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Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
By the way, if you know of any Mellotron albums that aren't listed here, please look at my albums page first! Thanks.
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Charlie Hall Darryl Hall/John Oates Jan Hammer |
Peter Hammill Herbie Hancock Hands |
John Hanlon Hanson Bo Hansson |
Eddie Hardin Steve Harley |
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On the Road to Beautiful (2003, 54.45) *½/TT |
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| I Will Overcome My Drink (I Remember You) On the Road to Beautiful Chasing Waking Up Beautiful of Heaven Swimming From the Shipwreck All the Earth |
Priceless Treasure Rising Shout Holy Heart Sending |
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Charlie Hall's On the Road to Beautiful is the worst kind of tedious, insipid dreck served up to the Christian community as worthwhile music, full of pious lyrics about how much the writer prostrates him/herself to an imaginary deity. Er, you may have gathered that I'm not the biggest fan of 'CCM', and this album illustrates why. I've no idea whether anyone outside said community listens to anything this awful, although I suspect they do; I don't know this kind of person. Highlights? None.
I'm not sure about the murky strings that pop up occasionally in My Drink (I Remember You), but the strings on the title track are a definite, while Waking Up has a gorgeous 'Tron strings intro, with more later in the song. Shame about the lyrics, mind. Sounds like cellos on Beautiful Of Heaven, though I'm not convinced they're Mellotronically-driven, although the (heavenly?) choirs on Priceless Treasure and Rising Shout are, although they seem to sustain far too long for authenticity. Studio trick? Flutes on closer Sending finish off a fairly Mellotron-heavy album, although samples may have been employed, methinks. If anyone has information to the contrary, please let me know...
So; a horrible record with reasonable 'Tron use, putting the potential listener in a bit of a quandary. Actually, not that much of a one - there are many, many great Mellotron albums, and you really don't need this one. Really.
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Abandoned Luncheonette (1973, 37.00) ***/TWhen the Morning ComesHad I Known You Better Then Las Vegas Turnaround (the Stewardess Song) She's Gone I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man) Abandoned Luncheonette Lady Rain Laughing Boy Everytime I Look at You |
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By Hall and Oates' second album, Abandoned Luncheonette, they'd already got their white-boy soul thing down pat, although they were (thankfully) nowhere near as slick as the Philly Soul sound emanating from their hometown. In fact, with different arrangements, most of the songs here would be standard singer/songwriter fare; they're soul more because the duo wanted them to be than because they inherently were. Actually, there's more variety here than I'm giving them credit for; as side two progresses, the duo move further and further from their remit, until by the (relatively) lengthy Everytime I Look At You, there's a full-on country fiddle hoedown in action.
Christopher Bond plays Mellotron on a couple of tracks, but the album's string arrangements make it difficult to identify most of the time; are the flutes on When The Morning Comes 'Tron or real? The strings on the album's hit, She's Gone are largely real, until a huge pitchbend that has to be tape-replay generated, while the polyphonic flute part on I'm Just A Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like A Man) is definitely 'Tron. I'm not 100% on this one, but it doesn't half sound like 'Tron strings on Everytime I Look At You, too.
So; a perfectly good album within its genre, which unfortunately happens to be one with which I have trouble identifying very strongly. OK, at all. It is, though, good at what it does, and if you like Hall and Oates' work, you'll like this. Low-level 'Tron, though, so don't go buying it for that.
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The First Seven Days (1975, 39.36) ****/TTTTDarkness/Earth in Search of a SunLight/Sun Oceans and Continents Fourth Day - Plants and Trees The Animals Sixth Day - the People The Seventh Day |
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Yeah, yeah, I know Jan Hammer made it big in the States, but he's from Prague, OK? (In)famous in the '80s for his cheesy TV themes ('Miami Vice' springs to mind), Hammer was/is a consummate jazz musician, having played in the original Mahavishnu Orchestra and with Jeff Beck, on top of his solo output. The First Seven Days was his first solo release, and states on the rear sleeve, "For those concerned: There is no guitar on this album". Indeed there isn't. There are, however, swathes of excellently-played keyboards of a pleasingly mid-'70s variety, with Hammer making noises with his MiniMoog that just shouldn't be possible; no, that isn't slapped fretless bass on The Animals. The material is surprisingly unjazzy most of the time, although the occasional Mahavishnuesque lead line gives the game away. About the best description I can come up with for most of the album is instrumental keyboard-led, largely drumless progressive, so don't let Hammer's reputation put you off.
Much Mellotron abounds, particularly cello, with top-end-of-the-keyboard polyphonic parts on more than one track, not to mention the inimitable strings, particularly on Darkness/Earth In Search Of A Sun and Sixth Day - The People. The latter track features what sounds like both male and female choirs, and I'm sure there's some 'Tron flute in there, too, so I presume he had more than one tape frame. I was led to believe that there were only a couple of 'Tron tracks here, but that's not the case at all, although some of his use is so subtle that it could almost be mistaken for actual orchestral instruments.
So; good album, good 'Tron, with some nice innovative use. Recommended. Now to find a copy of his '77 effort, Melodies - think I'll avoid anything later, though...
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Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night (1973, 48.52) ****/TGerman OverallsSlender Threads Rock and Rôle In the End What's it Worth Easy to Slip Away Dropping the Torch (In the) Black Room The Tower |
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The Silent Corner & the Empty Stage (1974, 49.50) ****/TTModernWilhelmina The Lie (Bermini's St. Theresa) Forsaken Gardens Red Shift Rubicon A Louse is Not a Home |
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In Camera (1974, 47.37) ****/TFerret & Featherbird(No More) the Sub-Mariner Tapeworm Again Faint-Heart & the Sermon The Comet, the Course, the Tail Gog Magog (in Bromine Chambers) |
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Peter Hammill was, of course, mainman of one of the greatest (relatively) unsung heroes of the prog world, the mighty Van der Graaf Generator, who finally split in 1978, after a turbulent ten years, including a several-year period of inactivity in the mid-'70s. Hammill had already kick-started his solo career alongside VdGG, although he was also their chief writer; Fool's Mate (***½) was a reasonable start, but many of the songs strike me as uncharacteristically cheerful, presumably because he utilised his material that didn't work for Van der Graaf.
Recorded in the middle of Van der Graaf's down-period, Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night is more what we've come to expect from the man; doom, gloom and a scorpion on the sleeve. Despite the intensity of the instrumental work, Hammill's music is essentially singer-songwriter material, making little sense without a lyric sheet and enough commitment from the listener to actually listen to the words. German Overalls namechecks other band members, giving vital clues to the band's initial breakup, while pretty much every other lyric on the album delves deeply into his psyche, dredging up sorrow, regret, pain... Yup, this is full-on miserablist stuff, but by God, it works! Hammill credits himself with 'one flight of Mellotrons', which come blasting in halfway through Easy To Slip Away (namechecking Mike and Susie from VdGG's Refugees), with a highly effective string part, close to distortion. Not a Mellotron album as such, but essential listening for progressive rock fans who wish to dive below the surface.
The Silent Corner & the Empty Stage is more of the same, unsurprisingly, although track lengths are increasing, with album closer A Louse Is Not A Home topping the twelve-minute mark. There's very little drumming on the album, which sounds slightly odd until you get used to it, but it actually tends to give the rest of the instruments space to breathe, without having to compete with the relentless rhythm the whole time. Two 'Tron tracks this time round; opener Modern has string chords here and there, while Wilhelmina has more of the same, but much more so, and what could be something from the 'Tron brass family. Saxes? I'd be surprised, because VdGG's David Jackson tends to deal with that end of things on Hammill's albums. Whatever. Another classic Hammill album, anyway. In Camera ups the intensity stakes yet again, with an excellent multi-monosynth arrangement on (No More) The Sub-Mariner and Hammill's most out-there piece ever, the second half of the lengthy Gog/Magog sequence that closes the album. Side one closes with Faint-Heart & The Sermon, layered in Mellotron strings, with cellos on the intro; a real tour-de-force on every front.
My brother (of ex-Guapo fame, boys'n'girls) and I have argued long and loud over whether or not you can hold Peter Hammill responsible for the atrocities subsequently committed in his name, namely, Marillion, and Fish's appalling lyrics generally (strange, for such an intelligent man). Of course you bloody can't; you might as well blame Green Day on the Sex Pistols; OK, so Hammill's lyrical style is way over the top, and melodrama's his middle name, but is it his fault if lesser mortals only scrape the surface of his talent, collect the handful of dust thus obtained and call it 'art'? Or am I just being totally pretentious? Many critics would level that accusation at Hammill, but it's no crime to bare your soul in public, however uncomfortable it may make your audience feel. No-one made them turn up...
So; to Mellotron or not to Mellotron? Well, all of Hammill's (limited) use is excellent, but there's only four tracks spread over three albums, so you'll have to decide for yourselves whether they're worth purchasing just to hear some very good, but not 'completely classic' use. The albums are all superb, if a little hard going, but if you're feeling adventurous... Be warned though: not for Marillion fans. Hammill never used a Mellotron on a solo album again, by the way, although two of the later Van der Graaf albums feature a smattering.
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Crossings (1972, 46.10) ****/TSleeping GiantQuasar Water Torture |
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Sextant (1973, 39.12) ****/T½Rain DanceHidden Shadows Hornets |
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Head Hunters (1973, 41.49) ****/½ChameleonWatermelon Man Sly Vein Melter |
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By 1972, keyboard whizz Herbie Hancock had already proved himself in the jazz field many times over, refusing to stick to any one style for long, infuriating purists in the process. Five years in Miles Davis' mid-'60s outfit set him on the road to solo success, forming one of the first fusion outfits at the tail end of that decade. By 1972's Crossings, Hancock was playing a largely improvised form of guitarless jazz/funk/rock, covering acoustic and electric pianos himself, while leaving the album's synth work to Patrick Gleeson. The playing is, as you'd expect, absolutely phenomenal, and while jazz is most definitely not my area, you'd be a fool not to be knocked back by the expertise shown here. The highest praise I can give the album is that over 46 minutes, it didn't bore me once, although I doubt if I'll ever feel any real affinity with the melodic and harmonic core of the music. After the full-on 24 minutes of side one's Sleeping Giant, the gentler Quasar and Water Torture come as a slight respite, which isn't to say they're exactly smooth jazz... Hancock's credited 'Melotron' only crops up on the latter, with a few volume-pedalled string chords here and there, and a striking pitchbent part, although it's not the heaviest use you're ever going to hear, barely earning one 'T'.
The following year's Sextant is, quite frankly, bonkers. Brilliant, but bonkers. Much of its length couldn't really be called 'jazz' at all, as the music heads off into the avant-garde, with discordant ARPs, squalling saxes (OK, so maybe there is some jazz in there) and, on side two's Hornets, some seriously blaxploitation hi-hat work and a superb trumpet impression of the insect in question. This is not an album for the faint-hearted, although I imagine it's fairly tame compared to Coltrane and the other bebop giants of the '60s. Hancock adds a clavinet to his keyboard arsenal this time round, making a fine old racket on Hornets, but again, only uses the 'Tron on one track. Hidden Shadows features more of those volume-pedalled and/or pitchbent strings, but adds flute chords to the mix, adding another half 'T' to the album's rating.
Hancock split his band after Sextant, forming a new one with the same name as their first album, Head Hunters. It caught him on the cusp between jazz credibility and commercial success, having a decidedly funky feel about it, while still being entirely instrumental and with two tracks in the ten-minute plus area. Hancock admits to a Sly and the Family Stone influence in the sleevenotes, so I suppose this album marks the inception of jazz-funk, without the cheesy commercialism of that genre. Every track has a different feel, from the freneticism of Sly (named in honour of), the all-out funk of Chameleon to the laid-back grooves of the superbly-titled Vein Melter; suffice to say, this is regarded as a fusion classic, although as with all these albums, I'd advise caution if you don't really 'do' jazz.
Hancock is listed as playing a Rhodes, a clavinet, an ARP Odyssey and Pro-Soloist, but you can also quite clearly hear a string synth of some description on Chameleon, then a not-easily identified string sound in Vein Melter. I used to think it was uncredited Mellotron, then changed my mind; an interview confirms that it's 'Tron mixed with string synth, although there can't be more than 30 or 40 seconds of it on the whole track, and I've no idea why he didn't credit the instruments. Hardly a Mellotron classic then, though an outstanding album in its field.
So; three adventurous albums, particularly Sextant, though I wouldn't really recommend any of these to the jazz-phobic. None of them feature any genuinely classic Mellotron work, but then, that wasn't really what they were about, was it?
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Hands (1996, recorded 1977, 70.38) ****/T |
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| Zombreroch Prelude #2 Triangle of New Flight Mutineer's Panorama Worlds Apart Dreamsearch Left Behind Mindgrind |
Greansoap I Want One of Those Antarctica The Tiburon Treasure Hands in the Fire Castle Keep |
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Palm Mystery (1999, recorded 1977, 62.44) ***½/T |
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| Mystic Cross Candor Whorl King's Mischief Murderer's Thumb New Skies Phalanges Abbracadaver Loop of Humor |
Ditty Zone of Balance A Narrow Bridge Mount of Luna I Foreign I Complete Survival Sooner Than You Think Arduous Ventures |
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Hands were yet another US prog outfit who recorded loads of material, but were unable to release it in any form at the time. Nearly 20 years later... Shroom Records do the decent thing, and make the contents of Hands available to the general public, and very good it is, too. The tracks appear to've been recorded over a three-year period, and cover a variety of styles, with the first several on the album being instrumental, some with and some without violin. Variety is good, but at times they sound like more than one band. More than one very good band, though; there isn't a bad track here, although I think it'll take several listens for the best compositions to seep through. As a general rule, though, think Gentle Giant crossed with Kansas, although there's a lot more to them than that.
I was convinced there wasn't going to be any 'Tron on the album, until Shannon Day's strings on Mutineer's Panorama cut in, with a smidgeon more on Antarctica. Shannon contacted me to tell me that at one time or another he has owned nine different 'Trons, with this particular one being an ex-Elton John machine, so it's a shame it wasn't used a little more.
Shroom's follow-up archive release, Palm Mystery, originally had me thinking it was entirely bereft of 'Tron, but Shannon tells me there's actually more 'Tron tracks than on its predecessor. The album itself is very good, but sounds like it consists of the leftover tracks that didn't make the grade for Hands, including several short musical sketches. There are apparently backing flutes and strings on both New Skies and A Narrow Bridge, and a short background string part on I Foreign I, too, but going with my original assessment of its 'Tron content, while it's a good album, it's rather inessential for the 'Tron fan.
So; two good archive releases, but less than essential 'Tron work throughout, with the possible exception of Mutineer's Panorama from Hands. The band have actually recently reformed (although Shannon Day isn't involved), although I haven't yet heard Twenty Five Winters. Don't expect any Mellotron, though.
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Higher Trails (1975, 44.01) **½/TWindsongsLazy Day Apple Wine Dog Talk Higher Trails Mouldy Sunday Lovely Lady Crazy Woman I'll Be Back |
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John Hanlon is a Malayan-born Kiwi, whose career kicked off in the early '70s after a studio owner heard some of his songs. Higher Trails was his third album, and, while generally playing it safe, is far more palatable than, say, his countryman Larry Morris' Reputation Don't Matter Any More, released the following year. Opening track Windsongs is probably the album's highlight, and it has to be said that some of the material crosses the line into cheese territory,
Mellotron on one track only, Crazy Woman, played by Hanlon's musical collaborator, Mike Harvey, with a choir part slowly rising up in the mix, although it's hardly what you'd call essential listening, to be honest. I'm afraid to say that the same goes for the album as a whole; although better than a lot of similar singer-songwriter stuff, it hasn't dated well, especially in the lyric department, not that you're like to find a copy outside New Zealand anyway.
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Underneath (2004, 62.05) **/T½ |
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| Strong Enough to Break Dancin' in the Wind Penny & Me Underneath Misery Lost Without Each Other When You're Gone Broken Angel |
Deeper Get Up and Go Crazy Beautiful Hey Believe |
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Hanson, eh? MMMBop. Yeah. Maybe my cynicism's down to being considerably nearer the Hanson brothers' parents' age than theirs. The brothers (the eldest three of seven kids) started playing together as The Hanson Brothers, which just makes me think of 'guilty pleasure' Slap Shot, a Paul Newman ice hockey film from the late '70s, featuring three semi-legendary moronic goons of the same name. Canadian hardcore outfit Nomeansno have a humorous side-project of the same name, with them apparently dressing like said brothers and playing Ramones-style punk with super-dumb lyrics. Excellent! Anyway (ahem)... These Hanson brothers recorded their first album when the youngest, drummer Zac, was nine, which is pretty shocking, although it seems that they didn't actually play on the record (I have to assume they sang on it). After a second independent effort, featuring the aforementioned MMMBop, they got themselves signed to a major and re-recorded it for their 'debut'. They made two more major-label efforts, including a Christmas album (gack), before going independent again.
Underneath was their first post-major release, and while less vile than their earlier efforts, is still a pretty cheesy pop/rock effort, although at least there's some reasonable elderly keys work on the album. I can't find anything sensible to say about the material, I'm afraid; it's commercial, it's pop/rock, it's forgettable. Chamberlin on three tracks: Taylor Hanson (middle brother) plays a vocal line-matching string part on opener Strong Enough To Break, the heavily ubiquitous Patrick Warren plays orchestral strings on Broken Angel, while Isaac Hanson (eldest) plays some perfectly competent strings on Deeper, including a few seconds where you hear it almost solo.
So; a well-produced but inconsequential release from a teeny pop group, although only one of them was actually still in his teens when it came out. Some actually quite nice Chamby work, but you're really not going to buy this for it. Are you? Bring back the original Hanson brothers, I say.
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Magician's Hat [a.k.a. Ur Trollkarlen's Hatt] (1972/73, 38.20/56.14) ***/T |
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| The City Divided Reality Elidor Before the Rain Fylke Playing Downhill Into the Downs Findhorn's Song Awakening |
Wandering Song The Sun (Parallel or 90°) Excursion With Complications [remastered CD adds: Big City (original version) Waltz at Dawn] |
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Attic Thoughts [a.k.a. Mellanväsen] (1975, 37.12/43.33) ***/T |
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| Attic Thoughts March Repose Wandering Time and Space Waiting... Waltz for Interbeings Time for Great Achievements The Hybrills |
Rabbit Music General Woundwort Fiver Day and Night A Happy Prank [remastered CD adds: The Crystal Suite Crystals Memories of Darkness Light Again] |
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Bo Hansson (not to be confused with disco wailer Hamilton Bohannon. Just in case...), is largely remembered these days for his first album, the pretty successful Lord of the Rings/Sagan om Ringen (***½), a droning instrumental organ-fest, more post-psychedelia than prog. By Magician's Hat/Ur Trollkarlen's Hatt, he'd taken on a full band, and we're definitely into proggier territory, although he'd already carved out his own little niche, sounding like no-one else in particular. In all honesty, I don't personally find his music that exciting, although I know perfectly well that's not the point. It's all very laid-back, low-key, slightly jazzy stuff, with little in the way of dynamics or drama, but plenty of people bought his albums at the time, so what do I know? There's not that much of Hansson's 'Melotrone', with some brief, quiet strings on Divided Reality, along with a fairly major flute part, played with considerable dexterity, although all the rest of the album's flute appears to be real.
Incidentally, a mystery has arisen re. this album's Mellotronic content: before re-reviewing the remastered versions, I was sure I could hear a 'Tron flute part on Playing Downhill Into The Downs, but upon not hearing it this time round, I assumed I was originally mistaken. However, Christopher Orczy assures me that it IS on the original version, so for whatever reason, it appears to have been removed. This is all most bizarre and unnecessary, and if you'd like to hear it, you'll have to get the old version. Ludicrous.
Attic Thoughts/Mellanväsen sounds very similar, to my ears, and given that it appeared in '75, is actually a little dated. Hansson's style was obviously still working for some people, but his declining sales gave the true picture. Again, not a lot of 'Tron input, with a few choir chords on Time For Great Achievements, and what I presume are Mellotron string swells on Day And Night. Incidentally, the two-part Rabbit Music was a pointer towards his last album before a very lengthy, health-enforced career break, '77's Music Inspired By Watership Down/El-Ahrairah (***½). I personally prefer this album to its predecessors, with its new-found sense of dynamics and (dare I say it?) energy. Also incidentally, the three-part bonus track on the remastered CD of Attic Thoughts, The Crystal Suite, is probably one of the best tracks Hansson has ever recorded. Very atmospheric.
So; although I find Hansson's work to be a little directionless, plenty of people would disagree with me, so you'll have to make your own mind up. Very little Mellotron, though, so low marks all round on that front.
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Wizard's Convention (1976, 41.32) **/T |
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| The Craig Song When the Sun Stops Shining Loose Ends Money To Burn Whose Counting on Me Make It Soon Until Tomorrow Part 1-4 Light of My Life |
She's a Woman Swanks and Swells Part 1 Swanks and Swells Part 2 |
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Cruelly retitled Money to Burn for an '80s reissue, Eddie Hardin's Wizard's Convention is the sort of vanity project that punk (love it or loathe it) put to the sword the following year (see: The Intergalactic Touring Band). So; what is it? Soft rock, that's what. No obvious concept, just an album of soft rock drivel with loads of guests, including several then-current and past members of Deep Purple, all of whom should've known better. The pace picks up just once, in one part of Until Tomorrow, but it's nothing you haven't heard done far better by about a million other bands, not least Purple themselves. Other than that, we're looking at then-oh-so-trendy soul and blues influences on most tracks, with Jon Lord getting a chance to show off his piano chops on She's A Woman to little effect, to be honest, and various singers (David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Mike d'Abo) all trying to outdo each other in the soulfulness stakes, as if anyone cared. The only point at which the album branches out is on the two parts of Swanks And Swells, with Chris Barber's trad jazz band backing, making for a welcome diversion from the slush preceding it, although it's hardly cutting-edge.
The album's only obvious Mellotron is on the last part of the four-part Until Tomorrow, with quite major string and choir parts, played by Rick van der Linden (Ekseption/Trace), apparently, making for a brief moment of relief from the tedium surrounding it. Sad to say, this is a limp, insipid piece of mid-'70s soft rock, without even the benefit of some decent tunes, and with only a brief burst of anything Mellotronic. I would steer well clear if I were you, even (especially?) if you collect Purple-related stuff.
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7" (1974) **½/T Big Big Deal Bed in the Corner |
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Timeless Flight (1977, 39.33) **/½Red is a Mean, Mean ColourWhite, White Dove Understand All Men Are Hungry Black or White Everything Changes Nothing is Sacred Don't Go, Don't Cry |
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Steve Harley, with the original, guitarless Cockney Rebel, somehow managed to miss out on the huge hit they deserved in 1973 with the glorious, overblown Sebastian, but managed a couple of top ten entries the following year with the creepy, weird pop of '74's Judy Teen and Mr. Soft. By the following year, they'd peaked artistically (in my humble opinion, of course), although the irritating Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) sold shedloads everywhere, and is the song for which Harley is remembered above all. Nestling in between the great and the successful was a complete flop, the non-album Big Big Deal, credited to Harley alone, presumably just after the acrimonious split with his band (see: the lyrics to Make Me Smile...). It's... thoroughly average, to be honest, quite deserving of its chart non-placement, sounding more like an anonymous album track than a hit. It opens with a handful of Mellotron choir chords which reiterate towards the end of the song, but that's the only reason it's here. It you want to hear it, it's on various greatest hits/anthology albums, or the expanded CD of The Psychomodo.
By Timeless Flight (a second-hand shop perennial, along with Love is a Prima Donna), Harley had already shot his bolt commercially and artistically, of course, although his biggest hit was all of a year behind him and his last (proper) one, his take on George Harrison's Here Comes The Sun was from earlier in '76. I'm afraid to say that Timeless Flight is a dullard of an album, all bland singer-songwriter fare, with only Harley's unique voice to differentiate it from the pack. Duncan Mackay's keyboard work is a little on the sparse side, consisting mainly of monosynth parts on several tracks. However, the very first sound on the album is three high Mellotron string notes, although the only other audible 'Tron is a single, 'violined' chord in the left speaker only in White, White Dove. As a result, I find it difficult to recommend this album on any front. Buy a 'Best of' for those early hits instead.
