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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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Home Hooters Hootie & the Blowfish Höstsonaten |
Hotlegs Steve Howe Glenn Hughes |
Hughes Turner Project Human Instinct The Hunt |
Ian Hunter Hurricane #1 Hush |
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Pause for a Hoarse Horse (1971, 39.14) ***/T |
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| Tramp Family Pause for a Hoarse Horse Red E Lewis and the Red Caps In My Time How Would it Feel? Bad Days Mother |
Moses Welwyn Garden City Blues You're No Good |
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The Alchemist (1973) ***½/T |
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| Schooldays The Old Man Dying Time Passes By The Old Man Calling The Disaster The Sun's Revenge A Secret to Keep The Brass Band Played |
Rejoicing The Disaster Returns The Death of the Alchemist The Alchemist |
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Many years ago, I did a temporary job working for the Census Commission, doing my little bit to help compile the figures for that year's census (not to mention earn a bit of dosh); I met with a good deal of resistance from certain sectors of the public, one of whom subsequently mellowed when he found out I was also a musician. It turns out that he was Mick Cook, once drummer with Home, along with Cliff Williams, later of AC/DC and Laurie Wisefield, subsequently of Wishbone Ash. I was saddened to hear a few years later that he'd died; definitely one of the good guys.
His old band's first album, 1971's Pause for a Hoarse Horse, is perfectly pleasant but undemanding countryish rock, which finally tips over into full-blown country on the last couple of tracks. It's very well done, but hasn't dated terribly well, and I'm not quite sure where this would fit in with modern listening tastes (not that that should necessarily be a problem, of course). The best tracks are probably Moses and the short country hoedown Welwyn Garden City Blues, but it's all a bit tame, really. Clive John plays Mellotron on two tracks, with melodic, largely single-note string parts on Red E Lewis And The Red Caps and Bad Days, but we're not talking a 'buy it now' album, I think.
Home's third (and last) album, The Alchemist, was their only concept piece. The concept's as flaky as most from the era, although it does at least have some sort of narrative structure, concerning, er, an alchemist, although I'm not quite sure how his activities relate to alchemy, but there you go. The first few tracks come across as nothing special, with some of that Wishbone Ash twin-guitar feel in places, and rather ordinary songwriting. Guest keyboardist Jimmy Anderson seems so integral to the band's sound that I can't imagine how they performed live as a four-piece; maybe they didn't - Home are one of those bands about whom very little information seems to have survived.
Anyway, as the band slide into The Disaster, most of the way through side one, they suddenly come alive, producing a quite ferocious piece with excellent keyboard and guitar work, including a smattering of 'Tron strings buried in the mix, with the intensity carried on through The Sun's Revenge. Side two again starts poorly, but picks up towards the end, with The Disaster Returns being a highlight, with another handful of those string chords. The closing title track has a string arrangement that sounds real, rather than 'Tron, but there's no mention on the sleeve of 'orchestral arrangement' or similar, so it could be simply well-arranged keys.
So; although Pause for a Hoarse Horse isn't especially worth the effort, while The Alchemist's a bit of a mixed bag, a few tracks really stand out, with the band having the advantage of a (relatively) original sound, although they let themselves down throughout much of the album by being too unadventurous. It isn't worth it on the Mellotron front, though if you're interested in the lesser-known early-'70s UK progressives, you could do worse than pick up a copy.
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Out of Body (1993, 45.49) **½/½ |
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| Twenty-Five Hours a Day Boys Will Be Boys Shadow of Jesus Great Big American Car Private Emotion Driftin' Away Dancing on the Edge All Around the Place |
One Too Many Nights Nobody But You |
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The Hooters formed back in 1980, apparently, two of their members being ex- of an old second-hand shop perennial, Baby Grand. There's a Cyndi Lauper connection, making it unsurprising that she guests on their fifth album, 1993's Out of Body. I've occasionally wondered, idly, what this lot sound like, and now I know. A bit like an American Waterboys, that's what. Sort of faux-folk rock/pop, with mandolin, accordion and fiddle thrown into the vaguely rootsy brew. To give them some credit, most of the keyboards are of the vintage variety, before they became fashionable again, but they're not really enough to save the band from 'mainstream dullards' status.
Chief Hooter Rob Hyman allegedly plays Mellotron on Driftin' Away, in those mostly pre-sample days, but all I can hear is something that just might be a few background flute notes. I mean, what's the point? What's the point in carting the instrument into the studio in the first place, wrestling with its 'awkward' keyboard action, then crediting it, all for it to be next to inaudible on the finished product? You didn't want to buy this album anyway, did you?
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Musical Chairs (1998, 48.31) **½/½ |
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| I Will Wait Wishing Las Vegas Nights Only Lonely Answer Man Michelle Post Bluesy Revolution Home Again |
One By One Desert Mountain Showdown What's Going on Here What Do You Want From Me Now Closet Full of Fear |
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I'd never actually heard Hootie & the Blowfish (named for two old college friends) before, and while I can't say I'm particularly blown away, they're less offensive than I'd expected. They sound like... I dunno. College rock? Springsteen? Less unpleasant Bon Jovi? Mainstream pop/rock by any other name? Purpose-built for arena shows, lightweight 'rock' with all the rock removed, I suppose. Standout tracks? None.
Only Lonely has Chamberlin strings and cellos from the ubiquitous Patrick Warren, but they're almost indistinguishable from real strings, to be honest, which seems slightly pointless to me. Plenty of Hammond spread across the album, but that's it on the tape-replay front. I really don't think you need to hear this; it might not be as bad as I'd expected, but I still wish I hadn't.
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Höstsonaten (1997, 63.18) ****½/TTT |
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| Sinfonia Della Luna part 1 Höstsonaten Sunset Starfields Forest Ghosts of Summer Evenings Watersong Spirals Seascape Morning |
Remember You The Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
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Mirrorgames (1998, 70.21) ****/TT½ |
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| The Dream Overture Part one Part two Part three Part four Part five Part six |
Part seven Part eight Mirrorcloud Season of Eve i ii The Rime of the Ancient Mariner part II |
There's a Certain Slant of Light Ellipsis I.Origin II.In Focus III.Signal IV.Transparence V.Twilight Dance VI.Return |
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Springsong (2002, 45.03) ****/TTT |
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| In the Open Fields Kemper / Springtheme Living Stone and 1st Reprise She Sat Writing Letters on the Riverbank The Underwater and 2nd Reprise Lowtide The Wood is Alive With the Smell of the Rain |
Evocation of Spring in a Fastdance Toward the Sea Blackmountains 3rd Reprise Springland |
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Höstsonaten (with or without the extraneous umlaut) are effectively Finisterre bassist Fabio Zuffanti's side-project. The only Finisterre I've heard so far is a live album, from which I can ascertain that they're one of the few current Italian bands to have taken their country's 1970s heritage and run with it, rather than simply sunk into a mire of tedious neo-progisms like many I could name. Zuffanti carries on the good work here, with a type of lush, folk-influenced symphonic Italian progressive that has barely been heard since the glory days of the mid to late '70s; think Celeste, Locanda Delle Fate, or even PFM. The only real downside to these albums is their thankfully infrequent lapse into neo-prog territory, both in the odd bit of straightforward composition, and the occasional use of riffing guitar, when keyboards/bass pedals provide more genuine bottom-end power.
There's some confusion over their debut, Höstsonaten, as while the front cover clearly only says 'Höstsonaten', the CD spine has the artist as 'Finisterre Project'. It would appear that this was Mellow Records' attempt to attract Finisterre fans who otherwise may have been unaware of the connection; it seems those 'in the know' tend to ignore this, and class the album as the first by Höstsonaten. It basically consists of a brief cover of Japanese prog gods Mugen's Sinfonia Della Luna, two middling-length tracks at the end, and a huge, sprawling epic in the eight-part, 40-minute plus title track. The music is generally of a very high standard; those of you into the '70s greats are unlikely to be disappointed by the bulk of this album, although their compositional standards slump slightly on the rather ordinary Remember You. Osvaldo Giordano's Mellotron work crops up here and there across the album's length, without ever being that obtrusive or overbearing; subtlety - remember that? Anyway, all I can hear are string parts on the highlighted tracks above (I've made an educated guess at the sections of Höstsonaten, based on the vocal parts); the choirs are generic mushy samples, and all the flutes are real.
Mirrorgames, from the following year, is a worthy effort, but suffers slightly in comparison to its predecessor, although had you not heard Höstsonaten, it would probably strike you as excellent, as against merely very good. Zuffanti still occasionally slips into neo-proggish writing mode, particularly on the rather unimaginative end section of Ellipsis, which sounds closer to IQ than, say, Le Orme. Like its predecessor, the album is a little overlong, with its two multi-part epics adding up to about the length of Höstsonaten's one, although these criticisms are rather unfair, given the overall quality of the material. Hats off to Zuffanti for refusing to bow to the Europe-wide neo-prog hegemony that has produced so much rubbish over the last fifteen years or so; amongst the few honourable exceptions, Finisterre and Höstsonaten are somewhere near the top. Osvaldo Giordano does a similar job as before on the 'Tron, with short bursts of strings throughout, with few parts lasting longer than 30 seconds.
It took Zuffanti four years to come up with his third album, the all-instrumental Springsong, which has a decidedly folkier influence than its two predecessors. His band seem to be at their best when they do that 'acoustic guitar plus flute or violin' thing, but when they try to 'rock out' it all falls a bit flat. Saying that, the album has many moments of musical ecstasy, not least opener In The Open Fields, and the last part of Toward The Sea, Springland, despite its being one of the more uptempo pieces. Agostino Macor is on Mellotron this time round, and his work is excellent throughout, particularly on the strings, although I'm sure I'd have preferred it if the band had throttled back across the entire length of the album. Then again, variety is the spice of life...
So; an excellent band, almost rivalling the '70s Italian greats in places, although they can be a little inconsistent. To my ears, Höstsonaten probably has the edge over the other two, although Springsong is the one that breaks the mould, being both more acoustic and fully instrumental. To be honest, if you like the style, you can't really go too far wrong with any of these, with the caveat that Zuffanti's chief influence is '70s progressive, as against the pot-pourri of styles soaked up by his influences themselves. Isn't that always the way, though? Mellotronically speaking, all three albums feature it used with great restraint, so don't go expecting huge slabs of 'Tron everywhere you look, despite the number of highlighted tracks.
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Thinks: School Stinks (1971, 43.07) ***½/½Neanderthal ManHow Many Times Desperate Dan Take Me Back Um Wah, Um Woh Suite F.A. Fly Away Run Baby Run All God's Children |
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Hotlegs were a one-off project based in Manchester, consisting of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who, of course, after adding Graham Gouldman to their ranks, went on to become 10cc. They're chiefly remembered for their no.2 UK hit, Neanderthal Man, a bizarre effort based around, er, rather a rather Neanderthal drum pattern and strummed acoustics, over which they chanted "I'm a Neanderthal man, you're a Neanderthal girl...(etc.)". You can actually envisage this as a 10cc single; it has the same kind of dry wit and inventiveness they used to such good effect later on - hardly surprising, really.
The trio actually dragged the concept out far enough to record an album, Thinks: School Stinks, though in the best 10cc tradition, it's a little too clever for its own good, and the best track is the single. The rest of the material sits somewhere between the Neantherthal Man silliness of Um Wah, Um Woh and the 12-minute Suite F.A. (ho ho), with most of it being good, but not that good. Someone plays a brief Mellotron flute part on Fly Away, and it sounds like a couple of string chords on Neanderthal Man itself, though it's rather hard to say, to be honest.
So; an interesting curio, though not exactly essential, unless you're a 10cc completist (are there such things?). Absolutely not worth it for the 'Tron, though.
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Beginnings (1975, 39.53) ***/TDoors of SleepAustralia The Nature of the Sea Lost Symphony Beginnings Will o'the Wisp Ram Pleasure Stole the Night Break Away From it All |
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Steve Howe's first solo album away from Yes was his contribution to the band's 'mass solo project' of 1975, all of which (with the possible exclusion of Alan White's Ramshackled) are worth hearing. For the record, the others are Jon Anderson's uniquely wonderful Olias of Sunhillow (****½), Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water (****) and Patrick Moraz' i (a.k.a. The Story of i). Saying that, Beginnings isn't the strongest set ever, with the guitar playing (unsurprisingly) being the best thing about it. The songs are OK, but nowhere near Howe's contributions to his alma mater, and someone should've told him not to sing.
Moraz plays a little 'Tron on Will O'The Wisp among his other credits on the album, but nothing to get steamed up about, really; a few seconds of 'Tron strings on an otherwise inconsequential song. The title track and Ram are far better pieces, but I don't feel I can give the album more than three stars overall, I'm afraid.
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The Way It Is (1999, 55.38/60.54) ***/T |
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| The Way it is You Kill Me Neverafter Rain on Me Curse Freedom The Truth Will Set Me Free Stoned in the Temple |
Too Far Gone Second Son Take You Down Don't Look Away [some versions add: Freedom (Shagmeister mix)] |
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As I'm sure you all know, Glenn Hughes has a long and honourable history: Trapeze, Deep Purple, plus stints with Gary Moore, Black Sabbath etc.etc. I'm not entirely sure he has the right to label himself 'The Voice Of Rock', though, especially as he's chiefly known for his bassist/vocalist role in Purple, but that's how he seems to be billed these days, like it or not. The Way It Is is certainly rock, although only in places, with too many tracks sitting nearer the 'funk' camp (don't forget that Hughes was one of the proponents of the style in Purple). As a result, for every rockin' track, there's one that doesn't quite cut it; variety, I expect it's called, but to my ears it fatally weakens the album and makes for an inconsistent listen.
Marc Bonilla is credited with Mellotron on Curse on Hughes' own site, so although there's something somewhat 'Tron-sounding on the opening title track, I think we have to assume it's not. Curse opens with a nice little string part, with plenty more strings and flutes, but that does seem to be your lot. This is only really worth it if you're a big fans of Hughes, I suspect; he's in great voice throughout, although he doesn't seem to know when to hold back. Subtlety, my dear sir, subtlety.
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Hughes Turner Project (2002, 61.16) ***/T |
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| Devil's Road You Can't Stop Rock & Roll Missed Your Name Mystery of the Heart Sister Midnight Better Man Heaven's Missing an Angel Fade Away |
Ride the Storm Run Run Run On the Ledge |
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Hughes Turner Project 2 (2003, 62.34) ***/T½ |
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| Revelation Alone I Breathe Losing My Head Going My Way Hold on Lost Dreams Time and Time Again Goodbye Friday |
Burning the Sky Keep on Shining Sofia Let's Talk About it Later |
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Another of Glenn Hughes' current projects, alongside his solo career, is his duo with ex-Rainbow (and, shockingly, Deep Purple) vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. Now, excuse me for seeming a bit dim, but why would a singer of the calibre of Hughes wish to duet with a singer who almost defines wishy-washy AOR vocals (or would if Steve Perry didn't exist)? Turner ruined Rainbow (OK, it was Blackmore's fault), then had a good stab at doing the same to Purple (OK, that was Blackmore, too). Were he a lesser singer himself, I'd accuse Hughes of using Turner to look good in comparison, but since he isn't... Who knows? Maybe he thinks he can sing. OK, he can, but not with any great power, and I don't think he's made a single good album in his entire career.
Hughes Turner Project could be described as 'classy hard rock', or even (wince) 'melodic rock' (sorry), although it's better than the run-of-the-mill AOR slop that usually bears that title. Saying that, it 'features' several fairly dippy numbers (mostly sung by Turner) alongside the rockier efforts (not sung by Turner). 'Jolene' is actually at his best on the album singing harmonies with Hughes, when the true wussiness of his voice is less apparent; his leads remind me why I disliked him so much in Rainbow. Anyway, keys man Vince di Cola sticks largely to (very well-played) Hammond, but sticks some 'Tron on a couple of tracks, with occasional flute interjections on gloopy ballad Heaven's Missing An Angel, and a string part on the noticeably better On The Ledge, though both sound like they could very well be samples; I shall report back should I find out more.
In an exceedingly keen manner, the pair released their wittily-titled follow-up, Hughes Turner Project 2 a mere year later. While similar to its predecessor, the album seems to have more energy; there are certainly fewer of those awful ballads, although most of the material remains relentlessly average. Ed Roth on keys this time round, with four 'Tron tracks (all strings): Losing My Head, Lost Dreams, Burning The Sky and Let's Talk About It Later, although I suspect samples again. Losing My Head is the only one to do anything interesting, to be honest, with some nice pitchbends and a Kashmirish feel.
So; you're only going to want these albums if you're into slightly retro-ish melodic hard rock. There's nothing 'clever' about them, with even the longer tracks having depressingly-simplistic song structures, but if that's not what you're after, you won't be disappointed. While both albums feature a modicum of Mellotron, there's nothing very exciting on offer, and it's probably samples anyway.
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Peg Leg (2002, recorded 1975, 50.11) ***½/TTTT½FreebirdAll Time Loser Find Your Heart Peg Leg For a Friend Pt.I For a Friend Pt.II Fallen Star Hey You Tight Rope Lover Instinct |
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Human Instinct were one of the best known 'underground' bands in New Zealand in the '70s, releasing five albums across their career, including 1971's highly-rated Pins in it. Peg Leg was recorded in late '75, but by the time the band were presented with a rough mix, their style had changed, and the decision was made the shelve the album. Vocalist/drummer Maurice Greer kickstarted the process of resurrecting it by approaching their old record company armed with a cassette of that rough mix, triggering a search for the original multitrack which, amazingly, was found in a warehouse. After a full remix, it appeared in 2002 on the Rajon label, letting the Kiwi buying public know what they'd been missing.
Unsurprisingly, like most NZ music of the time, Peg Leg now sounds a little dated, but stands up surprisingly well, in a prog-lite kind of way. I'm not sure that opening with a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's inimitable Freebird was the best idea the band ever had, although it has to be said, they have a fair crack at it, duelling guitars and all, although their own slightly pedestrian material pales a little in comparison. Saying that, the two parts of For A Friend are pretty good, and it's not as if there are any real stinkers, although the title track is probably slightly unnecessary.
Steve McDonald's Mellotron work is quite exemplary; and to think I was worried this one might be a dud... His string part on Freebird shits on the original's, which is, admittedly, notorious as one of the worst-recorded 'Tron parts ever. McDonald actually writes a completely different, and vastly superior part, then carries on in a similar vein on most tracks, slapping strings all over the place, with choirs here and there (notably on For A Friend Pt.I), too, not to mention a high cello part on Fallen Star. Given how unexpected it is, this is a real Mellotron monster, although, typically, I believe there are only a few copies left unsold at the time of writing, probably spread out across North and South Island. There's bound to be a few online, if you search hard enough, and although the music is only slightly above average, the Mellotron work is excellent. Recommended.
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Back on the Hunt (1980, 37.39/75.09) ***½/TT (TTT) |
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| Standing in the Road She Flew Freely Heart Bender Little Bit of Love If Only We Had Tried Ain't Got You It's All Too Much What Good is Love Back on the Hunt Tell Me Why |
[CD adds: Fantasy Mansion She Opens My Eyes Mexican Gimme Some Loving Yesterday's Hero Love is a Happy Song I've Been Waiting for So Long It's My Life Take a Piece of My Life] |
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The Hunt formed from the ashes of Canadians proggers Dillinger, recording an apparently excellent debut in The Hunt in 1977. After multiple lineup changes, vocalist/bassist Brian Gagnon regrouped the band as a power trio for 1980's Back on the Hunt, bringing in guitarist Paul Dickinson and their old drummer, ex-Max Webster man Paul Kersey. To be brutally honest, the album isn't that exciting, being mainly typical hard rock of the period, rather too plodding in rather too many places to be afforded any kind of 'classic' tag; it's by no means bad, but there are better albums from the era you'd be advised to sample first.
Gagnon also plays all the keyboards on the album, including Mellotron on three tracks. A string part on She Flew Freely and strings and choir on Little Bit Of Love are quite overshadowed by the full-on, upfront choir on What Good Is Love, along with real strings. Closing ballad Tell Me Why seems like it should have been a perfect 'Tronnish ending to the album, but Gagnon resisted the temptation and stuck the string section on again.
The CD reissue adds a whopping ten bonus tracks, doubling its length, while irritatingly completely changing the track order of the original album. They're a slightly mixed bag, although the first few are excellent (if shortish) progressive tracks, making me wonder if that's how their first album sounds. It all goes a bit downhill after their workaday cover of Spencer Davis' Gimme Some Loving [sic], although nothing really stinks, I'm glad to say. Three extra 'Tron tracks: She Opens My Eyes has a fair helping of (quietish) choirs, while I've Been Waiting For So Long's 'are they/aren't they?' strings are completely overshadowed by the definite 'Tron on It's My Life.
So; not bad, not great, passable 'Tron. More news if/when I get to hear either of the band's other albums.
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Ian Hunter (1975, 40.23) ***/T½Once Bitten Twice ShyWho Do You Love Lounge Lizard Boy 3,000 Miles From Here The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nuthin' But the Truth It Ain't Easy When You Fall Shades Off I Get So Excited |
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All-American Alien Boy (1976, 40.46) ***½/TLetter to Brittania From the Union JackAll American Alien Boy Irene Wilde Restless Youth Rape You Nearly Did Me in Apathy 83 God (Take 1) |
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Ian 'Unter's something of a long-term fixture on the UK scene, and good luck to him; he joined Mott the Hoople around 1969, and is still touring and recording over three decades later, although I've no idea what his recent output's like. Probably a lot like these two albums, I suspect. Ian Hunter was his solid solo debut after leaving Mott, and it features the same mixture of, er, 'rockers and ballads' as his alma mater, with plenty of his signature-type songs thrown in, particularly hit single Once Bitten Twice Shy, covered by a whole slew of rock acts since. The 'Tron only gets used on one track (played by Mick Ronson), but there's a fair bit of strings on the lengthy Boy, which is a typical Hunter-style power ballad building to a crescendo of wailing guitars, etc.
His follow-up, All-American Alien Boy, is more of the same, with standout tracks including Irene Wild and Rape, with its bleak refrain of "And justice was seen to be done". Chris Stainton on 'Tron this time round, with flutes on the misspelt Letter To Brittania From The Union Jack, making this even less of a 'Tron album than its predecessor, but if you're into Hunter's skewed take on the world, it's worth hearing whatever.
I wouldn't say 'rush out and buy these for the Mellotron', but they're good albums, transcending their 'mid-'70s middling rock' feel.
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Hurricane #1 (1997, 47.53) ***/T½ |
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| Just Another Illusion Faces in a Dream Step Into My World Mother Superior Let Go of the Dream Chain Reaction Lucky Man Strange Meeting |
Monday Afternoon Stand in Line |
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Only the Strongest Will Survive (1999, 71.47) **½/½ |
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| Intro N.Y.C. The Greatest High Remote Control The Price That We Pay Separation Sunday Rising Sign Only the Strongest Will Survive |
Long Way Down Twilight World Come Alive What Do I Know? Afterhours Outro/N.Y.C.2 [Hidden track] |
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Hurricane #1 were effectively Britpop Johnny-come-latelys, formed by Andy Bell, after the Oxford-based Ride bit the dust. Although they took Oasis as their rather unfortunate collective muse, they couldn't stoop that far, partly because Bell's voice is considerably better than the estimable (?) Mr. Gallagher's. In fact, the music's better all round, with some fairly inventive riffs (Step Into My World, Stand In Line) and a less whiny vibe about the whole thing, which has to be good.
The Mellotron, played by Bell, is mostly in the background, to the point where I'm not 100% sure it's there at all on some tracks, with vague flutes and strings on Just Another Illusion, Faces In A Dream and Mother Superior, the only upfront use being on closer Stand In Line, with some Beatles-esque flutes, and maybe a little strings. As a result I really couldn't recommend this as a Mellotron Album, although if you're into that UK indie sound, you could do an awful lot worse. Like Oasis. Talking of which, in a supreme irony, after Hurricane #1's split, Andy Bell has joined Oasis as a full partner, apparently. Good luck, mate...
Before said split, Hurricane #1 managed one more long player, '99's Only the Strongest Will Survive, which is near-as-dammit identical to their debut, only even less good, not to mention horrendously overlong. And they did a bunch of otherwise unreleased b-side tracks... No outstanding tracks in any area, and only one with any 'Tron, with some faint flutes on Afterhours, although I believe the phased strings are just regular samples. They've used that grotesquely clichéd 'gap with a hidden track' technique, too, said track being an interminable instrumental jam loaded with synth bleeps, but it only knocks three or so minutes off the album's ridiculous length.
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A Lifetime (2004, 45.18) **½/T |
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| If You Go Breaking My Heart Say a Little Prayer That Don't Make it Right Lovestruck A Lifetime Sometimes Come to My Rescue To a Better Place |
For How Long Why You Fly If I Was Drown |
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Hush are the Danish duo of Dorthe Gerlach (vocals) and Michael Hartmann (guitars/programming), and going by the evidence on their debut album, A Lifetime, are heavily committed to producing rather dull, maudlin ballads, making the occasional more upbeat track (Why You Fly, If I Was) sound good in comparison. Is this stuff popular? They've on Universal, so I'd imagine someone thinks so. Not round here, though.
String arranger Ole Hansen also plays Mellotron, with flutes on Come To My Rescue and strings, as against the ubiquitous real ones, on closer Drown, with an interesting 'choke-off' at the end, as the tape runs out. You know, you really don't need to own this album or, for that matter, even hear it. There's good maudlin and bad maudlin, and this is the latter. Avoid.
