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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.
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Electric Orange (1993, 71.58) ***½/TTReflections of 2072 and EverywhereSysyphus's Revenge Parts I-X Journey Through Weird Science Featuring Cows in Space The Return of Eugene, Be Careful! Electripity Chapter XVI Baby Cake Walk Soul Shadows Back in Strangeworld |
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Cyberdelic (1997, 73.10) ***/½ |
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| Cyberdelic/Unaffected Fruit A Vaporized Dance Funny in the Bathroom Kirschen Sweet Absurd B Movie Steal No Egg Mothers Cake |
Tartisma Zemini She Wah More End/Cyberdelic |
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Abgelaufen! (2001, 72.03) ***/T½OffDym Zwiestück Band eins Swingklar Golden Lake Gruff Hydrat Ganus Abgelaufen |
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Platte (2003, 38.17) ***/½KwarkHolzbock Columb |
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Morbus (2007, 77.43) ***/T½ |
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| Einwahn Rote Flocken Span 5 Morbus Errorman Flohfunknest Traumama Krautschock |
Wald Reaching Schöhl 2 Sarau |
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Krautrock From Hell (2009, 78.20) ***/T½BandwurmSun Dos Chorg (Cpt. Gyrok's) Hers Kunstkopf Neuronomicon Wurmloch |
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How do you describe Electric Orange? 'Psychedelic', I suppose, but that doesn't really tell you very much. 'Modern psych'? There's certainly some contemporary stuff going on, not least the programming, but throw in rock guitars, vintage keyboards and other odd shit, and you've got a band doing something a bit different, although it doesn't seem to've brought them fame and fortune yet. 1993's Electric Orange is a little overlong, but is otherwise a strong debut, especially when you consider it's effectively a Dirk Jan Müller solo project, with various friends helping out on guitar, drums, vocals etc. Müller plays Mellotron (which sounds real), amongst other keyboards and percussives. Strings all round, with some beautifully upfront stuff on Sysyphus's Revenge and Journey Through Weird Science, though lesser use on The Return Of Eugene and Baby Cake Walk, making this probably worth it on the 'Tron front.
Müller released a remix album, Orange Commutation, next, so it ended up being four years between albums proper, with Cyberdelic (the ideal description for his music?) appearing in '97. By now, 'he' had become 'they', with the addition of vocalist/guitarist Dirk Bittner, the obvious difference being that there's, er, more vocals. The album is noticeably different, and I'm afraid to say that whatever made their debut quite interesting seems to have gone the way of all things; I found this rather dull, especially at over an hour. Far less Mellotron too, unfortunately, with flutes and strings at the end of A Vaporized Dance, but that would appear to be your lot.
2001's Abgelaufen! (by which time they'd become a 'proper' four-piece band) starts off in a vaguely dance-oriented direction, before several forays into avant-jazz (Band Eins Swingklar) and, er, the avant-garde (most of the latter half of the album). Yet again, it goes on far too long for its own good, although I'm aware that the effect is meant to be trancelike rather than chin-stroking. Müller's Mellotronic contributions are some choir chords on Dym that sustain for far too long, although I know from experience that you can do that to the 8-choir sound if you know what you're doing, plus flutes and strings on Band Eins Swingklar and strings on Golden Lake. And is that the Mellotron FX church bell on lengthy closer Ganus Abgelaufen? Hard to say.
2003's Platte (appropriately, 'record' in German, as it was originally released only on vinyl) is classed as an EP by Electric Orange standards, although it's the same length as a typical '70s album. Just three tracks, all lengthy, organ-led jams, none of them that interesting, to be brutally honest. Literally only a few seconds of Mellotron, with a couple of volume-pedalled choir chords on Columb, making this their least worthwhile 'Tron album. The CD reissue adds two tracks which I haven't heard; should I do so and should there be any more 'Tron on them, I'll revise this review.
2007's Morbus, sounds almost as if it's by a different band. This is psychedelic space rock, though not of the Hawkwind variety, more, as Jim Morrison might've had it, music for the immaculately stoned, to the point where you begin to wonder whether you'll actually get through the enormously lengthy disc without putting yourself in the same mental state as the band almost certainly were while recording. Sadly, the end result lacks charm, committing the cardinal sin (who he?) of being... boring. Space rock is supposed to drift, but it's not supposed to make you begin to fidget. Two 'Tron tracks from Müller, although I'm not totally convinced it's real this time round, with string, cello and choir parts on the doomy Errorman and huge, lush strings and rather lesser choirs on Reaching.
2009's self-deprecatory Krautrock From Hell carries on in a similar vein to Morbus, and at similar length. I'd be quite happy to split this album into two around-forty-minute efforts, one of short(er) tracks, one of longer, as 78 minutes of this stuff is, frankly, a real grind. Funnily enough, its longest track, the 25-minute Neuronomicon actually works best, possibly because the band don't hold back in any way, but nothing here's exactly what you'd call essential. Just one 'Tron track, with a heavy string part plus cellos on Neuronomicon, with choirs later on.
One more definite 'Tron album in their catalogue, 2003's Platte EP, although it was (temporarily?) retired for 2005's Fleischwerk. As for the titles above, I clearly found Electric Orange more interesting than the others, but apart from the simple boredom factor, I can't even really tell you why. There's certainly more Mellotron on their debut, but it also has far more... life, I suppose. Oh well, one man's opinion...
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Electric Sandwich (1973, 39.31/46.04) ***/T |
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| China Devil's Dream Nervous Creek It's No Use to Run I Want You Archie's Blues Material Darkness |
[CD adds: On My Mind China (single version)] |
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I think the opening to Electric Sandwich's self-titled sole album must be the most 'typical' krautrock I've heard; full-on spacey jamming with an insistent backbeat, although much of the rest of the album settles for more mainstream styles, not least the unnecessary blues of, er Archie's Blues. Top marks for refusing to be shoehorned into any one style, though; every track's different, for better or worse.
Guitarist Jörg Ohlert doubled on keys, with organ on I Want You and a short Mellotron flute solo, followed by a string part on album closer Material Darkness, so not enough to make it worth it on the 'Tron front (where have we heard this before?). Overall, Electric Sandwich is a decent enough album of its type, but not really for those who aren't students of the era.
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The Human Body EP (2005, 21.31/25.04) ***/TT½A Beating HeartCold World Stupid Mistake Everybody Wants The Captain Kick in the Teeth So Much Love |
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The Electric Soft Parade (originally The Soft Parade until, hilariously, they were threatened with legal action by a Doors tribute band) are a Brighton-based outfit, essentially brothers Alex and Thomas White, plus whoever's around. Stylistically, at least going by their third release, The Human Body EP, they're all over the place, although it's difficult to get bored when you don't know where they're going next. The second half of A Beating Heart sounds a bit like Cardiacs, Cold World has something of the '70s singer-songwriter about it, while Everybody Wants is full-blown orchestral pop. As I said, you won't be bored.
One or both of the brothers plays either a Mellotron or good samples on three tracks, with strings on A Beating Heart and strings and flutes on Cold World and Everybody Wants, the latter sounding particularly orchestral. Are they real? I'd be surprised, but unlike many examples of sample use, there's no obvious 'there it is!' moment, so this stays here until/if I should find out otherwise. An interesting EP, although I can imagine a whole album may get a little wearing. Oh, and The Captain is a US-only bonus track, for what it's worth.
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Reversal of Time (1997, 73.51) **½/½Whenever I Close My EyesStars That Cry Your Name Fear of Rejection Hearts in Harmony And So it Goes Reversal of Time The Light That Used to Shine Spinning Through the Years Like Shadows Again |
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Purity & Despair (1998, 67.25) **½/TWhen Darkness FallsThe Quantum of Solace Tranquility and Drift Aching Desire Purity & Despair |
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Elegant Simplicity, a.k.a. Steven McCabe, have been releasing albums since the early '90s, the first several initially on cassette only, although all have had limited CD-R release since. Their style appears to be yer typical neo-prog, with little melodic invention, not helped by the heavy-handed programmed drums, though I admit it can't be easy being a one-man band... The problem with this sort of stuff, at least to my ears, is the lack of real variety, especially in the longer material, with songs frequently staying in the same key, if not on the same chord for minutes on end, plodding around the same old chord sequences. It's like someone who's heard some progressive rock, and tries to emulate the sound, but without having the first idea of the compositional complexities of the real thing, so just ends up borrowing elements of the style, then playing them in a vastly simplified format. OK, it is someone who's heard some progressive rock...
I'm sorry to be so hard on his ninth release, Reversal of Time, but my heart sank within a minute of putting the disc in the player, as McCabe immediately swung into a seriously faceless root→5th chord sequence (E down to B, for example), and things didn't improve from there. He actually describes his band/project as 'underground melodic rock' on his website, which is probably better than anything involving the word 'progressive'. And I haven't even mentioned the lyrics... McCabe's favourite subject matter seems to be affairs of the heart, as you can see from the titles above, which become somewhat dreary after a while, as it's all quite relentlessly down, but without any genuine musical darkness to go with it. Do I like anything about this album? Not really, no. Sorry.
Anyway... The band are largely known (around here, anyway) as Mellotron sample users, but McCabe has assured me that this release features the Real Thing, hired in for the session and subsequently sampled for future use (grrr). I have to say that it isn't exactly overused, assuming it isn't providing the high-ish strings on a few tracks, with no more than a few low string chords scattered about here and there, unless that's flutes at the back of the mix on Like Shadows Again? In fact, I'm beginning to wonder whether McCabe accidentally gave me the wrong album title... The 'Mellotron' in Spinning Through The Years, for example, most certainly isn't, and I have to wonder about the other bits I thought I heard.
1998's Purity & Despair is McCabe's second and last album featuring (supposedly) real 'Tron. Well, it has one major advantage over its predecessor: it's instrumental. However, given that it's almost as long, with only five tracks, nearly everything on it is ludicrously over-extended and repetitious, and not in a good way. There are a couple of nice ideas in Aching Desire, while the (relatively) brief closing title track at least injects a bit of energy into the proceedings, but this is, by and large, as dull as ditchwater and twice as murky. On the 'Tron front, there's a few string chords on all but the title track, plus various flute melodies (although most of the album's flutes sound like generic samples), strings and (eventually) choirs on Tranquility And Drift, the latter cutting the eight-second limit a little fine, as in, "Are they actually samples?". And what's with this Quantum Of Solace business, eh? Several years before the James Bond film, McCabe pulls a little-remembered Ian Fleming Bond story title out and uses it... Or is it a quote from something earlier? Am I showing my ignorance here?
Why do so many lacklustre outfits use such outrageous hyperbole on their promo material? (See: Lana Lane for details...). Desperation, I suppose. Steven's hype for Reversal of Time includes the phrase, "Beautiful ballads and guitar/synth epics make this is a must buy for any self respecting rock fan". To which I feel forced to say, I clearly can't be especially self-respecting, as there's no way I'd have bought either of these new. I'm genuinely sorry (just for once) to be so negative, as Steven sent me a very nice mail a while back re. his Mellotron use or otherwise, but that was before I'd heard any of his music. **½ is being pretty generous to both albums, to be honest, although he/they may well have improved over the course of the last decade. I doubt, however, that he's started making shorter albums; so much material with so little variety is actually quite excruciating. Edit, edit, edit...
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Asylum (1978, 33.31) ***/TQueen of the NightPrisoner of the World Publici Mores Asylum Crazy Fifties Fever of the Night Elektroshock One Blood Sacrifice Rock and Roll Love |
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Elektroshock are routinely named as 'Italy's first punk band', but as expected, the Italians' idea of what constituted 'punk' differs markedly from the US/UK take on the term. Their first album, 1978's Asylum, does, in fairness, feature a few tracks of basic, guitar-fuelled aggression, but overall, the standard of musicianship (and, crucially, songwriting) is far too high for real authenticity and since when did a ten-minute epic have anything to do with 'punk'? Then again, why not? Surely punk was about breaking down barriers, not setting up new ones? Ha bloody ha.
Said epic, Blood Sacrifice, is the album's only obvious Mellotron track, too, with background choirs throughout from guitarist Giorgio Mastrosanti, adding an eerie, Goblinesque feel to the piece; I'd guess the lyrics are central to the track's theme, but I don't have enough (any, really) Italian to be able to tell. This isn't on CD, although I'd have thought it was worth one of the punk reissue labels' while to make an important piece of Europunk history available again. Then again, it sounds nothing like The Exploited, so I doubt whether anyone would be interested. So; sort-of interesting, but really not worth it for its Mellotron use.
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Elkin & Nelson (1973, 56.58) ***/TT½Samba SambaA Caballo Light My Fire Chévere Tienes Que Tomar Conciencia Carnavalito 1 Al Carnaval Carnavalito 2 Vámonos |
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Angeles y Demonios (1974, 60.39) **½/TT |
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| Abran Paso-Ahoa (Enrolle) Ay, Mulata Mia Mama High, Mama Way Jibaro (Aperitivo) Simón Cuándo Llegaré Anacaona Tema de Amor |
El Maniquí Ain't No Sunshine Rosa Rosa Marcha Final Jibaro (Enrolle) Abran Paso (Aperitivo) Túmbalo Los Invitamos |
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I suppose Elkin & Nelson should really be categorised as Colombian, not Spanish, as they emigrated to the latter country from the former in the early '70s. The Marin Pérez (or Velez) brothers, Javier (Elkin) and Leon (Nelson) specialised, unsurprisingly, in a potent form of Latin pop, bringing Spanish music back home, after filtering it through their South American heritage.
They debuted with 1973's Elkin & Nelson, a single album almost long enough to be a double. Imagine a poppier Santana without the distinctive guitar work and you won't be a million miles off, although the duo are unlikely to appeal to those looking for a Latin/rock fusion. Better tracks include opener Samba Samba, the Carnavalito/Al Carnaval segue and possibly their very odd take on Light My Fire, a song with a slightly dishonourable history of weird versions. Eduardo Leiva plays keyboards, including Mellotron, with a sparse string part on A Caballo and flutes and strings on Carnavalito 1, Al Carnaval and Carnavalito 2.
The following year's Angeles y Demonios (please don't tell me you can't work that one out) was a double album almost short enough to be a single, not dissimilar to its predecessor, though nearer to the pop mainstream. Its big hit, Jibaro, had a resurgence decades later, finding itself eminently sampleable, which might give you some idea of the album's bent. Leiva on Mellotron again, with flutes and strings on Simón, alongside real cello (and strings?), choirs on Cuándo Llegaré, Tema De Amor, El Maniquí, Ain't No Sunshine and closer Los Invitamos, although most of the album's strings are synth-generated.
While Elkin & Nelson might just be worth investigating by Santana fans, Angeles y Demonios really isn't, although both albums feature passable Mellotron use. File under 'second division Latin'.
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Lost Paradise (1980, 41.42) ***½/TTTime ReflectionOnce Fantasia Where Yapituttiperslikkenberg Homage à 'M' Octopus Tree of Conflicts Old Man's Voice |
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Eloiteron's sole album is probably fairly typical for 1980, being a sort-of progressive release, but with shorter, more straightforward material, although, interestingly, most of it's instrumental (thankfully - the vocals aren't very good...). Some of the tracks are more adventurous than others, with Homage À 'M' having a particularly good part before sliding back into a rather standard chord sequence. One oddity on the album is the (real) solo trumpet, which is most unusual in the genre, and is one of the things, along with the excellent piano work, that lifts this above the mundanity to which it sometimes aspires.
Martin and Christian Frey both play the 'Tron, apparently, but do no more than add choirs to a few tracks, sometimes more overtly than others (Octopus has a nice part), until you get to the album's longest track, closer Old Man's Voice, with a beautiful string part, although I'm fairly certain the flute section on the intro is a double-tracked real one. String synth on a few tracks, but where you can hear it properly (Octopus again), it quite clearly isn't 'Tron.
So; you're not going to find this easily, to say the least, and it probably isn't the most scintillating Mellotron use ever, although should you run into a copy for sensible money, it's probably worth the effort.
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Power and the Passion (1975, 42.23) **½/0 |
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| Introduction Journey Into 1358 Love Over Six Centuries Mutiny Imprisonment Daylight Thoughts of Home The Zany Magician |
Back Into the Present The Bells of Notre Dame |
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Dawn (1976, 48.08) **½/T | |
| Awakening Between the Times Memory - Flash Appearance of the Voice Return of the Voice The Sun-Song The Dance in Doubt and Fear Lost!?? (Introduction) Lost!?? (the Decision) |
The Midnight-Fight The Victory of Mental Force Gliding Into Light and Knowledge Le Reveil du Soleil/The Dawn |
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Ocean (1977, 43.53) ***/0Poseidon's CreationIncarnation of Logos Decay of Logos Atlantis' Agony at June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime |
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During the '70s, Eloy were Germany's most popular progressive band, and (to my knowledge) the only one signed to a major label, EMI/Harvest. Predictably, given the circumstances, Eloy aren't the most exciting of bands, and frequently give the impression of wanting to be Pink Floyd so badly it hurts. Unfortunately, while they got the 'long sustained chords' bit right, the 'great songs' part went a bit awry somewhere; not that I'm saying they're bad, just... average. Songs often meander along for anything up to a side of vinyl without going anywhere in particular, although they're a perfectly pleasant listen, especially (I imagine) if you've been partaking of, er, 'recreational substances' (see below).
Power and the Passion, Eloy's fourth album, falls fairly and squarely into the dreaded 'concept' zone, with a particularly silly story concerning time travel, including a section where the chief protagonist introduces a 14th-century girl to marijuana. Sample lyrics:
| 'I've got something here... lots of my friends smoke it... I don't suppose you know it... try it, it helps at times like these...' 'Oh what a beautiful feeling... everything shimmering in the twilight... Look at that sunset... I've never seen such colours before...' |
Do me a bleeding favour! Christ Almighty, what a ludicrous concept; I'm sure the mediæval bæbe in question would be perfectly au fait with the techniques of smoking. Not. I suppose a lyric along the lines of 'Stop drooling on it and coughing so loudly' wouldn't have the same impact, would it? Er... anyway; back to the topic in question: Mellotrons! Well, Manfred Wieczorke is credited with playing one, although there's no mention of the string synth splattered all over the album. There's no sign of any 'Tron anywhere, so I'd approach this one with caution on several levels.
By '76's Dawn, the keyboards were being handled by Detlev Schmidtchen, and there's a few 'Tron choir chords towards the end of side one. The music's in the same general vein as its predecessor, although maybe slightly more dynamic; there's an orchestra involved this time, as well as Schmidtchen's RMI Keyboard Computer, so all strings tend to be either of these or, of course, the trusty unnamed string machine. Actually, the choir sound doesn't really match the usual Mellotron library ones, so it's possible that it's produced by the RMI as well; difficult to say.
Ocean has the makings of a better album; on Poseidon's Creation they get their Floyd pastiche just right, but it all falls to pieces by the near side-long Atlantis' Agony On Sunday, Round About Teatime or whatever it's called, which is based on a two-chord drone, but without any of the stuff that made the best Krautrock work so well. There is, once again, no sign of the credited Mellotron, making me wonder if they had any idea what one was. Too many drugs. It's perfectly possible that they used one on '78's Live (***), but if so, it's no more audible than on Ocean; there's a few tiny pics of the band on stage, but no close-ups of the keyboard rig.
So... As Mellotron albums, these are all complete disasters, with only a few chords on Dawn to boast of. Musically, they're OK if you want to hear Floyd-y stuff without the songs, with badly-accented vocals and extra added drone. Not awful, but a long, long way from 'special'.
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Elysian Field (2000, recorded 1968-71, 63.31) ***/TT |
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| Mother Hate You Again Didn't it Feel Good Reservations I Think I Can't Live Without You I Hate You Good Time Living Bed of Roses |
24 Hours of Loneliness Strange Changes Kind of Man Alone on Your Doorstep Old Oak Tree Keep Her Canada On My Way |
Revolution's in the Air Let the Music Take You Down Still I Want You Man on Fire Sundown Red |
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Soul, Inc(orporated) were a Louisville, KY, psych/r'n'b outfit who released a clutch of singles during the latter half of the '60s, three members of whom formed Elysian Field upon the original band's dissolution. Although the new band only released two singles during their 'lifetime', they did plenty of recording, the entire results of which were finally released by Gear Fab in 2000, simply titled Elysian Field. As you'd expect, it's a pretty mixed bag, the four single sides being pretty cheesy pop, as their record company would've expected, but a good bit of the rest actually rocks, not least proto-grunge opener Mother Hate and I Hate You (is there a theme developing here?).
Rudy Helm is credited with Mellotron, with fairly upfront string parts on Keep Her, Canada, Let The Music Take You Down, Man On Fire and Sundown Red (with a particularly effective part on the last-named) presumably all from the same, late-period session or group of sessions, although the strings on various earlier tracks are clearly real. So; something of the proverbial curate's egg, although probably over half of the disc will appeal to fans of early '70s mainstream American rock. More Mellotron than expected, too, so certainly worth hearing on that front. Incidentally, one of the lesser players on the set is none other than guitarist Mark Miceli, later of unsung US prog heroes Easter Island.
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If You've Never Been (2001, 47.56) *½/½ |
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| Over I Hope You're Happy Now Wonder Many Will Learn It's Gonna Take Time Hey, What You Trying to Say If You've Never Been in Love With Anything Make it Last |
Happiness Will Get You in the End Satellites |
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There's a pretty easy test you can take to determine whether or not you're going to like Embrace: Do you like music?. Er. sorry, that was meant to read: Do you like Travis? Or Coldplay? I would say Elbow, but shockingly, that insipid outfit are actually dynamic in comparison... Embrace's debut, The Good Will Out, hit no.1 in the UK album charts, probably giving them a false sense of security, although despite a subsequent career lull, they still seem to be doing OK a decade later. They operate in that wussy pop/rock kind of area popular with people who just like something nice and uplifting with just a hint of melancholy in the background - something that doesn't actually require any thought or emotional involvement. Mainstream pop - yeah, that'll be it. Overblown, pompous arrangements, meaningless, 'positive' lyrics, vaguely involving relationships; you know the stuff. Not quite "Music for people who don't like music" (that's Simply Red), but bleedin' close.
There's very little I can think of to say about their third release, If You've Never Been, as it's so emotionally unengaging that it just washes over me, which is probably the point. God, this is almost the anti-music, isn't it? If there was a word meaning 'beyond bland', it would describe this perfectly. There's no point quoting any song titles, as they basically all sound the same, and are entirely interchangeable. I remember their official site used to have some studio pics from the sessions for this album, in one of which was an M400, so it seems that the little identifiable Mellotron on the album is real. Keys man Mickey Dale seems to have very little to do in the studio, as most of the songs' chordal backdrop is provided by acoustic guitar and orchestral strings (although there's some nice harmonium on Happiness Will Get You In The End), but the 'Tron's clearly audible on I Hope You're Happy Now (strings at the end), assuming it's Dale that plays it, and not guitarist and co-writer Richard McNamara. As so often with this type of album, it's possible there's more of that 'Tron in there (I thought I heard some choirs at one point), but the sludgy throw-everything-in mix makes it impossible to tell for sure.
This is a painfully awful album, and I sincerely hope that you, dear reader, never have to suffer as I have, listening to (or rather, hearing) 47.56 of this blandola tedium. Then again, maybe you like dullsville rubbish that washes over you? What do I know? And who am I to say this is rubbish anyway? It's perfectly well-played, the songs all hang together, but it's so dull. Practically no Mellotron either. What's the point?
As an odd postscript, I was sitting at the ferry port in Calais, waiting to go home after Änglagård's final gig in Belgium in August 2003, with my Mellotron sitting in the back of my van, when I got a call on my mobile from Embrace's production office asking if they could hire it (the Mellotron, not the van) for the recording of their next album. Weird or what? I think they found a pic on my brother's studio's site and rang them for my number. Needless to say, the hire never happened, despite my chasing it up, so although I missed out on some income, at least my M400 never had to play this kind of anodyne crap. The album in question was no doubt 2004's Out of Nothing, and I don't believe there's any 'Tron on the record.
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Embryo's Rache (1971, 41.37) ***½/TTT½TausendfüßlerTime You Can't Wait Eva's Nuvola Revenge Spain Yes, Franco Finished Try to Be Change |
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Steig Aus (1973, 37.45) ***½/TTTRadio Marrakesch/Orient ExpressDreaming Girls Call Call (part 1) Organ Walk Marimba Village Clouds Call (part 2) |
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We Keep On (1973, 38.34/63.12) ***/T (TT)No Place to GoFlute and Saz Ehna, Ehna, Abu Lele Hackbrett-Dance Abdul Malek Don't Come Tomorrow [CD adds: Ticket to India Flute, Saz and Marimba] |
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Surfin' (1974, 39.38) **½/½You Can Turn on MeMusic of Today Secret Surfin' New Ridin' In My Lunamatic Dance of Some Broken Glasses Side Track |
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Embryo's second effort, Embryo's Rache, is a fairly typical early-'70s German freakout album, sitting (un)comfortably alongside other Kraut heroes such as Amon Düül II, Witthüser & Westrupp et al.. The occasional lyrics are the usual stoned idiocy ("Revolution is the only way" etc.), but I suppose that may be missing the point somewhat. Listening to this 'straight' is a slightly futile experience, to be honest; an awful lot of drugs were consumed during its conception, and it seems a little pointless to attempt to appreciate it without indulging in a similar fashion. I can't really pick out any highlights as such, although the few moments where the band slot into a pseudo-Van der Graaf Generator groove are worth hearing.
James 'Jimi' Jackson, from Amon Düül II plays Mellotron on three tracks; Revenge and the lengthy Spain Yes, Franco Finished feature mainly brass block chords, with little bits of flute here and there, but Change has a heavy 'Tron strings presence, although I think the flutes may be real. Embryo's Rache is a lot more 'Tronically inclined than I'd expected, so although some of the music's rather hard going, a cautious recommendation on the 'Tron front.
No 'Tron on the follow-up, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but it's back on album no.4, Steig Aus, played by Jimi Jackson again. The band's future proto-world music direction is apparent on the muezzin's call at the beginning of Radio Marrakesch/Orient Express, before the track shifts into a heavy funk jam, like Funkadelic on overdrive. After the slightly more relaxed Dreaming Girls, the side-long multi-part Call is more reminiscent of the opening track, being another organ-heavy instrumental jam, though maybe fractionally less funky. Jackson's 'Tron work consists of thick, sludgy brass chords on the first and last tracks (pretty much all the way through Call), and more arranged brass on Dreaming Girls, making an interesting change from the more commonly-heard sounds.
After another gap ('73's Rocksession, which sounds like it should be a bad compilation, but isn't), Embryo delivered their next to last 'Tron album in their second release of '73, We Keep On. A collaboration with veteran jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano, it seems to me to be less cohesive than it predecessors, though that could simply be a result of their evolving style. Several of the tracks have vocals, although it's actually hard to tell whether they're being sung in German or English much of the time (!); suffice to say (at least to my ears), the band worked better instrumentally. For some unfathomable reason, the bonus-tracked CD has a completely different running order to the original album, so the order above is the original, with the bonus tracks added on (they're last on the CD, too). One 'Tron track on the original album, from drummer/main man Christian Burchard: Don't Come Tomorrow has a drifting strings part with little chord work, while one of the CD bonus tracks, the lengthy Ticket To India, has, er, a drifting strings part with little chord work. Quite nice, but inessential.
Surfin' shows the band's new direction very clearly indeed, being a jazz/funk/psych record, with barely a hint of 'progressiveness', although, of course, the band were actually progressing at a rate of knots; 'cosmic proto-World music' would be an adequate description, I think. I can't actually say I'm very keen on this stuff, personally, but I'm sure it feels a much-needed void somewhere. Very little Mellotron, with a bit of cello at the beginning of Secret and the same in closer Side Track, though barely enough to make it worth their while, to be honest.
So; if you're into your krautrock, and you haven't already discovered Embryo, you need to. Conversely, I'm not sure there's much here for your typical prog fan, although some of the Mellotron work is worth hearing.
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Get Out to the Country [a.k.a. This is Emergency] (1973, 44.49) **½/T½I Know What's WrongJeremiah Take My Hand Confessions Early in the Morning The Flag Little Marie Get Out to the Country |
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No Compromise (1974, 41.51) ***/TSmilin'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men From Here to New York City Time Can't Take it Away Hideaway No Compromise Goodbye to a Friend |
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Munich's Emergency are one of the many early-'70s German bands to get themselves lumped in with the Krautrock crowd, while being absolutely nothing of the sort. Going by their third album, Get Out to the Country (a.k.a. This is Emergency, oddly), they played a funky kind of pop/rock, with jazz and progressive elements here and there (the sax solo on Take My Hand, the Moody Blues-isms of Early In The Morning, parts of 12-minute closer Get Out To The Country). Veit Marvos and Hanus Berka both add a bit of Mellotron to the mix, with string parts on I Know What's Wrong and (fittingly) the aforementioned Early In The Morning, though nothing groundbreaking, sadly.
No Compromise, their fourth and last album, is an odd mixture of cool jammed-out stuff (Time Can't Take It Away, with its great descending jazzy unison line) and tedious, funkyish material (From Here To New York City, Hideaway), and sometimes both in the same piece (the title track) making for the proverbial curate's egg. Berka plays Mellotron on a couple of tracks, with quite overt string lines on From Here To New York City and No Compromise itself, although we're not exactly talking outstanding use here, to be honest. So; OK album with a handful of blistering moments, but fairly minimal 'Tron.
So; to Emergency or not to Emergency? I'd say not, on balance, although those with a yen for vaguely jazzy German rock may like the odd track here and there. Passable Mellotron work, but don't bother buying these for that alone.
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Mark I (1995, recorded 1974, 48.22) ***½/TTTOut of Our HandsMore Than Words Someone Who Cares For a Lifetime Hear My Voice on the Radio Shooting Star a. From the Top b. Common Ground c. Iceland on the Rocks d. Shooting Star Sky at Night |
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Empire were ex-Yes Peter Banks' post-Flash outfit, featuring his then-partner, Sydney Foxx (her real name, surely?) on vocals. For all the usual irritating reasons, they couldn't get a deal at the time, and despite recording a fair bit of material over a several-year period, the tapes sat in a drawer for twenty years before One Way gave them a belated release, splitting them into three 'themed' discs, depending on lineup and era. Mark I opens with the killer Yesalike Out Of Our Hands (presumably written for Flash but unrecorded), sounding like a cross between Yes and The Yes Album, with other better tracks including the twelve-minute Common Ground and Sky At Night, although it's a bit of a curate's egg, with tracks like the insipid For A Lifetime or the countryish Hear My Voice On The Radio letting the side down slightly.
Mellotron from either Banks or Jakob Magnusson on a few tracks, with flute and string parts on the semi-balladic More Than Words and the even more balladic For A Lifetime, with strings and cellos on Shooting Star (probably on the second part, Common Ground) and occasional flutes and strings on the closing epic, Sky At Night. Overall, then, a pretty good archive release, with a couple of lesser tracks; that's why programmable CD was invented, folks... Plenty of Mellotron, too, so this is probably worth the effort should you run into a copy.
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Saat (1972, 38.14) ***½/½Walkin' in the ParkTräume Touch the Sun Love Time Rain Saat Die Reise |
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I don't know much about Emtidi, but they strongly remind me in places of early Pink Floyd, particularly on Touch The Sun, although all the organ work has that 'Rick Wrightness' about it. Male and/or female vocals, acoustic guitar, spacey keys; yup, it's Krautrock, albeit the folk end of it. Definitely an, er, 'late night listen'; it doesn't make much sense straight, to be honest.
Dolly Holmes plays Mellotron on Touch The Sun (although Dieter Dierks is credited with 'help with Mellotron'), and apart from some very background strings and (possibly) choir, that's it, really. A fairly good laid-back sort of stoner folk album, then, with minimal Mellotron presence.
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Introspection (1969, 34.36/40.19) ***½/T |
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| Dreamworld Under the Rainbow Shades of Orange Bromley Common Cardboard Watch Introspection (part one) What Does it Feel Like? Linen Draper |
Don't Take Me Loving, Sacred Loving She Said Yeah Jacob's Bladder Introspection (part two) [CD adds: Shades of Orange (single version) Loving, Sacred Loving (single version)] |
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Retrospection (1997, recorded 1967?, 40.28) ***/T |
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| Loving, Sacred Loving Building Up a Dream Little Annie Morning Dew Tears Will Be the Only Answer Today Tomorrow Lady Under the Lamp Black is Black |
Mister Man Call Me Shades of Orange Mirror We Have Got it Made Bypass the By-Pass |
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The End are known, if at all, for Bill Wyman's patronage; the bonus tracks on the CD of 1969's Introspection were recorded during the sessions for Their Satanic Majesties Request, and have apparently turned up on Stones bootlegs, despite sounding nothing like them. It was the only album they released during their career, and is a fairly normal psych effort, albeit a little late in the day, although it was recorded in late '67. It's oddest feature is the handful of spoken-word tracks, including Bromley Common and Linen Draper, featuring some old cockney talking about his lifestyle; it sounds like someone's family friend, and makes for an interesting diversion, if nothing else. The material is mixed in both style and quality, and you can sort of see why this didn't really take off, as by then the listening public had moved on from the English whimsy of harpsichord-driven tracks like Loving, Sacred Loving (more's the pity). Mellotron on one track, with a lovely flute part on Cardboard Watch from Nicky Graham, also featured (before the album's release) on a Spanish film, Al Escondite Ingle's, which received a bit of UK publicity at the time.
The band split soon after its release, morphing into the more rocking Tucky Buzzard, although never really breaking through. 1997's Retrospection consists of outtakes from Introspection and other material recorded over the same period, although it lacks the original album's charm, for some reason. Don't get me wrong; it's not a bad record, but while psych fans probably need to hear Introspection, this is rather less essential. One 'Tron track, again, with strings and brass (Nicky Graham again?) on We Have Got It Made, although not worth buying for that reason.
Introspection is a good, if not outstanding album, its unfashionability neutered by time, while Retrospection is a decent enough collection for the faithful. One reasonable 'Tron track each, but not enough to make them worth the effort for that alone.
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Alone (2007, 16.25) **½/½MeAlone Antilevitation Love Me Morbid |
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Endezzma are yet another entrant into the 'Scandinavian extreme metal' stakes, as if any more were needed. The Alone EP is their debut release, consisting of the usual growled vocals, sludgy riffs and overlong material... Maybe it's just that I don't understand this stuff at all; on the heavier front, '70s hard rock's my bag, and this genre-fixated approach simply bores me. Sorry. It's all very silly, anyway, unless you're a True Metal Believer, in which case it's deadly serious. I found a (deliberately) piss-funny 'how to be a tr00 kvlt black metaler' list on someone's blog recently (try here), including helpful advice along the lines of 'be grim' and 'be necro'. NECRO??! Oh, gimme a break... In fairness, the list is right royally taking the piss, but even the concept...
Ahem... Lars Fredrik Frøislie (Wobbler/White Willow) plays piano, Moog, Mellotron and clarinet, although I have to say it's difficult to spot what the Mellotron might be doing. There are background... somethings on Antilevitation and Love Me Morbid which have to be the 'Tron, as there's nothing else credited that could make those sounds, but I've no idea what tapes he might be using. As a result, it's a low score on the 'Tronometer, until/unless I get more info. You probably don't want to hear this anyway, unless you're a mad metalhead who has to have everything in the genre. Some task...
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It's All a Game (1974) ***/T |
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| Turn the Page Just the Way I am He Could Have Been a Dancer Love Goes on By Firelight Space Shanty Snakeyes Chained to the Middle |
Superstar (You Promised Me) Hail All Hail to the Revolution (12 Bore) |
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Jon English managed to juggle careers in acting (stage and screen) and music during the '70s, releasing several successful albums, including this presumably semi-concept effort, It's All a Game. It contains a cover of Bob Seger's classic Turn The Page (greatest 'road song' ever?), and seems to basically be about the trials and tribulations of playing in a band (maaan...), with the rear sleeve pic of English as a marionette, and the board game on the inside of the gatefold, an idea also used by Triumph a couple of years later. It also has to be said that his countrymen AC/DC's It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll) did it far better in one song... It's not actually a bad album, though English's theatrical background comes lurching through at inopportune moments, not least on closer Hail All Hail To The Revolution (12 Bore) and the frankly bizarre Irish pub singalong interstellar epic (!), Space Shanty.
Mellotron on two tracks, from Michael Carlos, who also played on Chalice's Overflow: strings on He Could Have Been A Dancer and Snakeyes, although neither performance is exactly groundbreaking, to be honest. Interestingly, three-quarters of Sebastian Hardie are also present (how incestuous is all this? OK, it seems he was an early member), though not keyboard player Toivo Pilt (who also played on the Chalice album...), thanked on the rear sleeve as 'Sebastian Hardy'.
Anyway, this isn't common, even in Australia, and only just scraped three stars, so don't make it your life's work to track a copy down or anything. Two OK 'Tron tracks and that's it.
See: Sebastian Hardie | Against the Wind
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In the Region of the Summer Stars (1976, 39.29) *****/T½The Fool...The Falling TowerDeath, the Reaper The Lovers The Devil The Sun The Last Judgement In the Region of the Summer Stars |
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The Enid formed in 1974, the brainchild of Robert John Godfrey, who had previously worked with Barclay James Harvest as orchestral arranger. He claims that he presented his idea for an album based on the Tarot to Charisma, with whom he had just released a solo album, Fall of Hyperion, only to have it stolen from under his nose by Steve Hackett for his Voyage of the Acolyte opus. Undeterred, Godfrey began developing his own material anyway, demoing it with his fledgling lineup in 1975. These demos became available, briefly, on the vinyl-only The Alternative Enid, Vol.1 in the mid-'90s.
The band eventually secured a deal with the independent Buk Records, and released In the Region of the Summer Stars in '76. The album is an absolute tour de force; classical and rock influences thrown into the melting pot, creating a completely unique sound unlike that of any other progressive outfit of the era. Godfrey's years at music school were put to good use, and the arrangements, for keys and two guitars, are top-notch. Anyone who's heard Hyperion will spot a steal from that album's opening track in The Sun, a trick Godfrey was to re-use many times throughout the band's career. Basically, I can't recommend this album highly enough; there's not a duff moment on it, although I know Robert dislikes some of the synth sounds. The band were signed by EMI soon after, who re-released the album, although this version is no more common than the Buk issue.
They used a borrowed Mellotron on the last two linked pieces; The Last Judgement is based on Gregorian mega-hit Dies Irie, which I've never heard put to more effective use, despite the number of times it's been used over the years. The 'Tron use is restricted to some choirs in the background on both Judgement and the title track, so In the Region is far from being a Mellotron Classic, which explains its low 'T' rating, but the album itself is an absolute stormer. Now, a warning: after much legal wrangling with ex-record companies, Robert apparently retrieved various master tapes in the early '80s, only to lose some of them in a fire. Allegedly. The Enid re-recorded In the Region in 1984, but the guts of the original were lost; it's a pale imitation of the original LP, although the material still holds up. This version has a completely different sleeve, so it's the one pictured above that you want. The original is unavailable on CD, and it rather looks as though that situation is here to stay, especially if the masters have been lost.
So... BUY. IMMEDIATELY! If you can find it, if you have a turntable, etc.etc... Not for the 'Tron, mind you, but for the music. I quite seriously intend to have one of these pieces played at my funeral, which should give you some idea of how highly I rate this album. A true classic.
See: Robert John Godfrey
