|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
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.
 |
Us & Us Only (1999, 52.22) ***/TTT½ |
|
| Forever Good Witch, Bad Witch 3 Impossible The Blond Waltz A House is Not a Home Senses My Beautiful Friend I Don't Care Where You Live |
The Blind Stagger Watching You |
|
 |
Wonderland (2001, 57.31) **/T½ |
|
| You're So Pretty - We're So Pretty Judas Love is the Key A Man Needs to Be Told I Just Can't Get Over Losing You The Bell and the Butterfly And if I Fall Wake Up |
Is it in You? Ballad of the Band Right on Love to You |
|
 |
Up at the Lake (2004, 45.00) **½/T |
|
| Up at the Lake Feel the Pressure As I Watch You in Disbelief Cry Yourself to Sleep Bona Fide Treasure High Up Your Tree Blue for You I'll Sing a Hymn (You Came to Me) |
Loving You is Easy Try Again Today Apples and Oranges Dead Love |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Manchester's Charlatans regrouped in 1998 after the death of their long-standing organist, Rob Collins, having decided to carry on. Replacing him with Tony Rogers, they branched out a little on the keyboard front, buying a Wurlitzer and an M400, slapping it all over their next release Us and Us Only. By the way, the band are known as Charlatans UK in the States, probably due to their ripping-off of the original '60s Charlatans' name. The album starts fantastically, with a grinding Hammond fading in and a driving backbeat, which even Tim Burgess' dodgy vocals can't dispel. Unfortunately, it's the album's best track, although they use 'Tron (mostly strings) on six tracks in total; Senses is particularly good for it, with an unaccompanied part closing the song, while Watching You branches out with a nice flute part, pitchbend included. All in all, I found this better for the 'Tron than the music, but if you're into that UK retro-indie thing, you may like this anyway.
I'm afraid to say their follow-up, Wonderland, is a distinct backwards step, being largely dated baggy-by-numbers, complete with by-now passé drum loops and largely tedious songwriting. Sorry, but I find it difficult to say anything particularly positive about such a lacklustre album; even after several listens, I can't find anything very encouraging to say about it, except: nice vintage keys. Quite a bit of Wurly, and after a slow start, some reasonable Mellotron, with a few string notes on You're So Pretty - We're So Pretty (yeah, yeah, it's a Pistols quote; would've been far better titled 'So Pretty', but there you go), which start things off with a whimper, but a nice (if brief) flute melody on And If I Fall and a more overt part on Is It In You?, along with strings, brighten things up slightly. The strings on Right On seem to be mixed with generic samples, but the choirs, strings and cellos on closer Love To You finish things off well, at least on the 'Tron front.
2004's Up at the Lake is an improvement on its predecessor, which isn't actually a recommendation; 'not appalling' isn't a synonym for 'good'. It has its moments, but they're rather few and far between, I'm afraid, the title track probably being the best of a ropey bunch. Rogers plays 'Tron on just one obvious track, with strings and flutes on High Up Your Tree, although the strings on closer Dead Love are real.
So; Us and Us Only is noticeably better than Wonderland and Up at the Lake, but I wouldn't really go too far out of your way for any of them, to be honest. Average at best, although some nice 'Tron in places.
 |
Schizophrenic (2004, 72.07) **/½ |
|
| Some Girls (Dance With Women) She Got Me 100 Ways Mercy Build My World Something Special If You Were My Girl Shake it |
All Day Long I Dream About Sex One Night Stand Come to Me Dear Goodbye Everything You Want Lose Myself Right Here (By Your Side) Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
It seems Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez is the second most famous ex-member of 'N Sync after Justin Timberlake, although given that I had no idea the latter had anything to do with said boy-band, it's hardly surprising I haven't previously encountered the former. Chasez' sole solo album to date, 2004's Schizophrenic, is well-titled, as it skips between a bewildering variety of pop styles, from the mainstream dance-pop prevalent on its first few tracks through the retro electro of Come To Me (spot that Eurythmics bassline) and the lengthy(ish) All Day Long I Dream About Sex to the Donna Summer non-sample around which One Night Stand is built, not to mention the reggae feel of Everything You Want. I'm not going to pretend for a nanosecond that this album is anything other than an ultra-commercial pop record, but at least it's one that isn't afraid to take the occasional chance, although the likes of Lose Myself and Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love) are enough to make the committed listener gag.
Roger (Joseph) Manning (Jr.) plays keys, including Mellotron, although it isn't exactly evident throughout the bulk of the album. While the strings on Dear Goodbye are clearly keyboard-generated, they sound nothing like a Mellotron, although the brief polyphonic flute part does, so I think we'll have to assume that that's it on the 'Tron front. No, of course you don't need to hear this album, or any part of it, but despite its many failings, it's far less offensive than much of the crap to which I've subjected myself over the last few years.
 |
Sever Roots, Tree Dies (1988, 45.16) ***½/T½Fight for InnocenceDeath & Taxes Uncle Dale Avoid the Invisible Severed Heaven Black & White Cutting Off My Arm So I Don't Have to Shake Hands Tree Dies |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The wonderfully-named Cheer-Accident (apparently named for a category of greeting cards) are a long-standing institution on the Chicago scene, although I was unaware of their existence before hearing this album. Sever Roots, Tree Dies was their first release, and while the overused term 'avant-garde' is relevant, what I hear is a combination of '70s RIO (Henry Cow et al.), '80s King Crimson and some weirder shit, although I believe the band have grown away from their influences on subsequent albums. Although I've only given this album 3½ stars, I suspect it may get an upgrading in the future, as its hidden depths release their murky secrets; there's an awful lot going on here - far more than the average brain (especially mine) can assimilate in a single sitting.
Of the band's three members at the time, two (multi-instrumentalists Thymme Jones and Chris Block) play Mellotron, apparently borrowed from one Ted Dominick, whose sleeve credit reads "who else would have a Mellotron?" It isn't actually used until track four, the lengthy Avoid The Invisible, with what sounds like a cello line under one of the more 'normal' parts of the song, before a fantastic discordant strings part takes over. There are more cellos on Severed (the lyrics of which give the album its name), but that appears to be it.
So; a really rather good album that is finally available on CD, through Freakshow Records, based in Würzburg in Germany, run by Charly, who also runs the town's magnificent annual prog festival. There isn't an awful lot of 'Tron, but what there is, is good, so buy this principally for the music.
 |
Living in the Present Future (2000, 49.55) ***/T |
|
| Been Here Once Before Are You Still Having Fun One Good Reason Promises Made Burning Up Together Long Way Around Lonely Days (Miles Away) |
First to Fall Miss Fortune She Didn't Believe Shades of Grey Wishing it Was |
|
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
Eagle-Eye Cherry was actually born in Sweden, but is effectively American, despite spending time in Sweden as an adult. Son of jazz trumpeter Don and brother of Neneh, Eagle-Eye's career kicked off in the late '90s, after the death of his father, releasing Desireless in '97 ('98 in the States). His second release, Living in the Present Future, appeared in 2000, being reissued a year later in the US as Present/Future, with a slightly different tracklisting, and is an appealing mix of singer-songwriter styled material with a bit of a 'retro' sound with some more current influences, although none of them are that overt. One Good Reason is a beautiful acoustic ballad, while Lonely Days (Miles Away) is probably the album's best upbeat song, though while nothing here actually offends, the album does begin to outstay its welcome around track ten, to be honest.
The inimitable Patrick Warren plays Chamberlin on Promises Made, illustrating why the instrument is sometimes so hard to spot; it's actually almost indistinguishable from real strings, though with a tape-replay edge to it, a trick the Mellotron rarely performs, which is presumably why the Chamby is so popular amongst a small cabal of American producers. Several other tracks feature Hammond, Rhodes and some particularly nice, mellow Moog (presumably a Mini), especially the solo on Lonely Days (Miles Away).
So; not one for those of you who detest the mainstream, which this effectively is. However, it's far better than I'd expected, all things considered, and it's a shame Cherry hasn't made a bigger commercial impact, given the talentless dross that clogs up the airwaves. Anyway, one decent Chamby track, for those who are interested.
 |
Cherry Five (1975, 43.12) ****/TTTCountry Grave-YardThe Picture of Dorian Gray The Swan is a Murderer Part 1 The Swan is a Murderer Part 2 Oliver My Little Cloud Land |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Cherry Five were, basically, an early version of the esteemed Goblin, of Dario Argento horror movie theme fame (try saying that quickly); in fact, the sound effects on the album were later re-used on Goblin's Profondo Rosso. Their take on prog was actually slightly dated for 1975, with a psych edge to it in places lost by most of their contemporaries by that time, but don't let that put you off.
Goblin quickly developed their own sound, partly, no doubt, due to most of their albums being soundtracks, but Cherry Five had a distinctly Yes/Gentle Giant flavour to their material, particularly in the vocal harmony (Yes) and organ (Giant) department. The songs actually get better, and more contemporary, as the album progresses; maybe they recorded their stuff in the order they wrote it? Unlikely, but Cherry Five does have that sort of feel to it. Mellotron on three tracks, all strings, all very nice use, though not quite enough to be labelled a 'Tron Classic. Anyway, an excellent album that I get the feeling will be a 'grower' the more I play it. Much recommended, especially if you're into '70s Italian prog. Oh, and don't forget to check out Goblin.
See: Goblin
 |
Silver Lake (2003, 58.54) ***½/TT |
|
| I'm Through Stay Inside Band Camp Girl's Say 2nd Floor Styrofoam Zippy Morocco Sultan, So Mighty |
Wren's Nest Fa-La-La In My Way, Yes |
|
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
Vic Chesnutt (NOT 'Chestnut') is an Athens, Georgia-based singer-songwriter, paraplegic since the age of nineteen, whose work loosely fits the 'alt.country' tag, while refusing to be constrained by its usual limitations. 2003's Silver Lake is his ninth album, full of 'story' songs that demand the listener's attention, although the music's good enough to stand up on its own if you're not in the mood for Chesnutt's wry observations. Top tracks include lengthy opener I'm Through, Stay Inside and Zippy Morocco, but it's all good, basically.
Patrick Warren does his Chamberlin thing on several tracks; fortunately, the credits list not only 'Chamberlin', but what the instrument actually does, track-by-track, as several of the sounds aren't that apparent. He plays Chamby pedal steel, doubtless aided by 'that Chamberlin trick' of manipulating the flywheel, difficult on a Mellotron, on Band Camp, although it's almost impossible to pick it out from the other guitar work on the track. Zippy Morocco features a far more obvious string part, while Sultan, So Mighty is big on woodwind, with oboe, clarinet and bassoon parts that could quite easily be 'real', co-existing with Warren's Wurlitzer, with regular (and nicely full-on) strings on Wren's Nest and string and inaudible 'tibia' parts on Fa-La-La finishing the album's tape-replay parts off in style.
All in all, a very good album with some unusual Chamberlin work, although much of it's either inaudible or used overly sparsely. Worth hearing anyway.
 |
Let's Go Get Stoned (1994, 40.34) ***/T |
|
| Johnny Volume Street Fighting Man Drunkhouse It's Getting Harder All the Time I'd Rather Be Dead Can't Believe it Rock'n'Roll Murder Sing Me Back Home |
Long Ago, Far Away I'm Not Talking One Foot in the Graveyard I'm So Confused, Baby Cannonballs for Christmas |
|
 |
The Mindbending Sounds of... (2003, 49.13) ***/0 |
|
| I Don't Understand Running Through My Nightmares Somewhere Nowhere Trip Through Tomorrow Transparent Life Death is the Only Real Thing Disconnection Stems and Flowers |
Flashback Memos From Purgatory Mystery Trip Non-Entity Endless Circles Fading of my Mind |
|
 |
Psychedelic Sunrise (2007, 39.48) ***/T |
|
| Sunrise (Turn on) Rise and Fall Streaks and Flashes Elevator Ride Up and Down Inside Looking Out Spanish Sun Outtasite! |
Stayed Too Long Gone Yesterday's Sorrows Dawn |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
The Chesterfield Kings (named for the once-popular brand of American gasper) formed way back in '79, when bassist Andy Babiuk was only sixteen. Although their specific style has shifted over the years, they unsurprisingly fall loosely into what Americans would probably refer to as post-British Invasion; late beat/early psych to the rest of us. I've read somewhere that 1994's Let's Go Get Stoned was originally meant to be a Stones tribute album, becoming watered down to, well, an album of originals containing one Stones cover. Mind you, the rest of the material might as well be by Mick, Keef'n'the boys, with Long Ago, Far Away copping its intro from Sympathy For The Devil, while you'd sweat Brian Jones was playing on several tracks. Babiuk plays Mellotron on I'm So Confused, Baby, with strings all over the track, although it's possible we're hearing early samples (eMu's Vintage Synth box appeared the previous year).
2003's The Mindbending Sounds of... is something like their ninth non-compilation album in twenty years, and while it's a decent listen for those into the era, its chief problem is that it's more pastiche than homage, channelling The Stones one minute (Flashback, Memos From Purgatory), Love the next (Transparent Life)... You get the picture. It's not a bad record, by any means, but its dearth of originality scuppers it in the 'undying classics' stakes. All four members are credited with multiple instruments, including, in Greg Provost's case, Mellotron. Er, if you say so, Greg... There's absolutely nothing audible at all, so Christ knows where it's supposed to be, but it doesn't seem to be this album.
Their follow-up, 2007's Psychedelic Sunrise, is, unsurprisingly, more psych-influenced than its predecessor, although there's still plenty of '66 Stones copies for the old school brigade, including the Lady Jane-style acoustic effort Inside Looking Out and the Paint It, Black near-rip-off Spanish Sun (that sitar riff!). Provost's Mellotron is actually audible on one track this time, with a background string part on Rise And Fall, although whether or not it's real is another matter. It does an odd 'tape slowing down' thing at the end of the song which could either be extreme pitchbending of a sample, or digital manipulation of the sound, real or otherwise.
All in all, then, three somewhat unoriginal albums with some reasonable songs and very little Mellotron. Three stars all round, then.
 |
VII (1974, 72.32) ***/T |
|
| Prelude to Aire Aire Devil's Sweet Italian From New York Hanky Panky Life Saver Happy Man (I've Been) Searchin' So Long |
Mongonucleosis Song of the Evergreens Byblos Wishing You Were Here Call on Me Woman Don't Want to Love Me Skinny Boy |
|
 |
X (1976, 41.55) **/½ |
|
| Once or Twice You Are on My Mind Skin Tight If You Leave Me Now Together Again Another Rainy Day in New York City Mama Mama Scrapbook |
Gently I'll Wake You You Get It Up Hope for Love |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
By VII, Chicago were already moving well away from their rock/jazz/blues beginnings, and a distinct Latin influence had begun to make itself known. Saying that, the jazz-inflected material here is still vastly superior to the rampant balladry that was to become their stock in trade within two or three albums, although Happy Man and particularly (I've Been) Searchin' So Long stray dangerously close.
Opener Prelude To Aire features a cool 'Tron strings part from Robert Lamm, underpinning a lengthy flute part, over Latin percussion, with 'Tron cellos added to the mix towards the end of the piece. Byblos is another jazzy Latin thing, with background flutes and strings from David J. Wolinski, and that's it for the album (both tracks credited, so no guesswork here). So; not Chicago's best, and the precipice of taste over which they were about to plummet is clearly visible, but VII has its moments, though I feel it may've made a better single album.
Two years on, X isn't entirely awful, surprisingly, though bloody close, with interesting chord sequences in a couple of tracks, which are then spoilt by completely naff arrangements. It also contains the utterly hideous If You Leave Me Now, surely one of the worst songs known to mankind, which docked it at least half a star on its own. Suffice to say, unless you have a yen for the sort of anodyne crap they've been churning out ever since they decided to stop doing anything interesting, you want to avoid this album. Wolinski plays Mellotron strings on weepy closer Hope For Love, but to little effect, to be honest.
So; stick with Chicago's early material, although bits of VII are passable.
 |
Chillum (1971, 39.49) ***/T½Brain StrainLand of a Thousand Dreams Too Many Bananas Yes! We Have No Pajamas Promenade des Anglais |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Chillum was the third album by undeservedly lesser-known psychonauts Second Hand, or at least their twin enfants terribles, vocalist/keyboardist Ken Elliott and drummer Kieran O'Connor; it seems no-one can now remember why they also elected to use it as the band name. It's possible that the overt drug connotations were a deliberate attempt to piss someone off (record company? Society? Each other?), but that can only be a matter for conjecture.
The album opens with a side-long jam, Brain Strain, apparently recorded at guitarist Tony McGill's audition, which is remarkably good, all things considered. A brief proto-symphonic piece, Land Of A Thousand Dreams, is followed by a drum solo (Too Many Bananas) and another lengthy jam (Yes! We Have No Pajamas), before a final short well-arranged piece in Promenade Des Anglais, making this more of a jamming album than anything else. Elliott's Mellotron work is confined (big surprise here) to the two short arranged pieces, with a major string part on the all-too brief Land Of A Thousand Dreams, and a minor one on closer Promenade Des Anglais, making this a bit of a minor effort in the Mellotron Canon, though at least it's audible where used.
Elliott and O'Connor fell out dramatically in 1972, signalling the end of the band, although the collapse of their record company can't have helped. Eventually, they had another stab at fame and fortune as Seventh Wave, releasing a further two albums before the inevitable permanent rift, meaning that they probably reached their artistic peak on their first album, although I'm sure many of you will disagree. Chillum doubtless has its advocates, although its druggy jamming won't be to everyone's tastes, and its Mellotron use is pretty low-key, though I've heard an awful lot worse. Oh, and See For Miles released an expanded edition in the late '90s, which I shall review when I manage to get hold of a copy.
See: Second Hand | Seventh Wave
 |
Black Music (1998, 46.23) ***½/TT |
|
| Life Half a Man Don't Look Down Clinic My Mom Safe and Sound A Cheap Excuse Hangover Five |
Hangover Nine Stupid Again It's All Good Half a Man |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Chocolate Genius (now Chocolate Genius Inc.) is basically the nom de plume of Marc Anthony Thompson, a New York-based musician who clearly has no intention of conforming to any stereotypes, racial or otherwise. Black Music apparently refers to the darkness within most of its songs, although every now and again (doubtless to confound the listener), Thompson toys with one or another of the styles the ill-informed observer may expect of him. The album starts brilliantly with the stark Life, featuring several other tracks of searing honesty, not least My Mom, which is painful to even listen to, so I can't imagine what it cost Thompson to write and record something so nakedly open. There are weaker tracks; the rather anodyne Clinic veers rather too close to the kind of clichés you might expect from the album's title, but the low points are few and far between.
Mellotronically speaking, John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) makes his presence felt immediately, playing a brilliantly seasick 'Tron strings part on opener Life, with lesser input on Don't Look Down and Safe And Sound. This is an unexpectedly good album by an artist of whose existence I was previously unaware; Thompson covers several musical bases, and actually writes lyrics worth listening to, which is more than I can say for, ooh... 99.9% of lyricists? Probably more. Only one full-on 'Tron track, but an essential for Medeski fans, and worth hearing for the rest of you. Incidentally, as this is an album from the '90s, it includes a hidden, unlisted track, a different version of the excellent Half A Man; the CD's running time has been adjusted accordingly.
 |
Just a Dream (1980, 40.17) ***/TT½IxtlanHollow Men All the Things Remembrances Sonnenaufgang Old Piece of Rock Back Up Nothing to Hide |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Choice grew out of one of the best German one-shots (excluding their apparently awful reformation album), Epidaurus, and included both of that estimable outfit's keyboard players, Günther Henne and Gerd Linke. Compared to their superb effort of only three years earlier, Choice peddled a relatively mainstream form of prog on Just a Dream, which I've seen compared to Kayak, or maybe Camel, although just because it was quite late in the day for prog, that didn't have to mean giving in to The Man (see: Tau). Actually, I'm being a little unfair here; there are several reasonable tracks on the album, including Ixtlan and Old Piece Of Rock, it's just that after the Epidaurus album of all of three years earlier, it's a slight let-down.
Anyway, 'Tron on four tracks, with effective strings on Ixtlan and less of the same on Hollow Men, choirs on Remembrances, and strings and choir on closer Nothing To Hide, although the best use has to be on the first track. So, not bad, not great, more for those into neo-prog, although Just a Dream predates that style by a couple of years.
See: Epidaurus
 |
Flap Your Wings (2000, 39.58) **/T |
|
| Flap Your Wings Shiny Floor Mercy Lives Here Hey Gene Sunny Flowing Over Me Cherry Bomb I Don't Mean Any Harm |
A Moment in Time Beautiful Scandalous Night |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Choir are a CCM outfit with links to the surprisingly inoffensive Daniel Amos and the horrible City on a Hill series. They've been around since the mid-'80s, making them a textbook case of how Christian acts can completely bypass the mainstream, playing and selling records to an almost exclusively Christian audience. Calling Flap Your Wings less offensive than many similar artists could be construed as a recommendation, which it isn't; its first couple of tracks are in a turn-of-the-millennium indie style, complete with random guitar noise and other tricks used at the time, but it quickly descends into lightweight mush, although still nowhere near as bad as some of the horrors I've encountered.
Mellotron player to the Christian community, Phil Madeira, adds his M400 to the album, but only just, with nothing obvious apart from the flutes on A Moment In Time, although the strings may just possibly be hiding away on a track or two. While nowhere near as dreadful as some, unless you're a Christian with very insipid taste, you really don't need to hear this, and its Mellotron contribution is minimal. Next...
 |
Secrets on Parade (2000, 54.31/58.55) ****/TTTT |
|
| Secrets on Parade Get the Fuck Out of My Mind Time is the Space Between Us Love is a Matter of... Watery Eyes Falling to Pieces Let's Face it Prime Time |
Stranger 21st Century High Caterpillar Kings Garden [Jap CD adds: Misty Mono] | |
 |
Honeyburst (2003, 53.36) ****/TTTT |
|
| Intro Surfing the Surface Lost and Found Jump the Gun Whispering at the Top of My Lungs Lay Down Your Arms Right Next to the Right One Isolation Here I Come |
No Easy Key Close the Door Don't Leave Me But Leave Me Alone Tonight I'm Fine unlisted track |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Once upon a time there was a devilishly good Danish hard rock outfit with the rather suspect monicker Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, little known outside their homeland and Japan. Their eponymous debut (*****) was the dog's, although follow-up Rotator (***½) couldn't match it for quality. Sadly, mainman Tim Christensen chose to split the band and concentrate on his burgeoning production career for a while, during which he discovered the Mellotron and bought three M400s (probably Denmark's entire population).
Which leads us to his solo debut, Secrets on Parade. There are echoes of DML here, particularly in some of the guitar parts (see the magnificent Get The Fuck Out Of My Mind), but the album has a lighter sound overall, and Tim's songwriting skill has recovered since Rotator. There's plenty of 'Tron on board, mostly chordal string parts, with the occasional bit of cello and brass, and I'm sure I can hear Mellotron electric guitar on the excellent Prime Time, just after the 'Palm Court'-style strings. Tim Christensen is definitely a 'Tron convert, which makes me wonder how the DML albums might have sounded with the occasional burst...
Christensen's second solo album, Honeyburst, keeps up the standard set by his first, with strong, if relatively mainstream songwriting, with the odd rocker thrown in to confuse the casual listener. Even more 'Tron this time round, or at least, more variety, with loads of cellos, and a flute solo on one track. Individual highlights are hard to pick out, although I particularly liked the drawn-out Don't Leave Me But Leave Me Alone, with its jammed-out coda. Either way, if you liked his debut, you'll like this.
All in all, two rather good little albums, with lashings of 'Tron. Despite their major-label status (EMI Denmark), I doubt if you'll find them in your local HMV/Virgin/whoever, but they're available via Tim's site. Incidentally, Christensen has played 'Tron on various production jobs over the last few years; links below.
See: Celine Dion | Kashmir | Mew | Swan Lee
 |
Untitled #23 (2009, 50.28) ****/TT |
|
| Cobalt Blue Deadman's Hand Pangaea Happenstance Space Saviour On Angel Street Sunken Sun Anchorage |
Lunar Opperetta |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Church must be one of Australia's, if not music's generally best-kept secrets. Active for nearly thirty years at the time of writing, they've released something like 25 albums in that time, still flying the flag for psychedelic pop in one form or another. 2009's Untitled #23 keeps their standards high, featuring material of the quality of Cobalt Blue, with its prog chord changes, Deadman's Hand and dreamy closer Opperetta, although there's nothing here that should've been left on the shelf. Despite an average song-length of around five minutes, nothing outstays its welcome either; good trick if you can do it, chaps.
Steve Kilbey plays Mellotron female choir and vibes on Sunken Sun, although the band's website lists him as playing them on Deadman's Hand. Tim Powles adds a nice string part to Pangaea, gentle flutes on On Angel Street and upfront strings on closer Opperetta, with several other instrumental parts on the album sounding Mellotronic, although I think we can assume they're not. Overall, then, a fine album of current psych, looking both backwards to the '60s and forwards to whatever lies ahead for The Church.
See: Steve Kilbey
 |
You & Me (1973, 40.16) **½/½ |
|
| Come and Join Me Broken Engagements You and Me Reality in Arrears Dream of Your Maker Man Ode to an Angel You're Not Listening Chiswick Flyover |
The Youth I Dreamt in Slipped Away Falling Down an Endless Day |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Michael George "Chick" Churchill is a classically-trained pianist best-known as on/off keyboard man with Ten Years After, possibly the archetypal British blues/rock band, featuring Alvin Lee's lightning-fast guitar work. You & Me is Churchill's only solo album, to my knowledge, and is pretty typical of its era, consisting of lightweight singer-songwriter fare with added keyboards, or middle-of-the-road rock with no outstanding features, as dated as 'I'm with stupid' T-shirts and maroon and black stack heel shoes. A bevy of famous friends (Jethro Tull's Martin Barre, Cozy Powell and various members of pre-fame Supertramp included) do little to liven up the proceedings, sad to say.
Next to no obvious Mellotron on the album, with Churchill only noticeably adding any to opener Come And Join Me, with some background strings that add little to the track. The strings on a couple of other tracks appear to be real, making this a pretty low priority on your 'Mellotron must-haves' list, particularly given that it doesn't appear to have ever been reissued on CD.
 |
Cibelle (2003, 57.27) **½/T½ |
|
| Deixa Só Sei Viver No Samba Hate Luisas Waiting No Prego I'll Be |
Train Inútil Paisagem Um Só Segundo Pequeno Olhos |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Cibelle (Cavalli) is a modern Brazilian electronica artist who takes her inspiration from many genres, including traditional Brazilian music, Tropicalia, various dance sub-genres and even metal. Whether the end result is to your personal liking is another matter, of course... She'd settled in London by the time she finished recording her eponymous debut, making me wonder how much of it might've been recorded over here; it sounds nothing like the city, but then, she's Brazilian - why should it? I'm afraid I can't personally connect with this music at all, though, and the album gets a relatively low rating for its boredom factor; why produce an hour of music when you don't have to? Enthusiasm, I suppose.
Anyway, Brazilian electronica dude A9 (a.k.a. Apollo 9, a.k.a. Apollo Nove) adds all manner of synths and keys, newer and older, including what sounds like real Mellotron, with a really cranky-sounding string part on Luisas, plus possible flutes, with more strings on Inútil Paisagem. So; not one for your average prog lover, but if you hang out in 'funky' coffee bars, you'll not only probably like this, but almost certainly already own a copy. As for the rest of us...
 |
7" (1976) **/TT Ontem, Hoje e Amanhã Mosca Super Star |
![José Cid, 'Vida [EP]'](images/cidjose-vida.jpg) |
7" (1977, 12.41) ***½/TT½ Vida (Sons do Quotidiano) (part 1) Vida (Sons do Quotidiano) (part 2) |
 |
10 000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus e Marte (1978, 38.21/51.02) ***½/TT½O Último Dia Na Terra (The Last Day on Earth)O Caos (Chaos) Fuga Para o Espaço (Escape Into Space) Mellotron o Planeta Fantástico (Mellotron the Fantastic Planet) 10,000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus e Marte (10,000 Years Later Between Venus and Mars) A Partir do Zero (Starting From Zero) Memos [CD adds: Vida (Sons do Quotidiano)] |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
José Cid was the chief mover and shaker in Quarteto 1111, whose 1975 album, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas, is something of a Mellotron classic. It's possible he used the machine as early as his eponymous set from '71, but the first definite non-Quarteto sighting is his Ontem, Hoje e Amanhã single from 1976. Frankly, it's a pretty awful effort - I get the impression it was Portugal's Eurovision entry for that year, which says it all - think, cheesy mid-'70s Europop and you won't be too far off the mark. Cid plays Mellotron brass and strings on the track, but it's not something you're going to rush to track down, to be frank.
Cid's best-known for his 1978 album, 10 000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus e Marte. It's that rarest of things, a Portuguese progressive LP, especially given that the country was still under the yoke of a right-wing dictatorship up until 1974. Maybe unsurprisingly, the album sounds quite dated for its time, harking back more to the psych/prog crossover of the beginning of the decade, with none of the local colour to be heard in the Spanish prog of the time. Saying that, it also has a sort of 'pre-neo' vibe about it, too, sounding bizarrely almost like IQ in places. The album's release was predated by the Vida single, a twelve-minute plus track split into two for vinyl release, rejoined for the CD. Although Cid owned two Mellotrons (reputedly of three in the country), as on the album, all he uses here are choirs, and I'm not even sure if he ventures further afield than the 'standard' 8-voice.
10 000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus e Marte (title handily translated on track five) is a good, solid, keyboard-led album, although it doesn't really do anything that exciting. It seems to be a Portuguese-language concept piece about interstellar migration, but where a bonkers title like Mellotron The Fantastic Planet comes in, I've absolutely no idea. None of the songs do that 'prog thing' with key/tempo changes, although there are some nice melodic parts here and there, particularly on the recurring theme best heard on album closer Memos. More 'Tron choirs, mostly block minor chords, on several tracks, but nothing that you could really consider outstanding, to be honest. For some reason, this is yet another example of the 'String Synth Syndrome', where Cid insists on using synth strings, with the Mellotron acting as no more than a 'choir machine'; bit of a waste, really, but there you go.
So; good but not great, both musically and 'Tronically. Buy at your discretion.
See: Quarteto 1111
 |
Before the Dark (2002, 49.30) ***½/TT½ |
|
| Before the Dark Pendulum Reflections Almost There After Dark Lost Coming Up for Air Undercurrent |
Head Spin Crash and Burn The Dawn |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Cinema Recorded Music Library's schtick is to recreate that '70s library music vibe, which they do with aplomb on 2002's Before the Dark. Every track has a different feel to it, as you'd expect from the real thing; this actually reminds me of Sundae Club, or (more 'authentically'), Harmonic 33, in its dedication to recreation of a lost art. Best tracks? More like best moments, actually: Pendulum nicks the descending Rhodes line from The Doors' Riders On The Storm, while the 'police car siren' synth on Head Spin almost convinces. The band (actually a duo) actually rock out a little on the latter half of Crash And Burn ('Burn', I suppose), although they splatter what sounds like a Solina all over the track, along with half of the rest of the album.
Mellotron flutes are proudly displayed on the opening title track, Pendulum, Lost, Coming Up For Air and closer The Dawn, although the one on After Dark sounds real. No idea who plays it (presumably either Crawford Tait or Gregor Reid), or whether it's real, although it sounds a lot more authentic than many other similar examples I can think of. Overall, this does exactly what it says on the tin, and does it well. If you're after that vaguely 'Gallic film music' thing, this will almost certainly hit the spot. Recommended.
 |
Over Under Everything (2001, 49.50) ***/½ |
|
| Beautiful Savior Where You Go We Are Hungry Something Glorious Gloria Into You Ever My Love More Like You |
Let Us Gather Raise Sounds of a Revolution |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron/Chamberlin used:
Circadian Rhythm (named for the natural 24-hour sleep cycle of lifeforms on our planet) manage to be better than the average CCM band by the simple expedient of, er, sounding like U2. You don't like U2? Believe me, it's better than the usual near-MOR pap churned out by most Christian bands. Actually, Circadian Rhythm like U2 so much, they do a pointlessly straight cover of their Gloria on what appears to be their sole album, Over Under Everything, although it ends up being the album's best track, so let's not whinge too much... No, their music isn't the most inspired ever, but (gloopy lyrics aside), it's good by CCM standards, should you be into this strange, lyrically-defined genre.
Two supposed tape-replay tracks here, with Mellotron strings on Into You from Otto Price that sound nothing like a Mellotron, and allegedly some Chamberlin on Sounds Of A Revolution, though I'll be buggered if I can hear anything (am I allowed to say 'buggered' in a CCM review?). Circadian Rhythm split up in 2002, which is sort of a shame, as their indie rock thing should have given the Christian music community a kick up the arse and maybe diverted it from the usual shite with which it associates itself. Anyway, Over Under Everything is a rather average effort out in the real world, and its tape-replay is utterly minimal, so I wouldn't try too hard to track this one down.
 |
Tulikoira (2005, 43.12) ***½/TRautakäärmeTulilintu Berserk Puutiikeri |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Tulikoira is Circle's fifteenth studio album in around a decade, ignoring the raft of live albums, EPs etc. So who are they, anyway? They describe themselves, with no little humour, as 'NWOFHM', or, in case you hadn't guessed, the New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal, although both they and others have also used the terms Krautrock, Speedkraut, Psych... Basically, Circle do whatever the hell they like, for which both their fans and I love 'em, whether or not I actually like their music.
So do I actually like Tulikoira or not? It's probably fairer to say I respect it rather than actually like it per se, although repeated exposure could well sway me. It's certainly intriguing, mixing genres like there's no tomorrow; opener Rautakäärme starts in a semi-ambient manner, before the speed metal kicks in, overlaid with sampled strings, shifting back to a ghostly monks' chant with occasional powerchords... Get the picture? Probably not, no, not that I can blame you. Tulilintu is marginally more 'normal', with vocals this time, in a declamatory Finnish kind of way, while Beserk is slower, with English-language spoken vocals. The 'side-long' Puutiikeri is the album's centrepiece, though, all 24 minutes of it, starting like an Iron Maiden epic, all galloping guitars and more Finnish half-sung lyrics, before heading off into more interesting pastures. OK, not much like an Iron Maiden epic at all, really. This track is where the band earn their 'Krautrock' tag, at least as far as this album's concerned, with motorik drumming and interlocking guitar parts that Maiden wouldn't dare try, or even contemplate.
Very little Mellotron on the album, presumably from vocalist Mike Rättö, although what there is sounds 'wobbly' enough to be real, which probably means it isn't. I have to admit, its even octaves and suspiciously high pitch at one point trigger my sample alert, but I could well be wrong. Anyway, an octave string part on Puutiikeri, slipping in and out of the mix, and that's your lot, as the strings on Rautakäärme and the choirs on Beserk are generic samples. So; do you bother? 'Yes' if you want to hear something new and different, 'no' if you want something fairly generic with loads of Mellotron. Circle are different enough that I wouldn't mind hearing more (and there's plenty of it), although I shall probably approach with caution. There's supposed to be one other 'Tron album, 2001's Taantumus; more news when I get to hear it.
 |
One (1971) ***/T½ |
||
| You Are Seasons April '73 Song for Tavish A Prayer Brotherly Love Those Were the Days Jenny |
Title Track Breach Ad Infinitum |
||
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Not to be confused with any other Cirkus/Circus, I believe this was Cirkus' only album, at least under that name, although they reappeared considerably later in the decade as Future Shock. Despite usually being labelled a progressive rarity, One is more a (very) late-period psych album, with ten average-length tracks of relatively simple construction. It's not a bad album, by any means, but there's something of a shortage of great material, although Brotherly Love stands out. There's a string section on most tracks, so it's frequently very difficult to work out where Derek G. Miller's Mellotron is actually being used, although the aforementioned Brotherly Love has some quite obvious strings and flutes, and Song For Tavish has an unaccompanied Mellotron strings coda.
Psych fans may well lap this up, but I reckon it falls rather short of greatness, and the Mellotron use is at best average. Even my vinyl reissue's quite rare now, but I believe this is available on CD. Buy at your discretion.
See: Future Shock
 |
"El Tor" (1975, 44.14) ****/T½Alba di Una CittàSolo Uniti... El Tor Duro Lavoro Mutazione La Casa del Mercante "Sun" Milioni di Persone Equilibrio Divino? |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
There seems to have been quite a bit of movement between bands in the Italian '70s progressive scene; two of Città Frontale had, only a year earlier, been members of Osanna, including vocalist and sometime Mellotron player Lino Vairetti. "El Tor" definitely has echoes of the Osanna sound on it, but the band pretty much had their own voice, partially characterised by Enzo Avitabile's sax playing, giving the music a fusiony edge in places, particularly on Solo Uniti... and the excellent Mutazione.
The Mellotron parts, also played by regular keyboard man Paolo Raffone, are extremely tasteful and restrained, with often only a few chords or a short orchestrated flute part (aside from Avitabile's real flutes) before disappearing again. A classic example of their restraint is in the album's longest track, Duro Lavoro, where they refrain from using the oh-so obvious strings during the first time through a grandiose chord sequence, only bringing them in second time round. 'Tension and release', as I believe it's known. Strangely enough, they only use it on tracks 1-4, so there's probably less than a minute of Mellotron on the whole album; it's a very tasteful minute, though.
So; a good album, while not really approaching 'classic' status. In other words, I wouldn't put it on your 'A' list of Italian 'must-haves', but it should certainly be on your 'B' list, along with Osanna's Landscape of Life, amongst many others. Nor is it a Mellotron classic, but what there is to be heard is tasteful in the extreme. Worth the effort.
See: Osanna
 |
Allan Clarke (1974, 34.13) ***/TTDon't Let Me Down AgainCan't Get on I'll Be Home I Wanna Sail Into Your Life Side Show If I Were the Priest New Americans Love, Love, Love Send Me Some Lovin' |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
By 1974, Allan Clarke had left and rejoined the band with whom his name is synonymous, The Hollies, and was in the process of recording their last huge hit, the irritatingly memorable The Air That I Breathe. Allan Clarke was his third solo album, and, in all honesty, there's little about it to distinguish it from a thousand other mainstream pop/rock albums of the era, and its recent reissue can only be due to his Hollies connection. It's perfectly competently written and played, but it totally fails to excite, not even containing anything of the quality of The Air That I Breathe. Mind you, if it had, I'm sure it would've been siphoned off for The Hollies' use... Interestingly, Clarke covers an early Springsteen song (this was still a year before Born to Run, note), If I Were the Priest, and went on to encourage The Hollies to do the same.
The credits contain several familiar names, including Herbie Flowers and Johnny Gustafson on bass, Mike Moran on keys and the ubiquitous B.J. Cole on steel guitar, with Tony Hymas (here spelt Hymass) on Mellotron. Surprisingly, maybe, it's on several tracks, with varying levels of strings, presumably standing in for an overly-expensive string section, but let's not look the proverbial gift horse, eh?
Clarke finally retired from the Hollies in 2000, only to have his successor, Carl Wayne (once of The Move), die of cancer in 2004. To my knowledge, Clarke hasn't gone back on his pledge; in fairness, he's in his sixties, and the touring lifestyle has finished off many a younger man. While Allan Clarke is a perfectly good album of its type, it's desperately unexciting, and despite several 'Tron tracks, it's all pretty much background use, to be honest. File under 'that was then'.
 |
Pawnshop Guitars (1994, 43.32) ***/T |
|
| Cure Me...Or Kill Me... Black Tijuana Jail Skin and Bones Johanna's Chopper Let's Get Lost Pawn Shop Guitars Dead Flowers |
Jail Guitar Doors Hunting Dogs Shut Up |
|
 |
The Hangover (1997, 35.54) ***/T |
|
| Wasn't Yesterday Great It's Good Enough for Rock'n'Roll Zip Gun Higher Mickey Marmalade Blue Grass Mosquito Happiness is a Warm Gun Hang on to Yourself |
The Worst Captain Chaos Punk Rock Pollution |
|
 |
Rubber (1998, 36.05) ***/T |
|
| Kilroy Was Here The Haunting Something's Wrong With You Sorry I Can't Write a Song About You Mercedes Benz The Hell's Angels Saturday Disaster Trash |
Technicolor Stars Superstar Bourbon Street Blues Frankie's Planet |
|
 |
Swag (2001, 38.09) ***½/0 |
|
| Alien Under the Gun Crocodile Tears Broken Down Car Margarita I'm Nobody Judgement Day Beware of the Dog |
Heart of Chrome Warm Country Sun Diamond Dogs |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
After belonging to some no-hoper L.A. bands in the '80s, Gilby Clarke joined Guns N'Roses (LOVE their half-arsed approach to punctuation! Not.) in 1991, replacing original rhythm player Izzy Stradlin (whad'ya mean, "Isn't that his real name?"). After being ousted a couple of years later, in one of Axl's perpetual power games, Clarke has gone on to lead a Hollywood b-list rock star life, releasing competent solo albums and forming short-lived outfits with other nearly men, not to mention bagging major parts in low-rent US TV 'reality' shows. Hey, it's a living, right?
Actually, I'm being rather unfair, as his records seem to have some substance to them, with none of Guns' horrible sub-Aerosmithisms, I'm please to be able to report. '94's Pawnshop Guitars is his solo debut, featuring a slightly intriguing mixture of styles, with the (very) slightly Zep-esque Johanna's Chopper contrasting sharply with the swamp-blues of Skin and Bones, although the bulk of the album fits fairly and squarely into the 'bluesy hard rock' category. Let's face it, it could be a lot worse... Clarke's vocals are decent enough, if slightly characterless, which probably sums up this album's chief failing; everything on it is 'OK', 'alright', 'not bad'. I feel as if I'm damning it with faint praise, but there really isn't anything here that leaps out at you and yells, "Listen to me!" A couple of covers create a pattern for his next several albums, with passable stabs at The Stones' Dead Flowers and The Clash's Jail Guitar Doors, neither of which adds an awful lot to the originals. I get the impression Clarke was still in G N'R when this album was recorded, as various members guest, including the mighty Waxl (cough) and long-term keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who plays 'Strawberry Fields'-esque Mellotron flutes on Black to reasonable effect.
His follow-up, '97's The Hangover, is essentially more of the same, with several slower and/or bluesier tracks to break up the pseudo-'70s hard rock template. None of his material's that inspiring, but the driving rhythm of Zip Gun and the acoustic Blue Grass Mosquito are about the best of the home-grown bunch. Two back-to-back covers again, with a fairly good Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Beatles, of course) followed by a pointless carbon-copy of Bowie's Hang On To Yourself, which only shows up Clarke's material as being as ordinary as it is. Clarke himself plays more of those 'Strawberry Fields', fittingly I suppose, on Happiness Is A Warm Gun, although it would've worked nicely on at least two or three other tracks. Spoilsport.
'98's Rubber repeats the formula once more, although it has its moments. Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz starts as an attempt at swamp blues, with self-deprecating lyrics, while Saturday Disaster features one of the album's best riffs, but even his original material's all a bit second-hand, I'm afraid to say. Teddy Andreadis plays Mellotron on the album's two opening tracks, with yer typical 'Strawberry Fields'-style flutes (again!) on Kilroy Was Here, with less of the same, buried in the mix, on The Haunting. In fairness, Clarke has the taste to use 'classic' keyboards throughout, with plenty of Hammond, though it's a shame he couldn't have used the 'Tron a little more.
2001's Swag (2002 in the States) isn't a world away from its predecessors, but somehow manages to be better; I suspect that after doing it for so long, Clarke's songwriting skills have improved to the point where he could actually have a major hit on his hands with the right promotion. Whether he'll ever get that is another matter entirely, of course, but he deserves it a damn' sight more than many of the other journeymen guitarists doing the rounds. Why the iffy covers, though, Gil? More Bowie this time round, with an ever-so-slightly too-slow take on Diamond Dogs, which still manages to be the album's best track, even with the superior writing. Clarke's supposed to play Mellotron on Judgement Day, but I'll be stuffed if I can hear it, so a fat zero on the 'Tron front this time round.
Gilby Clarke's albums are probably best described as undemanding hard rock that thankfully never really approaches Metal territory. Not nearly enough Mellotron on any of 'em to be worth buying for that alone, though.
See: Guns N'Roses
 |
More or Less the Truth (2002, 44.39) **½/T |
|
| Stronger Man Right Now Room 16 Under Over U Say Hilliard Cleaner |
Game White Paradise Strange Journey |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Cléan (not 'Clean') are a Swiss band who've relocated to Bristol, of all places; mind you, it's the centre of all things trip-hoppy, I suppose, so they could've done worse. To be honest, though, what they're doing on More or Less the Truth is pretty dated, with the sort of sample 'manipulation' (for want of a better word) that slid out of favour in the late '80s. The album starts OK, but the band seem to run out of ideas about halfway through, resorting to pointless random triggering of samples by the seventh or eighth track; a sure sign of lack of anything new (or at all) to say, I suspect.
Matt Sampson guests on Mellotron on two tracks: Hilliard has nothing audible, although there's a multiply-repeating lengthy choir sample running through the track, but White Paradise has a repeating grungy string part, although its lack of variety makes me wonder just how real it is. Well, they do actually credit the 'Tron, so you'd like to think it's genuine... Anyway, I can't really recommend this, unless you're absolutely desperate to hear a band writing lyrics in their second (or possibly third) language, trying to recreate a several year-old style.
