|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
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.
|
The Fireman Fishbone Five Day Rain |
Five Fifteen Flame Dream Flamen Dialis |
Flamin' Groovies Flaming Lips Flash |
Fleetwood Mac Flick |
 |
Rushes (1998, 61.21) ***½/TTWatercolour GuitarsPalo Verde Auraveda Fluid Appletree Cinnabar Amber Bison 7 a.m. Watercolour Rush |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Fireman is an ambient/electronica project consisting anonymously of Paul McCartney and Youth (Killing Joke), although there have only been two releases to date, with no obvious plans for a third. 1994's Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest and Rushes, from four years later, are similar in concept and, while not actually dance music, may not appeal to those who dislike cut-up techniques, disembodied dialogue etc. I actually find both albums perfectly pleasant, though they're definitely more background listening than something you'd actually concentrate on to any great extent. It's difficult to pinpoint 'standout' tracks on Rushes, as most of it's a large wash of sound, but Bison, with its almost-dub intro, stands out as doing something a little different to the rest of the album.
Paul's Mellotron use isn't the most obvious you'll ever hear, but if you listen closely you can detect vibes and MkII rhythms on the lengthy Palo Verde, with reverbed strings on the even lengthier Auraveda. The nearest his use gets to 'upfront' is on the Bison/7 a.m./Watercolour Rush segue, with both regular strings and left-hand manual moving strings (a 'preset', if you haven't heard them before). So; less 'Tronless than I'd previously thought, but not the greatest test of the instrument's potential you'll ever hear. Top marks for the moving strings, though - don't think I've heard them on an album before.
 |
Give a Monkey a Brain... and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe (1993, 64.45) ***½/T |
|
| Swim Servitude Black Flowers Unyielding Conditioning Properties of Propaganda (Fuk This Shit on Up) The Warmth of Your Breath |
Lemon Meringue They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes End the Reign Drunk Skitzo No Fear Nutt Megalomaniac |
|
Current availability:
Fishbone had been doing their funk/rock/whatever thing for some years by the time they released their fifth album, Give a Monkey a Brain... and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe, which followed the excellent The Reality of My Surroundings (****). Give a Monkey... was a worthy successor, laying its card on the table at the outset with the genre-defying Swim. Is it funk? Rock? Rap? All the above and more? This ethos is maintained over the entire album, with no one track sounding that much like any other, but somehow it all hangs together, and all sounds like the same band.
It's difficult to pinpoint 'best tracks', as that's heavily subjective on an album as diverse as this, with the frequently brass-driven material tending to work better live than on record, and I'm not wholly convinced by their various takes on reggae. My personal favourite, though, has to be the tense, moody Black Flowers, which opens with a Mellotron flute melody, with a 'Tron cello part later in the song, although that honestly isn't my reason for liking it. No, really.
So; a good album, sounding very distinctly different from Faith No More, the Chili Peppers etc., but not a Mellotron Album, not that I imagine you were exactly expecting one. Incidentally, Fishbone received a heavy blow after the album's release as founding member, guitarist Kendall Jones, left to join some nutjob cult at his father's instigation. They're still going now, ten years on, but sadly, they lost much of their momentum after this album.
 |
Five Day Rain [a.k.a. Rough Marmalade] (2004, reissued 2007, recorded 1970, 60.41) ***½/T |
|
| Marie's a Woman Don't Be Misled Good Year Fallout Leave it at That The Reason Why Sea Song Rough Cut Marmalade |
Lay Me Down Too Much of Nothing Antonia So Don't Worry The Boy Wanna Make Love to You |
|
Current availability:
Five Day Rain were one of those studio-based bands that every era seems to cough up; session guys who would rather work in the backroom that get out and gig, and in many ways, 
who can blame them? Think of all the hassle they avoid... In this case, they consisted of engineers Brian Carroll and Damon Lyon Shaw, plus keys man Graham Maitland, plus a guitarist, bassist and drummer, with Carroll and Lyon Shaw acting as engineers and general factotums (factota?), as far as I can work out. A dozen or more tracks were recorded for a projected album, but only 25 test pressings were ever made, most of which now no longer exist, making it impossibly rare. A handful of these tracks were originally released in 1978 on an album called Time is Right (cover, right), by One Way Ticket: essentially a compilation of various Carroll/Lyon Shaw productions, I believe most of them are now available on properly themed releases. Nine of the above tracks were originally issued on Hi-Note as Rough Marmalade in 2004, but are now available in the 2007 14-track configuration above, on the Nightwings label. Just to confuse the issue further, ten of these tracks can also be found on Factory/Five Day Rain, on the Japanese Evangel imprint, alongside eight tracks by Factory, another Carroll/Lyon Shaw project.
So, er, wossit sound like, then? Quite a mixed bag, to be honest; psychedelic hangovers (Good Year, Sea Song), proto-prog (Leave It At That) and turn-of-the-'70s blues-rock stompers (Wanna Make Love To You), not to mention a really rather good post-pub jam, the lengthy Rough Cut Marmalade, which is far better than it might sound. The last four tracks on the disc have been sourced from a scratchy old acetate, and sound far better than they have any right to, so kudos to everyone involved in this release. Maitland's main Mellotron use on the album is on Good Year, with what I presume are MkII strings (doubled with flutes?), heavily reverbed, making for a quite unearthly sound, even by the 'Tron's usual standards. Now I wouldn't swear to it, but I think the accordions on Too Much Of Nothing are probably the ol' MkII again, though I'm willing to be proved wrong.
So; is this actually worth hearing? In short, yes; if you're into that strange period where psych became prog, and almost anything went, there are several gems here, not least that unruly jam, although with only one definite 'Tron track, it's slim pickings for Mellotron enthusiasts. Buy? I'd say so, yeah.
Incidentally, although it now appears to be out of print, the eponymous One Way Ticket CD contains a couple of good 'Tron tracks from the hands of Mr. Lyon Shaw himself. Review forthcoming should I ever track a copy down.
 |
Psychedelic Singalongs for Stadiums (1997) ***½/T |
|
| Hanuman Dance Waterfall (Second Coming) Never Meant to Be Sent Dancing With Mrs. Fischer The Starship Dark Sun A Riddle Joker My Lady O Psychedelic Singalongs for Stadiums |
Emotional Playground Peaceful Walk Wayward Children, Cannonballs and Skydogs Psychedelic Singalongs For Stadiums (Slight Return) Wayward Child |
|
 |
Death of a Clown (2001, 55.11) ***½/TTT½ |
|
| The Prostitute Stone Cold Heartbreaker My Oh My Lick Your Fingers Clean She Kicked Your Present Off the Bed Season of the Witch Sometimes it Helps Child Clown |
Sweet Little Dreamer From London With Love Death of a Clown |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Five Fifteen (originally 5.15, from the Who song) are a bit of an odd one; psychedelic hard rock/prog from Finland, which makes them a bit of a one-off. I saw them at a festival in Sweden in the late '90s, and they didn't wildly impress me with their super-retro sub-Zeppelin histrionics, but unlike most bands, remove the onstage clichés, and on record they're not bad. Their third album, 1997's Psychedelic Singalongs for Stadiums (following '94's Progressive Hardrock Beyond the Mainstream and Armageddon Jam Session Number Four a year later) is a pretty stonking rock/prog/psych crossover record, although originality isn't really where they're at, to be honest. Picking out individual highlights is difficult, but the album has a great overall feel, shifting between electric and acoustic numbers, with male and female lead vocals and plenty of ripping guitar work. Mainman Pekka Splendid Laine (real name, no doubt) plays Mellotron on Wayward Children, Cannonballs And Skydogs, with some nice flute and string work. I've no idea if there's any on '98's Six Dimensions of the Electric Camembert (are you getting some idea of where this lot are coming from?), but as you can see, it's all over 2001's Death of a Clown.
Now, first thing: why are so many titles on this album 'borrowed' from other bands? My Oh My (Slade), Lick Your Fingers Clean (Jethro Tull), Season Of The Witch (Donovan), and probably some of the others? Whatever. Anyway, going by the sleevenotes, it would appear that they used Bigelf's Mellotron; I know Bigelf have toured Scandinavia before, so I can only assume that they took it to the studio for a day or two while they were in the area. Plenty of strings on almost every listed track, particularly Season Of The Witch and Sweet Little Dreamer, with some very upfront flutes on the title track, so overall, a 'Tron recommendation.
All in all, two worthy efforts, albeit rather derivative ones. Then again, I listen to a lot of prog, so how come that's a criticism? Anyway, if you like your rock retro and a fair helping of Mellotron, you may well go for these; I'll report back on their other albums when I get to hear them.
 |
Calatea (1978, 44.10) ***½/TTGate to CalateaSurvey From the Summit Volcano Pyramids Apocalypse of Sounds Gate Out of Calatea |
 |
Elements (1979, 45.17) ***½/TSun FireSea Monsters Earth Song A Poem of Dancing |
 |
Out in the Dark (1980, 41.17) ***½/TTFull MoonNocturnal Flight Out in the Dark Wintertime Nights Strange Meeting (part 1) Caleidoscope Strange Meeting (part 2) |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Flame Dream are possibly the most successful progressive band to come from Switzerland, although it seems they made little impression outside their own country. They released several albums on Swiss Vertigo, however, and can't be dismissed lightly despite their frequently mainstream sound. As has been pointed out in other online reviews of the band, their sound wasn't a million miles away from their contemporaries UK, although, in fairness, both bands released their debut albums in the same year.
Calatea consists largely of full-on late '70s Yes/Genesis-influenced prog, although the occasional pseudo-commercial moment, notably in Survey From The Summit adds little to the album's appeal. It seems Flame Dream are notorious for their plagiarism, and true to form, there's a riff in Gate Out Of Calatea from one of the early Yes albums, followed by something from the Crimson catalogue, although the rest of the album is more original. Roland Ruckstuhl uses his Mellotron sparingly, with choirs on Gate To Calatea and Volcano, with more choirs and a subtle string part on Gate Out Of Calatea. Not knowing the contents of his keyboard rig, I can't say what produces the church organ sound on Apocalypse Of Sounds; a church organ, maybe? Anyway, a decent enough album, without ever really being in any danger of approaching 'classic' status.
Elements is possibly an improvement on its predecessor; it's certainly more original, with the band appearing to be in the process of finding their own sound. Frontman Peter Wolf's flute and sax work seems more assured, and the loss of their guitarist gave Ruckstuhl the chance to stretch out on keys, with some excellent piano work on two tracks. There's still the odd 'borrowed' part, particularly in lengthy closer A Poem Of Dancing, although, again, it's difficult to trace them accurately, although Genesis' Afterglow springs to mind at one point. Ruckstuhl's Mellotron work is confined to a choir part on Sun Fire this time round, as he concentrates on polysynth and piano for much of the album.
In common with just about every other progressive outfit at the time, Flame Dream slightly simplified their approach on Out in the Dark, although it's still 'progressive' as against 'AOR' or somesuch. Compared with Elements, the songs are a good deal shorter, but at seven tracks spread over 40 minutes we're not exactly talking three-minute pop schlock here. The Genesis-soundalike tag really starts to earn its keep here, with Ruckstuhl's Yamaha CP70 sound and chord voicings being a dead giveaway, but that doesn't stop it being a decent enough album, just rather unoriginal. 'Tron choir on several tracks here, but nothing you haven't heard before, to be honest, principally on a late-'70s Genesis album.
So; three fairly decent albums, and when the band stops trying to be Genesis, they almost find their own style. None of the Mellotron work is essential, but Calatea and Out in the Dark feature just about enough to make them worth hearing on that front. Nothing on '81's Supervision (***), incidentally, which is (big surprise) more mainstream, though still listenable.
 |
7" (1978) ****/TTTT Decouverte Autre Chose |
 |
Symptome-Dei (1979, 38.59/47.20) ****½/TTTT½ |
|
| Dernière Croisade Le Sanctuaire d'Argile Dédale Vert du Retour Illusion Méandrea Envoutés Eclosion Labyrinth Pourpre de la Connaissance Arc en Lumière |
Renaissance Le Village du Diamanche Matin Eclats [CD adds: Decouverte Autre Chose] |
|
Current availability:
Flamen Dialis (a type of ancient Roman priest, apparently) grew out of the Yecta Plus Band, releasing a single, Decouverte, in 1978 and their sole album, Symptome-Dei, a year later. This really isn't like anything else you'll have heard, unless you're a devotee of Univers Zero et al.; weird, dissonant, experimental, with strange wordless voices and a 'chamber' feel about much of it, but quite exceptionally good with it. I personally found it far more listenable than the other bands with which they get compared, so as long as you're into that 'prog' thing to start with, don't let this description put you off. Difficult to pick out the better tracks on a first listen; suffice to say, if you're feeling adventurous, hopefully you won't be too freaked out.
I don't know whether band leader/keyboardist/drummer Didier le Gallic or his (presumed) brother, Y.H. le Gallic (Yves-Henri? who knows?) plays the 'Tron, but they certainly do it in style; most tracks are smothered in the thing, with strings, flutes and cellos all over the place. At several points you can hear the bottom few 'cello' (i.e. double bass) notes, which are rarely audible on most albums, and all of the 'Tron work is upfront and dry, leaving you in absolutely no doubt as to what you're hearing. Le Village Du Diamanche Matin is basically a Mellotron solo, with all three sounds on their tape frame playing a twisted little melody, complete with some messing about with tape speeds, although that's only one highlight of this Mellotron-lover's delight.
Sad to say, Symptome-Dei and the single were Flamen Dialis' total output; there don't even appear to be any outtakes or live tracks knocking around. I'm quite surprised that this hasn't been picked up by Musea, particularly given its French origins, but Israel's MIO have done the job instead. Anyway; some of you aren't going to like this, but if you don't mind stepping outside the prog 'mainstream', the album has an awful lot to offer. BUY!
 |
Now (1978) ****/T½ |
|
| Feel a Whole Lot Better Between the Lines Move it Take Me Back Reminiscing Good Laugh Mun All I Wanted Ups and Downs |
Yeah My Baby House of Blue Lights Don't Put Me on There's a Place |
|
 |
Jumpin' in the Night (1979) ***½/½ |
|
| Please Please Me Next One Crying Down Down Down Tell Me Again Absolutely Sweet Marie You're My Wonderful One Jumpin' in the Night Yes I am |
19th Nervous Breakdown Boys 5D First Plane Home Lady Friend In the USA |
|
Current availability:
The Flamin' Groovies started life in late-'60s San Francisco, but bucked the prevailing trend instantly by refusing to 'go psychedelic', preferring instead to stick to their guns and tear out garage rock'n'roll like it was going out of fashion. Which, indeed, it was. Like the Groovies gave a toss; they carried on in this vein for some years, writing several classics along the way, notably their anthem, Shake Some Action. By 1976, round about the time their raw brand of rock was coming back into fashion, they changed tack, donning Beatles suits and cleaning their sound up. Always had an eye on the zeitgeist, those Groovies...
They signed to Sire for their Shake Some Action (****) album, heavy with covers and the first time their best song made it onto a long-player, then took a couple of years to follow it with Now. Again, as many covers as originals, which seems to display a lack of confidence in their own material, although all six self-written songs here hold their own against the outsiders. Cyril Jordan plays Mellotron (presumably the Rockfield Studios machine) as well as guitar, with some bass choir notes and a few string chords on Between The Lines, a cool string line on Take Me Back and a handful of chords on the oddly-titled Good Laugh Mun. Interesting to note that all three were band-written; maybe they didn't want to mess with other artists' arrangements?
Now closed with a Beatles number, so Jumpin' in the Night opened with one, although Please Please Me was probably a bit of an obvious choice; once again, only six self-written numbers, with eight covers this time round. The Groovies' own material was perfectly good, although the album overall is probably slightly less good than its predecessor. It's also considerably lesser on the Mellotron front, with just some distant brass on You're My Wonderful One, at least to my ears.
Two good albums, although the first is the better of the two, and is the only one to feature any appreciable amount of Mellotron. Better still, find something with a version of Shake Some Action on it, and hear how it should really be done.
 |
The Soft Bulletin (1999, 58.30) ***½/TT½ |
|
| Race for the Prize A Spoonful Weighs a Ton The Spark That Bled Slow Motion Buggin' What is the Light? The Observer Waitin' for a Superman |
Suddenly Everything Has Changed The Gash Feeling Yourself Disintegrate Sleeping on the Roof Race for the Prize (remix) Waitin' for a Superman (remix) |
|
 |
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002, 47.32) ****/TTT |
|
| Fight Test One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt.1 Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt.2 In the Morning of the Magicians Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell Are You a Hypnotist?? It's Summertime |
Do You Realize?? All We Have is Now Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia) |
|
 |
At War With the Mystics (2006, 55.03) ***½/TT½ |
|
| The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song Free Radicals The Sound of Failure My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion Vein of Stars The Wizard Turns on... It Overtakes Me Mr. Ambulance Driver |
Haven't Got a Clue The W.A.N.D. Pompeii am Götterdämmerung Goin' on |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Flaming Lips have been going approximately forever, nearly breaking through with '99's The Soft Bulletin, the (relatively) mainstream follow-up to the impenetrable Zaireeka, a 4-CD set of different parts of the same eight songs that can only be heard properly by mixing them together using a multi-track device. Anyway, The Soft Bulletin actually manages that 'holy grail' trick of combining accessibility with adventurous arrangements and great songs; I know many fans of their earlier work are rather unkeen on the direction they've taken, but, as with so many bands, I'm sure they felt the need to progress. Although the sleeve lists 14 tracks, and 14 come up on my CD player's display, the track titles don't quite match what I'm hearing, so minor guesswork in places. Mellotronically speaking, the album opens with the manic strings pitchbending of Race For The Prize; there's no way this could be samples... A Spoonful Weighs A Ton has more strings, and possibly choirs, but further down in the mix, with the flutes being the only upfront use. Not much on The Observer, but Suddenly Everything Has Changed has some nice volume-pedal work (violined violins?). Player unknown, incidentally, as the band don't seem over-keen on musicians' credits. Wayne Coyne?
It took them three years to follow up, finally breaking through with Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. It's an eclectic mix of lots of stuff, with both programmed and real percussion abounding; electronica influences combine with Coyne's sometimes Neil Young-like vocals, adding up to a pretty damn' original end product. Still no idea who plays the Mellotron, although I'm assured the band are big fans of genuine tape-replay. Anyway, strings are used on most of the listed tracks, with the odd burst of flute here and there. Are You A Hypnotist?? opens with some solo choir chords, with more of the same later in the song, gratifyingly high in the mix, with more in All We Have Is Now, so after a slow start, this actually ends up being quite a 'Tron album, and worth hearing on a musical level, too.
A four-year gap this time, before At War With the Mystics, featuring the same eclectic set of influences and styles, although this time round they've been burdened with a horrible, screechy production, with the modern malaise of 'everything louder than everything else'. The CD is one of the loudest in my collection, for no obviously good reason; that's what volume controls are for. Anyway, on the 'Tron front we have some high string notes and a solo flute part on The Sound Of Failure, with very obvious flutes on Vein Of Stars and The Wizard Turns On... Incidentally, and for what it's worth, most of the above track titles are abbreviated from considerably longer ones, and are the versions printed on the CD's backtray. Sample full-length title: The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight And Puts On His Werewolf Moccasins. Sometimes I quote full titles. Sometimes I don't. The other highlighted tracks feature a mixture of strings and flutes, though no choir this time round.
Anyway, three really rather good albums, all pretty decent on the 'Tron front. Recommended, I think.
 |
Out of Our Hands (1973, 33.45) ***/½ |
|
| Open Sky None the Wiser (King) Farewell Number One (Pawn) Man of Honour (Knight) Dead Ahead (Queen) The Bishop |
Psychosync Escape Farewell Number Two Conclusion Manhattan Morning (Christmas '72) Shadows (It's You) |
|
Current availability:
Flash were ex-Yes guitarist Peter Banks' first and last serious stab at a post-Yes career, releasing three albums in the early '70s, of which Out of Our Hands was the last. From a distance of three decades, the album, indeed the band's entire career, hasn't dated well, falling into that 'middling rock' non-category, not being heavy enough, progressive enough or anything else enough to really stand out in the public's collective imagination. Despite having its moments, there's little here to excite the modern listener hoping to discover another lost classic, with The Bishop and the slightly Crimsonesque Manhattan Morning being the nearest Flash came to generating any real excitement.
Bassist Ray Bennett doubled on various keyboards, although there's little of the credited Mellotron to be heard, to be honest, with some very background strings on None The Wiser and similar flutes on The Bishop. All of which adds up to a fat 'don't bother', I'm afraid, unless you're a fanatical Yes fan, or a collector of early-'70s 'progressive' albums, regardless of quality. Disappointingly average.
 |
Bare Trees (1972, 36.56) ***½/T |
|
| Child of Mine The Ghost Homeward Bound Sunny Side of Heaven Bare Trees Sentimental Lady Danny's Chant Spare Me a Little of Your Love |
Dust Thoughts on a Grey Day |
|
 |
Penguin (1973, 35.46) ***/T½Remember MeBright Fire Dissatisfied (I'm a) Road Runner The Derelict Revelation Did You Ever Love Me Night Watch Caught in the Rain |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
By the time Bare Trees appeared in 1972, Fleetwood Mac seemed to be largely a spent force, at least in Britain and Europe, although they always managed to keep a grassroots following in the States throughout their many early-'70s lineup changes. Apart from the ever-present rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (good job, considering the band's name), the only member still present from their Peter Green glory days was guitarist Danny Kirwan, who only lasted a matter of months following its release himself. The music was the usual blues-based style that the band's fans had come to expect, with no hint yet of the smooth AOR-isms that were ushered in by their new American contingent a mere three years later; I don't know how fans rate this album, but it sounds perfectly respectable to me, although with little of the spark of their earlier material.
Christine Perfect (later McVie, of course) had joined a couple of albums earlier, and very much made her presence felt here with good helpings of organ and various pianos, plus, of course, Mellotron on a couple of tracks. Well, I say a couple, but that's working on the assumption that no-one's playing real cello on the album, and it is 'Tron on Sunny Side Of Heaven. It's most certainly a nice, melodic Mellotron flute part on The Ghost, though, although I'd have trouble recommending the album just for the track. Actually, although it's not bad, I'd have trouble genuinely recommending it to anyone who isn't a major fan of rather average UK rock of the period (and I know you're out there); it has neither the raw talent of their early work, or the radio-friendliness of the West Coast version of the band.
The following year's Penguin shows the first signs of the Mac's musical move towards the West Coast, with a smoother, more Americanised sound than Bare Trees. It's not entirely bereft of energy, although even the more rock'n'roll numbers like (I'm A) Road Runner still lack a certain something. Christine's Mellotron use is again on two tracks only; Bright Fire has a flute line running all the way through (I presume it's 'Tron flute), while Night Watch has a good chunk of strings, although I couldn't really call either track essential.
I found a Christine McVie interview on the Web where she states that there was 'a lot of Mellotron' on Why from next album up, Mystery to Me (**½), but all I can hear on the thing is straight orchestral strings, so I've no idea where that one comes from. I've heard their two subsequent albums, too, Heroes Are Hard to Find (***) (nice pants, Mick!) and their commercial breakthrough, 1975's Fleetwood Mac (***), but there's not a trace of 'Tron, unless my ears are seriously deceiving me. Interestingly, at a recent-ish auction of old Mac gear, most of Christine's keyboards were put up for sale, except her Mellotron, which she explicitly instructed was NOT to be sold. So, can we expect it to turn up on something in future? Well, don't hold your breath, OK?
 |
The Perfect Kellulight (1998, 45.22) **½/T½ |
|
| Freezer Burnt Drag Pink Boo The End Anthem Electric Pear Maybe Someday Wishing Well |
High on You There You Go (False You) Radio Song Some Other Day |
|
Current availability:
Flick released a self-titled EP in 1997, containing one Mellotron track, but all I've heard by them is what appears to be their sole album, The Perfect Kellulight, from a year later and no, I don't know what it means, either. The music seems to fall into that grey, no-man's land known as 'modern rock' or somesuch, otherwise known as 'sub-Radiohead', with that rather whiny vocal style, and a defiantly 'down' approach to their songwriting. The difference is that Radiohead are good...
Various tape-replay things going on here; vocalist Trevor Thornton plays decent enough Mellotron cellos on Maybe Someday, while guest Ande Elwood plays Chamberlin on three tracks: Pink Boo has some almost-inaudible flutes (?), while The End has what sounds like solo male voice, with more of the same on Electric Pear. Not exactly a Mellotron Album, then, or, for that matter, one I shall be playing again. Dull, with unexceptional 'Tron/Chamby.
