|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
Flight (1975, 42.05) ***½/TT½In FlightMake a Miracle Let's Fly Away Latin Dippy Do Rhapsody to You Falling in Love Ease of Confusion Theme to the Stratosphere |
 |
Incredible Journey (1976, 37.05) ***½/½Music is1929 First Impression Mystery Man 2003 Visions of a Dream The Sands of Time Rock'n'Roll Star |
 |
Excursion Beyond (1981, 30.09) ***/TExcursions BeyondMusic Razzmatazz A Thing for Julie Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) The Rumble Face to Face Jett Lagg Inca Innuendo |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Flight were a most peculiar mixture of musical styles; sort of easy listening Latin jazz prog (!), with smooth vocals alongside a brass section and prog keys. For a major label outfit, information about them is surprisingly difficult to find, although you try searching for 'Flight' in Google... 1975's Flight is best when the vocalist shuts up and lets the band do their brass-fuelled prog/fusion thing, as on fiery, jazz-inflected opener In Flight, and the vastly-better-than-its-title-would-suggest Latin Dippy Do. On the keyboard front, Jim Yaeger sticks mainly to Moog, string synth and Mellotron, frequently using the latter two in the same song, sensibly concentrating on their different strengths. All credited tracks above have reasonable amounts of 'Tron strings, with choir on a couple of tracks, though the album's outstanding keys work is to be found in the red hot synth playing, with ripping solos on several tracks in true fusion style.
There's little stylistic change on the following year's Incredible Journey, although the album is possibly slightly less manic than its predecessor. I'm not sure if there's some sort of concept thing going on here, but two of the album's highlights are 1929 and 2003, with some particularly good guitar work on the latter. Yaeger plays mainly string synth this time round, although he whips out a blistering piano solo at the end of 1929; the same track features the album's only Mellotron work, with a handful of string chords, sounding particularly rich compared to his considerably greater use on Flight, making it ironic how little it's used here.
Splits and bad luck made for a five-year gap before Flight's last album, 1981's Excursion Beyond. Although the trumpet is still present and correct, just about all of the band's Latin influences are gone, leaving a largely instrumental mainstream fusion sound with just one vocal track, Face To Face. To be perfectly honest, nothing particularly stands out, and I can't really imagine this appealing to anybody but early-'80s fusion fans; there's certainly nothing here of their first two albums' groundbreaking genre-splicing. Yaeger's Mellotron is used a surprising amount, with background strings on the first three tracks and Jett Lagg, with a similar flute part on The Rumble, though I stress, we are talking background, which accounts for the relatively low 'T' rating.
These albums aren't going to be to everyone's taste, but the jaded prog or fusion fan looking for something a little bit different could do an awful lot worse than pick their first two up, though I believe they've never been released on CD. Plenty of 'Tron on their debut, though next to none on the follow-up, and plenty, but very quietly, on their third.
 |
Flint (1978, 40.05) **½/T½ |
|
| Back in My Arms Again You Got it All Wrong Too Soon to Tell Love Me Like You Used to For Your Love Keep Me Warm One of Me Better You Than Me |
Rainbow You'll Never Be the Same |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Flint (named for their Michigan hometown) were, of course, the bedraggled, war-weary remains of Grand Funk Railroad, after losing frontman Mark Farner's wild, shirtless lyrics. Mel Schacher's bone-rattling bass, Don Brewer's competent drumwork (and more than competent vocals) and, unmentioned by Homer Simpson, keys man Craig Frost licked their wounds, regrouped and renamed, releasing their sole, eponymous album in 1978. It doesn't actually sound much like The Funk at all, being far, er, funkier than that band ever managed, though not in an especially good way, sounding more like long-forgotten white funk/soul acts like Rare Earth than, say, The Family Stone.
Most of Flint's material is pretty anodyne stuff, to be honest, occasionally letting rip (chiefly on Better You Than Me), but too often coasting along, letting the brass section and girly backing singers take the strain, with guest guitarists including Todd Rundgren and Frank Zappa, both former Grand Funk producers. Frost plays Mellotron on two tracks, with rather limited string use on their misguided cover of the Graham Gouldman-penned Yardbirds hit, For Your Love, and more upfront strings on closer You'll Never Be The Same, the album's one proper 'Tron track.
At the time of writing, Flint is about to gain a reissue through US label Wounded Bird, so if you really feel the need, you can hear it for yourself. I wouldn't honestly bother, if I were you, unless you're a mad Funk fan who has to own everything connected with the band. It does have one properly full-on 'Tron track, but that's its only real bonus. Your decision, I think.
See: Grand Funk Railroad
 |
Geyer-Symphonie (1973, 42.46) ***/½La Grande Tristresse (Requiem)Danse Macabre (Totentanz) Serenade des Bautours (Leichenschmaus) |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Floh de Cologne sit fairly and squarely in the krautrock genre, as much as anything that diverse could be styled a 'genre' in the first place. Gloomy orchestral backing? Check. Mad German-language narration? Check. Genre-hopping side-long 'songs'? Check. Despite having relatively little in common with the likes of Can, Faust or pre-commercial success Kraftwerk, never mind the druggy cosmic folk-rock of Witthüser & Westrupp, Geyer-Symphonie's bonkers mélange of styles is going to appeal more to fans of those bands than anyone else, and many of them will probably balk at its oddness. Actually, one quite mainstream German band who do spring to mind as having possibly been influenced by the madness on display here are Grobschnitt and their resident nutter, drummer Eroc, a man not unused to yelling meaninglessly in German.
Markus Schmidt plays Mellotron on Danse Macabre (Totentanz), which features a brief burst of queasy, seasick pitchbent strings, although that would appear to be it on the 'Tron front. Geyer-Symphonie is an album for those who feel that The Dream by Gracious! is boringly normal and La Dusseldorf and Neu! are maybe a little passé these days. It's difficult to say whether it's good, bad or indifferent, unless you're doing the same drugs as the band, and even then, it's probably rather inconclusive. An interesting curio, then, but not worth it for the 'Tron.
 |
7" (1967) ****½/TTT½ Let's Go to San Francisco, Part 1 Let's Go to San Francisco, Part 2 |
 |
7" (1967) ***½/TT A Walk in the Sky Am I Losing You |
 |
7" (1968) ***½/TT½ A Man Without a Woman You Can Never Be Wrong |
 |
Listen to the Flowers Grow (2007, recorded 1966-69, 59.49) ***½/TTT½ |
||
| What's the Matter With Juliet (John Carter/Ken Lewis demo) Waiting Here for Someone (Neil Landon) I Couldn't Spend Another Day (Carter/Shaw/Keen) Rain Rain Rain (Ministry of Sound) Let's Go to San Francisco, Pt.1 Let's Go to San Francisco, Pt.2 |
A Walk in the Sky Am I Losing You A Man Without a Woman You Can Never Be Wrong Hello Hello Hello (John Carter demo) Piccolo Man (Friends) Life is Living (Ministry of Sound) Mythological Sunday (Friends) |
Letter to Josephine (Haystack) Pantomime People (Haystack) A Night to Be Remembered (Dawn Chorus) Let's Go Back to San Francisco, Pt.1 (Beautiful People) Let's Go Back to San Francisco, Pt.2 (Beautiful People) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
The Flower Pot Men (named after the BBC's 'Bill and Ben' children's programme, for non-UK readers) were a studio-based outfit, formed by the writing team of John Carter and Ken Lewis, revolving around the vocal talents of session singer Tony Burrows, later to be the voice of similar studio outfits Edison Lighthouse, White Plains et al. Many musicians can lay claim to being members at one time or another, but most of them (including Nick Simper and Jon Lord, later of Deep Purple) were only in the touring outfit, hastily assembled to cash in on the success of their debut single.
Said single, Let's Go To San Francisco, has gone down as a classic of the era, although the writers laughingly admitted that they'd never been there, and were quite blatantly jumping on the flower power bandwagon. Apart from a 'lodge in your brain' melody, the track features a beautiful Mellotron flute line running through the whole thing, plus faint string and brass parts. The b-side was a continuation of the flip, with the complete track available on various compilations. Absolutely essential. Second single, A Walk In The Sky, follows a similar psych-pop path, though without being remotely as iconic as 'San Francisco'. It's a good song, nonetheless, with a nice 'Tron string line running through it, though less overtly than the flutes on its predecessor, with a brief Mellotron trumpet solo on its b-side. Nothing on single no.3, A Man Without A Woman, but it sounds like both strings and an unidentified solo brass sound on its flip, You Can Never Be Wrong. Now, to confuse the issue considerably, the fourth single by the 'band', Piccolo Man, was released under the name Friends, but has been (sensibly) anthologised along with the Flower Pot Men material. Although it's Mellotron-free, its flip, Mythological Sunday, opens with a flute line, adding strings later on.
2007's Listen to the Flowers Grow is a good overview of Carter and Lewis' work of the period, including the Flower Pot Men and Friends singles, various demo tracks and tracks from their other projects, including The Ministry of Sound (decades before the name was reused) and others. Wonderfully, we also get both parts of the cash-in on the cash-in, Let's Go Back To San Francisco, recorded in 1969, yet, bizarrely, released at the height of the psychedelic revival in, er, 1981. It even uses the original song's descending chord sequence, but gets some nice Mellotron in, so all is forgiven. One 'new' Mellotron track is The Haystack's Pantomime People, flutes and strings splattered liberally across its length. Previous compilations have included rather weak non-single tracks, some being far too close to the middle of the road for comfort, as are a handful included here, not least Am I Losing You, but the bulk of the set shines a welcome light on a neglected corner of UK '60s pop.
So, Listen to the Flowers Grow's a good starting place for the Flower Pot Men (who said "And a good finishing one, too?"). They may have been a bit cheesy and decidedly 'inauthentic', but they produced a handful of great psych/pop singles, so I'll let them off the hook. Just this time, you understand... Incidentally, in 2000, a previously-unreleased selection of tracks was released as The Peace Album, but the only 'Tron track is Friends' Mythological Sunday, so I shan't bother reviewing.
See: John Carter | Friends | Beautiful People | The Haystack | Ministry of Sound
 |
 |
...On! [a.k.a. Cock on!] (1972, 35.06) ***½/TTT |
|
| C'mon C'mon Yes! Always Be Thinking of You Down! Down! Down! Cousin Mary Home-Made Lady Ticket to Nowhere Can You Be Easy |
All Sing Together Gratitude |
||
 |
7" ( 1976) ***/TT I'm on My Way |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Fludd were a Canadian glam rock band, although like many such from the time, with hindsight, their music mostly sounds like yer average early '70s mainstream rock, once the glitter and stackheels are out of sight. 1972's ...On! was originally meant to be called Cock on!, but label execs got cold feet over the idea and nixed it, leaving the album with a rather meaningless title. It's a perfectly respectable effort, shifting between the glam-rock of opener C'mon C'mon, the good-time Yes! and the blues-rock of Home-Made Lady, although the oddest track is the straight country of Cousin Mary, which picked up loads of airplay after being stuck on the flip of a single, thus finding its way to record stations.
Keys man Peter Csanky tells me he owned no fewer than three Mellotrons at the time, a MkII, an M300 and an SFX console. I know he used the M300 on Cousin Mary, but it's hard to say if that's the same machine used on the other highlighted tracks above. Anyway, strings all round, although I suppose there could be other Mellotronically-generated orchestral sounds used, too. Csanky was replaced by future Saga chap Peter Rochon (Saga were originally a Fludd spin-off), who played on an apparently Mellotron-heavy b-side, Piece Of Alright, in '74 (flip of Brother And Me), but the only other Fludd 'Tron track I know of is an early '76 single, I'm On My Way, so obscure that I can't even trace a b-side for it. It's a passable enough pop/rock effort, with a nice 'Tron strings part (doubtless M400 by this time), but hardly worth buying their From the Attic compilation for.
Using the aforementioned hindsight, ...On!/Cock on!'s a reasonable enough release, but rather inessential compared to the thousands of other lesser-known efforts out there. Plenty of M300 Mellotron, for those who just can't get enough of it, ditto I'm On My Way, although I've no idea how you'll find Piece Of Alright, other than trawling through Canadian second-hand shops. If you track one down, any chance of a copy?
 |
Dawn Dancer (1979, 39.54) ***½/TTT½WomanHeavy, Like a Child Grace You're Free, I Guess Aim at the Head Your Breath Enjoyer King of Clouds Brain Damage |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Flyte were a Dutch/Belgian conglomerate, influenced by Camel and Kayak, amongst others, with a melodic, short-ish song format that shouldn't tax the average listener too much. To be honest, I find Lu Rousseau's vocals on Dawn Dancer quite hard to take, with the result that I prefer the album's instrumental sections. The song titles and lyrics leave quite a bit to be desired, too, but I presume like most progressive bands from their respective countries, they didn't wish to sing in their own language(s).
Musical quality aside, there's loads of Leo Cornelissens' 'Tron for your listening pleasure, with five of the eight tracks featuring fair amounts of strings and choir. Woman and Your Breath Enjoyer are probably the best 'Tron tracks, though they all feature enough to be worth hearing. To be honest, though, without the Mellotron, Dawn Dancer would be a decidedly average album, although better than, say, Womega's. So; not unreservedly recommended, but I've heard worse.
|
7" ( 1968) ***/T½ Love You Forever Sycamore Sid |
 |
First Bite of the Apple: The Complete Recordings, 1967-68 (2005, 59.38) ***½/T |
||
| Miss Sinclair Sycamore Sid Hassle Castle Never Never Lonely Woman Far Away From Forever Love You Forever Tales From the GPO Files |
Mckinley Morgan the Deep Sea Diver Falling Out of Friends Girl on the Corner Goodbye Forever This Time She's Leaving 'Cept Me Miss Sinclair (demo) Miss Sinclair (alt.version) |
Hassle Castle (demo) Never Never (alt.version) Reflections (demo) Reflections |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
The Liverpool-based Focal Point made their way to London in 1967, as did so many music biz hopefuls; unlike most, however, they attracted the attention of The Beatles' Apple label, eventually releasing their sole single, Love You Forever, on Decca's new Deram imprint in 1968. It's a decent enough psych/pop effort, although it lacks the weirdness that characterises the era's best work, which may or may not have worked against it, as it wasn't a hit. They headed back to Liverpool, finally splitting the following year, despite having recorded a slew of demos in various studios, which was pretty much the last anyone heard of the band for several decades.
36 years on... Those nice Kissing Spell people released First Bite of the Apple: The Complete Recordings, 1967-68 in 2005, containing every existing recording of the band, most seemingly dug out from mouldering heaps of junk in attics across the land. The end result is a very pleasant, light psych offering, that's never in any real danger of overtaking the brand leaders in popularity, although several of its tracks (not least the already-available Sycamore Sid, the jaunty Mckinley Morgan The Deep Sea Diver and the gentle Girl On The Corner) are well worth hearing for fans of lesser-known UK psych. Keyboard player Tim Wells adds Mellotron to a couple of tracks, with strings (and flutes?) on Never Never and strings and vibes on Love You Forever, although most of the band's output was recorded in Mellotron-free studios, sadly.
Overall, then, a worthwhile purchase for psych fans, although you'll probably want to fish out the best stuff for your iPod; 'complete recordings' are an excellent idea, but usually require some editing for individual listening. This isn't honestly worth it on the Mellotron front, but that isn't why you'd buy this anyway.
Focus (Netherlands) see: |
 |
|
 |
Simple Gifts (1972, 40.31) ***/TT½ |
|
| Simple Gifts Baby Day She's Far Away My Song Let it Be Madelaine I Wasn't Born to Follow Kitty Starr |
Was it Only Yesterday How Come the Sun Nobody Knows The Very First Time Take Your Time Old Moot Hall Simple Gifts... |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Foggy (originally Foggy Dew-o) were the duo of Danny Clarke and Lennie Wesley, who had a strong Strawbs connection over the course of their three-album career. Future Strawb Brian Willoughby played with them briefly, they covered no fewer than four Strawbs songs on Foggy Dew-o's second album, Born to Take the Highway, and half of the band guested on the sole Foggy album, 1972's Simple Gifts.
It's a reasonable enough folk-rock release, although nowhere near the level of Fairport, Steeleye et al., or even some of the better lesser-known acts (Trees, Mellow Candle). Much of the album has a faint country flavour, which doesn't do it many favours with the benefit of hindsight, while ill-advised covers (The Byrds' I Wasn't Born To Follow, The Beatles' Let It Be) would have been better left quietly on the shelf. The occasional song stands out, notably the Eastern-flavoured She's Far Away and the opening and closing versions of the title track, an old Shaker hymn whose tune was annexed for Sydney Carter's Lord Of The Dance, but I'm afraid there's far too much filler here for this to be regarded as in any way a lost classic.
Like most of The Strawbs' contemporaneous releases, there's some Mellotronic input here. Then-Strawb Blue Weaver plays full-on strings on My Song and Kitty Starr, plus flutes (under a real one) on Old Moot Hall, although they don't always enhance the material in quite the way you might expect. Top playing from Blue, though, with a high-speed flute run in the last-named that you'd have trouble doing on a well-gigged machine. All in all, then, a passable album with some nice 'Tron work, but nothing you desperately need, unless you have to a) own every British folk-rock album from the early '70s, or b) have to own every album containing Mellotron. Who said, "Me"?
See: Strawbs
 |
Foghat (1972, 37.44) ***½/TI Just Want to Make Love to YouTrouble, Trouble Leavin' Again (Again!) Fool's Hall of Fame Sarah Lee Highway (Killing Me) Maybelline A Hole to Hide in Gotta Get to Know You |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
It may surprise some of you to learn that Foghat were actually British, formed by three ex-members of Savoy Brown, obviously feeling, from the evidence here, that their parent band were lacking a little in the energy stakes. On their eponymous debut, vocalist/guitarist 'Lonesome' Dave Peverett (now THERE's a British name for you!) led his crew through a rocking set; short on originality, it rocks far harder than the band they'd just left, with a cool twin-guitar attack, with Peverett and Rod Price trading, er, 'licks' with abandon. Dave Edmunds' production helps things along, too, stopping just the right side of pastiche.
No-one's credited with keyboards, although their version of Chuck Berry's Maybelline has some ferocious piano playing, with a more straightforward part on lengthy closer Gotta Get To Know You, along with some Wurly and some subtle Mellotron strings. So; not bad blues-rock, although there is better about, and one decent 'Tron track. Your choice.
See: Savoy Brown
 |
Way to Normal (2008, 40.28) ***/T |
|
| Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head) Dr. Yang The Frown Song You Don't Know Me Before Cologne Cologne Errant Dog Free Coffee |
Bitch Went Nuts Brainwascht Effington Kylie From Connecticut |
|
 |
Stems & Seeds [Disc 2] (2009, 73.12) ***/T |
||
| Effington Frown Song Dr. Yang You Don't Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor) Free Coffee Cologne Bitch Went Nuts |
Hiroshima Kylie From Connecticut Errant Dog Brainwascht Cologne (Piano Orchestra Version) Bitch Went Nutz Way to Normal Free Coffee Town |
Lovesick Diagnostician Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem) You Don't Know Me featuring Regina Spektor (Conan O'Brien rehearsal) Hiroshima (Japanese version) Brainwashed |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Ben Folds, late of his Ben Folds Five, went (fully) solo at the end of the '90s, although he'd already released one (sort of) solo album in 1998's Fear of Pop. Way to Normal (as in 'Normal, Illinois'), is Folds' third solo album 'proper', carrying on the humorous, piano-driven approach he's taken for most of his career. Tracks such as Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head) and Bitch Went Nuts are amusing enough, but Folds' frequently anti-PC humour could easily be misconstrued, and doubtless has already been many times. Musically, it's probably safe to say that if you don't like the rockier end of Elton John's catalogue, you probably aren't going to be blown away by this; it has the same 'middling rock with piano' feel as much of Elt's work, albeit updated. Folds is credited with Mellotron and while neither the strings nor the flutes on You Don't Know Me sound particularly Mellotronic, the cellos do, so given that the album's string section aren't credited on the track, maybe we should just assume all three sounds are Mellotronically-produced. Of course, they could be samples, but it's difficult to tell.
In a rather odd turn of events, Folds released the two-disc Stems & Seeds the following year. The first disc has the 'stem files' of all the Way to Normal tracks, enabling listeners to remix them themselves, should they so desire, while the second disc contains the original album remastered and re-sequenced (after fan complaints), plus bonuses. Er, is this indicating a lack of faith in the original product? Certainly a rather unusual step to take, but then, I don't suppose Folds has ever taken the 'standard' route. My problem here is, I'm busy and don't really have time to go back to do a detailed analysis of the two albums side-by-side, so aside from one or two tracks, this is like listening to a new album for me, which isn't going to help in letting you know which version's better. Re-sequencing it means I've realised how good new opener Effington is, but the whole project strikes me as a slight waste of time, not least the 'joke' versions of a few tracks recorded one night by Folds and his band and 'leaked' onto the 'Net before the official album's release.
Anyway, those who like Folds' previous work will almost certainly enjoy Way to Normal, although I'm unconvinced as to the point of Stems & Seeds; the rest of us may like the odd track and sit there slightly bemused at the rest of it. Not enough Mellotron to be worth bothering with, though, even if it's real.
See: Fear of Pop
 |
There is Nothing Left to Lose (1999, 50.09) ***/½ |
|
| Stacked Actors Breakout Learn to Fly Gimme Stitches Generator Aurora Live-in Skin Next Year |
Headwires Ain't it the Life M.I.A. |
|
 |
In Your Honor (2005, 83.16) ***/0 |
||
| In Your Honor No Way Back Best of You DOA Hell The Last Song Free Me |
Resolve The Deepest Blues Are Black End Over End The Sign Still What if I Do? Miracle |
Another Round Friend of a Friend Over and Out On the Mend Virginia Moon Cold Day in the Sun Razor |
|
 |
Skin & Bones (2006, 73.04) ***/T½ |
|
| Razor Over and Out Walking After You Marigold My Hero Next Year Another Round Big Me |
Cold Day in the Sun Skin and Bones February Stars Times Like These Friend of a Friend Best of You Everlong |
|
 |
Godzilla: The Album (1998, 5.45) ***/T[Foo Fighters contribute]A320 |
Current availability:
Chamberlin/Mellotron used:
If Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters are the living legacy of Nirvana, then I'm a Chinaman, as the saying goes. Their third album, There is Nothing Left to Lose, is a commercial pop-rock record with slight punky overtones, which is probably why they're as huge as they are; you can sing along to everything here, should you feel so inclined, even more than you could with Nirvana. It's not actually a bad record, but it's not a particularly good one, either, being just too bland and mainstream to really make an impact. Er, except that it did, but you know what I mean. Chamberlin flutes on Next Year, player unknown (Grohl?), with an understated flute part running under most of the song, though I can't say it especially enhances it.
The Foos released a double-disc set in 2005, In Your Honor, split between electric and acoustic discs. I still can't understand why anyone would get excited over this indie/metal hybrid, but then, I'm probably a decade or two too old for it, I suppose. My loss. Not. Anyway, no less a personage than John Paul Jones guests on the acoustic disc and allegedly plays Mellotron, though given his notorious antipathy to them, I'd be stunned if it was real. What's more, I can't trace any specific credit; there's a mention of his playing it on Oh Yeah, although there's no song of that name - the nearest any of them get is Free Me on disc one that includes the phrase in its lyrics. What's even more (and here's the clincher), I can't hear it anywhere. OK, it may be hiding away in there somewhere, but I doubt it. Given its publicity, though, I'll leave this here until/if I should find out otherwise.
The following year, the band opted to release an 'unplugged' live album, Skin & Bones which, to my surprise, proved that some of their songs actually work better in a stripped-down format. Opener Razor is the best of the bunch, but overall, this failed to irritate me as much as most of their studio work. Its chief fault? It's too long, although in the grand tradition of double live albums, I suppose it has a right to be this length. Rami Jaffee plays (real?) Mellotron, with strings under real violin on Over And Out and Marigold, faint flutes on Walking After You and far more obvious ones on Next Year, although it seems to grind to a halt fairly early in the evening.
So; two fairly nothing sort of records and a passable live album, though streets ahead of a lot of the drivel I've reviewed recently; at least they have a patina of rock credibility and real guitars and stuff. Next to no tape-replay work, though.
See: Godzilla
 |
The Ultimate Diet (2000, recorded 1981-84, 74.00) ***½/½ |
||
| All You Need is Jazz Cream Always Rises Pink Dishes Cosmo's Credo Mr. Twister We Represent the Symbol First Grade The Worm is the Word Child's Play |
Out of True Moderately Severe Another Still Nite Diet of Worms No Idea Gloom Club No One Said it'd Be Easy Weather is Permanent How I Spent My Summer Vacation |
It Needs a Haircut It Takes a Summer Job Johnny Vette Neil's Stick Primal Bridal Passion Privilege Kiss of Death Los Gusanos |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
This odd little item came free with an issue of US prog mag Progression, and turns out to be the entire collected works of the early-'80s outfit that grew out of mental Baltimore proggers OHO, with all tracks recorded between 1981-4. The band tell me that the first thirteen tracks were lined up for release at the time, but it never happened.
Fittingly, given when they were active, Food for Worms have that quirky 'new wave' sound about them, with short but action-packed songs, vocals that owe a not-so-minor debt to Talking Heads et al., and the then-fashionable Farfisa organ. Plenty of squelchy synths, jagged rhythms and general weirdness, but the only Mellotron (from Mark O'Connor) is some faint background choirs on opener All You Need Is Jazz, doubled with real voices (thanks, Jay). So; good, if odd album, very little 'Tron indeed. It appears to be currently available through the The Orchard label, in case you're trying to find a copy.
 |
'78 (2008, 47.18) **/0 |
|
| When This is Over Lovely Day Everybody Needs Somebody One Less Word Gone '78 Time on My Hands |
You Were/I Was I'm Still Talking to You Can't Be Wrong Hey Eugene Easter Sunday |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
After a 1995 solo effort (Love Handle), China Forbes joined the successful Pink Martini, only releasing her solo follow-up, '78, in 2008. It's an absolutely typical, overlong, modern American female singer-songwriter effort, insipid in the extreme, tailor-made to appeal to disaffected, angsty young women. (Is that offensive? Sorry). Best tracks? Don't be silly.
Forbes is credited with Mellotron, but the high strings on One Less Word aren't anything of the sort and I can't imagine where else it might be. I can't really stick this in samples as I can't hear any of them, either, but I'm not convinced a 'Tron wasn't used somewhere. As if you needed another reason not to investigate this?
 |
Spark of Light (2004, 59.22) ****/TTTRamaSpark of Light Keep it Alive Brown Cloud Mouse Life Changes |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Forever Twelve (great name!) are a new(-ish) US prog outfit who do their level best to ignore the simplification of the genre that has blighted it so heavily over the past couple of decades. They've actually been around in one form or another since the early '90s, releasing their debut, Remembrance Branch, in 2002. Two years on, Spark of Light appears, and while I can't compare it to its predecessor, it stands up pretty well, although I suspect it'll take some listens for the material to sink in. Forever Twelve rarely use one note where several will do, which may drive some of you mad, but this approach avoids the tedium induced by many newer bands, who appear unaware of the existence of key and tempo shifts, not to mention the odd chord change... Cat Ellen's vocals, while good, start sounding samey after a few tracks, but that's probably a criticism you could level at many singers; suffice to say, she does a decent job without particularly standing out.
Keys man Steve Barberic plays a range of instruments, including a (borrowed) MiniMoog and no less than two borrowed Mellotrons. He gets 'em in on all but one track, although most of his use is pretty restrained, concentrating on strings. There are a couple of flute sections (I think he plays alongside Cat's real one at one point), but surprisingly, only one short burst of choir. 'Tron highlight? The one-minute strings solo (no overdubs, apparently) at the end of the last track, Life Changes.
So; while Forever Twelve have yet to release something that will really make them stand out from the pack, Spark of Light is a solid album, with plenty of scope for repeated listening. Nice 'Tron work, too - more of that next time please, Steve...
 |
Salt (2006, 48.13) **½/TVenisonQuiero, Quieres The Catch Nicholas My Maraschino Lonely Does it Patience, Beth (Reprise) Salt and Syncope Tabula Rasa |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Forget Cassettes are one of those 'alternative' American bands, which seems to mean that they play in a sort of punk/indie style, which only serves to dilute their original sources. 2006's Salt is their second (and possibly last) album, filled with noisy, overlong material that doesn't really go anywhere, opener Venison being a particular offender.
Keys man Jay Leo Phillips plays Mellotron on Patience, Beth (Reprise), with a polyphonic cello part that works pretty well in context, although the bulk of his keyboard work on the album is based around the Rhodes. This really isn't a very exciting release and with not much Mellotron, I can't realistically recommend it, I'm afraid.
 |
Interventions + Lullabies (2003, 45.25) **½/T |
|
| The First Single (You Know Me) Wait, Wait, Wait Give it Up Tie the Rope Tune Out I'm Ready, I am On Your Porch Sore Thumb |
A Mess to Be Made Let's Make This Moment a Crime Career Day A Save Situation |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Format were a fairly typical US indie outfit, from Arizona, not that it makes any difference to their sound. 2003's Interventions + Lullabies was their first album (of two), its occasional highlights tending to be lyrical rather than musical; like so many similar, the words are given undue prominence, the music seemingly being merely a hook on which to hang them. As a result (and because of the overwrought vocals), I find it difficult to pick out any specific track for praise.
Sam Means plays Mellotron flutes on Tune Out, although all other orchestral instruments sound real. Incidentally, after the album's release, the band suffered from the (criminal) dissolution of their label, the iconic Elektra, subsumed into the vast Warners conglomerate, the band apparently being instructed to 'record another album like the first'. Record companies, eh?
 |
Non Stop (1977, 33.04) ****/TTT½DynamicPower and the Glory Ten Years After Free Hands Reflection Green Door My Town Intermezzo |
 |
II (1978, 33.22) ***½/TTDawnMorning Three Harmonies Playing the Gamut Gold Song For Goodbye |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
FSB are a bit of a weird one; just about the only Bulgarian prog band I can think of, and they sound like... Santana. Well, a little. I'm actually having trouble tracing their main influences, but there's an awful lot of West Coast fusion in there, along with the Latiny stuff, with maybe a touch of the incomparable Happy the Man or similar. Mind you, they were quite jazzy too; take it as read that if you heavily dislike fusion, you're not going to feel too at home with this lot.
Saying that, on their debut, Non Stop (from the Brian Aldiss novel?), Gentle Giant have a heavy presence on the record, with a straight cover of the non-album Power And The Glory and an instrumental mis-titled Free Hands, along with various other covers, including the excellent Dynamic and Intermezzo, both from Patrick Moraz' i. Suffice to say, this is a fairly major 'Tron album, with a massive choir intro on Dynamic, with extra added strings, while Ten Years After (Le Orme) is string-soaked, as are Green Door and Intermezzo, while My Town features the rarely-heard Mellotron pipe organ at its close. Track this album down.
I believe their later releases are pretty awful, but II's a good, if not great album, with excellent playing and dynamics, and vocals on only a couple of tracks, thankfully. I'm not much of a fusion fan myself, but it sounds to my ears to be as good as plenty of better-known names, with more of a 'prog' feel than many of them. There isn't an awful lot of Roumen Boyadjiev (or possibly Konstantin Tsekov)'s 'Tron, with naught but background choirs on a few tracks, and some more upfront stuff on Playing The Gamut (I think - this is being reviewed from a tape), under a solo female voice, which turns out to be a spectacular, and unique combination. Well worth hearing.
So; two slightly strange records, but worth picking up if you should happen to run into copies. Non Stop's a bit of a Mellotron classic, and although II isn't, it's an unusual album to which you may well find yourself returning. Oh, and thanks to Mike for spotting the other covers on their first album.
Balkanton was (is?) actually Bulgaria's primo studio facility, active since the '60s, so I presume the band were the cream of their session players, using the studio's equipment, so who knows how many other Bulgarian albums may feature the studio 'Tron? For what it's worth, after a recent trip to Bulgaria (not actually for this reason - honest), I can confirm that the rumoured 'Tron on their third (mini-)album, The Globe (**½), is nonexistent, and the music's pretty rotten, too, keeping the band's jazziness, while allying it to some awful soul-inflected pop, with only the occasional interesting chord sequence to pep things up. As for their later live album... I refrained from buying a copy (this was all at an open-air flea market near the main cathedral), as the pictures showed a horrendous early-'80s pop act, with a bevy of dullsville synths, and zero Mellotron. Funny, that. I think there's an early single that features the 'Tron, but its two sides have been compiled onto different volumes of a three-vol compilation; they were only £4.00 each, but apart from a handful of tracks from the above albums, they would've been largely rubbish, so I (stupidly?) passed on them. No sign of CD versions of either Non Stop or II, either - nor did I find them on vinyl.
Official site (in Bulgarian)
 |
7" ( 1972) **½/TTT Secret Love I Can't Remember When the Sun Went in |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Fortunes, from Birmingham, were one of the beat era's lesser lights, although they notched up five hits singles between 1965 and '72, making them rather less 'lesser' than many others, I suppose. One of their misses was 1972's Secret Love, an overblown string-driven ballad more suited to several years earlier, backed with the unanthologised mournfully atmospheric I Can't Remember When The Sun Went In.
The track is absolutely smothered in Mellotron strings, presumably from long-term keys man David Carr, making it worth hearing for fans of, well, Mellotron-smothered mournfully atmospheric ballads several years out of time. The single seems to be available pretty cheaply online and someone's thoughtfully put the b-side on YouTube, but until/unless a record company decides to release an album of Fortunes b-sides (why?) this is unlikely to turn up on CD.
|
7" ( 1974) ***/TT½ Charade You Mean Everything to Me |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Four Tracks were a pretty typical Birmingham, Alabama vocal quartet specialising in the soft, Philly-style soul of the period. Their sole single, 1974's Charade is apparently now a Northern Soul fave (note to US readers: this is a weird, exclusively British scene, in case you were wondering which part of 'the north' it refers to), although I can't say it's especially memorable by the standards of the genre. The b-side, You Mean Everything To Me, really is cheesy, but... it's every bit as good as major hits by The Stylistics, The Chi-lites et al., so why was it stuck on the flip?
And this is here because... David Lynch (not that one) told me both tracks are full of Mellotron. And... he's right! I'd imagine their recording budget didn't stretch to real strings, so the 'Tron makes a reasonably good substitute, although the rising line at the beginning of the b-side is very clearly Mellotronic, in case they thought they were fooling anyone. If you'd like to hear these, they've recently been released on Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note Labels; they're actually unusual examples of the Mellotron used on a small-label soul 45, making them worth hearing for that alone.
 |
Fourth World (1994, 65.00) ***/0 |
|
| Esperanza River Sao Francisco Starfish Povo da Lira Africa Earthquake Lua Seven Steps |
Firewater - Jive Talk Santa Anita |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Fourth World were a 'world fusion' outfit, I suppose, formed (in London, I believe) by legendary percussionist Airto Moreira and his equally legendary wife, Flora Purim. 1994's Fourth World, was, unsurprisingly, their debut album, being the expected jazz/world crossover, although Purim's contributions seem strangely limited. There are moments on here, not least the jammed-out part of the 13-minute Starfish, which almost cross over into prog territory, but only almost, the bulk of the album being typically happy-go-lucky Brazilian-type stuff, with a European edge in places.
Gary Meek plays Mellotron, amongst other keys, but you'd be hard-pushed to say where. Is that a background flute chord on Povo Da Lira? Near-inaudible strings on Lua? Impossible to say, though I'm sure it's on there somewhere. So; decent enough world fusion, should you be into such a thing, but forget it for the 'Tron.
See: Airto Moreira
 |
Frame of Mind (1972, 36.38) ***/TFrame of MindCrusical Scene All I Really Want Explain If Winter Penny for an Old Guy Childrens Freedom Truebsal |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
In decades to come, assuming they're not entirely forgotten, it's quite possible that Uriah Heep's lasting legacy won't be seen as their first few albums, which helped to define a very British style of hard rock, but their overwhelming influence on a host of contemporaneous European bands, including Norway's Titanic, Hungary's Omega and more German bands than I care to name. Amongst them are Frame, a one-off outfit whose Frame of Mind is... entirely average. OK, it's not a bad listen, but the songs are pretty ordinary and it's hard to find anything on this album that hasn't been done better by someone else. There's some marvellous broken English amongst the track titles, so I hate to think what the lyrics are like; All I Really Want Explain is a personal favourite on that front, and is actually one of the album's best songs, as well as the longest.
Cherry Hochdörffer plays keys, mainly the ubiquitous Hammond, with only two Mellotron tracks to be heard; Winter has some rather background strings, but extremely brief closer Truebsal consists of nothing but a national anthem-style tune played on queasy 'Tron brass, the wobbly tuning of which is clearly deliberate. So, not what you'd call a classic on any front, really, although Truebsal manages to do something a little bit different, if not wholly essential.
 |
Wind of Change (1972, 43.23) **½/½ |
|
| Fig Tree Bay Wind of Change Lady Lieright Jumpin' Jack Flash It's a Plain Shame Oh for Another Day All I Want to Be (is By Your Side) The Lodger |
Hard Alright |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
By 1972 and the age of 22, Peter Frampton had already had a couple of careers, fronting late-'60s popsters The Herd (also including Andrew/Andy Bown, later of Judas Jump and, er, Status Quo), then co-founding Humble Pie with ex-Small Face Steve Marriott. He was still four years away from his career-defining moment, '76's inexplicably huge Frampton Comes Alive!, when he released his first solo album, Wind of Change. If you've heard the soporific Comes Alive, you'll have some idea what to expect; Frampton was never really a rocker, largely preferring soft rock balladry. Even his version of The Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash has a naff brass part that neuters the arrangement, while other 'rock' efforts like It's A Plain Shame or Alright just fall flat.
Anyway: Mellotron. The previously-mentioned Andy Bown (they presumably stayed mates post-Herd) plays a muted string part on All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side), not to be confused with the real strings on a couple of tracks. Do they add anything to the song? Not really, no; the song's a typical example of the album's sound and a good two minutes too long, and the 'Tron's mixed too low to have any real effect, anyway. All in all, you really don't need this album unless you're a Frampton fanatic (er...); it's pretty typically bland, mainstream early-'70s rock, with fairly minimal Mellotronic input.
 |
One By One (2007, 43.27) **½/T |
|
| Mama Don't Come Good Hearted Man Little Girl Love for Me Dakota One By One Alice Pilgrims |
The Devil's Mountains All of My Trains |
|
 |
Before Nightfall (2009, 43.30) **½/TT |
|
| Darkness Junebug Nightfall Climb a Mountain I Like the Air Keep on Running Mescaline Where You Came From |
One By One Hallways Playground Do What I Can |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Robert Francis is one of those 'heartfelt' singer-songwriters (er, aren't they all?) whose debut album, 2007's One By One, is a rather wet, yet relatively harmless record, made for use on crummy US TV shows. Saying that, I've heard a lot worse in the general area, though I wouldn't take that as a recommendation. Martin Pradler plays Mellotron, with upfront flutes, strings and cellos on closer All Of My Trains that sound reasonably real, although I think the distant, high strings on Pilgrims are generated by something else.
Francis followed up with 2009's Before Nightfall, an album that sounds fine for a couple of tracks, before you realise it's irritated the hell out of you and you're not sure why. It doesn't help that it rather lacks on the originality front; until the vocals kick in, I Like The Air sounds exactly like The Blue Öyster Cult's Subhuman, although I'm quite certain that's accidental, while Francis' falsetto on closer Do What I Can is a dead ringer for Jeff Buckley, without the good bits. Francis plays the Mellotron himself, with choirs and cellos on opener Darkness, strings (and cellos?) on Mescaline and strings on One By One and Hallways, all used to reasonable effect, which makes a nice change.
I really can't recommend these to anyone looking for something a bit different, or with a little genuine emotion, but they do have a couple of decent 'Tron tracks between them to soothe your (my) pain.
|
7" ( 1972?) ***½/TTT What is Wrong? Lasidore - Mifamire |
 |
Life Circle (2007, recorded 1971-74, 77.37) ****/TTTT |
|
| Satisfaction Border Song What is Wrong? Lasidore - Mifamire Don't Let it Bring You Down Open Your Heart Beginning Soft Landing |
Dies Irae part 1 Dies Irae part 2 Take Off Renaissance Intro for Cosmic Body Caos-Deconstruction End of the Beginning |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Franklin were apparently one of Spain's first 'underground' bands, not the easiest of paths when living in a dictatorship; they released two singles in the 1971-2 period, then recorded an album in '74 that was never released. Fast-forward thirty-something years and those nice Guerssen people release the whole lot on a double vinyl/single CD set, Life Circle, making this what has to be one of the best 'lost' albums to appear in years. Given its quality, it comes as no surprise to discover that one of the guitarists from the first lineup, Antonio Garcia de Diego, played on Canarios' classic Ciclos, while bandleader Pablo Weeber moved to Germany later in the decade, joining Hoelderlin for two of their later albums.
The first LP/first six tracks of the CD collate both singles and two live tracks, all in a hard psych style with occasional prog overtones. The first 7" couples their versions of The Stones' satisfaction (barely recognisable) and Elton John's Border Song, to passable effect, while the second (from '72?) backs What Is Wrong? with Lasidore - Mifamire in a proggier style, both tracks swamped with Mariano Díaz' Mellotron strings. The unreleased album is a straight psych/prog mix, with hints of a jazz influence creeping in on Caos-Deconstruction, which brings me to a small problem: there seem to be two different tracklistings for the set; has the vinyl version got one and the CD the other? I can't imagine Soft Landing is actually called Sofa Landing, although I suppose Caos-Deconstruction could easily be Caos-Descompensing. Confusing.
The rather Italian-sounding Pino Scagliarini plays keys on the '74 tracks, including Mellotron almost across the board, with choir and strings on Soft Landing and Renaissance and strings on Dies Irae Parts 1 and 2, Take Off, Intro For Cosmic Body, Caos-Deconstruction and End Of The Beginning, making this not only a worthy release, but a previously-unknown minor Mellotron classic. Although the vinyl edition was strictly limited, I'm sure the CD is easily available. You know what you have to do...
 |
With Everything I Feel in Me (1974, 39.30) ***/TWithout LoveDon't Go Breaking My Heart When You Get Right Down to it You'll Never Get to Heaven With Everything I Feel in Me I Love Every Little Thing About You Sing it Again - Say it Again All of These Things You Move Me |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Er, Aretha Franklin? Yup, the Queen Of Soul has finally made the grade: an entry on Planet Mellotron (note for humourless soul nuts: that was a joke). She shouldn't need any introduction to anyone with any interest in the history of post-war music, so I won't bother; suffice to say, she's generally regarded as having one of the great voices of the last several decades and has recorded some immortal soul sides, whether or not you (or, indeed, I) actually like what she does.
1974's With Everything I Feel in Me fell on the cusp between soul and disco, with elements of both appearing on the album, making it surprising that the album was a commercial failure at the time; I'm no expert, but this sounds to me as good as any soul album from the period and better than many, although I'm not fully convinced by her solo scatting at the end of You'll Never Get to Heaven. Maybe it was (and is) considered to be trying to cover too many bases, none of them that successfully? The gospel of All of These Things sits uneasily with the rest of the record, but surely Aretha fans these days would be less interested in such distinctions?
Pat Rebillot (Herbie Mann) plays Mellotron, with flutes on When You Get Right Down To It, including a surprisingly fast run at one point, just to show it can be done, although (unsurprisingly) all string parts are real. With Everything I Feel in Me has never been issued on CD, probably due to its initial failure, showing that there are still noticeable gaps in the market, over twenty years after the beginning of the great reissue boom.
 |
Make Today Count (1978, 30.57) **½/TTTMake Today CountWhere is Your Heart Only Jesus Can Satisfy Choose Ye This Day Hallelujah My Father Take Time to Check God Out One Day at a Time Seasons of Love There's Just Something About That Name |
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
Doris Frazier? A St Louis gospel singer from the '60s on with her family assemblage, the Fiddmont Singers, led by her brother, the Rev. Charles Fiddmont. They made at least four albums, including I've Been Touched (er, OK) and 1978's live Make Today Count. It's a poorly-recorded document of their particular brand of gospel, five of its nine tracks composed by Doris and her husband, Clifford, only really coming to life on the occasional uptempo tracks, notably the amusingly naïvely-titled Take Time To Check God Out. Watch for the preacher-esque spoken word part in closer There's Just Something About That Name, too. Aside from the crummy recording, the pressing quality is terrible; my supplier (hi, Mark) suspects a severely-budgeted local label.
One of no fewer than three single-instrument keyboard players, Tom Brooks adds Chamberlin strings to every track, in the expected pseudo-orchestral style; as is the way with the Chamby, it almost fools the ear in places, although it's too high in the mix to get away with it for long. Well, do you like the idea of Chamberlin strings-heavy gospel? No, nor me, really, although I can't fault the Fraziers and Fiddmonts for their enthusiasm and musicianship; file under 'just not my bag'.
 |
Fire & Water (1970, 36.05) ***½/½Fire & WaterOh I Wept Remember Heavy Load Mr Big Don't Say You Love Me All Right Now |
 |
Highway (1970, 35.58/58.56) ***/T½ (TT) |
|
| Highway Song Stealer On My Way Be My Friend Sunny Day Ride on a Pony Love You So Bodie |
Soon I Will Be Gone [CD adds: My Brother Jake (single) Only My Soul (b-side) Ride on a Pony (BBC Session) Be My Friend (BBC Session) Rain (alternative version) Stealer (single version) |
|
 |
7" (1971) **/T½ My Brother Jake Only My Soul |
 |
Free Live! (1971, 40.36/77.15) ****/T |
|
| All Right Now I'm a Mover Be My Friend Fire and Water Ride a Pony Mr Big The Hunter Get Where I Belong |
[CD adds: Woman Walk in My Shadow Moonshine Trouble on Double Time Mr Big All Right Now Get Where I Belong] |
|
 |
Free at Last (1972, 35.46) ***/TCatch a TrainSoldier Boy Magic Ship Sail on Travellin' Man Little Bit of Love Guardian of the Universe Child Goodbye |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Free are one of those bands that I feel I should like, but about whom I find it difficult to get excited. Part of the problem is that I don't feel their sound has dated very well, unlike, say, Zeppelin's; their blues/rock hybrid sounds rather laid-back for modern tastes, although I know there's many of you out there who'll disagree violently with this. As a result, these reviews may seem rather unenthusiastic, although I bear the band's 'classic' status in mind.
Fire and Water is rated as their 'classic' by many fans, and while it's a good album, the first thing that strikes you about it is the soporific pace of most of the material, with even the ubiquitous All Right Now being 'sprightly' at best. Apart from 'the hit', Mr Big is probably the album's standout track, which whips up a bit of a storm, admittedly in a laid-back kind of way. Bassist Andy Fraser plays loads of piano on the album, too, and there's a couple of MkII Mellotron string (mixed with brass?) notes on Heavy Load, but that seems to be it on the 'Tron front this time round.
I'm sorry, but I can't help but find Highway rather... dull. It's relentlessly mid-paced, consisting mostly of ballads, and completely belies Free's reputation as a band of any great intensity. The playing is, of course, excellent, although there's very little of Kossoff's famed guitar work in evidence (I believe the band were heading towards burnout at the time). Mellotron on a surprising three tracks, with a few background string notes on Be My Friend and Love You So, but a rather more upfront part (if still quite subtle) on closer and probable best track, Soon I Will Be Gone. My Brother Jake's added to the remastered CD, but none of the other bonus tracks is relevant here.
Speaking of which, the uncharacteristic (and not very good) My Brother Jake, a good-time singalong sort of thing from '71, has some 'Tron strings from Fraser; a brief part comes in during the second verse, with another few notes at the end of the song, and that's it. Really not worth the effort.
While Free Live! still isn't going to convert me unreservedly to their cause, it's a good live album with some great performances, not least the kicking All Right Now that opens proceedings. Not so sure about Be My Friend or Ride A Pony, to be honest, and the whole thing sounds a little dated, but The Hunter makes up for any earlier deficiencies. Now, I can't work out what's going on here, but Get Where I Belong features a piano part, along with Fraser's bass, when suddenly a handful of Mellotron chords pop up from nowhere then disappear again. There's a little more towards the end of the song, but it's not exactly overwhelming. So, who plays it? And how come they bothered to haul one along for just one song? Given that Paul Rodgers is a perfectly respectable pianist, it seems he's the prime suspect; more info should I ever find out. Incidentally, no keys of any sort on the bonus version of the same song; it doesn't even actually sound live to me.
Free's fifth studio album, and the first after their much-publicised reformation, Free at Last, carries on in pretty much the same vein as their earlier work, being a straight blues/rock crossover. Having never been the band's biggest fan, I find it difficult to pick out highlights, although the album's chief Mellotron track, Magic Ship is probably about the best. There's a few notes of very background 'Tron on the album's hit, Little Bit Of Love, but that's it.
So; if you like Free you probably own these already. For the Mellotron fan, pickings are slim indeed, although Soon I Will Be Gone, My Brother Jake and Magic Ship have some passable strings. Oh, and check out the Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit review to see what some of Free did in their gap year.
See: Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit
