|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
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.
|
BZN Babe Ruth Badger |
Badly Drawn Boy Edward Ball Ballettirosadimacchia |
Il Balletto di Bronzo Balls Bang |
Bangles Tony Banks Mario Barbaja |
 |
28 Golden Hits (1983, 98.40) */T |
|||
| Just an Illusion Don't Give it Up Blue Eyes We All Will Dance Twilight Les Gens de Tours les Jours The Valley Oh Me Oh My The Clown It's All Right |
Put on Your Make-Up La Musiquette Just Say I'm Home May We Always Be Together Mon Amour Marching on Pearlydumm Rockin' the Trolls Chanson d'Amour |
Cry to Me The Old Calahan Lady McCorey Sevilla Just Take My Hand Don Luigi America Hang on to a Dream Himalaya |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Oh dear. Ohdearohdearohdear. Well, never let it be said that I don't descend into the fiery pits of musical hell for your reading and listening pleasure... (?) According to the lengthy English-language band history on their website, BZN ('The band with no name', apparently. I wonder what the acronym is for 'The band with no talent'?), formed in the mid-'60s, releasing their first album, the entirely uncharacteristic The Bastard in 1971. After their brief flirtation with hard rock, they made what appears to be a business decision to change their style, and after several years of the odd single here and there, began an annual run of releases in '77 that has continued until the present day. The music? Try to imagine (if you will) a cross between schmaltzy mainstream Europop, Abba on an exceedingly off-day, and German schlager music. Not so much 'if you will' as 'if you can bear to'. I'm sure I've heard worse music, but off the top of my head I'll be buggered if I can remember where. Saying that, they do actually do it very well, although listening to the whole double album completely numbed my brain until I could kickstart it again with some top-notch prog.
Ignoring the two previous 'hits' compilations (the first being after all of three 'proper' releases), BZN released 28 Golden Hits in 1983, an unusual cross between the standard 'best of' and a live album, with side three (why not four?) being live. The sleeve art tells you all you need to know; the downhome cheeriness of the band members, their dreadful fashion sense (I use the phrase extraordinarily loosely; note those 'noo wave' ties) and the jewel in the crown, the windmills with their vanes overlaid with gold records. Fabulous! It's a pity the cover reproduction here is so small; you can't really see the earnest/bored expressions on the faces of several of the band, notably the two guys in the middle, who look practically catatonic. I can only assume they were force-fed the contents of this album just moments before the photo-shoot. The singer looks a lot like Father Ted, and so does the guy standing next to her.
Er... Mellotron? Well, as you can see from this heavily-cropped pic from the inside of the gatefold (you'll thank me for this), keyboard player Thomas Tol's rig consists of an upright piano, a Prophet V and a Mellotron M400. In 1982? Odd, but there you go. He only actually uses it on the first one of the seven lives tracks here, Mon Amour, a cheesy French-language track, which takes its place alongside many other similarly cheesy English-language tracks. I can't honestly recommend this album, and thus anything else the band have ever recorded to anyone other than elderly Dutch people, hardcore masochists or the terminal insomniac. Even then, I suspect it's more likely to irritate than send one to sleep. Impeccably done, but impeccably done rubbish. One OK 'Tron track.
 |
Amar Caballero (1973, 35.37) **½/½ |
|
| Lady Broken Cloud Gimme Some Leg Baby Pride Cool Jerk We Are Holding on Doctor Love |
Amar Caballero El Caballero de la Reina Isabella Hombre de la Guitarra El Testament de n'Amelia |
|
 |
Babe Ruth (1975) ***/TTDancerSomebody's Nobody A Fistful of Dollars We People Darker Than Blue Jack O'Lantern Private Number Turquoise Sad But Rich The Duchess of Orleans |
Current availability:
Babe Ruth (named for the legendary American baseball player) were another of those so-so, a bit heavy, a bit proggy type of mid-'70s outfits, although better than many. Their debut, First Base (***), tends to be their most highly-rated album, though aside from excellent opener Wells Fargo, it's all a bit ordinary. They followed it with Amar Caballero, which (to my ears, at least) was a serious step backwards into vaguely funky territory, with efforts such as Gimme Some Leg and Cool Jerk being worthy of major avoidance, although there are a handful of more acoustic numbers, including Baby Pride and the instrumental violin-led We Are Holding On. The album's clear standout track is Amar Caballero itself, a three-part flamenco-influenced piece, with some excellent acoustic work from guitarist Alan Shacklock. As far as his Mellotron work goes, it's hard to say if there's anything at all; I believe the flute on a couple of tracks is real, and the 'choir' at the end of Baby Pride is possibly one singer multi-overdubbed - it also breaks the eight-second limit, though that can be circumvented in the studio. Hardly a 'Tron classic, then.
Third album, Babe Ruth, is better than its predecessor, but the band appear to run out of ideas by side two, and the album rather runs out of steam. There's some reasonable Mellotron flutes and strings on four tracks, played by Shacklock again, but it's no classic, I'm afraid. However, it's interesting in its choice of covers; Sergio Leone's theme music to A Fistful Of Dollars is worth a listen, and their proggy Mellotron-fuelled take on Curtis Mayfield's anti-racism anthem We People Darker Than Blue is also worth the effort.
So; one so-so album, and one that's really quite poor. Relatively mediocre 'Tron work, so don't go too far out of your way.
 |
One Live Badger (1973, 39.37) ***½/TTT½Wheel of FortuneFountain Wind of Change River The Preacher On the Way Home |
 |
White Lady (1974, 42.53) **/T½ |
|
| A Dream of You Everybody - Nobody Listen to Me Don't Pull the Trigger Just the Way it Goes White Lady Be With You Lord Who Give Me Life |
One More Dream to Hold The Hole Thing |
|
Current availability:
Badger were formed after keyboardist Tony Kaye left Yes in 1970, although One Live Badger wasn't recorded until December '72. I don't know who decided to take the unusual step of debuting with a live album, but the end result is pretty good, and I suppose it saved on studio costs. Despite Kaye's apparent dislike of the Mellotron, and his alleged refusal to play one on The Yes Album, he gets some onto every track on this album, recorded, incidentally, at London's Rainbow Theatre; not bad for a band with no releases to their credit.
Some of the tracks only feature a few seconds of strings, but Wheel Of Fortune and On The Way Home, to name but two, have 'Tron all over them. The only reason I don't give the album a higher 'T' rating is the relatively unambitious arrangements; just because there's a lot of Mellotron on an album doesn't mean it's great 'Tron. Conversely, if there's only a couple of significant tracks (see King Crimson's debut), but they're killers, the full rating may well be awarded. Musically, the album reminds me slightly of Greenslade, in that the band's r'n'b roots show through quite clearly, despite the progressive overtones of their sound. The compositions aren't bad, but I don't really hear any classic material here, although it's a perfectly good listen.
Bizarrely, the band opted to have noted New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint produce White Lady, and I'm afraid the end result's pretty awful. If you like soul-tinged r'n'b, you may go for this album, but for the prog fan it's an utter disaster. There's some pretty uninspired Mellotron on a couple of tracks, but nothing to write home about. I'm sure this album's good at what it does, but I'd really steer well clear of this one.
So, buy One Live Badger if you see it cheapish (the initial pressing featured a wonderful 'pop-up' badger inside the excellent Roger Dean sleeve), but leave White Lady for sad Yes completists.
 |
About a Boy (2002, 44.03) **½/T |
|
| Exit Stage Right A Peak You Reach Something to Talk About Dead Duck Above You, Below Me I Love N.Y.E. Silent Sigh Wet, Wet, Wet |
River-Sea-Ocean S.P.A.T. Rachel's Flat Walking Out of Stride File Me Away A Minor Incident Delta (Little Boy Blues) Donna and Blitzen |
|
 |
Have You Fed the Fish? (2002, 45.48) **½/T |
|
| Coming Into Land Have You Fed The Fish? Born Again 40 Days 40 Fights All Possibilities I Was Wrong You Were Right CentrePeace |
How? The Further I Slide Imaginary Lines Using Our Feet Tickets to What You Need What is it Now? Bedside Story |
|
Current availability:
So what, precisely, is all the fuss about re. Damon 'Badly Drawn Boy' Gough? To hear the media bleat on about him, certainly a few years ago, you'd think he was the bloody second coming. His second album, 2000's The Hour of Bewilderbeast, won the much-coveted Mercury Music Prize; well, it invariably boosts sales manyfold - I'm not surprised it's much-coveted... Going by the evidence here, Gough is bland, dinner-party singer-songwriter fare, with much unnecessary studio tarting. Very safe.
2002 brought his soundtrack to the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's About a Boy. Now, we all know that soundtracks are invariably a mixed bag, with incidental music that frequently makes little sense outside its dramatic context, making this one better than most, or at least, more cohesive. Nevertheless, Gough's songs are pretty bland, leaving some of the short instrumental pieces as the album's highlights, although that isn't saying much. Chamberlin from Jon Brion, with a queasy pitchbent, er, something on A Peak You Reach, with nothing obviously audible on Above You, Below Me (the strings are real), ditto on Delta (Little Boy Blues), although Donna And Blitzen has some very upfront male and female voices, with a solo male voice standing out nicely.
Later that same year, BDB released Have You Fed The Fish?, which turned out to be no more than a more song-orientated version of its predecessor, certainly in the sonic department. Brion and Gough played Chamby this time round, with nothing obvious on How? but nice flutes on The Further I Slide, while Tickets To What You Need reprises the choirs from his previous album.
So; please don't buy these albums. Gough almost certainly has enough money already, and I dislike him for a) always wearing a woolly hat and b) thinking it's clever to smoke on camera. Oh, and c) for making horrible mainstream albums like these. One or two decent Chamby tracks, but I don't want to catch any of you buying them for that reason.
 |
Catholic Guilt (1997, 38.03) ***½/½ |
|
| The Mill Hill Self Hate Club Love is Blue Docklands Blues Controversial Girlfriend The Hampstead Therapist Tilt Trailblaze Never Live to Love Again |
This is the Story of My Love This is Real |
|
Current availability:
Ed(ward) Ball is an on-off member of the Television Personalities, having played seemingly every instrument in his various stints in the band, spending the rest of his time in, er, The Times and on his solo career. Catholic Guilt seems to be his third full solo offering, and can be categorised loosely as an indie/singer-songwriter album, although it's a lot better than that suggests. Touches of Dylan, the Velvets, maybe a less caustic Elvis Costello, though I'm not sure Ball would thank me for the comparison. Or maybe he would. Imagine Oasis if they were good, even, especially given that he was signed to the same label, Creation. Go on, try. Difficult to pick standout songs, although the lyrics to The Mill Hill Self Hate Club and Controversial Girlfriend particularly caught my ear.
Ball credits himself with a whole raft of instruments; hardly surprising, when you consider how many he's played in the TVPs. Among the nice old 'boards is a Mellotron, although given that the album features both string and brass sections, there isn't an awful lot for it to do. In fact, all I can hear for definite are some slightly 'Strawberry Fields'-esque flutes on The Hampstead Therapist, making this a bit of a waste of time for the committed 'Tron nut. However, if you like well-written and played songs, with an English bent, you could do an awful lot worse.
 |
Ballettirosadimacchia (1974, 38.28) ****/TTTTAscolta!Sandiego Altre Guei Calli E Tutto un Sogno Interludio Oggi Dalla Mattina al Pommeriggio Suono Se ti Piace |
Current availability:
Now, here's an oddity for you; an album by a bunch of (allegedly) Italians, also allegedly dating from the mid-'70s, though no-one seems quite sure exactly when. Augusto Croce, of the highly estimable Italian Prog site, has this to say about it:
| "Little is known about this mysterious group, whose only good album changes hands for incredible prices and has never been reissued on CD. Even the year of recording is not sure. Some say it is from 1974-75, but it seems likely that it is from the mid 80's. The album has been released in Canada with a German producer, the music is good organ and Mellotron-led prog sung in Italian with a strong foreign accent and often incomprehensible lyrics: this is almost certainly a foreign group, German or probably Japanese, playing under fake Italian names". |
So, how weird is that? Mind you, the also estimable Mauro Degrassi, who's made me a beautiful CD copy of this rarity, is of the opinion that it was recorded by a bunch of Italian ex-pats living in Germany in the mid-'70s, who probably spoke German as their first language, or maybe that's just the story that's going round? Anyway, it has to be said that Ballettirosadimacchia (a composite of 'balletti rosa di macchia') is actually very good, even if it is, technically, a 'fake'. None of the tracks is that long (apart from the seven-minute closer Se Ti Piace), in keeping with many other Italian bands of the era, and the album certainly has 'that Italian sound', with mellifluous guitar leads, occasionally gutteral vocals, slightly jazzy drumming and swathes of Hammond and Mellotron.
Oddly enough, despite having a full-time keyboard player in Gianni Mazzi, the 'Tron is played by bassist Tonino Leo Ucchi and drummer Marcello Taddeo Matteotti, although I can't imagine how they could've reproduced the parts on stage, assuming they ever played live. It's difficult to pinpoint any outstanding use, as it's used mostly for chordal string backdrops, with the odd bit of flute, complementing Ucchi's real one (he also sang and played acoustic guitar). The only real variation in approach is the heavily phased 'Tron on Suono, which actually sounds more like an overdubbed synth part; speaking of which, the only obvious Moog (?) part on the album is on Se Ti Piace.
So; who knows this album's real provenance? I hope the real story leaks out one day, but it's such an obscurity that I wouldn't be surprised if the mystery remains exactly that. I would be surprised if it was recorded in the '80s, though, as the sound is so very '70s, with no telltale signs (at least to my ears) that it was produced a decade later, although it seems quite certain that the band weren't actually Italian, at least not by residence. Japanese? I don't think so - German seems far more likely, particularly given Ulrich Zichter's production. Maybe the 'Germans of Italian parentage' story is actually true? Anyway, unless someone sees fit to put this out on CD, you ain't going to just stumble across a copy (note: now out on CD), at least not at a sensible price, so it's probably all rather academic anyway. If you do, though, grab it before its owner realises its true value.
 |
YS (1972, 37.58/45.02) ****½/TTTIntroduzionePrimo Incontro Secondo Incontro Terzo Incontro Epilogo [CD adds: La Tua Casa Comoda Donna Vittoria] |
Current availability:
Il Balletto di Bronzo were a classic one-shot Italian band, singing in their own language, who operated at the heavier end of the progressive spectrum. The Italian Polydor CD confuses the issue somewhat by stating the copyright date as 1977, which made me wonder why the band sounded so dated; it is, of course, from '72, which sounds about right, to be honest. YS was apparently a 'fabled city state on the Bretagne coast', according to the WelshDragon site, although the letter 'Y' doesn't even appear to be used in Italian. The non-obvious tracks are titled first/second/third encounter but again, I don't know if there's an actual concept involved or not.
YS kicks into overdrive almost straight away, then stays there pretty much for the course of the album; Il Balletto di Bronzo don't muck about, just roll their collective sleeves up and get stuck in. This is a decidedly complex and intense record, which may not endear it to all prog fans, particularly those of a nervous disposition. To be blunt, it rocks. There's a good bit of Mellotron on offer, from vocalist/keyboard man Gianni Leone, mostly strings and brass, though I think I heard a short burst of flutes at one point. Leone tends to use it in bursts, rather than layering strings all over the place, so although you can hear it on four of the five tracks, you'll find little sustained use. No specific 'Tron highlights, although the brass at the beginning of Terzo Incontro is particularly searing.
The Polydor CD adds two tracks from a single from the following year, but there's no Mellotron to be heard. There are also English-language (and Mellotron-free) versions of Introduzione and Secondo Incontro doing the rounds, but I don't know if they've ever gained an official release or not. Anyway, YS is fantastic; OK 'Tron, but great album. Buy.
 |
Balls Change When Balls Wants to Change (1993, 57.55) **½/T½ |
|
| Lucille Ball Paper World Shit Rolls in Be My Bird Ford Let's Go Crazy I Want to Take You Higher Polar Bear |
God's Gone to Sleep Convertible Blow Job Stop That Moaning Too Much Monkey Business Sadness of Sunday Hairy Rat Tulane Let's Take the Sea |
|
Current availability:
The provocatively-named Balls are one of the inconceivably vast number of bands from non English-speaking countries who gain some sort of following in their home territory, while meaning diddly-squat to anyone else. Well, have YOU heard of them? What little information I can glean about the band (well, you try searching for them on Google) indicates that they've released several albums over a near-20 year period, of which the slightly cod-English Balls Change When Balls Wants to Change is the third. So, wossit sound like, then? A mixture of styles is the short answer, opening with an energetic instrumental before moving through a host of pop and rock styles without ever really settling on anything. Maybe that's the point. I have to say, the band's sound irritated me after a while, and an album of this type would be better kept under 40 minutes, rather than almost an hour.
As far as the album's Mellotron content goes, the inimitable Esa Kotilainen (one of Finland's handful of Mellotron owners/players) plays understated string, flute and possibly cello parts on the balladic Let's Go Crazy, and strings, choirs and flutes on God's Gone To Sleep, but that's it. I suspect you're unlikely to like this album very much, although there's nothing actually intrinsically wrong with it, other than a lack of memorable material. To summarise; sort-of mainstream pop/rock with a couple of 'Tron tracks. I really wouldn't bother.
 |
 |
Mother/Bow to the King (1972, 31.09) ***½/TMotherHumble Keep on Idealist Realist Feel the Hurt Tomorrow Bow to the King |
 |
 |
Bang! Music (1973, 33.15) **½/TT |
|
| Windfair Glad You're Home Don't Need Nobody Page of My Life Love Sonnet Must Be Love Exactly Who I Am Pearl and Her Ladies |
Little Boy Blue Brightness Another Town |
||
Current availability:
Bang allegedly produced one of America's best Sabbath impersonations in their eponymous debut (***), but upon actually hearing it, it's a very ordinary hard rock album with only one track that sounds even slightly like the mighty Sabs. They followed it with a decent enough concept piece, Mother/Bow to the King, although it's all a bit unexciting compared to what, say, the Blue Öyster Cult were doing at the time, not to mention a whole slew of British bands, Budgie, maybe, or Stray. Saying that, the band come up with some decent riffs, not least the opening to Tomorrow, spoilt almost immediately by an overly-cheerful guitar harmony, like a (slightly) heavier Wishbone Ash. Mellotron, finally, on closer and semi-title track, Bow To The King, apparently about a boxing champ. The uncredited string part actually enhances the track quite nicely, making me wonder why they didn't use it more on the album; it would easily have fitted onto a couple of the heavier tracks.
By the time Bang! Music appeared in '73, the fire had obviously left their collective bellies. It starts with a couple of reasonable tracks, notably Windfair, but quickly degenerates into that sort of vaguely hard rock that seemed to be inexplicably popular at the time. Or maybe not; how many bands of that ilk have survived? The band were a trio at this point, but no-one seems to have been credited with keyboards, so whoever elected to stick piano and Mellotron on a few tracks will have to remain a mystery. Windfair has some strings in the chorus, ditto Love Sonnet and Little Boy Blue. Another Town starts well, sounding like it's going to be one of the album's best tracks, 'Tron to the fore, until it peters out after 45 seconds. Why? Just when it looked like things were picking up...
So; not that exciting, I'm afraid. Yeah, I've heard worse (particularly in the case of the halfway decent Mother), but this style never really was a winner, and it's easy to see why. Anyway, one 'Tron track on the former, and four on the latter, none exceptional, but all OK. Wouldn't rush out if I were you.
 |
Everything (1988, 47.41) ***/T |
|
| In Your Room Complicated Girl Bell Jar Something to Believe in Eternal Flame Be With You Glitter Years I'll Set You Free |
Watching the Sky Some Dreams Come True Make a Play for Her Now Waiting for You Crash and Burn |
|
Current availability:
Everything, The Bangles' fourth and last album before their recent reformation, is pretty typical, being a mixture of upbeat '60s-influenced girly pop and fluffy ballads, including the mega-hit Eternal Flame, although there's more of the former than the latter, thankfully. It's very good at what it does, the only proviso being that you have to like what they do, which I can't really say I do, to be honest, although Walk Like An Egyptian was quite good fun. Phil Shenale plays keyboards on the album, and a little birdie tells me that included amongst them was a Chamberlin. Assuming this is actually the case, you can hear it in the orientalish string sounds on In Your Room and the strong string melody on Watching The Sky, but I wouldn't actually bet any huge sum of money on it not being something digital.
 |
A Curious Feeling (1979) ***½/½ |
|
| From the Undertow Lucky Me The Lie After the Lie A Curious Feeling Forever Morning You Somebody Else's Dream |
The Waters of Lethe For a While In the Dark |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Tony Banks is, of course, Genesis' keyboard player and one of their main writers; many of their classic pieces have his style stamped all over them. By 1979, Genesis had contracted to a three-piece with the regrettable departure of Steve Hackett, and after the success of their first album with that lineup, ...And Then There Were Three... the band took time off, with Banks and Mike Rutherford recording solo albums during their gap year, with Phil Collins following two years later. Sadly. The least commercially successful of the three was Banks' debut, A Curious Feeling; a curious album, in fact. Tony Banks is widely regarded as keeping his best material for the parent band (pity more musicians don't follow this dictum), and his solo albums have always sold poorly. A Curious Feeling, along with Genesis' subsequent album, Duke (***) and Rutherford's solo debut, Smallcreep's Day (***½) can be seen as the collective last gasp of the 'old' Genesis, before their style moved irrevocably towards the mainstream.
Banks is notorious for collaborating with unsuitable singers, of whom Kim Beacon was only the first. His voice really doesn't suit the material, and it seems strange that Tony couldn't have found someone better. Maybe it's the 'prog keyboard player solo album' disease; think of the bellowing Ashley Holt on all those Rick Wakeman albums... In fact, it's noticeable that as with his ex-colleague Hackett, the best bits are mostly instrumental; odd, given how many excellent vocal tracks Banks wrote for Genesis, but there you go.
From The Undertow is a beautiful, piano-based piece (Yamaha CP70 electric grand), starting the album as it should have gone on; sadly, only a handful of tracks match the opener's quality. After The Lie has some incendiary playing from Banks, with a killer solo, and the instrumentals Forever Morning and The Waters Of Lethe are excellent. The only Mellotron present (allegedly) is on You, but I only know this through an interview snippet; it's completely inaudible, although the track is the other fairly strong vocal piece on the album.
So; buy the album for the keyboard work. In fact, get it on CD and just program most of the vocal tracks out altogether. DON'T, however, buy it expecting to hear any Mellotron.
 |
Megh (1972, 38.27) ***½/T½Un po' di Burro sul Mio PaneSono Stato Una Promessa In Quella Città Tan Non Dire Mai In Quella Città (la Leggenda) Sereno Qui Un'Armonica |
Current availability:
I don't know an awful lot about Mario Barbaja (real name Barbaglia, apparently), although I've seen him described as 'progressive'. Hmmm. Megh consists of a diverse collection of slightly progressive Italian pop, but there's no way I'd describe it as 'prog', although there's the odd interesting track along the lines of the Indian-sounding Tan and the interestingly oblique In Quella Città (La Leggenda).
Franco Orlandini plays Mellotron on three tracks, with what sounds like some rather muffled strings on Tan, more overt parts on Non Dire Mai and In Quella Città and a nice flute part on Un'Armonica. However, you really couldn't call this a Mellotron Album, to be honest. Not bad, but not worth spending a great deal of time and/or money on.
