Arv Yndifall Gengangeren Prunkende, Stolt i Jokumsol En Myrmylne |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Ásmegin ('by the might of the gods') are a Norwegian Viking metal band (stop laughing), incorporating elements of thrash, death metal and Scandinavian folk into their sound which, maybe surprisingly, actually works, by and large. Alongside the obligatory death-grunting and downtuned riffs, violin, accordion, flute and female vocals vie for the listener's attention, while the core band slots Norwegian folk melodies, complete with massed vocal harmonies, into their epic metal stew.
Their debut album, 2003's Hin Vordende Sod & Sø ('The Prospective Broth & Soup', apparently), has moments of greatness, but more moments of considerable silliness, unless you can actually take that faux-aggressive metal stance seriously (please don't tell me you can). The folk influences and unusual instrumentation are the album's saving graces, making for a partially listenable album for those of us not privy to metal's dark secrets. Norway's primo Mellotron man, Lars Fredrik Frøislie (Wobbler, White Willow, many others) guests on various keys, including Mellotron, although he's since joined properly (how does he find time to play in all these bands? I think we should be told), although all I can hear is a flute part on closer Valgalder, quite distinct from the album's real flutes.
Five years and some lineup changes later, Arv ('Heritage') is, essentially, more of the same, although I'm sure fans of the genre could point out the album's differences at some length. More violin, more folk melodies, more growling; good at what it does, assuming you like what it does. Although Frøislie plays on the album, he restricts himself to Hammond (pretty much inaudible until the last track), leaving Marius Olaussen to play the Mellotron. For some reason, though, unless I'm missing something, he doesn't touch it until near the end of the album, with what sounds like Mellotron strings and cellos under the real violin on Gengangeren, definite flutes on Prunkende, Stolt I Jokumsol and a full-on string part on closer En Myrmylne.
Overall, then, two relatively inventive metal albums, although the band's failure to distance themselves from the genre's sillier aspects hampers them in any chance of acceptance from a wider audience. Like so many genre outfits, though, I doubt whether they have any interest in appealing to anyone else, so that probably isn't regarded as a problem. Not all that much Mellotron on either, although Arv outdoes Hin Vordende Sod & Sø.
See: Wobbler
 |
She's So Heavy [EP] (2007, 12.01) ***½/TT½IslandsAngel |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Ai Aso (or is it Aso Ai?) and Wata are Japanese psych artists who came together in 2007 to record a split 7", oddly titled She's So Heavy, while having nothing to do with the Beatles song. Aso's contribution is her version of King Crimson's Islands, getting to the core of the piece, while Wata (or Wata (Boris), going by the sleeve) covers Masashi Kitamura's Angel, presumably in her own style.
Aso plays Mellotron strings on her track, opting to write her own part, rather than copying the original exactly, although Souichiro Nakamura's string part on the flip is barely discernable. So; you're not going to find this easily (at least, not in its original form), but fans of somnambulant psych are going to love this to pieces. Decent 'Tron on the 'A' side, less so on the back, worth hearing.
 |
King Richard's Collectibles (2001, 46.26) ***½/TT |
|
| Apple Street King Richard Poor Man's Falls Monday Morning Gloom Mercenary Man Gotta Find a Better Way Local Fashion Junky Thank You R.E.A. |
Queen of My Dreams Little Flower You Said Urban Disaster |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Asteroid No.4 have been around since the '90s, releasing their second album, King Richard's Collectibles, in 2001. Gleefully describing themselves as part of 'the third wave of psychedelia', they've filled the album with homages to British '60s pop with a touch of the early '90s thrown in. Rickenbackers at dawn, then, I take it. Best tracks? A matter of opinion, as always, but opener Apple Street sets out the band's stall nicely, while Poor Man's Falls highlights their skills with a quieter number, although there isn't actually a bad track here, to be honest. About the only fault I can level at the album is its occasional propensity for over-influence: Monday Morning Gloom has a little too much of the early Beatles about it, while Mercenary Man is '65 Dylan to a tee, although most of the tracks' influences are general rather than specific.
Chris Zurzolo plays Mellotron on three tracks, with a minor flute part on the intro to Monday Morning Gloom being completely outclassed by a very major one on Little Flower, highly audible at the end of the track. He switches between flutes and strings on Urban Disaster, making for a nice hat-trick of 'Tron tracks, although he could easily have squeezed it onto a couple of others, too. So; one for those of you searching for lesser-known psych, even if it's current. What you'll get is a good without being jaw-dropping album, with a couple of cool 'Tron tracks, making them one of the better 'know nothing about them' bands I've reviewed recently. Worthwhile.
 |
God & Other Stories (1993, 44.18) ***/T½ |
|
| Big Dumb Song The Monkey God Disco Lights Miss A Still Wednesday The Lost Weekend Starts Here |
St Paul's Mambo On Saturday Night Another Sunday Underground No Food is Blue Ha Ha Ha Big Dumb Song Again |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Peter Astor is a veteran of fêted '80s British indie outfits The Loft and The Weather Prophets, going solo upon the dissolution of the latter at the end of the decade, 1993's God & Other Stories being his fourth album in four years, before he took a lengthy break from music. It's a very respectable singer-songwriter effort, full of well-constructed songs like Another Sunday or Ha Ha Ha and few (if any) '80s production hangovers, which is a bonus.
The album was recorded at Brian O'Shaughnessy's studio in Walthamstow, East London, who's used Radio Massacre International's Mellotron on occasion. Owner Duncan Goddard actually plays it this time round, with faint strings on On Saturday Night and much more upfront ones on Another Sunday and closer Big Dumb Song Again, to generally good effect. Overall, this is the kind of album which should appeal to fans of, say, Lloyd Cole or even Elvis Costello, and with two decent 'Tron tracks, is just about worth picking up for the Mellotron fan, too. Most acceptable.
 |
So Long, Astoria (2003, 57.21) **½/½ |
|
| So Long, Astoria Takeoffs and Landings In This Diary My Reply Unopened Letter to the World The Saddest Song Summer '79 The Hero Dies in This One |
All You Can Ever Learn is What You Already Know The Boys of Summer Radio #2 Looking Back on Today Eight of Nine I Won't Spend Another Night Alone The Saddest Song (acoustic) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The title of the Ataris' fourth album, So Long, Astoria, resonates fairly well with me at the moment, as the Powers That Be move in to demolish the grand old Astoria Theatre on London's Charing Cross Road, the city's last good-sized central venue. The band seem to play a rather derivative kind of pop/punk, although there is the odd interesting moment on the album, chiefly the rare ones where they use non-standard chords. The record seems to go on forever, although it's actually under an hour; when will bands learn that if you play a high-octane style, making long albums just doesn't work? If you edited out its best bits, its star rating would probably rise a little, but the sheer drudgery of trawling through such a long album grinds the listener down eventually, at least if they're me.
Next to no Mellotron from Kris Roe, with the occasional 'Strawberry Fields'-style flute part in The Hero Dies In This One, one of the album's songs with slightly more interesting chords. So; overlong and boring with next to no 'Tron. Marvellous. Incidentally, their follow-up, 2007's Welcome the Night, is supposed to have some 'Tron input from Bob Hoag. Guess what: it hasn't.
 |
Caribe Atómico (1998, 44.33) ***/T |
|
| Caribe Atómico El Estuche Maligno El Desinflar de Tu Cariño Mienteme Cosmos Péndulo Humo y Alquitrán |
Mañana Doctora Corazón Reacio Días |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Aterciopelados ('Velvety Ones') are apparently Colombia's top Latin rock act, and going by their fourth album, 1998's Caribe Atómico (literally, 'Atomic Caribbean'), they successfully fuse message politics, Colombian folk musics, more general Latin influences and Western pop/rock to create a heady whole that packs 'em in back home. As their countrywoman Shakira has proven, South American music can travel, although it seems to fight an uphill battle away from Latin areas. I'll leave track-by-track breakdowns of the album to those who understand this music better; suffice to say, it's very little like Santana, although the rhythmic base is similar, and is more likely to appeal to Spanish speakers and those who prefer dancing to chin-stroking.
Andres Levin produced the NYC-recorded album, adding various obscure keyboards as he saw fit, including an Ondioline and a Mellotron, although you'll have to strain pretty hard to hear the latter until the closing minutes of the album, where there's a full-on and definitely genuine flute part on Días, with what sound likes a single string note thrown in, as if Levin was messing about with the track selector. Anyway, yer rock/prog/Western music generally fan is probably not going to get much out of this, but it seems to be good at what it does. Oh, and if you want European credibility, Roxy Music guitarist and all-round Colombian Phil Manzanera produced their previous record, La Pipa de la Paz.
 |
Neptune City (2007, 39.58) **½/TT |
|
| Maybe Tonight Together We're Both Alone The Way it is Cool Enough War Torn Love Surreal Neptune City Brooklyn's on Fire! |
Kill the Headlights Party's Over |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Nicole Atkins' Neptune City is one of those faux-'60s records that sound impressive, although upon further investigation are found to contain very little real content. Bold and brassy, the album grabs your attention immediately, but despite high points like the string melody in Together We're Both Alone (surely the album's best track?), it ultimately disappoints, trying to be something it just isn't. Swamped in strings, vibes and other easy listening instrumental staples, Atkins' strident contralto lays waste to the whole album, although, of course, if that's what you actually want...
Two Mellotron players are credited, Martin Gjerstad and Daniel "Shaolun" Chen, exclusively, it seems on Mellotron vibes, with parts on all the highlighted tracks above, some more obviously Mellotronic (notably Cool Enough) than others. Overall, then, pre-psych '60s pop with some rather non-standard 'Tron. To be honest, just don't.
 |
Atlantis Philharmonic (1974, 36.04) ****/TTTAtlantisWoodsman Death Man Fly-the-Night My Friend Atlas |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Atlantis Philharmonic were an American progressive duo comprising percussionist Royce Gibson and Joe DiFazio on everything else; amazingly, I'm told they managed to do it live, with DiFazio playing keyboards, bass pedals and guitar simultaneously (!) (thanks, David). Their sole release, Atlantis Philharmonic, is a mixture of magnificently pompous, overblown pieces like Atlantis and Atlas, and gentler songs along the lines of Woodsman, although even the quieter sections carry an undertone of menace. DiFazio was obviously a good all-rounder, as his keyboard playing sounds classically-trained, and his guitar and vocal work are perfectly respectable, too.
Three Mellotron tracks; Atlantis and My Friend have some reasonable string parts, but the real highlight is the lengthy, orchestrated strings part in Woodsman. I think this one track is almost the decider on its own; an absolute killer. You may find the album a bit on the heavy side, but if you don't mind a bit of 'oomph' in your prog, and you can actually find a copy (the CD is long deleted), go for it.
 |
Blå Vardag (1979, 38.34/57.12) ****/TTTElisabitenPå Gata Blå Vardag Gånglåt Den Vita Tranans Våg [CD adds: Björnstorp [from the Mosaik LP] Hemifrån Sebastian] |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Atlas were one of the many lower-division progressive bands from the '70s, particularly the tail-end of the decade. Blå Vardag (Blue Tuesday) was recorded in '78 and released in '79, just as the scene was coming to a close, at least for a while. Fully instrumental, Atlas had a jazzy feel in places, mixed with more traditional symphonic progressive rock. Much Fender Rhodes and MiniMoog from the two keyboard players, Erik Björn Nielsen and Björn Ekborn, with a little Mellotron thrown in for good measure on three of the album's five tracks, the most 'Tron-heavy track being the album closer, Den Vita Tranans Våg. While by no means a Mellotron Classic, this is an excellent album, well worth any prog fan's time.
The CD reissue includes three bonus tracks, one of which is the only 'Tron track from the post-Atlas Mosaik album from 1982. There's also some very nice Mellotron on CD closer Sebastian, rescued from a radio recording.
See: Mosaik
 |
Lady of Shalott (2002, recorded 1977, 121.31) ****/T½ |
|
| Lady of Shalott Cuckoo (Love's Labour's Lost) Tomorrow Love is Waiting for a Lover Cuckoo - alternate version [Announcement] Tomorrow (live) Lady of Shalott (live) |
Catharsis (by Isotopy) Nightmare (by Me El-Ma) Toridtagitar (by Me El-Ma) The Children Dance (by Me El-Ma) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Is this deluge of utterly obscure progressive bands ever going to stop? Hopefully not, going by the standards set by this double-disc set. Atmosphera were Israel's first symphonic prog outfit, including future members of Zingale, who are just about the only other one anyone's ever heard of and would'ja believe... they're excellent? There's a heavy Yes influence in what they were doing, with both Efraim Barak's vocals and Moti Fonseca's guitar style mirroring those of their Yes counterparts, which is in no way to decry the band's achievements; the material is well-written and recorded, and it's a real shame it wasn't released at the time. The CD booklet gives the band's full history, explaining how yet another promising outfit fell by the wayside; at least tapes a) were made and b) survived...
The title track and Cuckoo are both 16-minute epics, moving through all the requisite changes that the style demands, and although Tomorrow and Love Is Waiting For A Lover are cleaned up rehearsal tapes, I've heard an awful lot worse, although I'm not convinced the songwriting's quite up to the standard of the first two tracks. Now, the oddity here, and the reason the album's on this site at all is the alternate version of Cuckoo. As far as I can work out, it utilises elements of the other version, but with the intro and outro piano sections taken from a demo, and much overdubbing of keyboards, including the Mark II and M400 Mellotrons also used by Rockfour from original keyboardist Yuval Rivlin. Much upfront 'Tron, with strings and flutes probably from the Mark II, and M400 choirs, all complementing the piece very nicely, as do the ARP 2600, Hammond and Rhodes, amongst other vintage gear.
The second disc comprises various live and radio session tracks, a VCD video-only track and some post-Atmosphera things, including three from drummer Me El-Ma. To be quite honest, your life wouldn't be incomplete if you never heard most of this stuff, but I can perfectly well understand the urge to make everything available, although I suspect many of you will find the El-Ma stuff quite hard going. 'Weird shit' is, I believe, the appropriate expression. I haven't yet managed to play the video material, though I expect it's worth seeing, but I'm not entirely sure the listening public wouldn't be better served by a one-CD version, too, though that would almost certainly be too expensive a proposition to make it worthwhile. Anyway, disc one is excellent, with one 'Tron epic, albeit with recent overdubs.
 |
L'Araignée-Mal (1975, 44.03/56.03) ****/½Le Photographe ExorcisteCazotte No.1 Le Voleur d'Extase L'Araignée-Mal Imaginez le Temps L'Araignée-Mal Les Robots Debiles Le Cimetiere de Plastique [CD adds: Cazotte No.1 (live)] |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
I've owned copies of Atoll's first and third releases, Musiciens/Magiciens (***½) and Tertio (***½) for a while, finding them both 'good but not great', so I was completely blown away by L'Araignée-Mal, with its prog/fusion crossover feel, complete with great material. The only piece that sounds more jazz than prog is Cazotte No.1, reprised with a live version on Musea's CD reissue, with the rest of the material inserting some jazziness into the excellent symphonic prog, replete with violin.
Keyboard man Michel Taillet only seems to play clavinet and a gorgeous-sounding Eminent string synth (similar to the Solina, I believe), with Bruno Gehin guesting on most of the keys, particularly Rhodes and some superb MiniMoog work. Gehin's also credited with Mellotron, but apart from a single string note on Le Photographe Exorciste that may or may not be, the only thing I can hear is (I think) a few flute chords on the first part of the excellent side-long title track, so I really wouldn't go here for 'Tron. However... if you like your prog symphonic and a little jazzy, buy this immediately, while it's still in print. Superb.
 |
T4B (2009, 40.24) ***½/T½ |
|
| Pawn Shop Middle Man Daisy Chain Giant Revival Astronomy Domine Don't Do it |
Sometime Wednesday Super Computer Run Wreck You |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
There seems to be some confusion over The Atomic Bitchwax' fourth album, known variously as T4B, TAB4 or The Atomic Bitchwax 4, possibly with two different running orders. It's actually a pretty decent hard rock album from the old school; y'know, proper riffs'n'shit, of the kind that seem to have gone entirely out of fashion, replaced by, er... What do modern metal bands use instead of the classic 'riff' structure? I don't like it, but I can't even work out what it is. Anyway, the terribly-named The Atomic Bitchwax don't do it, which is a blessing, and not even in disguise. Top tracks include
Bassist Chris Kosnik doubles on Mellotron, with strings all over opener Revival, to the point where you wonder how they could do it live without (my guess is they just won't play it) and closer Wreck You, sounding reasonably real, although it gets harder and harder to tell for sure... So; good album in its genre, assuming you like said genre, with a couple of decent 'Tron tracks. Tentatively, buy.
 |
In Thrall (1993, 48.13) ***½/TT½ |
|
| No Tears Tonight Under Jets Allegory Angels in the Trees Living in Another Time The Evensong Fall So Far August Rain |
Walpurgis Night My Book Home |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron/Chamberlin used:
Murray Attaway was frontman with well-respected gentlemen Guadalcanal Diary, possibly the best 'Athens, Georgia scene' band, certainly superior to what R.E.M. became. After their (first) split, Attaway signed with Geffen and recorded the really rather good In Thrall, carrying on his former band's adventures with jangly guitars and meaningful songs. I really hate to keep quoting favoured artists as influences, in true 'Record Collector' style, but parts of this album don't half sound like Richard Thompson at his most upbeat, especially in the guitar department, which is no bad thing. I suspect it'll take a few more plays for its charms to make themselves fully apparent (quite when I'll find the time to do this, I've no idea), but there doesn't seem to be a bad track on the album, which is pretty good going by anyone's standards.
This album is absolutely stuffed with Chamberlin, with the odd bit of Mellotron creeping in, and all in the days before both instruments were routinely sampled. Saying that, with contributors of the stature of Jon Brion and Patrick Warren, samples aren't really in the offing, I'm glad to say. Attaway himself and Tony Berg also play various tape-replay instruments, while Brion gets some of his beloved Optigan in, too. Anyway, a weird Chamby flute pattern on No Tears Tonight, what I presume to be 'Tron cellos and Chamby brass on Under Jets, 'Tron flutes on Allegory, along with Chamberlin something. Chamby 'Strawberry Fields'-style somethings (not flutes) on Living In Another Time and Chamby solo male voices on My Book makes for a pretty good 'Tron/Chamby effort, although most of the parts are typically brief; whad'ya think this is? Prog?
So; good album for jangly guitar fetishists, or simply lovers of good songs. Reasonable tape-replay work, so worth picking up second-hand, at least. Incidentally, it seems In Thrall is Attaway's only solo album released to date, although he has worked on at least one other. Guadalcanal Diary have an on/off career, but Attaway doesn't even seem to have his own website.
Official Guadalcanal Diary site
 |
Befour [Brian Auger & the Trinity] (1970, 32.26/46.41) ***½/T |
|
| I Wanna Take You Higher Pavane No Time to Live Maiden Voyage Listen Here Adagio per Archi e Organo Just You and Me |
[CD adds: Rain Forest Talking Pavane Fire in the Mind] |
|
 |
Closer to it! [Brian Auger's Oblivion Express] (1973, 36.30/59.48) ***/T |
|
| Whenever You're Ready Happiness is Just Around the Bend Light on the Path Compared to What Inner City Blues Voices of Other Times [CD adds: Whenever You're Ready |
Happiness is Just Around the Bend Inner City Blues Voices of Other Times] |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
After his groundbreaking work with Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger first made albums with the Driscoll-less Trinity, then shifted over to his own Oblivion Express, to explore the boundaries of jazz and rock more closely; whether or not you consider this a good thing will be tightly bound up with how you feel about jazz. 1970's Befour consists largely (solely?) of Augered-up covers, with loads of ripping (if predictably jazzy) Hammond work, with classical adaptation Adagio Per Archi E Organo being particularly impressive. Mellotron strings (in the left channel only for some reason) on another classical piece, Pavane, but not enough to make a purchase worthwhile, methinks.
Three years on, and Auger was on his fourth Oblivion Express LP, Closer to it, and I really have to say here, if you ain't into jazz, you ain't gonna get it. I didn't... It's all impeccably played and arranged, but this is a jazz-rock record without much of the rock, to be honest. I mean, compared to, say, Airto Moreira's work, this is so... white. I find it difficult to pick out any highlights from something that's just so tame; suffice to say, this is jazz (Have I already said that?). Mellotron on one track, with an unexciting string part in the background on Inner City Blues, with the same on the extra version of the track on the CD.
So; whitey-boy jazz, albeit exceptionally well-played. You either love this stuff or you don't; it's pretty much innovation-free, like so much jazz from the last three or four decades, and there's very little excitement to be had listening to Closer to it, although Befour is rather better. Very little 'Tron, so don't bother on that account, either.
See: Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity
 |
Girls Sing (2007, 61.05) ***/T |
|
| Profukal Padal Zhdat Rogan Born Tam-dam Slova Debil |
Vozle Menya Dolgi Devushki Poyut |
|
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
Auktyon/Аукцьіон (duh, Auction) are a St. Petersburg-based band, whose origins date back to the dying days of the old guard in Russia, actually forming as early as 1983. 2007's Girls Sing (or Девушки Поют) is something like their twelfth album, sung in Russian, as are all their releases, with a heavy Russian folk-influenced sound mixed in with the New York avant-garde crowd (John Medeski, Marc Ribot) with whom they worked on the recording. It's actually really difficult to describe this music; suffice to say, if you're after something a bit different and already appreciate the Medeski sound, you may well get something from it.
For once, Medeski plays Chamberlin, rather than Mellotron, with skronky pitchbent flutes on Zhdat (Ждать) and the tiniest smattering of the same on Dolgi (Допги). As is so often the case with the instrument, it could be on other tracks, but with several real woodwinds also present, it seems unlikely. So; a strange album, but a not entirely unpleasing one either, with one decent Chamby track.
See: John Medeski | Marc Ribot
 |
AWB (1974, 40.24) ***/½ |
||
| You Got it Got the Love Pick Up the Pieces Person to Person Work to Do Nothing You Can Do Just Wanna Love You Tonight Keepin' it to Myself |
I Just Can't Give You Up There's Always Someone Waiting |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
AWB was the Average White Band's second album, containing their only UK hit, the iconic Pick Up The Pieces, which sounds an awful lot better now than it did at the time, I have to say. It's a strange album, split straight down the middle (er, weren't they all back then?), with the more uptempo, funky stuff on side one, leaving the flip for their more soulful material, although, thankfully, they ran out three songs in, upping the funk factor for the last two tracks.
One 'Tron track, with strings on Just Wanna Love You Tonight from sessioneer Ken Bichel; passable use, but nothing to raise the blood pressure. So; white soul/funk your (papa's got a brand new) bag? Nope? Don't bother, then, although it's surprisingly good at what it does, once removed from its era.
 |
Axis (1973, 41.28) ***½/TT½ |
||
| Waiting a Long Time Sewers Down Inside Materializing the Unlimited Asymphonia I Suspended Precipice Roads Asymphonia II Dancing Percussion |
Pa Vu Ga Di The Planet Vavoura |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
I can't say I know an awful lot about this lot, but Axis is a very strange album; opening with the dull hard rock of Waiting A Long Time, it shifts into progressive gear on Sewers Down Inside, then covers several other musical styles over the ensuing eight tracks, including jazz, avant-garde dissonance and even ecclesiastical music on Pa Vu Ga Di. Being a progressive band from Greece is unusual enough (Akritas, from the same period are the only other one who spring to mind), but Axis' mix'n'match approach to their art puts them in a category all their own.
Demis Visvikis seems to've been the band's main man, playing all the keys as well as lead vocalising. There's no guitarist credited, so unless that's an interestingly effected organ, I can only think that someone's been left off the credits. Anyway, Visvikis plays 'Tron on four tracks, all flutes and strings, with a speedy flute run on Asymphonia II and what sounds like distorted 'Tron flute on Sewers Down Inside. Strings and more flutes on Materializing The Unlimited and a healthy dose of strings on The Planet Vavoura to wind things up nicely.
Well, an uneven album, but a good one for the more adventurous listener; a reasonable amount of Mellotron work, too. Worth hearing.
 |
Joy of a Toy (1969, 41.43/67.17) ****/T |
||
| Joy of a Toy Continued Town Feeling The Clarietta Rag Girl on a Swing Song for Insane Times Stop This Train (Again Doing it) Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her) The Lady Rachel Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong |
All This Crazy Gift of Time [CD reissue adds: Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning) The Lady Rachel Soon Soon Soon Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning) The Lady Rachel Singing a Song in the Morning |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Joy of a Toy was ex-Soft Machiner Ayers' solo debut, showcasing his eccentric songwriting in almost as many different styles as it has tracks. Joy Of A Toy Continued (following on from the Soft Machine's debut) opens with a piercing electronic squeal, mutating into a typical late-'60s singalong, before taking a distinct sideways lurch into the cod-medieval intro to Town Feeling, with the album continuing in a similar vein. Ayers declines to repeat himself throughout, while letting various ex-colleagues guest on different tracks, giving the album a vague 'Canterbury' feel, although that's the nearest it gets to any real sort of cohesion, which is absolutely not to be taken as a criticism.
The Clarietta Rag is the only original album track containing any Mellotron, despite the lack of any mention in the 'instruments used' list. It's hard to say who might've played the odd, trebly strings part on the track, although Mike Ratledge is prime suspect; maybe it was Ayers himself? Anyway, that would be it if it wasn't for one of the excellent bonus tracks on the CD, the second version of Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning), which features a barely-audible 'highly eccentric Mellotron overdub', as it says in the sleevenotes. It's actually a few choppy string notes played by Ayers, but it isn't actually essential, to say the least.
So; Joy of a Toy is the sort of album that I'm sure will grow in stature each time it's played. The songwriting is extremely unusual, and is frequently all the better for it, although that doesn't make for an easy listen the first few times. One 'proper' 'Tron track makes it inessential for the Mellotron fan, though it's well worth hearing in itself, particularly for students of the era.
 |
Elixir (1977, 37.55) ***½/½Campos de Azahar¿Qué Malo Hay, Señor Juez? ¡Es Que Esto No Tiene Nombre! Mercaderes Un Hombre Cansado Cantaros de Fuego Viaje a Marruecos Flipados Que No Me Vean Colgados de la Rama Gorda |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Azahar's first album is notable for being that rarest of things, a progressive rock album with no drums, although a little percussion is audible. And you know what? I didn't even notice. Been listening to too much prog, I suspect... The bulk of the album's rhythmic input comes from the piano and bass parts, although the guitar provides the occasional rhythmic figure, too. Elixir is actually pretty good, if slightly lacking in originality; it's certainly very melodic, with plenty of lush string synth backing, in typical Spanish style. Dick Zappala's vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, to be honest, but there are plenty of instrumental passages, and some of the vocal parts are fairly restrained, so don't let that put you off.
Gustavo Ros is credited with Mellotron, along with piano, Rhodes and synths, but I'd pretty much given up on hearing any until the final, three-part track, Viaje A Marruecos, when a 'Tron string part suddenly swells up under the string synth on part 2, Que No Me Vean, lasting about 30 seconds. Sadly, that appears to be it; why not use it more? Who knows?
Anyway, a good album without being outstanding, but worth the effort, though not for the 'Tron.
 |
Hold on Love (2003, 42.05) ***/T |
||
| The Devil's Feet New Resolution We Are Mice Look to Me The Drinks We Drank Last Night Across the Ocean If You Fall Sea of Doubts |
Dragonfly Nothing Like a Song These White Lights Will Bend to Make Blue Hold on Love |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Azure Ray are/were the duo of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor, who have a strong Bright Eyes connection, with members of both bands playing on each others' records. There are both similarities and differences between the two bands; Azure Ray actually manage to be more melancholy than Bright Eyes, which is a feat in itself, although you wouldn't mistake their music for Conor Oberst's crew. Hold on Love is their third (and last?) album, the duo splitting up a year after its release, although a recent reformation may not be a one-off. Its chief fault is that its relentlessly downbeat approach starts to drag after a while, although several individual tracks sound great in isolation. Now, regular readers will be thinking at this point, "Er, doesn't he LIKE downbeat stuff?" Well, yes and no: miserabilists can be fine, but you can have too much of a good thing, and as in so many other areas, it's not just what is done but how. That's probably a bit unfair; this isn't a bad album, just a slightly one-dimensional one, and please don't bother telling me a one-dimensional object is impossible. I know. It's a figure of speech.
Someone allegedly plays Mellotron here, quite possibly Bright Eyes' Andy LeMaster, but given the quantity of real strings on offer here (small ensemble, by the sound of it), it's pretty hard to tell precisely where, although the strings on We Are Mice seem to be the strongest contender. Not much of a Mellotronic recommendation, that, is it? It's possible that someone was lying, and there's no 'Tron here at all, in which case I'll remove this review forthwith. Anyway, if you like the sound of a gloomy female duo, you may well go for Azure Ray, and if you don't, there must be several million other bands you can listen to.
See: Maria Taylor | Bright Eyes
