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Heathen Frontiers in Sound (2009, 51.28) ***/TTGringo BluesMy Heathen Revolution Talkin' Revolution Blues I Never Write Slow Love Songs Black Sheep Blues Brother Motherfucker Crucifiction Blues Heathen Frontiers in Sound |
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Who is the mysterious Christophe F? (As in Christiane F?) No idea, but he seems to've gravitated into the orbit of a certain J. Cope and his Black Sheep, making 2009's Heathen Frontiers in Sound essentially a Cope album with someone else singing. Well, I say 'singing', but Mr. F. rarely actually breaks into song, preferring a Northern-accented revolutionary 'talking blues' style, like an unholy cross between Bob Dylan and, er, John Cooper Clarke. The eleven-minute Talkin' Revolution Blues is probably the epitome of his folk-informed style, although the closing title track probably runs it a close second.
I presume that's Cope on Mellotron, with strings on opener Gringo Blues and My Heathen Revolution, while Brother Motherfucker features string and oboe parts, unusually. Overall, if you're a fan of Saint Julian And All His Works, you stand a good chance of liking this. If you're not, give it a go anyway, if only for the Mellotron.
See: Black Sheep | Julian Cope
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Past Perfect Future Tense (2004, 51.02) ***/TT |
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| Obsolete All the Time Past Perfect Future Tense No One Gets Me But U Kryptonite Nothing Here to Hold You A Friend Like Me Little Angels |
2CU Shine You Don’t Have to Change Envelop Me Never Sweeter |
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Magne "Mags" Furuholmen is A-Ha's keyboard player/guitarist and co-writer of several of their major hits. After the band reconvened at the end of the '90s, solo albums started appearing, Furuholmen waiting until 2004 to release Past Perfect Future Tense as the international market-friendly Magne F. It's an inoffensive album of acoustic guitar/piano/strings-based pop, likely to appeal to grown-up A-Ha fans (yes, there are lots of them. All female), which means, unsurprisingly, that it probably isn't going to do much for your typical Planet Mellotron reader.
Furuholmen plays Mellotron throughout, almost certainly the parent band's MkVI, with strings on Obsolete, All The Time and Kryptonite, with flutes (though real strings) on No One Gets Me But U, although all the other strings are real. So; acceptable (if slightly dull) mainstream stuff with a few decent 'Tron tracks. Going by Furuholmen's frankly bizarre website (actually worth a look, on oddness grounds), he's a fan of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, which I shall honour by saying: mostly harmless.
Utterly incomprehensible official site
See: A-Ha | Morten Harket
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Worship in the Waiting (2007, 44.58) *½/½ |
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| You Are God Alone In the Waiting One and Only Beautiful One Jesus I am Resting, Resting God of the Promise Be Unto Your Name In Christ Alone |
I'm Free Holding on |
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City on a Hill: Sing Alleluia (2002)[Nichole Nordeman & FFH contribute]Shine Your Light |
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FFH (originally Four for Harmony, now Far From Home) are yer classic CCM outfit, male and female vocals, gloopy pop ballads about 'their relationship with Christ'... You get the picture. A thought: if the chief 'relationship' in a hardcore Christian's life is with his god, where does that leave his nearest and dearest? Second-class citizens, by the sound of it. Anyway, this album sucks a dead dog's cock, frankly; the nearest it comes to not actually offending is the gospel/blues of I'm Free, which seems, stunningly, to ascertain that being in thrall to an imaginary deity can be construed as 'freedom'. Fascinating.
Tim Lauer plays Mellotron, with strings on In The Waiting, although they're faint to the point of near-inaudibility. This really is the usual old cock, with next to no tape-replay to liven things up a bit. Run away.
See: City on a Hill
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City of Fear (1980, 42.56) *****/TT |
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| Krakow Power Truth or Consequences Lost and Found City of Fear Surface to Air Up to You Silence |
Riding the Thunder Nobody at All |
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FM fit quite neatly into the category of 'Canadian progressive bands using synths'; not a very snappy description, admittedly. 'CPBUS', anyone? There must have been something in the water there in the late '70s, though; FM, Saga, Rush and to an extent, Max Webster all have elements in common, and it has to be said that Rush were by no means the first to utilise this style. That honour definitely goes to this lot; FM (NOT to be confused with the awful '80s UK AOR band) had their 'power trio with synths' thing down pat by '77. The oddest thing about them, though, was their 'no guitars' ruling; they had two different electric violin/mandolin players at different points in their career. Er, they managed to find two?!
Anyway; purists moan that by their fourth album, City of Fear, FM had moved well away from the 'progressiveness' of Black Noise (****) from a couple of years earlier, and I suppose it's fair to say that the songs were shorter and more straightforward, but this is one of those bands who give the lie to the general ruling that this leads to Satan. In my humble opinion, City of Fear is the band's best album; concise but inventive song structures, immaculately arranged parts and above all, great songs. The title track is probably the album's best, but opener Krakow runs it a close second, with the added bonus of much Mellotron, provided by Synergy mainman, producer Larry Fast, although played by band all-rounder Cameron Hawkins. Haunting strings underpin a solo vocal in the verses, then ride over Ben Mink's 'mandolin through a Marshall' bridge sections. Second track in, Power, uses it too, but to rather lesser effect.
There's no more Mellotron to be heard on the album, but there's nary a duffer on display here; even closing ballad Nothing At All has a certain charm, and Silence and the storming Riding The Thunder are pretty essential. Irritatingly, like much of the excellent Passport label's back catalogue, City of Fear is unavailable on CD, as are its predecessor, Surveillance (****) and their experimental 'live in the studio' album Head Room (***½), although a couple of awful reformation albums from the '80s are fairly easy to find. Not that I'm recommending this, you understand... Apparently, these, along with many other Passport master tapes were tragically lost in a fire, so take heart in the fact that I found my first copy in a London second-hand shop for ten pence, gatefold sleeve and all! Buy.
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Labish Intermediaries (1989, 53.03) ***½/T½Prince Farm's Balance BuddhaSubadai's Sun Beam Sally Angkor's Balance Buddha Nirvana's Polytelis Magic Typhoon |
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De Fabriek ('The Factory') are more often known as 'post-industrial' or somesuch, so their fifth or so album, Labish Intermediaries, must have come as something of a surprise to their audience. It fits fairly neatly into the much-maligned 'EM' category, sounding more like atonal German electronic music than anything more in-your-face. It has its rhythmic parts, admittedly, chiefly on Angkor's Balance Buddha, but the bulk of the album drifts along in a haze of hisses, clanks and low groans. OK, maybe it is industrial.
I was absolutely convinced this was going to be Mellotron-free, until the choirs on Angkor's Balance Buddha made me sit up and take notice. It turns out they're played by Mekanik Kommando/The Use of Ashes' Peter van Vliet, who seems to be one of a handful of musicians (relatively speaking) who nursed an M400 through the '80s. The strings on the same track could be 'Tron or generic samples, but those are quite definitely Mellotron strings in side-long closer Nirvana's Polytelis Magic Typhoon, after the choirs and the generic strings, just for comparison.
I'm fairly certain this has never been issued on CD, although I don't think the vinyl's that rare. It can also be found on various blogspots, so the determined seeker will probably be able to track it down. Is it worth it? For electronic/industrial fans, a definite yes, for Mellotron aficionados, rather less so, although it's a rare late-'80s 'Tron album, for those who take notice of such things.
See: The Use of Ashes
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From Home to Home (1970, 37.52/62.22) ****½/TTTT |
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| Aries Bordeaux Rosé In My Box By Your Bedside (Love Below Sky) (Onward) Soldier of the Flesh I Will Always Feel the Same Free (to Fly, to Drown, to Spill Milk) ...And Emily Brought Confetti |
Chalk on the Wall The Glorious House of Arthur Monkey I Remember Sunnyside Circus The Drummer Boy of Shiloh [CD adds: Just Another Day Caraminda |
Song for You I am All the Animals Bordeaux Rosé Baby, Stay for Tonight Medieval Masquerade Eye Witness Let the World Wash in] |
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Fairfield Parlour metamorphosed out of UK psych hopefuls Kaleidoscope, who in turn grew out of various West London-based beat groups in the mid-'60s. After inexplicably failing to become huge as Kaleidoscope, Fairfield Parlour went for a more folk/psych direction, with Peter Daltrey (no relation)'s wonderful voice and intensely personal lyrics to the fore. They only released one album at the time, the rather excellent From Home to Home, which has recently been reissued with a swathe of bonus tracks. Much of the album is quite upbeat, major-key stuff, although with a melancholic undercurrent, but possibly its standout track is the minor-key Floyd-ish ...And Emily Brought Confetti (coincidence?!), which has more than a little of Julia Dream about it, a sad (true?) story about a lonely woman going to pieces at a wedding:
| 'Emily brought confetti that she'd made herself By cutting up pictures of wedding dresses And close-ups of Marlon Brando'. |
A superb song, worth the price of admission on its own, with some gorgeous Mellotron to boot.
From Home to Home can lay claim to being a minor Mellotron Classic, with nine of its thirteen tracks suffused with Mark II, mostly strings, with the odd bit of flute thrown in for good measure, played by Daltrey and guitarist Eddy Pumer. I wouldn't say the bulk of the 'Tron work is 'classic' in the accepted sense, but the subtle, understated parts complement the material beautifully, and there are a couple of great pitchbend moments that show just how well the instrument was integrated into the band's sound.
This really is a wonderful album, highly recommended to all fans of late-'60s British music, or indeed, anyone who wishes to hear great songs, excellently played, with lashings of Mellotron. A double album's-worth of material recorded a year later but never released, finally crept out as White-Faced Lady in 1991, and seems to be more of the same, but less so. The 'Tron was replaced by real strings, and the songs sound as though less care was put into them, although I expect this is maligning a perfectly good album. I'm afraid it just doesn't match the insanely high standards set by From Home to Home.
As you can see, there are a couple of extra 'Tron tracks on the expanded CD, and that's the version you're most likely to find anyway. So; buy. Immediately. A minor classic.
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7" (1968) ****/0 Meet on the Ledge Throwaway Street Puzzle |
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Fairport Convention? I've known for years that they're supposed to've used a Mellotron on Meet On The Ledge b-side Throwaway Street Puzzle, but it's taken me until now to get round to hearing the original mix, as against the one on Richard Thompson's (Guitar, Vocal). The A-side is, of course, one of the band's iconic tracks, almost always used to close their annual Cropredy Festival to this day, but what of the flip? Well, it's a Thompson/Ashley Hutchings composition, clearly written in the style of the West Coast American songwriters the band favoured at the time, only, er, not quite as good. Not bad, but not exactly classic.
Rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol is credited with Mellotron, but if anyone else knows what he did with it (up to and including Simon himself), I'd love to know, as it's entirely inaudible, proving that the (Guitar, Vocal) version isn't actually that different to the original. While not indispensible, this is worth hearing for Fairport fans who think they've heard everything, but don't bother for the Mellotron. Really.
See: Richard Thompson
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Fading Beauty (1973, 44.20) ***½/TAutumn FantasiaFading Beauty Lingering Cold Tharsis |
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Back on My Hill (1980, recorded 1978) ***½/TTT½Back on My HillKeep Me Away This is My Love Song Stick in Your Eyes Judgement Day |
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Faithful Breath are better known as an '80s metal band, so some readers may be surprised to learn that they were operating as early as 1973, as a full-on prog outfit. To be perfectly honest, despite Fading Beauty's reissue on the US label The Laser's Edge, and its 'lost classic' status, it's not actually that good, certainly in comparison to some of their lesser-known countrymen such as Epidaurus or Führs & Fröhling. The two lengthy tracks slightly outstay their welcome, and are decidedly one-paced and overly simplistic, but then, I've heard an awful lot worse, and the album makes perfectly pleasant background listening, unlike many I could name (but won't). It does actually have a brooding, autumnal feel to it, particularly side one's Autumn Fantasia, and is several steps up from some of the German 'prog by numbers' I've heard. Despite its being second in the list of Manfred von Buttlar's keys, there's practically no Mellotron to be heard on the album, with all the strings sounding like they're synthesized. I can hear a little choir on the title track, and some background brass chords on Tharsis, but as for this being a 'Mellotron Classic'; forget it.
Back on My Hill is their second album (so what were they doing for the rest of the '70s?), released as late as 1980, but they released a metal album the following year as a keyboardless trio, causing some confusion. It turns out that it was recorded in the 1977/78 period, then held back for two years, after which the band disbanded then reformed as a metal outfit. The rather silly sleeve art puts it into 'dodgy metal' territory, but the music certainly doesn't, although its initial release on the dodgy Sky label is enough to make the experienced prog listener blanch slightly. The title track is a good, straightforward song with prog stylings, although the quality of the material drops a little after this. You can see that they were headed for more mainstream territory, with the lush ballad This Is My Love Song; even side-long epic Judgement Day has less variety than you might expect from this type of piece. Von Buttlar's Mellotron is perfectly audible this time round, with upfront strings on This Is My Love Song and Stick In Your Eyes, and full-on 'Tron throughout most of Judgement Day.
So; Fading Beauty isn't a Mellotron Album, Back on My Hill is, but neither are exactly classics musically, although I've heard worse in both cases. You pays yer money and yer takes yer choice.
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Kissin' Time (2002, 44.29) ***½/T½ |
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| Sex With Strangers The Pleasure Song Like Being Born I'm on Fire Wherever I Go Song for Nico Sliding Through Life on Charm Love and Money |
Nobody's Fault Kissin' Time |
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I was under the impression that Marianne Faithfull was going through a career renaissance until I checked her discography, and discovered that since the end of her drug-induced slump in the '70s, she's released albums fairly consistently for over 25 years. These days, Marianne looks like yer gran, if, that is, yer gran smokes 60 tabs and drinks two bottles of gin a day. She does? Bet she can't sing with the same intimacy, even if Marianne's voice is beginning to sound like an old lady's. Kissin' Time isn't, strictly speaking, her own album, as every track is co-written with various collaborators, including Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Dave Stewart (that's evil Dave Stewart from the godawful Eurythmics) and Jarvis Cocker from the sublime Pulp. The latter's Sliding Through Life On Charm is the album's best track, both musically and lyrically, although there aren't many low points, to be honest.
Jon Brion's Chamberlin can be heard on a couple of tracks, with strings on Sliding Through Life On Charm and Beck's Nobody's Fault, although, unsurprisingly, it'd be difficult to name it as one of the album's outstanding features. All in all, this is a surprisingly good album, eclectic, though not so much that her fans lose interest, with some impressive names on board. And Billy Corgan. So; forget it on the tape-replay front, but not a bad album. Not bad at all. Fuck-off ugly sleeve, though.
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7" (1967) ***½/TT Scene Through the Eye of a Lens Gypsy Woman |
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Music in a Dolls House (1968, 37.14) ****½/TT½ |
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| The Chase Mellowing Grey Never Like This Me My Friend Variation on a Theme of 'Hey Mr Policeman' Winter Old Songs New Songs Variation on a Theme of 'The Breeze' |
Hey Mr Policeman See Through Windows Variation on a Theme of 'Me My Friend' Peace of Mind Voyage The Breeze 3 x Time |
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It's Only a Movie (1973, 39.23) ***/TIt's Only a MovieLeroy Buffet Tea for Two Boom Bang Boots'n'Roots Banger Sweet Desiree Suspicion Check Out |
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BBC Radio Volume 1: 1968-69 (2004, 61.19) ***½/T |
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| See Through Windows The Weaver's Answer Breeze Second Generation Woman Observations Dim Holding The Compass The Procession |
How Hi the Li Love is a Sleeper I Sing Em the Way I Feel A Song for Me Drowned in Wine Wheels No Mule's Fool The Cat and the Rat |
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Family were formed in Leicester in the late '60s, led by charismatic frontman Roger 'electric goat' Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney; Chapman's voice is something of an acquired taste, but he's nothing if not distinctive... They're a bit of an oddity, being difficult to cram into any existing category, which was probably both their strength and their downfall. Psychedelic hard rock with violin? Warble-voiced balladry? Folk metal? Maybe 'post-psych' serves them best, although it's less of a description than an excuse for not being able to find one. Their first single, the punningly-titled Scene Through The Eye Of A Lens, is a typical period piece, with Mellotron played by Steve Winwood of Traffic, and while not actually a classic, it's worth hearing. The 'Tron use is fairly ordinary, but I've got a feeling these might be bonus tracks on the CD of Music in a Dolls House.
Music in a Dolls House itself is something of a psych classic, incorporating many of the era's quirks while never forgetting that without a good song you're sunk, particular highlights being The Chase, Winter and Peace Of Mind. I'd recommend the album on these grounds alone, but a bonus is the Mellotron strings on several tracks, notably See Through Windows and Voyage, sometimes mixed in with bassist Ric Grech's violin, apparently played by producer Dave Mason, also of Traffic. It's also completely uncredited on the sleeve; in fact, there's no credit for keyboards at all, but the information's leaked out somehow.
Family carried on for some years, with multiple lineup changes, until calling it a day in the mid-'70s. Having not used a Mellotron since their debut, Family chose their last album, It's Only a Movie, with an almost completely different lineup, to use one again, this time probably played by keyboard man Tony Ashton. The album is probably too diverse for its own good, to be honest, being a sort of rock/blues/soul/country mix (!) which doesn't, in all honestly, especially appeal, although that's only one person's view. There's some low-level 'Tron strings and (I think) oboe lead on the title track, but that appears to be it, so I wouldn't go out of your way, if I were you.
2004's BBC Radio Volume 1: 1968-69 does exactly what it says on the tin, making the contents of five sessions available, mostly from the legendary Top Gear. I'm not au fait with all of the original recordings, so comparisons are difficult, but the first three tracks, from a Saturday Club Session in September '68, consist of two from their debut and The Weaver's Answer from the forthcoming Family Entertainment. The second session here, from Top Gear from a mere two months later, is noticeably different in sound and feel, with the band already moving away from the psychedelia of Music in a Dolls House into, well, however you describe the bulk of Family's music. Even though this album covers a period of under a year, the range of styles covered is astonishing, making you wonder if anyone actually likes everything in the band's catalogue. Given that their Mellotron use encompasses their first and last recordings, it's hardly surprising that there's only one 'Tron track here, with an atmospheric string part on See Through Windows, closely mirroring the original.
So; whether or not you like Family probably depends on how open-minded you might be. Psych fans will lap their debut up, but then it all gets a bit weird, and a degree of iconoclasm probably helps. I can heartily recommend Music in a Dolls House, and just as heartily not recommend It's Only a Movie, but the mixed-bag of BBC Radio Volume 1 is another matter. If you have any interest in how psych became prog, not to mention several other styles, it's possibly a good introduction to the band's early music, but not worth it for its minimal 'Tron content.
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Magic Happens (1994, 50.21) **½/0 |
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| Wonderful Excuse Amazing Hangover Move Over I'll Drive Your Secrets Will Stay Mine Airplane Gardens Gone, So Long Hamlet for Now Goldenbook |
Rockbreaking Springing the Atom Blood Orange Nowhere to Go But Down |
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The Family Cat were a Plymouth-by-way-of-London indie band from the late '80s, who released three albums and rode, briefly, on the coattails of Britpop, before dissolving in the mid-'90s. 1994's Magic Happens was the last of these, and is fairly easy to stick in the 'typical '90s indie' bracket; not really that '60s, making the 'Britpop' label rather redundant, in hindsight, but with more of a rock element than their immediate forbears, The Smiths. A lack of memorable material doesn't help their cause, but it's the album's dreary feel that really scuppers it.
Sean Slade (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh) is credited with Mellotron on Your Secrets Will Stay Mine, but I have absolutely no idea what he's supposed to be doing with it; even the highish sustained notes in the song are clearly guitar. So; a rather dull album with nonexistent Mellotron. Next...
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Ars Transmutatoria (1990, 46.19) ***/T |
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| Demiourgos Belzebub i Amerika Hassan i Sabbah Etter Nansen Kold Eksperimentering Hebhel Spang Virr Dyret Fra Moskva |
Hårdhendt Redigering Exit Kanon |
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One Night I Had a Frightful Dream (2002, 61.59) ***½/T½ |
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| Supernatural Horror in Literature The Dunwich Horror The Call of Cthulhu The Shadow Over Innsmouth The Gardens of Yin Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath The Festival Al Azif |
Nyarlathotep The Ancient Track At the Mountains of Madness A Gentleman From Providence |
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Famlende Forsøk are a sort of sister band to The Smell of Incense, although they've been going for far longer, so maybe that should be the other way round. Either way, their releases have become few and far between, with Ars Transmutatoria being their sixth album in as many years, but their last for over a decade. It's a challenging, dissonant work, some of it barely 'music' in the usually accepted sense of the word, which isn't to denigrate it in any way. Distant, echoing voices, speaking Norwegian, assorted clangs and bongs (not that kind. OK, maybe that kind) and near-tuneless keyboard and guitar parts combine to make an album quite unlike anything else I've heard. I don't know which of the project's three members plays the Mellotron, though I'm guessing Chrisph (can you pronounce that?), with a repeating string pattern in Belzebub I Amerika, although the strings in Dyret Fra Moskva sound like generic samples, particularly on the low notes.
Their next (and to date, last) non-compilation release was 2002's One Night I Had a Frightful Dream (subtitled 'A Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft'), gestated over a 14-year period (!). Lovecraft is an ever-present influence on the band, and unlike many 'tribute to...' albums, parts of this actually conjure up visions of the Master Of Macabre's work, particularly the haunting The Shadow Over Innsmouth, complete with recorded whale song, and the grinding The Ancient Track. Believe me, this isn't an album to sing along to, and not just because there are very few vocal tracks; this is dark and dissonant, and a welcome change after reviewing piles of modern rock and neo-prog albums, thank you very much. Someone (Chrisph again?) tackles the Mellotron, although I don't think it's 'Tron strings underlying the synth on opener Supernatural Horror In Literature, but those are most definitely 'Tron cellos (plus strings) on The Ancient Track, with more strings on At The Mountains Of Madness.
So; music to scare small children by, with a bit of Mellotron. Buy them for a change of scenery.
See: The Smell of Incense
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Message to the Universe (1986) **/½ |
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| Unexpected Journey Alien Talk Space Shuttle Mechanic Jammin' at Johnnies Hookipa End of an Era The Wind Cried Maui Peace in the World |
Mother Sea Matthew's Dream |
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Merrell Fankhauser's had a long and honourable career, starting as guitarist/songwriter for noted surfists The Impacts in the early '60s. He went on to form MU, a late-period psych sort of thing based in Hawaii, with some considerable agenda re. the existence or otherwise of Lemuria, the fabled continent that may or may not have existed where Hawaii now sits. He progressed to a solo career, and I'm afraid to say that I hope that his other albums are better than this one.
Message to the Universe is pretty ropey, to be honest; a sort of hippy-blues concoction with some bizarre alien visitation concept and a very silly sleeve. Laid-back without being particularly relaxing, it isn't helped by the fact that most of the drums, bass and keys are programmed (this was 1986, but no excuse). The music is too intrusive to be ignored (especially those godawful programmed drums), but neither the material, the arrangements nor the playing manage to excite. Worst of all, though, is the dearth of decent songs. Remember them? Mr. Fankhauser doesn't seem to...
Just to add insult to injury, the Mellotron strings on The Wind Cried Maui (ha ha), by his regular violinist Mary Lee have to be one of the worst examples I've heard. Badly arranged, played and recorded, the few audible chords add nothing to one of the album's better moments (and that probably only because it's an instrumental). The album's only real saving grace is some of the guitar work; Fankhauser's insipid vocals grate after a while and the weedy arrangements and dodgy mid-'80s sounds do little to inspire. Maybe I'm just not doing the right drugs.
So; apologies if you're a fan, but poor music, poorer Mellotron. Avoid.
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Mother's Pride (1973, 43.33) **½/0 |
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| Last Night I Had a Dream Long Road Home Old Hat Solid Gold Is it Really You? All Mine Summer Song Polecat Blues |
Beside Myself Regular Guy I Need You Need Me Feelings I'm Satisfied |
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Now almost forgotten, Fanny were one of the very first all-female bands (as against singing groups), who'd picked up a reasonable following by the early '70s, not to mention famous fans (notably David Bowie). 1973's Mother's Pride (produced by none other than Todd Rundgren) was their fifth album, largely consisting of middling-to-soft rock along the lines of Long Road Home and All Mine, although better efforts include opener Last Night I Had A Dream, Summer Song and Regular Guy; shame about the off-key vocals on Solid Gold, though...
Nickey Barclay allegedly adds Mellotron, although given that the solo flute on Feelings is clearly real, I've no idea where it might be heard. Although this is available again through reissue kings Rhino, I'd be lying if I said this is worth hearing again, let alone 'unmissable'; it's a very ordinary so-so early '70s rock album with no defining features. Even any obvious Mellotron.
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Paint a Picture (1973, 44.57) ****/TT |
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| Paint a Picture Circus The Award Politely Insane Widow Icy River Thank Christ Young Man's Fortune |
Gnome Song Silent Mime |
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Beyond the Beyond (1992, recorded 1974, 39.28/66.04) ****½/TTTT |
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| Introduction Beyond the Beyond Reality Alanderie Afterthought Worried Man Just a Dream Winter Rose Church Clock |
['Plus...' adds: Fire-Fire Vacuum Alone Afterthought (original version) Church Clock (original version)] |
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Fantasy, originally known as Chapel Farm, were an odd sort of band, being rather late-psych/proto-proggish in 1973, by which time most bands had moved on to pastures new. For all that, Paint a Picture (the only record released in their lifetime) is a good album, just not the classic that it's sometimes made out to be. The songwriting's excellent, slightly reminiscent of the late-psych style that Gracious! did so well, with strong melodies and coherent song structures to the fore, particularly on the title track. Most of the album's keyboard work, from David Metcalfe, is either Hammond or Farfisa organ, plus bits of synth. To be honest, there's nothing like as much Mellotron as has often been claimed, with only (to my ears, anyway) three tracks on the album, only two of which make particularly good use of the instrument. Paint A Picture itself, as well as being a gorgeous song, builds up to a 'Tron strings-heavy part towards the end, and Gnome Song has some excellent string and flute parts, although Thank Christ is very low-key on the 'Tron front.
After recording an unreleased second album, the band hung around for another few years until quietly slipping away as punk hit in '77. That would've been it for Fantasy, if it hadn't have been for Pete Sarfas at the Audio Archives label, who dug up those unreleased tapes, releasing them as Beyond the Beyond in 1992. Well, would you believe it? It's brilliant. The songwriting's easily the equal of that on their debut, while their sound had progressed towards a slightly more 'rock' direction, and there's more Mellotron, although not on possibly the album's best track, Afterthought, which ends with a fantastic classical adaptation, more than the equal of many by better-known bands. The title track waits until the chorus to bring in the 'Tron strings, to incredible effect, whereas Alanderie is several minutes in before any appears. Metcalfe uses choirs on this track, incidentally, proving M400 ownership (I had some strange idea at some point that they used a MkII). The other 'Tron tracks make good use of the instrument, though not in quite the same league as these two, but all in all, an excellent album on every front. Top marks Audio Archives.
In '94, Audio Archives put out another Fantasy album, Vivariatum (***½), made up of early- and late-period demos, plus a b-side from the Paint a Picture sessions, I Was Once Aware. The CD is, sadly, entirely 'Tron-free, but the story doesn't end there. After both CDs sold out, most of the best tracks from Vivariatum, irritatingly minus the b-side, were added to the Beyond the Beyond tracks, along with a previously-unavailable demo, as Beyond the Beyond Plus... If only I Was Once Aware was on the disc, it would be the ideal complement to Paint a Picture, as the later tracks really aren't worth the effort. To add to the confusion, Lake Eerie Records, based in Illinois, reissued Paint a Picture, adding most of Beyond the Beyond as bonus tracks, though not I Was Once Aware. Again.
So; Paint a Picture's good, with a little 'Tron. Beyond the Beyond (Plus...) is excellent, with loads of 'Tron, and at least both are now easily available.
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Water & Solutions (1998, 41.12) ***/½ |
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| Bury White Really Here Water & Solutions Mother Mary I Like it The System Nestle In 2 Again |
Wear it So Well Man Overboard Another Way Out Waiting for Sunday |
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I was expecting Far to be an indie outfit, so having my ears assaulted by a metal band rather confused me. Mind you, we're not talking dreaded nu-metal, thankfully; comparisons with Tool are apparently valid. After playing this in the car, and being heavily irritated by it, I was all for giving it a low * rating, but a second play at home has bumped it up to a whole three stars; Far understand dynamics, although 'quiet/loud' has been rather done to death lately, I fear. Best tracks? I Like It has an interesting riff and In 2 Again has an effective (real) string part. While there's nothing genuinely bad here, the punkier tracks had me reaching for the 'skip' button, I'm afraid. Personal taste, I suppose; gimme the Ramones any day, although I'm sure that's missing the point.
Producer D (as in Dave) Sardy played keys on a few tracks, including a tortured Mellotron string line on opener Bury White. Was it worth the effort? Matter of opinion, I suppose; it doesn't seem to add much to the track to my ears, but there you go. Should you buy this album? Do you like Tool? If not, probably not, I suspect. Certainly not worth it for the 'Tron, anyway.
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'The Cave' Down to the Earth (1975, 53.45) ****/TTT |
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| Northern Land Birds Flying to the Nest The God of Water Saying to the Land The God of Wind Moving, Looking, Trying, Jumping Wa, Wa Mystery of Northern Space |
The Cave Down to Earth Four Minds Transmigration |
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Nipponjin: Join Our Mental Phase Sound (1975, 54.02) ****/TTT½ |
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| Nipponjin The Cave Undiscovered Northern Land Timeless The God of Water River of Soul The God of Wind Movin' Lookin' |
Yamato Mystery of Northern Space |
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Parallel World (1976, 70.59) ***½/TMetempsychosisEntering - Times Kokoro Parallel World Amanezcan Origin Zen Reality New Lights In the Year 2000 |
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Tenkujin (1977, 34.32) ***½/TDecensionTenkujin Timeless Phase Nagare From Far East Ascension |
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The Far East Family Band started life as Far Out, mutating into the FEFB after their sole album, Nihonjin. A full-on Japanese psych/prog outfit, they unleashed Kitaro onto the world, under his real name of Masanori Takahashi, but also produced some good music in their own right. There seems to be some confusion over their discography (rare for a Japanese band. NOT!), but 'The Cave' Down to the Earth appears to be the first album released under their new name, and lives up to its trippy title admirably, although the straight early Floyd steal in the title track was probably less than completely necessary. Passable amounts of 'Tron, played by either Takahashi or Fumio Miyashita (or maybe Akira Ito?), with choir parts on a few of the earlier tracks, with more strings later on.
They followed up with Nipponjin, produced by Klaus Schulze. Just to confuse the issue, the album's spelt at least two other ways, is sometimes attributed to Far Out and is made up of re-recordings of tracks from the FEFB/Far Out's two previous albums. Confused? Me too. Just to add to the confusion, my CD lists ten tracks on the back, but only contains five on the disc, with the overall time matching up, but reversing the original LP sides, entailing me playing the album three times before I could work out what was going on. Oh well, at least it got a fair hearing...
After all that, Nipponjin: Join Our Mental Phase Sound (I LOVE that subtitle!) is a dead cool album, falling into that post-psych area that the Japanese did so well in the '70s (note the early Floyd references in The Cave), before prog belatedly kicked in properly there towards the end of the decade. Unusually, the lyrics are (mostly) in good English, given that it's all hippy-dippy stuff anyway. All I can say is, they must grow industrial-strength weed there, 'cos the country seems to've produced more stoned-out bands than just about anywhere else, right up to this day (SEE: The Acid Mothers Temple & Melting Paraiso UFO...). Having eventually got the running order straight, the 16-minute title track has some excellent 'Tron string work, particularly at the end of the piece, while the Undiscovered Northern Land/Timeless segue features some great upfront choir. River Of Soul has a couple of bits, but the strings on closer Mystery Of Northern Space are real. All in all, a bloody good album, and a pretty good 'Tron one. Worth the effort.
Their third album, the lengthy Parallel World, is even trippier than its predecessor, including, in its title track, a 40-minute six-part epic of stoned something-or-other. The album isn't entirely instrumental, but most of it consists of more of that post-psych 'space jamming', almost certainly heard better when not entirely compos mentis, I suspect. There's the odd burst of 'Tron strings on all three highlighted tracks, with a short choir section towards the end of Parallel World itself, though I've no idea on which part. Not really a 'Tron album, but a fine example of the genre.
Tenkujin (spelled various ways) differs wildly from its predecessor, being six short (OK, shortish) tracks, largely with vocals. Various online reviewers have commented that it isn't the best starting place for someone wishing to hear the band, and while that's difficult to deny, it's still a fairly decent record, if far less trippy than their earlier works. Several tracks feature what sounds like real strings, and possibly string synth too, but the only obvious Mellotron work, definitely from Fumio Miyashta this time, is some heavy choirs on closer Ascension.
In summation, despite the track overlap, I have to recommend their first two albums above their later efforts, although Parallel World most definitely has its adherents. Better music (at least to my ears) and far more 'Tron (undeniable) make both 'The Cave' Down to the Earth and Nipponjin your best bets for a Japanese psyched-out 'Tron-fest. Buy.
Here they are on Japanese TV, Mellotron choir audible but not quite visible.
See: Kitaro
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Point de Suture (2008, 54.42) **½/0 |
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| Dégénération Appelle Mon Numéro Je M'Ennuie Paradis Inanimé Looking for My Name Point de Suture Réveiller le Monde Sextonik |
C'est dans l'Air Si J'Avais au Moins... Ave Maria |
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You've probably never heard of Mylène Farmer (nor had I before being given a copy of this album), but she's a French actress/singer-songwriter, born Mylène Jeanne Gautier in Quebéc. Known for her arty, controversial and provocative videos, she's hugely popular in her adopted country (her family moved back there during her childhood), her albums routinely going platinum. Point de Suture is her seventh studio album, shucking off her usual ballads for an electronic, dance-orientated style; surely rather outdated, now? Then again, dance/pop music always seems to sell well, and if that's the area in which she currently wants to work... I can't say the material grabs me in any way, although it's done perfectly well and isn't overly irritating, all things considered. The only track that stands out for me is the 'hidden' one, Ave Maria, a orchestral synth-backed ballad that showcases Farmer's beautiful voice.
Guess what? Although Pol Ramirez del Piu is credited with Mellotron, it's entirely inaudible. A snippet of flute on one track is almost certainly del Piu's real one, so it's a complete loss on the 'Tron front. All in all, few of you are going to go for this, and I can't even say 'but it's got some great Mellotron'. A worthy effort, but really not a Planet Mellotron fave.
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With These Hands (1985, 42.27) ***/½ |
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| In the Country I Built the World Sport for All Art Gallery Something From Nothing Phew Wow! All of a Sudden Heartache |
Walkabout Whatever is He Like |
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Since I read the weekly UK music press right through the '80s, I should probably be aware of Norwich's self-deprecating The Farmer's Boys, but I'm afraid they've drawn an indelible blank in my battered grey matter. In fairness, I'd have hated them at the time, as they didn't sound like Dio or something, but the better part of thirty years on, their charms have become more apparent. 1985's With These Hands is an appealing, early indie-pop album, vocalist Baz channelling Scott Walker throughout, top tracks including opener In The Country (a lost pop classic, no less), closely followed by Phew Wow!, although there actually isn't anything here that offended me, despite the occasional burst of '80s production.
Frog (this lot didn't really go for that 'full name' lark) is credited with Mellotron, surprisingly and indeed, there it is on All Of A Sudden, with an occasional male choir part that couldn't really come from anything else. Although this is a bit of a period piece, it has some real gems lurking in its grooves, although you're really not going to bother for its Mellotron use.
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Take Something With You (1969, 44.36) **½/T |
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| Don't Know Why You Bother Child The Vicar and the Pope Green Two Separate Paths Together Take Something With You Dustbin Time Machine Why Not |
Curtain of Sleep Goodbye |
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Gary Farr was (and still is, I suppose) a British singer-songwriter who led an R'n'B band in the '60s before recording Take Something With You, with members of Mighty Baby (ex-Action) and Blossom Toes. The album's fairly typical of the post-psych era, with a heavy helping of Dylan in Farr's lyric writing and vocal style and a preponderance of acoustic strumalongs, which, sadly, don't stand up that well today. Too much of the material focuses on the lyrical content over the music, with the almost-inevitable result that the album's overloaded with songs consisting of a couple of chords repeated ad infinitum, operating merely as a vehicle for Farr's poorly-scanning lyrics.
Ian Whiteman plays Mellotron (almost certainly a studio MkII) strings on Why Not, although it would have worked nicely on several other tracks (common complaint, this). Overall, it doesn't lift a fairly mediocre album enough to really make it worth hearing for the 'Tron, unless you don't have to pay much/any money for it.
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Sebastopol (2001, 50.27) ***½/T½ |
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| Feel Free Clear Day Thunder Voodoo Candle Barstow Damn Shame Damaged Son Prelude (Make it Alright) Dead Promises Feedkill Chain |
Make it Alright Fortissimo Wah Drain Different Eyes Outside the Door Equilibrium Direction Vitamins |
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Jay Farrar is the significant member of alt.country legends Uncle Tupelo who didn't go on to play in Wilco, forming Son Volt to realise his own Americana vision. They went into indefinite hiatus after their third album, 1998's Wide Swing Tremolo, at which point Farrar kicked off the solo career many had expected after Uncle Tupelo's demise. Sebastopol is the first fruit of said career, largely carrying on where Wide Swing Tremolo left off, mixing psych, Neil Young-style rock, country and even Eastern influences (Prelude (Make it Alright)) into a gumbo of forward-looking and thinking Americana for a new century. Best songs? Opener Feel Free, country ballad Barstow and maybe Drain, but in actuality, there are no bad tracks, which on a 50-minute album is a feat in itself.
Farrar is supposed to play Mellotron on the album, though on the rare occasions you can hear it, it doesn't sound that authentic. Anyone know for certain? Anyway, rather screechy background strings on Clear Day Thunder are outclassed by the far more upfront ones on Damaged Son, with less of the same on Different Eyes. Maybe it's an uncredited Chamberlin? That would explain the not-quite-right sound, but then so might samples, or even generic strings. Oh well, this can stay here until I find out one way or the other, I suppose. Good album, anyway, for those not overly allergic to some country with their rock.
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Song Yet to Be Sung (2001, 48.44) *½/½ |
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| Happy Birthday Jubilee Song Yet to Be Sung Did You Forget Shekina Our Song Say Something Seeds King Z |
To Me Nua Nua Admit 1 Happy Birthday Jubilee (Reprise) |
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Simon "Perry Farrell" Bernstein ('peripheral', geddit? No? Oh, never mind) rose to fame as vocalist/general factotum of Jane's Addiction, who somehow managed to appeal to both metal and indie fans; good trick if you can do it. After their split and Farrell's subsequent short-lived outfit, Porno for Pyros, he released this solo effort, Song Yet to Be Sung in 2001. Jane's fans were, by and large, disappointed, and it's easy to see why, as the album consists of mainly electronica-based material, with huge helpings of even-then dated sampled beats and the like; the multiple credits for 'programming' rather give the game away. He might've got away with it had it been stuffed with great songs, but, er, it's not.
Patrick Warren plays 'Chamberlain' (can ANYONE spell this correctly? Please?) on To Me, with a few string chords that don't especially enhance a thoroughly average song. Listen, steer well clear of this album; I'm sure it's impeccably produced, but it's largely shit. Avoid.
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The Faults (2001, 38.08) ***½/T |
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| Dishonest Jenny Let the Angel Lie Big Show Lazy Eyes Watertown Whispering Goodbye Ready to Go Pencils and Paper |
The Queen Has Spoken Lonely Place Wake Up Poison Land |
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The Faults were Mic Harrison (ex-V-Roy)'s new project (if that means anything to you), who lasted just the one album. 2001's The Faults is best described as being at the harder end of powerpop with the occasional alt.country influence, which is no bad thing. In fact, the only track to sound at all countryish is closer Poison Land, so countryphobes needn't get too het up. Several really nice tracks, although the pick of the bunch is probably opener Dishonest Jenny, which sets the band's stall out nicely.
Harrison plays Mellotron, with a short but sweet string part on Let The Angel Lie although, sadly, he doesn't use it again. Reasonably good album, understated Mellotron. Harrison has subsequently joined Superdrag, albeit after their Mellotron Years, so I doubt if he's used one again.
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Early Song (1999, 40.16) **½/0 |
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| Muse The Crumb Old Village Churchyard Apple Trees Only a Miner Sometimes I Pray Honey Baby Blues Lullaby For Consciousness |
O Death Ode to Rejection Bliss |
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Faun Fables are essentially Dawn McCarthy's solo project, although Oakland avant-progsters Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's Nils Frykdahl is a regular collaborator. Originally privately released in 1999, Early Song is usually credited as 2004, the year Drag City picked it up for CD issue. More folk than singer-songwriter, the album starts normally enough, in a sparse folk kind of way, but slowly descends into eccentricity, McCarthy actually yodelling on Ode To Rejection and Bliss. But is it any good? Matter of opinion, I suppose; it's certainly unusual, but whether that makes it especially listenable is another matter entirely.
Rob Burger allegedly plays Chamberlin, along with pump-organ, but the latter is the only thing actually audible here, so we'll have to take the former on trust, none of which stops this getting a fat '0' on the tape-replay front. So; unusual, different... listenable? The jury's out, especially towards the end of the album. No obvious Chamberlin either way.
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BBC Sessions + (2001, recorded 1973, 48.21) ***½/TBBC 1.3.73. (Lurcher/Kraut Rock/Do So)Party 9 (360) Party 10 Party 1 We Are the Hallo Men So Far Meer |
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BBC Sessions + is a stand-alone issue of the previously-unreleased disc from 2000's The Wümme Years box set, gaining a couple of tracks in the process. In actuality, next to none (if any) of it was actually recorded at the Beeb, as there were apparently power supply issues with their home-built equipment, so although its contents were prepared for BBC broadcast, they were recorded at the band's own live-in studio back home in Wümme. Faust are probably THE krautrock band to sort out the men from the boys; lengthy, melody-free drones mixed with 'motorik' rhythms, sound effects and tape collages, and that's just in the first 'song', a 22-minute medley of three earlier pieces, although for the uninitiated, it's hard to tell. When Virgin released The Faust Tapes for 49p as a loss-leader in 1973, purchasers' reactions apparently ranged from adulation, to 'using it as a frisbee', as I once read, and going by this album, it's possible to see both points of view; the music simultaneously fascinates and irritates, and since every track is completely different to every other, consistency goes out of the window.
I'd always assumed that a band as cutting-edge as Faust would be unlikely to use a Mellotron, and had as good as dismissed the possibility, but We Are The Hallo Men, as promised, features some atonal, screechy 'Tron strings, possibly played by organist (what, they had something as normal as an organist?) Hans-Joachim Irmler, although both Gunter Wüsthoff and Rudolf Sosna are candidates, too. It seems highly unlikely that they owned one, so maybe it's one of the album's occasional actual BBC recordings?
If the spectre of krautrock refuses to loom over you, chances are you're not going to warm to this album, or indeed, anything by the band. If, however, playful experimentation and drug-fuelled lunacy are your stock in trade, you probably own Faust's essential releases already, but you may find the hard-to-find performances here worth adding to your collection, for those times when nothing but a total absence of rules will do. Incidentally, it seems that We Are The Hallo Men is actually previously-released, on 1986's Return of a Legend: Munic and Elsewhere, although I'm not entirely certain it's the same recording. While it's, er, 'interesting' on the Mellotron front, it's hardly essential, though; die-hards only, I think. Also incidentally, if you think this review's slightly disjointed, while I probably could tidy it up, it seems strangely fitting to leave it this way.
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Suicidio (1978, 39.06) **½/T |
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| Intro Suicidio Godi Bastardi Piccolo Lord Eccolo Qua Il Mio Sesso C'è un Posto Caldo |
Innocenza Benvenuti Tra i Rifiuti |
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Fausto "Faust'o" Rossi is an Italian singer-songwriter, still active today, whose debut, 1978's Suicidio, is pretty much of its time in a late '70s pop/rock kind of way; think: 'lots of Supertramp-style piano work' and you won't be too far off. Better tracks include the rocky Bastardi, Piccolo Lord and Innocenza, although I suspect the album (like so many similar) is more about the lyrics than the music, making it a no-show for non-Italian speakers.
One F. Graniero plays Mellotron choirs on Innocenza, with a reasonably full-on part, although it's hardly worth buying the album on that account. One for fans of the less mainstream end of Italian pop, I think.
