|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
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.
 |
You (1974, 44.19) ****/TTThought for NaughtA P.H.P.'s Advice Magick Mother Invocation Master Builder A Sprinkling of Clouds Perfect Mistery The Isle of Everywhere You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Gong began as an Anglo-French-Australian collective in the late '60s, infamous for their heroic hallucinogen intake and their exceedingly strange music. Some fans believe that this is the ultimate trip, but I've known others who claim that 'tripping to this stuff just doesn't work'; I suppose it's a case of one man's meat, really. Anyway, by the early '70s, they'd concocted a strange tale of Pothead Pixies, Octave Doctors and the estimable Zero the Hero, known as the Flying Teapot Trilogy, consisting of Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You.
If you're at all familiar with Gong's working methods, you'll be on familiar territory with You, although it's probably the least manic of the trilogy, presaging the band's later move into jazzier realms, with more groove-based material, like A Sprinkling Of Clouds or the lengthy and excellent The Isle Of Everywhere. The only jarring note is the rather silly Perfect Mistery, but where Gong are concerned, you have to take the rough with the smooth... Anyway, for (to my knowledge) the only time in their career, the band opted to use a Mellotron on the album, amusingly credited as 'Mellowdrone', played by Hi T Moonweed (a.k.a. Tim Blake). It's used chiefly as a background wash, with a subtle string line on Master Builder and choir and string chords on A Sprinkling Of Clouds. It's hard to say, but the best use is probably on You Never Blow Yr Trip Forever, but none of it's especially overt.
So; if you like Gong, you probably already own this, but if you're new to the band, while I can't really recommend it for its Mellotron use, You is a fine album, worthy of your attention.
 |
Album of the Year (2004, 53.31) ***/½ |
|
| Album of the Year Night and Day Under a Honeymoon You're No Fool Notes in His Pocket You're Not You October Leaves Lovers Need Lawyers |
Inmates Needy A New Friend Two Years This Month |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Good Life grew out of Cursive's frontman Tim Kasher's solo project, their third album, 2004's Album of the Year, being an awful lot better than the parent band's Happy Hollow, at least. That isn't to say it's a great album; the opening title track has a great narrative lyric, but the bulk of the record drifts along in a folk/indie kind of way, with only the occasional burst of energy (Notes In His Pocket, Needy), to liven things up at all, and did Inmates really need to be nearly ten minutes long?
Mike Mogis plays Mellotron on Lovers Need Lawyers, with a brief background flute part at the end of the song, so not what you'd call essential on that front, then. Album of the Year isn't, but it could've been so much worse. Definitely not worth it for the 'Tron, though.
See: Cursive
 |
Oceans Away (1976, 35.05) **½/T |
|
| Oceans Away On the Waterfront Old Fashioned Love Jewel Love's Like a Song I Will Glide You've Got the Gun Laundry |
Gabrielle Can You Demonstrate |
|
 |
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks (1977, 33.31) **½/T½ |
|
| Airborne The Lady Lives in England Are You Alone? Private Lives Just a Dream Parade Angeltown Don't Treat Your Lover Like a Thief |
I Want to Winter With You If We Ever Meet Again |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Phillip Goodhand-Tait had been around since the beginning of the '70s; I get the impression that he was a bit of a songwriting 'gun for hire', rather in the way that Harry Nilsson et al. started off. Now, I don't know about his earlier albums, but Oceans Away (ho ho) is appallingly bland, real MOR stuff for most of its length. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this brings to mind the slushiest orchestral end of '70s pop; very 'songwriterly' songs, but no excitement whatsoever. Like Gilbert O'Sullivan, or Elton John on Mogadons. OK, more Mogadons. There's only one track with credited Mellotron (from Goodhand-Tait), Gabrielle, with a reasonable flute part, but orchestral arranger Robert Kirby (of concurrent Strawbs fame) is credited with 'choir' on You've Got The Gun, and it is, indeed, Mellotron, with some fairly ordinary block chords.
'77's Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks is a more upbeat effort, no doubt not in keeping with the times, having more of a Philly soul vibe about it in places than anything remotely connected to that nasty punk rock stuff. I found it just as hard to trawl through as its predecessor, though, but that's as likely to be my fault as Goodhand-Tait's; one man's meat an' all that... Kirby plays 'Tron again, flutes this time, on Just A Dream and Angeltown, but nothing particularly outstanding, unsurprisingly.
So; not my cup of tea, though going by 'Net reviews, other people seem to like what he did. Highly average 'Tron work, too, so no recommendation here, I'm afraid.
 |
Tonight and the Rest of My Life (2000, 50.39/55.01) **½/TT½ |
|
| Now I Can Die 2003 Tonight and the Rest of My Life Badway Horses in the City Hold on to Me New Year's Eve Fade to Black |
Number One Camera Got Me Down Too Slow to Ride Hate Your Way The End of the World [Bonus track: Black and Blonde] |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron/Chamberlin used:
Nina Gordon left Veruca Salt in 1998 (the story behind her dispute with co-founder Louise Post remains 'undisclosed', apparently), kicking off her solo career with 2000's Tonight and the Rest of My Life. Was it worth it? Depends how much you like very slightly 'alternative' pop/rock, I suppose. The only 'alternative' thing about this is that it isn't quite as mawkishly mainstream as the stuff that regularly soils the charts and its (very) occasional propensity for cranking the guitars up a little.
Going by the credits, there should be shitloads of tape-replay here, with Mellotron and Chamberlin from both John Webster and Patrick Warren, more Chamby from Jon Brion and more 'Tron from Gordon's brother, Jim Shapiro, although I really don't know what's where. Anyway, we get strings on Now I Can Die and the title track, strings and cellos on Hold On To Me, a string melody and chords on Fade To Black and cellos on Too Slow To Ride, all rather underwhelming, leaving the album's chief tape-replay use being the (Chamberlin?) strings and cellos on regular issue closer The End Of The World.
Overall, then, a rather dull album, although opener Now I Can Die is about the best of a boring bunch. Despite the vast number of Mellotron/Chamberlin players, there isn't that much of either to be obviously heard, with only one major tape-replay piece, and then only relatively.
 |
Bayleaf (2001, 39.43) **½/½ |
|
| Bore Me Fits Pigeon Anchors Cadillac Bayleaf Every Family |
Unhand Me Hellbent Fend it Off |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Stone Gossard (actually his real name) is, of course, long-term guitarist with Pearl Jam, as well as working his way through Seattle proto-grunge legends Green River, Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog, placing him at the epicentre of the whole movement. Of course, whether you like Pearl Jam et al. is another matter; I find them a largely tuneless dirge, but I'm sure many people feel the same way about one of their chief influences and occasional collaborator, Neil Young, so what do I know? Bayleaf is Gossard's first and to date, only, solo album, although I believe his follow-up is in preparation at the time of writing. It sounds like a more laid-back version of Pearl Jam to my ears, with even more overt Neil comparisons, although none of the songwriting really stands up. Maybe you have to be really into the style.
Pete Droge plays a variety of instruments on the album, not least Mellotron, although you wouldn't know were it not credited. I have to assume it's on opener Bore Me, making the discordant sound that swells up out of the mix here and there, although it could be just about anything. So; a Pearl Jam side-project, sounding exactly as you'd expect, with next to no Mellotron to liven things up. Your choice.
See: Pearl Jam
 |
Tid är Ljud (2006, 55.39) ****/T½HelgamarktzSyrenernas Sång Aniarasviten Goldondern Aniara Lämnar Doris Dalar Tyngdlösheten Miman Söker, Och Finner... Ljud Från Stan Tog du Med Dig Naturen? Knölsvanen Svarta Hål Och Elljusspår |
 |
Detta Har Hänt (2009, 53.10) ****/T½KontrastSorterargatan 3 Svenska Hjärtan Fem Trappor Nattkift Berslagen Innilegur? Västarbron 05:30 |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Gösta Berlings Saga are named after the famous late-19th century Swedish novel, or possibly its 1920s film adaptation, featuring a very young Greta Garbo (thank you, Wikipedia...). Although they describe themselves as 'prog', their debut release, Tid är Ljud, is, in many ways, more of a psych album. Opener Helgamarktz is a fantastic slice of instrumental prog with a 'hook' (so to speak) to die for, but tracks such as Ljud Från Stan and Knölsvanen shift into 'jam' territory, albeit in a proggy kind of way, and the overall feel is as much psych as prog, at least to my ears. Most of the album's keyboard work consists of David Lundberg's obviously genuine Rhodes work (listen to it distort at the beginning of Knölsvanen for proof), with the odd bit of Moog (?) and Solina thrown in for good measure. On the Mellotron front, both Lundberg and drummer Alexander Skepp play 'Tron flutes and cellos on the gentle three-part Aniarasviten, with more cellos and strings on Svarta Hål Och Elljusspår, all recorded using Anekdoten's machine at their rehearsal space, fact fans.
It's taken the band three years to follow up, but 2009's Detta Har Hänt has been worth the wait, being every bit as exploratory as their debut, full of dark, psych-infested instrumental prog. It's difficult to pick out 'best tracks, but opener Kontrast sounds slightly like a vocal-free Dungen, while lengthy, jammed-out closer Västarbron 05:30 pushes all the right buttons. I don't know whose Mellotron they used (Anekdoten's again?), but Lundberg uses it on just three tracks, with strings on Sorterargatan 3, Berslagen and mad pitchbent ones on Västarbron 05:30, once again refusing to overdo it.
So; you're onto a bit of a winner with this lot, I think. Admittedly, the Mellotron work is fairly low-key (more so on Tid är Ljud than Detta Har Hänt) but you need to buy these for their musical content and make these guys famous, er, make them their money back. Buy.
 |
Inspiración-Espiración: A Gotan Project DJ Set (2004, 61.09) **½/T |
|
| La Cumparsita Cité Tango Round About Midnight Confianzas The Man (El Hombre Remix) Percusion (Part 1) La del Ruso (Calexico Version) El Capitalismo Foráneo (Antipop Consortium Remix) |
Tres y Dos (Tango) M.A.T.H. Triptico (Peter Kruder Trip De Luxe) Santa Maria (De Buen Ayre) (Pepe Bradock Wider Remix) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Gotan Project are an international Paris-based collective, whose music is essentially Brazilian crossed with electronica, making them the type of band unlikely to appeal to the average prog fan. 2004's Inspiración-Espiración (or, correctly, Inspiración-Espiración: A Gotan Project DJ Set: New Tracks, Remixes & Funky Tangos Selected & Mixed By Philippe Cohen Solal) is effectively a remix album, although what kind of 'DJ set' this would make I'm not sure; it has far too many slow bits to make it particularly danceable. Anyway, while I'm sure it's perfectly good at what it does, it's overlong and I can't say it exactly grabbed this particular reviewer.
Joey Burns adds Mellotron to one track, with watery flutes on La Del Ruso (Calexico Version), only just scraping a one 'T' rating. Like electronic samba? Buy this album. Don't? Then don't.
 |
The Graham Gouldman Thing (1968, 29.07) ****/T |
|
| The Impossible Years Bus Stop Behind the Door Pawnbroker Who Are They My Father No Milk Today Upstairs, Downstairs |
For Your Love Pamela, Pamela Chestnut |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Mancunian Graham Gouldman is probably best known for his membership of 10cc (he's the only original member of the current touring outfit), but those in the know are aware of his writing career, stretching back to 1965, when he was all of 19. I hope he's proud of the fact that his fabulous For Your Love drove that purist twat Clapton out of the Yardbirds; he should be. It apparently forced Claptout's hand, as he left for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, replaced by first Jeff Beck, then Jimmy Page. Gouldman carried on his run of hits with Bus Stop for The Hollies and No Milk Today for Herman's Hermits, amongst many others, before joining the rest of studio project Hotlegs to go on to fame and fortune under their new, allegedly Jonathan King-inspired name.
Anyway, The Graham Gouldman Thing is a solo album recorded by Graham in the late '60s, partially consisting of his own versions of his multiple hits, probably at the suggestion of label execs, doubtless unaware that Gouldman's neat little vignettes of suburban life might not be best suited to 1968's zeitgeist. In fairness, the arrangements are more 1968 than 1965, and great songs are great songs, irrespective of time. Amongst the excellent arrangement ideas on the album are Behind The Door's tape-trickery, the cod-medieval woodwind (in a good way) on Upstairs, Downstairs and the organ part on For Your Love, although the latter works less well than The Yardbirds' original.
Mellotron on just one track, possibly played by multi-instrumentalist Gouldman himself ('60s albums rarely give individual credits), or maybe then-sessioneer John Paul Jones, with a hesitant and slightly murky MkII flute part on Chestnut (also b-side to Upstairs, Downstairs), with some nicely distorted Hammond chops and slightly campy narration thrown in. So; not a knock-you-dead album, but a very pleasant collection of beautifully-crafted '60s pop with one decent 'Tron track, now available on CD.
 |
Gracious! (1970, 44.43) ****/TT½IntroductionHeaven Hell Fugue in 'D' Minor The Dream |
 |
7" (1972) ***½/TTTT Once on a Windy Day Fugue in 'D' Minor |
 |
This is...Gracious!! (1972, 42.14/46.17) ****½/TTTTT |
|
| Super Nova Arrival of the Traveller Blood Red Sun Say Goodbye to Love Prepare to Meet Thy Maker C.B.S. What's Come to Be Blue Skies and Alibis Hold Me Down |
[US CD changes running order slightly and adds: Once on a Windy Day] |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Gracious (the ! appears to be optional) formed in the late '60s, releasing one single, before signing with noted progressive label Vertigo and releasing Gracious! in 1970. It's an interesting on-the-cusp album, straddling the psych/prog divide with ease, although that put them a little behind some of their contemporaries, possibly leading to their eventual split. The band's endless inventiveness still shines through now, though, with composite compositions such as Heaven and The Dream carving out their own little niche in the progressive spectrum. Something that really struck me, listening to this again, was the strength of the songwriting; Introduction is a superb song, worthy of far more attention than it got at the time, and Fugue In 'D' Minor is a gorgeous 12-string/harpsichord piece.
For all that Gracious! is frequently cited as a 'classic Mellotron album', there's only 'Tron to be heard (at least to my ears) on two tracks, although keyboard man Martin Kitcat (his real name - sadly, he died recently) owned a converted Mark II FX machine, so there may be some bits'n'pieces that I'm not recognising. Heaven has a good chunk of 'Tron strings in it, plus what may well be Mark II Hammond, as there's organ on the piece, but Kitcat's not credited with playing one. The fairly bizarre The Dream also has short strings and mandolin parts, but apparently some of the sound effects are 'Tron, too, though it's hard to tell without a detailed knowledge of Mark II rhythms etc. Saying that, his machine had 'lead' tapes on the left-hand manual, too, à la Mike Pinder's in the Moody Blues. So, less 'classic' than expected, but a good album in its own right.
Later that year, a non-album single appeared, Once On A Windy Day, with a rather late-'60s sound, strummy acoustics and 'Tron flutes and strings to the fore. Rare as rocking-horse shit, it has been available on the presumably long out-of-print US Renaissance CD.
Gracious! recorded their follow-up in early '71, but after the band split later that year, record company politics decreed that This is...Gracious!! wouldn't appear until the following year on the budget Philips label. Even better than their debut, it's a tragedy that the band had already disintegrated by this point, as they may well've developed into one of the best progressive outfits of the decade, although those '60s influences would've had to go... While slightly dated for the time, the songwriting's as good as on their debut; they certainly had a way with a melody, which is more than you can say for many of their contemporaries.
The side-long Super Nova is an absolute classic, particularly the first two parts, with some of the most coruscating Mellotron you're ever likely to hear; saxes (?) stuck through an overdriven Marshall, with a driving backbeat from the rest of the band. Blood Red Sun itself exchanges sax for vibes on one manual and a strings/brass mix on the other, as Paul (later Sandy) Davis wails "Blood red sun, what has it done?". Bloody phenomenal. Kitcat keeps up the Mellotronic pressure for the rest of Super Nova and while, unsurprisingly, he never quite matches the intensity of the first two tracks on the rest of the album, he comes close at the ends of both Say Goodbye To Love and Prepare To Meet Thy Maker. There's a hell of a lot of brass on the album, particularly on Blue Skies And Alibis and Hold Me Down; in fact, it's almost the main sound used, over the usually ubiquitous strings. I'm not sure if the organ on C.B.S. is real or 'Tron; it sounds real, but it's frequently hard to tell. Anyway, a killer 'Tron album, fully deserving of its five 'T's.
The UK reissue of these albums is on a 2-on-2 set from BGO, with the original running order on This is... The US CD of the album on Renaissance, however, takes What's Come To Be, which should be part three of Super Nova, but was shifted due to the length restrictions imposed by vinyl and puts it back in its rightful place. It also adds the Once On A Windy Day single, but instead of putting it at the end as a bonus track, it's placed between C.B.S. and Blue Skies And Alibis, filling the gap left by What's Come To Be, although as I've said above, the label obviously went bust years ago.
So; two classic psych/prog albums, with This is..., in particular, stuffed to the gills with Mellotron. If you want the 'full' version of the second album, you're probably going to have to buy both the UK 2-on-2 and the Renaissance release, if you can find it, but the British one should do for most of you. As a footnote, an album-length demo began circulating in the mid-'90s by an outfit of the same name, consisting of the original band's rhythm section and keyboard player Sev Lewcowicz. Echo (***½) was eventually released in 1996 (reviewed here), and while not a bad album, isn't really up to the standard of the original band. There's a little sampled Mellotron to be heard, but it's all slightly inauthentic to be honest. Buy at your discretion.
See: Sampledelica! | Sandy Davis
 |
Release Yourself (1974, 37.30) ***½/TTG.C.S.Release Yourself Got to Go Through it to Get to it I Believe in You Tis Your Kind of Music Hey Mr. Writer Feel the Need Today |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Larry Graham's Graham Central Station (from NYC's Grand Central Station, of course) played funk, sounding more like Graham's old band, Sly Stone's Sly & the Family Stone than the Ohio Players, say, adding a fat chunk of psychedelia to the mix, even as late as their second record, 1974's Release Yourself. Its best tracks are probably the ones where the funk heats up to melting point, not least self-referential opener G.C.S. and Hey Mr. Writer, not to mention the almost-Motown arrangement on Feel The Need, but the writing and playing are strong throughout, making this the kind of funk album a rock fan may, just may be able to appreciate. Well, I did...
Graham plays Mellotron on the album, amongst other keys, with slightly oblique string and flute parts on Tis Your Kind Of Music and far more straightforward strings on lengthy closer Today, with the final chord stretched out way beyond the machine's limitations via studio trickery. The album's oddest bit of 'Tron work, however, is the few seconds of pitchbent strings on Feel The Need, in true 'blink and you'll miss it' style, although it doesn't add to the overall rating.
So; good psych-funk, though less 'rock' than, say, Funkadelic, with two decent 'Tron tracks. Worth it for funk fans haven't yet delved into Larry Graham's extensive back catalogue.
 |
The Bad Years (2003, 51.26) ***/T½ |
|
| Intro Landmine I Ruined Love Soul Session #5 Everything You're Not Understood Jump Into the Fire Can't Lose |
Third Floor Anyone's Woman All Your Parts Broken |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Grain are a female-fronted full-on retro outfit from Pittsburgh, who seem to've been going since some time in the '90s, although I don't know anything about their earlier work. Their sound on The Bad Years (their second album? Very hard to tell) focuses on yer good ol' fashioned vocals/guitar/bass/drums four-piece, with vocalist Carla Simmons and guitarist Wayne Smith both doubling on various cranky old keyboards. Hoorah! Mind you, they haven't entirely ignored the last couple of decades, as Can't Lose features the band playing along with a drum loop, although the opening guitar sound on Everything You're Not rocks in a way no-one seems to do any more, not to mention the cowbell...
I can't say their Mellotron use is exactly over the top, to be honest: nothing audible on I Ruined Love or Can't Lose, with faint strings on Soul Session #5 (those titles!) and Broken, although the underwater flutes on Understood are rather more obvious. There's also a smattering of uncredited strings on Intro, although nothing else is credited on the track either, for what it's worth. So; a rather average record with the odd highlight, not least the extended outro on Broken, with only one at all obvious 'Tron track. Passable.
 |
Flying (1997, 46.14) ***/T |
|
| Jonah Less of Me Flying Rocket Ship Peace Pain Sell Your Soul Fuse |
Spider Web Found in You For Me |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Grammatrain are another CCM act who transcend the 'genre' by playing 'alternative rock', or whatever you may choose to call it, rather than the insipid, near-MOR dross that passes for 'Christian music' most of the time (well, we wouldn't want to offend anyone, would we?). Flying was their second and last studio album proper, and to prove my point, Rocket Ship is actually, er, heavy, so Christians can rock, too. Allegedly.
Mellotron on two tracks, from vocalist/guitarist Pete Stewart, with a brief cello part on opener Jonah and upfront flutes and strings on closer For Me, although with only one overt 'Tron track, this isn't really worth picking up, unless you find it dirt cheap. Overall, a fairly non-Christian Christian album, making it far more palatable to the heathen masses than the usual stuff. Not bad.
 |
Hablo de Una Tierra (1975, 36.30) ***½/TTTGranada esRompiendo la Oscuridad Hablo de Una Tierra Nada es Real Es el Momento de Oir un Buen Rock Algo Bueno |
 |
España, Año 75 (1976, 40.12) ***½/½El Calor Que Pasamos Este VeranoPor Donde Andamos Todo Hubiera Sido Tan Bonito La Auténtica Canción No Me Digas Bueno, Vale Septiembre Noviembre Florido Hora Vamos a Ver Que Pasa (Vamonos Para el Mediterráneo) |
 |
Valle del Pas (1978, 39.01) ****/TNo Se Si DeboBrave Silueta de Color Carmin Noches Oscuras, Ocas Contentas Himno del Sapo Valle del Pas Calle Betis (Altardeciendo) Ya Llueve |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Granada were a relatively early entry in Spain's late-flowering progressive scene (doubtless due to the restrictive atmosphere of Franco's regime), which was just taking off as it was dying away across the rest of Europe. They're not the best of the bunch by some way, being seriously outclassed by, say, the excellent Canarios, although their debut, Hablo de Una Tierra, is by no means a bad record. There is something of a Spanish influence on the band's sound, although nowhere near as much as with some of their contemporaries. The instrumental tracks/sections work better than the vocal ones, with a slight jamming feel in places and some nice guitar work from Michael Vortreflich, although I'm not at all sure how it might stand up to repeated plays.
Carlos Cárcamo plays Mellotron, along with flute, violin, several other keyboards and just about everything else, by the look of it. Reasonable string use on Granada Es and Rompiendo La Oscuridad, neither of which prepare the listener for the exceedingly full-on string chords that open the title track and carry on in similar vein throughout the song. More of the same on Nada Es Real and Es El Momento De Oir Un Buen Rock, leaving only the upbeat Algo Bueno 'Tron-free, making this one of the better Spanish Mellotron albums.
Their follow-up, España, Año 75, isn't a bad album, just a little generic. Despite crediting Mellotron again, I can't help being reminded of Iman, Califato Independiente's first album, that credits it on three out of four tracks, then buries it under washes of string synth (a.k.a. 'The Spanish Disease'). All I can hear here is a few seconds of Cárcamo's (possible) strings during Noviembre Florido, although that could be merely wishful thinking; a particular disappointment after such heavy 'Tron use on its predecessor. Yet again, I'm at a loss to understand why you'd make the effort to use a 'Tron, then... not use it. Is it buried beneath the cheap string synth? Was it loaded with the hitherto-unknown 'Spanish Tape Set', consisting of three varieties of string synth, all recorded at ¼ volume? If anyone knows anything about the strange approach the Spanish took to the Mellotron, PLEASE tell me!
Well, who'd have thought it? Granada's last album, 1978's Valle del Pas, is far better than you might expect of a late-'70s prog album. Then again, this is Spain... Carlos Cárcamo replaced the entire lineup, adding Joaquín Blanco on 'Northern Spanish woodwinds', including the Celtic bagpipes indigenous to the region, with the end result being an album of fairly typical instrumental Spanish progressive with added Celtic influences. Standout tracks are difficult to pinpoint, although opener No Se Si Debo recovers after a ropey start, and Himno Del Sapo is notable, with the most Celtic piece here being closer Ya Llueve, bagpipes and all. Despite the real strings on a few tracks, Cárcamo gets a bit of 'Tron in, too, with a handful of string chords on Brave Silueta De Color Carmin, Noches Oscuras, Ocas Contentas and Calle Betis (Altardeciendo), but not enough to bother with on those grounds.
So; three reasonable albums, particularly the more folk-influenced tracks towards the end of España, Año 75 and the similar material on its follow-up, though only their debut is worth it on the 'Tron front. Reasonable.
 |
Shinin' On (1974, 36.20) **½/TShinin' OnTo Get Back in The Loco-Motion Carry Me Through Please Me Mr. Pretty Boy Gettin' Over You Little Johnny Hooker |
 |
Caught in the Act (1975, 74.29) ***/T |
|
| Footstompin' Music Rock and Roll Soul I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home Heartbreaker Some Kind of Wonderful Shinin' on Loco-Motion Black Licorice |
Railroad We're an American Band T.N.U.C. Inside Looking Out Gimme Shelter |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
The only thing that stops Grand Funk (the 'Railroad' seemed to come and go, possibly dependent on legal action) being the least talented hard rock band ever is the continuing existence of Kiss. I once owned a copy, on some idiot's recommendation, of their first live album, er, Live; it's crap, particularly the side-long instrumental jam T.N.U.C. (go on, reverse it). Risibly sexist and stupid (so what's wrong with being sexy, anyway?), Grand Funk define American party metal, years before its supposed genesis with the emergence of the aforementioned cartoon characters in the mid-'70s. This is music to drop quaaludes to, to throw frisbees and/or firecrackers to, to paaarty to. How this lot were ever mentioned in the same breath as Sabbath or (God help us) Zeppelin is utterly beyond me. OK, they sold a lot of records to disaffected Midwestern teenagers, but they're musical lightweights compared to any of their equally successful contemporaries you might care to name.
Shinin' On was Grand Funk's eighth studio album (count 'em) in five years, and it's immediately evident that they'd mellowed a little since their early bludgeon-athons. Chiefly notable for the inclusion of their hamfisted cover of Little Eva's The Loco-Motion, which was a US No.1 hit, the rest of the album is a mixture of hard rock-lite stuff like the title track, and slower material along the lines of Carry Me Through and Mr. Pretty Boy. The latter is the album's sole Mellotron track, with a fairly ordinary string part running through most of it; hardly world-beating, but nice to hear.
Caught in the Act came out the following year and, in fairness, they'd learnt a little subtlety since that early live tragedy, doubtless partly due to the addition of Craig Frost on keyboards. Frost is a perfectly good player, concentrating largely on organ and clavinet, although he uses his onstage 'Tron on one track, with really nice upfront strings and flutes on the Closer To Home part of the medley on side one, although it rather irritatingly fades out. Actually, for all my ranting above, this isn't that bad an album, with (good singing) good playing throughout, and a few memorable tracks, not least their major US hit, We're An American Band.
So; if you're American and of a certain age, these will almost certainly bring back memories, good or otherwise. For the rest of us, if you were contemplating dipping a toe into the murky waters of The Funk, there are worse places to start than Caught in the Act. Like Live. One decent(-ish) track on each album doesn't make them worth buying, but hear them if you get the chance, particularly Caught in the Act.
See: Flint
 |
Bad Timing (2003, 40.50) ***/T |
|
| 1st Round K.O. Bad Timing Quicksilver Old Fashioned Disaster Film Duty Free Get Lost Flowin' Tide |
Black Aura Lay Right Down Steal it Back |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
All the reviews I've seen of Bad Timing equate it with early-'70s rock, so is it only me that hears '77 punk in there? The first several tracks, in particular, have that 'devil may care'-ness about them, although maybe I'm just hearing their Lou Reed influences (Get Lost) filtered through other bands influenced by Reed. Influences and counter-influences... Anyway, this is Grand Mal's third album, which bravely travels a path from a raucous beginning to a rather more gentle, laid-back end, although if you're not into that New York thing, you probably won't be too into this.
Guest Steven Drozd plays 'piano, organ, slide guitar and Mellotron' on four tracks, but it must mean collectively, not individually, as Disaster Film (how very British!) is the only one to obviously have any 'Tron, with a rather screechy string part that doesn't particularly enhance the track. So, unless you're a Lou/Velvets fan and can't get enough of that sound, I'd go somewhere else, to be honest.
 |
Under the Western Freeway (1997, 46.48) ****/TT½ |
|
| Nonphenomenal Lineage A.M. 180 Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance Summer Here Kids Laughing Stock Under the Western Freeway Everything Beautiful is Far Away Poisoned at Hartsy Thai Food |
Go Progress Chrome Why Took Your Advice Lawn & so on |
|
 |
The Sophtware Slump (2000, 46.52) ***½/TT |
|
| He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot Hewlett's Daughter Jed the Humanoid Crystal Lake Chartsengrafs Underneath the Weeping Willow Broken Household Appliance National Forest Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground) |
E. Kenievel Interlude (the Perils of Keeping it Real) Miner at the Dial-a-View So You'll Aim Toward the Sky |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Californians Grandaddy are refreshingly difficult to categorise, although their sound contains inescapable elements of the dreaded 'alt.country' ghetto. For sheer invention they outstrip any of their rivals by the proverbial mile, incorporating elements of singer-songwriter gloom, lo-fi oddness and even prog, though I expect they wouldn't be too keen on that last comparison. Despite having existed since 1992, it was '97 before their first album proper, Under the Western Freeway appeared. To my ears, the best material is the quietest, with the occasional noisier tracks sounding slightly forced. In fact, the more a track is suffused with melancholy, the better I like it, with the instrumental title track being especially strong. Most of the tracks run into each other, with a noticeable 'side' gap before Everything Beautiful Is Far Away, giving the album a bit of a 'concept' feel, although I've no idea what that may be, assuming it exists at all.
Tim Dryden plays various cranky old keyboards, and while none of them (or indeed, anything else) is actually listed, I can hear what sounds like two or three distinctly different late-period analogue synths squeaking, whistling and groaning away on various tracks. There's also the matter of the Mellotron; the fractured choir notes on Nonphenomenal Lineage sound very 'real', making me think that there's an actual M400 involved, although I shouldn't be that surprised. It's mainly current progressive outfits that tend to cheat... Anyway, the strings on A.M.180 are brief and background, although they're more upfront on Laughing Stock, and the title track's flute melody is the album's other 'Tron highlight after Nonphenomenal Lineage.
Their second effort, 2000's The Sophtware Slump, is irritatingly inconsistent; after starting really well, it completely loses the fragility of the first few tracks for several less good rockier numbers, although it tries to make amends further along, though with only partial success. The lengthy He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot (no, I don't know either) is a gorgeous album opener, with lush Mellotron strings under the chorus, along with the squiggly analogue synths and fat pads of the verses, although they never quite capture the same feel again on subsequent songs. More 'Tron strings on Hewlett's Daughter and Miner At The Dial-A-View, although I think the strings on So You'll Aim Toward The Sky may be real - certainly not Mellotron, anyway.
So; The Sophtware Slump isn't bad, although it never quite recovers from gaining momentum part of the way through (?!). It's probably not quite up to the standard set by Under the Western Freeway, but both albums are certainly worth hearing, although little of the Mellotron work is quite good enough to buy it for that alone. Sadly, it would seem that Grandaddy have abandoned the Mellotron, as neither 2003's Sumday (****) or 2005's mini-album Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla (****) have any.
 |
Granicus (1973, 43.38) ***½/TYou're in AmericaBad Talk Twilight Prayer Cleveland, Ohio Nightmare When You're Movin' Paradise |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Can't say I know an awful lot about Granicus, to be honest. They were from Cleveland, Ohio, they named themselves after Alexander the Great's first major battle, they featured a silver-lunged screamer called Woody Leffel, and they played pure, undiluted hard rock in an early-'70s stylee. Pretty good at it they were, too, although you sometimes find yourself wishing they'd up the energy quotient a little, or at least I do. Since I suspect Granicus will be something of a grower, it's difficult to pick out highlights on a single listen, but the 11-minute plus Prayer builds like a building thing to a ridiculous crescendo. Quite magnificent.
I don't actually know who plays the Mellotron on the instrumental Twilight, but since it was arranged by producer Martin Last, I expect he played it, too. It's an orchestrally-arranged strings part over a gentle (electric) guitar backing; it's only a shame they didn't put any more of it on the album.
So; now that this is easily available, unlike so many similarly obscure but excellent efforts (so are the Limelight and Chasar albums EVER going to come out 'properly'?), I'll give it a cautious thumbs-up for the '70s hard rock aficionado, although only one 'Tron track probably makes it inessential on that front.
