|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
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.
 |
Where Are We Going (1976, 43.58) ***/TTT½Sunrise (a New Day)(Part One) Where Are We Going (Part Two) Where Are We Going Solar Wind |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
As far as I can work out, ID were a quartet (?) from Maryland who recorded just the one album, Where Are We Going, before imploding. It's basically an acid guitar freakout from beginning to end, showcasing the 'talents' of one Gary Oickle, who proves himself to be highly adept at wanking furiously on his chosen instrument, to little effect, as hoping for any remote hint of melody or invention from him is essentially equivalent to pissing in the wind, sad to say. Don't get me wrong; the album has loads of energy, just a certain lack of... focus, maybe. While not entirely instrumental, vocal appearances are few and far between, as the band (or Oickle) are clearly far more interested in just letting rip.
The copious amounts of Mellotron strings on display here were played by David Oickle (or Bob Halsell?); it's essentially used for chordal backdrops to his brother's guitar work, although there are a few moments of near-solo playing, not least towards the end of the arse-about-face titled (Part One) Where Are We Going, which closes side one. And is that 'Tron brass on Solar Wind? Hard to tell, mainly due to the beyond-murky production, not to mention the fact that the Mellotron sits mainly in the upper registers, in a vain attempt to be heard over the ever-present guitar. So why haven't I given this a higher T rating, given how much 'Tron is actually present? Lack of originality, never mind listenability; there's an awful lot of Mellotron here, but you're exhausted by the end of the first (and shortest) track, and the album's end really came as some sort of relief. A random 90-second burst of this stuff is exhilarating; 45 minutes is mind-numbing.
 |
Cuevas de Altamira (1978, 34.52) ***/TT½Cuevas de AltamiraRomance del Conde Lara La Virulencia del Ferrocarril Las Chicas de Laredo A lo Alto y a lo Bajo Pastor La Baila de Ibio |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Ibio made a pleasant enough sound on their sole LP, Cuevas de Altamira, although it's all a big unengaging, to be honest. Mid-paced, with little of 'that Spanish sound' that many of their countrymen employed (an honourable exception being Pastor), and vocals (when they were used) from a guy who sounds like he'd have been better off doing cabaret on the Costa del Sol. There's some nice folky stuff here and there, although comments like 'the Spanish Strawbs' aren't very helpful or accurate.
Despite using a string synth, Ibio also used their Mellotron for string sounds, and make quite a nice job of it, although their 'Tron use is quite a long way from innovative. It lifts the album where it's used, however; best track is probably opener Cuevas De Altamira itself. So; not bad, not great. Don't pay full whack for it.
 |
Broken UFO (2002, 52.58) ***/T |
|
| Broken UFO Coming After You Again Beautiful Fields Head Down Stay in the Same Room Diplomat's Daughter Why'd You Have to Leave Me This Way? When the Show is Over |
Because You're Young Come Down Come Down Rain Hail Shine Waterproof Leaving All the Best Happy in the Sky |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Ice Cream Hands are an Australian powerpop band who seem to be highly rated by many, though I'm not entirely sure why. I've heard plenty of good stuff in this area, but most of Broken UFO passed me by without making any real impression, I'm sorry to say. Stay In The Same Room is the first track that really pushes the classic powerpop button, coming on like a Big Star outtake, but too much of the album suffers from Country Wannabee Syndrome (see: Leaving All The Best), or is content to plod along unexcitingly, without bothering too much about memorable melodies; surely a given in this genre?
Mellotron on a handful of tracks from East VanParks, with a distant flute melody on Head Down and a more upfront one on Diplomat's Daughter, with occasional background bursts of flute on Come Down Come Down, none of which should be confused with the real orchestration to be heard in places. Overall, then, a so-so pop album that spends too much of its time trying to be commercial rather than trying to be good. Disappointing.
 |
Tutankhamon (1978, 36.52) ****/TTTT |
|
| Tebas Prólogo Sacerdotes de Amon Amarna Lying on the Sand Amenofis IV Himno al Sol La Muerte |
Close to God Too Young to Be a Pharaoh Tebas (Reprise) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Iceberg are primarily known as a pure fusion band, but their debut, Tutankhamon (presumably a concept piece), is a masterpiece of prog/fusion crossover, with great material and fiery playing from all concerned. There is the occasional lapse, like the drum solo in Close To God (why does anyone record studio drum solos?) and the average balladry of the opening section of Too Young To Be A Pharaoh, but overall, this is an excellent album that should appeal to both prog and fusion fans.
Josep Mas "Kitflus" slaps Mellotron all over the first four tracks, then, mysteriously, ignores it until near the end of the album. Tebas opens with a full-on symphonic section, 'Tron strings to the fore, with more of the same on the following three tracks and Too Young To Be A Pharaoh. There are (male voice?) choir parts on Sacerdotes De Amon and Tebas (Reprise) too, making this something of a distinct Mellotron Album. So; recommended on all fronts; I may even come back to this in a while and bump up its star rating. Excellent.
 |
Iceberg Does it Live: 100th Week at Walt Disney World (1978, 38.31) ***/TTTTSide OneSide Two |
Current availability:
Chamberlins used:
Michael Iceberg's Iceberg Does it Live: 100th Week at Walt Disney World is one of the odder albums you'll find on this site, and it's up against some fairly stiff competition. Basically, Iceberg (clearly his real name) spent many years playing a weekly set on his synth setup (the "Amazing Iceberg Machine") in a silver pyramid at Walt Disney World. As you do. So why isn't he deified in the world of EM? Because he was an entertainer, that's why. He played snippets of popular tunes (classical bits, film stuff, standards, unsurprisingly lots of Disney, er, Boston's More Than A Feeling...), all while keeping a very non-techie crowd interested. I said he was an entertainer...
I've no idea how long his sets tended to be, but the album features a forty-minute segment of, as it says on the tin, his 100th week's performance. After ten minutes or so of playing, he goes into a demo section, where he tells his audience (and, by default, us) what's going on. Basically, he had around thirty instruments in his setup, controlled from just three keyboards, several years pre-MIDI, which is a pretty jaw-dropping technological feat by anyone's standards back in '78. The picture on the sleeve show a Polymoog and an Oberheim 4-voice, other obvious contenders being a Yamaha CP-70 piano and several Chamberlins. One of these was presumably a manual model, from where he could control (I believe) another three, any or all of which could have been keyboardless 'remote' models, a path down which the Mellotron was destined never to go.
Although there's loads of synth work (mono- and poly-) on the record (not to mention a snippet of Moog Taurus at one point - looks like he had a de-pedalled set in his rig, going by the pic to the right), the Chambys crop up all over the place, with a little flute melody on the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah segment (yes, I'm afraid so), followed by what sounds like Chamby banjo, percussion, brass, female voice, loads of sound FX (animals, jeers etc.)... And, of course, lots of strings, including a solo section on side two. You want Chamberlin? And analogue synths? You gottem.
The album has several downsides, not least Iceberg's unfortunate habit of singing along, rather tunelessly, to several of his ditties, and the choice of material is seriously cheeso, though it has to be said, what did you expect? Black Sabbath? I believe Iceberg sells CD-Rs of the album himself, although his website seems to've disappeared, so I don't know how you'd contact him. He still plays, but I rather doubt whether his beautiful setup from thirty-odd years ago is still functioning, or even extant. Wonder what happened to all that gear...? Anyway, a rather strange album, but worth hearing, if only for a laugh.
 |
Three Sheets to the Wind (1996, 42.43) **½/T |
|
| If You Dare Catapult Pomegranate Bleeding Shame Stare at the Sky No One's Watching Alive Again A Sound Awake |
Glass Bottom Get You Back |
|
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
The only interesting thing about California's Idaho (huh?) seems to be their guitarists' use of four-string tenor guitars, although the end result is merely a low-end guitar sound, rather than anything really radical. Usually described as 'slowcore', Idaho continually hover on the brink of 'boring', at least to this listener. Shame just might be the album's best track, although it's hard to say why. Maybe I simply find it the most appealing? Duh.
Patrick Warren does his usual Chamberlin thing on just one track, with a string part on Glass Bottom that shows the instrument at its best, sounding almost real, if you ignore the lack of glissando between chords. Overall, this album sounds like Low, if they forgot how to write interesting slow material. Rather dull, I'm afraid, with one decent Chamby track.
 |
Ideal Free Distribution (2007, 47.04) ****/TTTT |
|
| Apples and Oranges Saturday Drive Tropic of Cancer Someone's Gonna Die The American Myth Elegant Sunbeam Mr. Wilson Son of a Gun |
Nine on a Side New Madrid, 1811 All Over the World Hit the North All That Once Was Wonderful Red Letter Days |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Despite forming in 1997, it's taken Ideal Free Distribution a decade to produce their eponymous debut, which turns out to be a minor masterpiece of modern psychedelia, influenced yet not entrapped by the late-'60s. Obvious influences include The Beatles (of course) and The Zombies, but brief psych-period Kinks and the West Coast scene also play their part in defining the band's sound. It's difficult to pinpoint standout tracks on an initial listen; suffice to say, it's all good, and the ten-year wait has clearly been worthwhile.
Although initially a trio, the band have now expanded to a loose seven-piece, including Marci Schneider on Mellotron and castanets (!) The 'Tron's all over the highlighted tracks above, with a triply-overdubbed part in Son Of A Gun, with a flute melody overlaying a strings-and-cello backdrop, with plenty of (mainly) strings use on everything else. After something of a 'Tron dearth at the beginning of the album, once it kicks in properly, it doesn't let up for the rest of the record, in highly pleasing fashion. Is it real? Not entirely sure, but it sounds pretty good, but then, when played sympathetically, modern samples tend to. Anyway, a very nice little album, loads of (hopefully real) 'Tron. Worth the effort.
 |
World Woven (1972, 38.14) ***/TTMother AmericaBaby's Gonna Grow Diamond Fire Children Mellow Your Soul Landlady Flip Side Colorado Morrow All Join Hands |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Ides of March, including Jim Peterik, later of the phenomenally successful Survivor (yes, the Eye Of The Tiger crew), are primarily known for their major 1970 hit Vehicle. Their brass-rock sound bore comparison with Chicago or Al Kooper's Blood, Sweat & Tears, to the point where many confused Vehicle with that band, in the way that some people still think Focus' House Of The King is by Jethro Tull, but then, ignorance is everywhere.
1972's World Woven was the band's original incarnation's third album of four. It's a kind of prog-lite effort, definitely an influence on Styx, Kansas and their ilk; in fact, the refrain from opener Mother America must've influenced Styx' Suite Madame Blue a few years later. Which, in turn, influenced Judas Priest's Beyond The Realms Of Death... And on it goes. It's actually a rather confused effort, switching between the pre-pomp of Mother America and Children to the rock'n'soul of Mellow Your Soul and All Join Hands, not to mention the folk-influenced Landlady... Then again, who said a band had to sound consistent throughout a whole album? That seems to be a recent conceit and, after all, this appeared in the latter stages of the only period of real freedom the industry's ever allowed...
I presume it's keys man Scott May on Mellotron, with a few string chords at the end of Diamond Fire, more of the same throughout Children (obvious 'real strings substitute' playing), flutes and strings on the balladic Landlady and strings on Flipside, the only track to feature any brass, with a slightly superfluous trumpet solo. I don't believe this is on CD, but if you're interested in the roots of American prog, it's worth a listen if you can track down a copy. Not that much Mellotron, but worth hearing if you're listening anyway.
 |
The Birthday Party (1968, 28.48) ****/TT½ |
|
| The Skeleton and the Roundabout Happy Birthday The Birthday I Like My Toys Morning Sunshine Follow Me Follow Sitting in My Tree On With the Show |
Lucky Man Mrs Ward Pie in the Sky The Lady Who Said She Could Fly End of the Road |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Idle Race seem to have been consigned to a strange, forgotten corner of UK psych, which is doubly odd as they were not only a perfectly good band, but also the first recording home of future ELO man Jeff Lynne. Their debut effort, The Birthday Party, is a really rather good little typical psych-pop album, with all the period detail you could ask for, married to an excellent selection of songs. The best-known of these is the opener, the wonderful The Skeleton And The Roundabout, but The Birthday, I Like My Toys and Mrs Ward are all right up there, too.
There's a fair helping of Mellotron (almost certainly a studio instrument) on the album, played, I believe, by Barry Pritchard, although I can't find any reference to him, just rhythm guitarist Dave Pritchard. Anyway... The Skeleton And The Roundabout has what sounds like some form of muted brass (saxes?), while I Like My Toys has a classic 'Tron flute melody, as does Morning Sunshine. Lucky Man has more of those probably saxes (key click and all), and Mrs Ward has both strings and pitchbent flutes. The strings on End Of The Road are definitely real, but I think I'm correct in my 'Tronspotting on the other tracks.
They followed up with The Idle Race (***); not bad, but not really a patch on its predecessor, and there's no Mellotron. There was a third album, too, Time is (***), recorded after Lynne left to join The Move and subsequently ELO, but it's not really anything to write home about. There were also several single-only tracks, including their other best-known number, Imposters Of Life's Magazine, but sadly, there's no more 'Tron to be heard. Incidentally, the Idle Race's entire recorded output is available on a double CD set, Back to the Story (***½), which is almost certainly the easiest way to track this material down. Anyway, I'm not sure I can call The Birthday Party a Mellotron Album as such, but it's a worthy addition to any collection of late-'60s UK psych. Buy.
 |
Plastic Silver 9-Volt Heart (2003, 56.52) ***/T |
|
| Yesterday Machete y Maiz Mexican Candy Flame on 9 Volt Heart Sugar Cane Zacatecas The First Kiss is Free |
I Dig You The Liquor Dance Abandonado Un Avion Goodbye Again [unlisted track] |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The New Orleans-based Iguanas mix pop/rock with a Latin sensibility; think, a younger Los Lobos with more of a Tex-Mex feel. Their fifth studio album, 2003's Plastic Silver 9-Volt Heart, is a decent enough album, if rather unexciting in places, although Flame On is that rarity, a great modern 'party' song. Either Rod Hodges or Joe Cabral has an excellent, whisky-sodden voice, used to good effect on several tracks in the way that only Americans can do.
Rene Coman plays Mellotron, with strings all over opener Yesterday (no, not that one) and the brief, unlisted track tacked onto the end of the album. Overall, this isn't the kind of album your typical Planet Mellotron reader (yes, you) is probably going to like, but it's a perfectly acceptable record of its type, with some reasonable Mellotron use.
 |
Out of the Mist (1977, 35.41) ***½/TTTIsadoraRoads to Freedom Beautiful Country Solo Flight Everywhere You Go Face of Yesterday Candles Are Burning |
 |
Illusion (1978) ***½/TTTMadonna BlueNever Be the Same Louis' Theme Wings Across the Sea Cruising Nowhere Man of Miracles The Revolutionary |
 |
Enchanted Caress (1990, 36.59) **/T |
|
| Nights in Paris Walking Space The Man Who Loved the Trees Getting Into Love Again As Long as We're Together Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Living Above Your Head Crossed Lines |
You Are the One All the Falling Angels |
|
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
In 1968, the Yardbirds fragmented, and guitarist Jimmy Page recruited a new lineup, initially called the New Yardbirds; you know the rest. Bassist Chris Dreja became a professional photographer, and vocalist Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty formed a new outfit with Relf's sister Jane, bassist Louis Cennamo and keyboardist John Hawken called Renaissance. This lineup made two albums, then in what appears to have been some bizarre power struggle, the entire band was replaced by the musicians more commonly associated with the name. The original Renaissancers went on to play in various bands; Cennamo and Keith Relf eventually formed Armageddon, releasing their self-titled effort in 1975, and John Hawken spent a couple of years in the Strawbs. Tragically, Relf died in 1976, electrocuted at home by a malfunctioning guitar amp.
The following year, the surviving members of the original Renaissance, with a couple of other guys, reformed as Illusion, named after the second Reniassance album. Their sound is best described as somewhere between the Strawbs and what the then current Renaissance lineup was doing; lush folky prog, if a little lightweight. Jane Relf's voice had lost none of its quality in the intervening years, and several of the other members had honed their playing skills in the interim. John Hawken's stay in the Strawbs had introduced him to a wider keyboard palette, including the Mellotron, to which the band added real strings on a few tracks.
Even more mainstream than their first two releases, Illusion's Enchanted Caress, finally released in 1990, consists largely of demos for their third album, recorded in 1979. Most of the tracks are short, MOR-ish pop songs that make their first two albums sound like King Crimson. On steroids. Believe me, this is NOT an album for your inner Rock Monster, or even for anyone wishing to hear something at the more lightweight end of the prog spectrum. It's not all completely horrible; The Man Who Loved The Trees sounds more like their earlier work, their version of Richard Rogers' Slaughter On Tenth Avenue (also covered by synthesist Larry Fast as Synergy) is pretty decent and although it's not that great, closer All The Falling Angels (from several years earlier), is Keith Relf's last recording and is also the only Mellotron track here, with a rather ordinary strings part from Hawken.
There's little stylistic variation between Illusion's two 'proper' albums; Out of the Mist uses slightly less 'Tron than Illusion, but there isn't that much to choose between them on that front. The closing tracks on each album probably feature the 'Tron the most, but it's mainly strings and choir used here and there, rather than blanket coverage. The material is indubitably pleasant and highly melodic, but don't expect much excitement. Chiefly for fans of Renaissance, old or new. Enchanted Caress is mostly shite, though, so don't go paying the inflated prices I've seen for second-hand copies.
Apparently, the original four ex-Renaissancers reformed in late 2001 (sans Mellotron, I think it's safe to say...), but nothing's happened in the intervening years, so I think we can fairly safely discount that one.
See: Renaissance | Strawbs
 |
Children (1995, 57.45) **½/THazeIn Our Lives Given Away Late of Conscience Cracker Eye Next to Glass Your Darkest Hour The Final Stroke |
 |
A Story Two Days Wide (1999, 59.15) ***/TTSojournsSavant Dreaming With the Lights on Holidays and Miracles Better Days Even Angels Fall Indian Rain |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
It has to be said; Ilúvatar (with or without the ´) are solidly, unrepentantly neo-prog. Whether or not this makes your hackles rise is, of course, an entirely personal matter, and largely dependent on where you stand on the great Marillion debate, i.e. are they, or are they not shite? Ilúvatar clearly don't think so, and have proved it over the course of a handful of rather unimaginative albums, not least their dull self-titled debut.
Children, from '95, didn't exactly herald a New Dawn Of Prog, being completely bog-standard neo-, with its only even slightly unusual (note: not welcome) feature being vocalist Glenn McLaughlin's Phil Collins fixation, along with the usual Fishisms, of course. The rest of the band plod away in time-honoured fashion for at least twenty minutes too long, although twelve minute closer The Final Stroke is probably the most inventive thing here. As far as Jim Rezek's Mellotron use goes, background choirs on Late Of Conscience and a reasonably upfront string part on The Final Stroke are all I can hear, apparently from M400 #1463.
Four years on, A Story Two Days Wide is a marginal improvement, with the odd interesting musical idea (Dreaming With The Lights On, Indian Rain) battling it out with the usual musical same old same old. Rezek's more pronounced Mellotron strings can be heard on Sojourns, Savant and Better Days, with choirs on the latter and Indian Rain, but nothing that you couldn't live without, to be honest. I'm afraid I can't think of anything more inspiring to say about this album; the band obviously weren't the slightest bit interested in coming up with anything new, and it shows.
Overall, I'd find it difficult to recommend either of these albums; unlike, say, Visible Wind, Ilúvatar don't seem to've moved beyond their neo-prog roots, Mellotron or no Mellotron. Despite not having released anything for a while, the band are still going, so we can always hope they've taken some new influences on board sometime during the last decade.
 |
Images in Vogue [EP] (1983, 22.46) ***½/½Lust for LoveMasks Just Like You For Germans Breaking Up |
 |
Collection Version 2.0: Chronology (2004, 76.25) ***/½ |
||
| Travel Quiet Room Politics of Sound Anxiety Reaction Lust for Love Masks For Germans (mix 2) Breaking Up |
Call it Love Save it Promised Land Holiday King's Service In the House Look Me in the Eye Someday |
Piece of Your Heart (version 1) Everytime One Hand Cleanses ... the Other (Where's Kenny?) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Little-known outside Canada, Images in Vogue were the Canucks' joint answer to Britain's early '80s synthpop boom, alongside Strange Advance. As far as I can work out, their discography is now partially available, in a rather piecemeal kind of way, split into three volumes of Collection Version..., missing quite a few tracks in the process. Irritating.
1983's Images in Vogue was their third release and second EP; it would be another two years before they released an album. It's a pretty decent effort within its genre, its five tracks utilising drool-worthy Prophet 5s, Memorymoogs and Oberheims, amongst other now sought-after gear. Musically, it cements their reputation as the Canadian Ultravox, with all the right Bowie and Roxy influences, plus an unfortunate hint of Duran Duran in places, but we won't hold that against them. And as for, er, For Germans, shouldn't that be Four Germans. Eh? Eh? The EP contains what is likely to be their sole Mellotron track, Masks, with some background choirs that add to the song without being overly blatant.
2004's Collection Version 2.0: Chronology covers four of the EP's five tracks; it's actually a very nice compilation of their work, previously unreleased instrumental opener Travel setting the scene nicely, followed by another 18 presumably typical IIV tracks. Moreover, it's the only place to easily find Masks, although you really shouldn't bother just to hear some distant Mellotron choir. Images in Vogue were good at what they did and still reform for occasional (apparently well-attended) gigs. A couple of their members went on to form or work with industrial pioneers Skinny Puppy, but we shouldn't hold that against them, either.
 |
Iman, Califato Independiente (1978) ***½/½Tarantos del Califato IndependienteCanto al Califa Tarantos Estate Quieto, Boabdil Pasco por la Plaza Cuarto Menguante Darshan Cerro Alegre Cancion de la Oruga |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Iman, Califato Independiente were one of the all-too many obscure progressive bands from the '70s; Spain in this case, although they were on CBS Spain, giving them some local mainstream credibility. Like many Spanish bands from this era, they had a slightly jazzy touch and also brought in a flamenco influence; the album is instrumental, and a good example of its genre, particularly the side-long Tarantos Del Califato Independiente.
Marcos Mantero is credited with playing Mellotron on three out of four tracks on the album, but the only track where it's even remotely evident is Darshan, with a few seconds of choir (thus the lack of notation in the various parts of Tarantos). All the strings appear to come from an Elka string synth, and Mantero also plays a 'Farfisa Syntorchestra', so it seems the string sounds are definitely not 'Tron. The only other clue I have is what just might be some background flutes at the end of side one, under the synth strings.
So; a cool album, particularly the sort-of title track, but not really one for the Mellotron fan, I fear. There was a second album, but I've no idea whether or not it might contain any 'Tron, audible or otherwise.
 |
Catch a Singing Bird on the Road (1973, 37.32) **½/T |
|
| Humphrey Bogart The Dark Lord Barricade A Poet's Conversation Catch a Singing Bird on the Road Sunday Morning After Church Breed Mountain Moonshine |
Rio Bravo 59 Hot Biscuit Slim |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
As far as I can work out, Improved Sound Limited were a vaguely proggy outfit who went off the boil around 1973, producing what appears to be their tribute to the Americana of the day, Catch a Singing Bird on the Road. It opens well enough with the surprisingly proggish Humphrey Bogart, before turning up the blind alley of American-sounding soft rock, exemplified by the rest of the record. It's not awful, just rather dull, with the odd halfway decent song (the folky title track, Hot Biscuit Slim) to keep the listener from dozing off. And as for the bluesy, blatantly Lord of the Rings-influenced The Dark Lord, the less said the better...
Axel Linstädt plays Mellotron strings on opener Humphrey Bogart, as befits the nearest this album gets to 'prog', but it in no way makes this worth getting hold of, I'm afraid. One decent track, doubling as one passable 'Tron track. Maybe not.
 |
Bellowing Sea - Racked By Tempest (2007, 49.26) ***½/TTTTOceanus ProcellarumAwe and Terror Mirage Relinquish Lacus Somniorum From Winsome to Bestial Sowers of Discord The Melancholy Surge |
Current availability:
At first glance, In Lingua Mortua look like just another one of the 17,532 Scandinavian black/death/whatever metal bands in existence and indeed, as soon as Bellowing Sea - Racked By Tempest kicks in properly, one feels one's hopes begin to fade. However... Unlike most of their contemporaries, In Lingua Mortua are actually pretty damn' progressive, knowing how to make an album that the non-faithful can actually have a stab at listening to without falling about laughing or bursting into tears. Why? I'm still trying to work it out. Probably because it's more a progressive album with death metal tropes than vice versa, modulating key all over the place and structuring songs in an almost (dare I say it?) Änglagård vein. It's pointless picking out individual tracks; the album's best listened to as a whole anyway, but despite the blastbeats and 'uurgh' vocals, this is remarkably listenable. Startling.
Mellotron-player-to-the-Norwegian-metal-(and-prog)-community, Lars Fredrik Frøislie, does his usual thing here, sticking 'Tron all over the place, with strings on all highlighted tracks (the only 'Tron-free track, Lacus Somniorum, is under a minute long anyway), with flutes and choir on several and definite cellos on Relinquish, if not others. There are brass parts on the album, too, but with a credited saxophonist, they're more likely to be baritone sax than anything (no alto solos here, thanks).
Overall, then, a really rather good extreme metal release that stays true to its genre while taking other influences on board. I believe it's known as 'progressing' (ahem). Loads of Mellotron, too, so a cautious recommendation for those who think they can stand the heat.
 |
 |
Mysteriernas Trädgård [a.k.a. The Garden of Mysteries] (1994/96, 73.53) ***½/TT |
||
| Gates of Andorra Karakoram Pass Escape From Canaan Hiram Abiff Kekova (the Sunken City) Ali Hasan Aslan Meditating Minotauros |
The Garden of Mysteries II Monsoon Andalucy Journey to Hel Moorish Rapsody Trans Turkish Express Aral |
Moorish Waltz Desert Visions Ya Qader The Garden of Mysteries I La Dame Inconnue Almeria Palm-Cat |
||
 |
Walking on Clouds (1999, 56.35) ***½/TTT½ |
|
| Kali Mahatma Over the Wall The Caravan From Sheeba Birka Lop Nor (the Wandering Lake) Dervish Dreams Golgonda |
Gates of Oneiron Chandrika Walking on Clouds |
|
 |
Dryad (2002, 59.37) ****/TTT |
|
| Lost in the Woods Out of This Maze Catch a Cloud Nargal Dryad (the Spirit of the Woods) Trident Jabberwocky Muscarin Madness |
Deep Saffron Night of the Baskerville Killer Farewell Little Brother |
|
 |
Rökstenen: A Tribute to Swedish Progressive Rock of the 70's (2010) ****/T[In the Labyrinth contribute]Worlds on Fire |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Peter Lindahl, born in 1951, formed the ethnic outfit Aladdin's Lantern in Stockholm in 1980, which (very) eventually morphed into Labyrint in the early '90s. After releasing the initially cassette-only Mysteriernas Trädgård, they changed their name to In the Labyrinth, and have been singlemindedly ploughing their world/prog crossover furrow ever since. The tape was reissued under their new name as The Garden of Mysteries in 1996, although, due to disagreements with ex-members, it has been officially unavailable for some years. The band actually make a pretty unique noise, with elements of various ethnic musics combining with a modern progressive style to create something new; surely what 'progressive' rock should be all about? About the only clear influence you could point to is that brand of krautrock acts who assimilated 'world' influences before there was such a term, particularly Embryo. Led by the multi-instrumentalist Lindahl, their lineup seems to be fairly fluid apart from his lieutenant, Håkan Almkvist, with other musicians obviously being brought in as and when needed.
The Garden of Mysteries sets out their stall quite unequivocally, opening with what sounds like plucked banjo, although it has to be something more exotic, going by the musicians' credits on their site. Their chief ethnic influence is definitely Middle Eastern, carrying on from their Aladdin's Lantern days, when they apparently worked backing belly dancers (!), among other gigs, although all sorts of stuff pops in and out of the mix. Most of the material is instrumental, which seems to work better to my ears than their actual songs. Not actually that much of Lindahl's Mellotron (yes, it's real), with quick flurries of echoed 'Tron flute on Karakoram Pass, a more 'standard' string part on Kekova (The Sunken City), and what sounds like tape-replay flutes, rather than the real thing, on Ali Hasan. I think the flute on Monsoon is real, but those are definite 'Tron strings on Moorish Rapsody [sic] and Moorish Waltz, although the flute on the latter is, again, inconclusive.
'99's Walking on Clouds carries on in similar vein, only maybe more focussed, being a real pot pourri of influences, often applied simultaneously. It's difficult to pick out highlights on a single listen, as I imagine this will take several plays to really appreciate, although the middle-eastern pipes on Golgonda are notable. Not so sure about the vocal tracks, though they're relatively few and far between. Lindahl plays Mellotron on several tracks, mostly strings, although some of the flute work is quite clearly 'Tron, too. The string parts are mostly upfront, if not actually solo, blending nicely with the more unusual instrumentation, at least to my ears. 'Tron highlight? Probably the end of Mahatma, although several similar parts could also qualify.
Three years on, Dryad is actually slightly less 'world' than its predecessor, although sitars, darboukas, tablas and the like still proliferate. The vocal tracks here seem better integrated into the album as a whole; in fact, 'well-integrated' is a phrase that sums the record up in general. Lindahl's diverse influences come together more smoothly here, at least to my ears, making for a more satisfying listen all round. Marginally less Mellotron than on Walking on Clouds, with a similar mixture of about 90% strings to 10% flutes, with Muscarin Madness only featuring a few seconds of the latter. Overall, a slightly better album than its predecessor, but a little less 'Tron.
So; if you're intrigued by this description of In the Labyrinth, either of the easily-available albums is worth a shot. Decent Mellotron work on both, too, though if you're offended by the sound of 'ethnic' instrumentation, you may wish to go elsewhere.
 |
Light Grenades (2006, 47.22) **/½ |
|
| Quicksand A Kiss to Send Us Off Dig Anna Molly Love Hurts Light Grenades Earth to Bella (Part I) Oil and Water |
Diamonds and Coal Rogues Paper Shoes Pendulous Threads Earth to Bella (Part II) |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
I was always under the impression that Incubus were an extreme metal band, but it seems that they're just another mainstream metal-ish bunch who play whatever they think will sell (contentious? Moi?). 2006's Light Grenades is, admittedly, a fairly diverse record, skipping between full-on metal, something strongly resembling current US indie and various stages inbetween. Y'know, if it looks like indie and sounds like indie, chances are it's...
Keyboard player/turntablist (aargh!) Chris Kilmore plays Mellotron, though what little I can hear doesn't sound particularly genuine. Then again, nor does it sound quite fake enough to be bodily hurled into samples, so here it stays, at least for the moment. Anyway, possible (but probably not) strings on Dig, definite flutes on Love Hurts (no, not that one) and probable strings on Pendulous Threads, none of it even slightly essential. So; absolute rubbish. Why do people buy this stuff? No imagination, I suppose. Incidentally, note their website's URL: 'enjoyincubus.com'. Won't. Shan't. Can't. Drivel.
 |
Good Enough to Eat! (1999, recorded 1969, 27.10) ***/TT |
|
| It's Been a Hard Hard Day Big Ben Is it Love The Kids Are Alright Baby I Love You Brother Where Are You I Gotta Love You Again Take a Little Bit of Lovin' |
The Rest of My Life Take Me for One Last Ride In Too Deep The World is Ended Right Now |
|
Current availability:
Chamberlin used:
Several years after originally writing this review, I received an e-mail from Indescribably Delicious (known universally as I.D.)'s vocalist, Jim Conroy, giving me the true story of the band and 1999's cobbled-together Good Enough to Eat! They were an L.A. Bay Area beat group who formed in the early '60s and released one single on a local label, also home to the iconic Strawberry Alarm Clock. After the band split, their ex-manager, Gary Solo(mon), got Jim to sing on some demos he was recording with Greg Munford, who sang on the Clock's iconic Incense And Peppermints. Jim wasn't over-keen on the material, but was eventually sent an acetate of the rather amateurish sessions, with the three I.D. tracks added. About a decade later, Jim was persuaded to part with a copy of the acetate to a record-collector friend. Fast-forward a decade or two...
In the late '90s, Jim got a call from the Strawberry Alarm Clock's old manager, Bill Holmes, whingeing about a European bootleg of songs that he 'owned'; turns out some chancers have put the acetate out as a CD, crediting it to Indescribably Delicious. Holmes sued and got the rights back to the recordings, subsequently licencing them out himself, getting material from Jim for the package. It crept out some months later as Good Enough to Eat!; Holmes has evaded any tedious financial responsibilities, meaning Jim won't get any royalties from the release, despite having sung on the whole thing. It's the same old, same old story, isn't it? Anyway, to the actual album:
It's (unsurprisingly, all things considered) a bit of a mish-mash of styles, with the three tracks from their lone single session (The Kids Are Alright/Baby I Love You/Brother Where Are You) rubbing shoulders with the demos, which are of a rather dated psychedelic bent. Their version of The Who's The Kids Are Alright has a wrong chord, which can apparently be blamed on Solo's rearrangement of the song, much of the rest being OK, but really nothing special. In 1969, the Mellotron had barely had any impact in the States at all, although, of course, the originator of the tape-replay concept, Harry Chamberlin, had been building his machines in California since the early '50s. As a result, the 'is it/isn't it?' dilemma hovering over this album is resolved by its final track, The World Is Ended Right Now, which is smothered in that weird Chamberlin solo male voice, proving beyond a doubt that the Chamby had vocal tapes several years before the 'Tron. Anyway, keyboards were played by both Munford and Jack Bielan, so I've no idea which one plays the Chamby, but there's also strings on Big Ben, one of the album's more psychedelically-inclined numbers, and on the more straightforward The Rest Of My Life.
So; a rather ordinary album, probably best described as a 'curio', to be honest. Three Chamberlin tracks, but apart from the male vocal (which may just possibly crop up elsewhere, too), it's all rather run-of-the-mill. Jim Conroy's clearly fairly unhappy about the whole business, though also fairly sanguine, and who can blame him? As he says, he's still playing today and has never had to do the crapulent 'oldies' circuit, like so many one-hit wonders. To sum up, this album is NOT the original I.D., except for three tracks, and they aren't especially representative of the band's garage glory.
 |
Indian Summer (1971, 49.50) ***½/TTGod is the DogEmotions of Man Glimpse Half Changed Again Black Sunshine From the Film of the Same Name Secrets Reflected Another Tree will Grow |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Indian Summer fall fairly and squarely into the 'UK proto-prog' category, along with Spring, Beggars Opera, Gracious! and many others; think 'late-'60s feel in the early '70s' and you're getting near. This isn't a criticism by any means; many of these bands were excellent, but had the misfortune to head up one of music's blind alleys. Pink Floyd aside (who were always completely a law unto themselves, anyway), the progressive bands who 'made it' were mostly those who had the courage to really push at the boundaries, and leave the '60s behind.
Indian Summer's a good album, though, with several lengthy Hammond workouts, but it fails to transcend its influences and create anything genuinely new. Opener God Is The Dog is one of the best tracks, with Bob Jackson's Mellotron lifting it towards its conclusion. The 'Tron is used sparingly and tastefully throughout, in fact, although you sometimes feel they could've used a little more without spoiling the pudding.
So; a good psych/prog crossover album, and a few nice 'Tron bits. One for enthusiasts, but by no means a bad record. Recommended for fans of the genre.
 |
Indianism (1993, 46.00) **½/TT |
|
| Bed of Roses Love A-I-A-O Look Up to the Sky The Key Caught a Rainbow Believe I Love the World |
Head in the Clouds If the Children Ask Why |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
It's not easy to track down information on a band called The Indians, even when they have the good grace not to name their (probably) sole album eponymously. 1993's Indianism has its moments, in a pop/rock kind of way, but by and large is a bit too wishy-washy to make any great impression, despite a handful of decent tracks, notably opener Bed Of Roses and the heavier The Key.
'John Brian' plays Mellotron; quite certainly our old friend Jon Brion, before he acquired enough of a name to get his name spelled properly. It could be on most tracks, but I'm of the opinion that you'll only hear distant flutes on opener Bed Of Roses, strings and flutes on Look Up To The Sky and Caught A Rainbow and strings on If The Children Ask Why, all excellently-played and not too low in the mix. Overall, powerpop aficionados may find parts of the album palatable, but it didn't grab this particular listener. Not bad 'Tron use, though, especially for the early '90s.
 |
Kōri no Sekai (1973, 37.31) **½/T |
|
| Akazu no Fumikiri Hajimari Kaerenai Futari Chie-Chan Kōri no Sekai Shiroi Ichinichi Jiko Ken'o Kokoro Moyou |
Machibouke Sakura Sangatsu Sanpomichi Fun Koharu Obasan Oyasumi |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Yōsui Inoue is famous in his home country for being the first artist to sell over a million copies of one album, 1973's Kōri no Sekai (World of Ice). The album was partially recorded in the UK, contributing musicians including Peter Robinson and John Gustafson from Quatermass, Ann Odell (Shawn Phillips) and arranger Nick Harrison (Rolling Stones). The material is pretty much what you'd expect of an album that sold so well; mainstream pop/rock with a Japanese folk influence on some tracks, all pretty unexciting, to be honest, although better tracks include sort-of rocking opener Akazu No Fumikiri and the memorable Machibouke.
Mellotron duties are split between Robinson and Jun Fukamachi, with a lush string part on Kaerenai Futari and flute on Chie-Chan (under real strings), with real strings on several other tracks, too. Overall, far too mainstream to be of any real interest to all but early J-pop aficionados, with one decent 'Tron track. Maybe not.
Official Japanese-language site
 |
Intergalactic Touring Band (1977) */T½ |
|
| Approach (Overture) Silver Lady Universal Zoo/Why Starship Jingle Heartbreaker Reaching Out First Landing Space Commando |
Robot Salesman Love Station A Planet Called Monday/Epilogue Keeper Keep Us |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Intergalactic Touring Band were, ironically, a studio outfit put together in 1976 consisting of a couple of members of US progressives Fireballet, synth whizz Larry Fast (a.k.a. Synergy) and a cast of thousands. The concept appears to be a science-fictional band zooming around the galaxy playing to the music-starved masses of Ursa Minor or wherever. Sadly, this has all the hallmarks of a 'vanity project', funded by a record company too out of touch to realise the futility of the whole affair; by the time of its release it was hopelessly outdated, with Wil Malone's rather cheesy orchestral arrangements dating from an earlier (and by no means better) age. I'm afraid to say that it's difficult to recommend this in any meaningful way; vocalists such as Rod Argent, Annie Haslam, Dave Cousins, Arthur Brown, Meatloaf and even Rossi and Parfitt from Status Quo (!), along with instrumentalists of the calibre of Anthony Phillips, Percy Jones and Clarence Clemons were unable to drag the leaden material up to a listenable level. Sorry to be so harsh, but Intergalactic Touring Band was not a very pleasurable listening experience. This is why punk happened.
Larry Fast's Mellotron? Flutes and choirs on album opener Approach, then choirs on Silver Lady and Robot Salesman, though it's hardly the most audible 'Tron you'll ever hear. There's a 'thanks' in the album's expensive-looking booklet to US Mellotron distributors 'Bill Eberline and Sound Sales Inc. for use of their Mellotron tape library', too. Surprising they didn't use it a little more.
See: Fireballet | Synergy | Rod Argent | Annie Haslam | Arthur Brown | Dave Cousins | Anthony Phillips
 |
Interpose+ (2005, 47.30) ***½/½AirconDayflower Zitensia Koibumi Last Sign |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Interpose formed in the mid-'80s, and after two turbulent decades of lineup changes, splits and reformations, finally regrouped as Interpose+ in 2003. Their eponymous debut starts badly, with Aircon sounding just like every neo-prog horror you've ever encountered, but more so, making their abrupt shift in direction on Dayflower towards more 'standard' female-fronted '80s Japanese prog all the more surprising, not to mention welcome. Zitensia is a bonkers, full-on Japanese fusion workout, while Koibumi shifts back towards Dayflower territory, and Last Sign sits somewhere between the album's better tracks, being a good prog/fusion crossover, making the bulk of the album well worth a listen.
I really don't know whether Ryuji Yonekura's Mellotron is real or not; they don't use one live, but nor do many bands who use one for recording. Basically, all you get are a short string part at the beginning of Dayflower and a few chords in Koibumi, and I'm not convinced about the latter. Interpose+ would have got four stars were it not for that appalling opening track; I can only urge you to start playing the album at track two, should you buy a copy. The rest of the album ranges from 'good' to 'excellent', but that opener is truly horrible.
 |
Sun & Steel (1975, 36.26) ***/TT½Sun and SteelLightnin' Beyond the Milky Way Free Scion Get it Out I'm Right, I'm Wrong Watch the World Going By Scorching Beauty |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Iron Butterfly reformed in the mid-'70s, having initially split a few years after 1968's groundbreaking In-a-Gadda-da-Vida album and single. By 1975's Sun & Steel, however, they were on an unstoppable downwards trajectory, which was a shame, as instead of the washed-up career-end effort you might expect, it's actually a passable mid-'70s hard rock record. Stronger tracks included the title track, Get It Out and I'm Right, I'm Wrong, although wussy ballads like Beyond The Milky Way tended to let the side down somewhat.
Keys man Bill DeMartines (replacing Howard Reitzes, who played on the previous year's Scorching Beauty) got some Mellotron on the album, with a brief burst of flutes on the opening title track, while I'm Right, I'm Wrong has a scorching strings intro, with more flutes later in the track, oddly alongside real strings. More strings and choir on Watch The World Going By, with a final flurry of strings on what should've been the title track to their previous release, Scorching Beauty, although the strings on Beyond The Milky Way are real.
Well, while no classic, parts of Sun & Steel are fairly decent, with a surprising amount of Mellotron work, largely towards the end of the record. Could've been far worse.
 |
Dismorphophobia (1996, recorded 1971-73, 55.36) ***½/T½ |
|
| Claustrophobia Let it Grow Gonna Be Free Lightning Pavement Artist Loving You All I Really Need Take Me Back |
Knock 'em Dead Winter Strait-Jacket Rock Band Blues Real Mean Rocker Spider's Web |
|
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
I can't say I know an awful lot about Iron Claw; it seems they were a very early-'70s Scottish hard rock band, with Black Sabbath influences, among others, although they also had an unfortunate penchant for 'good-time boogie', or whatever you care to call it. Although they never released anything at the time, they laid down a whole load of tracks; now, this has always confused me. How is it that obscure, penniless bands can record so much material that an hour-long CD can be compiled thirty years hence, when I never managed more than a three-song demo with any of my old bands? How did they afford it in those 'studio or nothing' days?
They did, however, and those excellent Audio Archives folks have given us 55 minutes of Iron Claw at various levels of clarity, with some tracks featuring fairly untenable levels of hiss, although I suppose you take what you can get, really. Incidentally, I've no idea how much say the band had in the title, but Dismorphophobia means 'a disorder where the sufferer is unhappy with aspects of their own body', or somesuch; sounds like a wider-reaching version of anorexia to me, and I've zero idea what relevance it had to their music. Anyway, for the record, track 1 is from 1970, 2-9 from '71 (an aborted album project?), 11-14 from '72 and 10 from '73, although it has to be said that the first half of the album fares better than the second, with disposable efforts such as Rock Band Blues and Real Mean Rocker (ugh!) serving only to dilute the power of Claustrophobia or the Stray-like Let It Grow, although I accept that if you're going to clean up a bunch of old tapes, you should be pretty completist about it.
It's difficult to work out whether the band were a four-piece who added keyboards where necessary, or whether Billy Lyall was a full member who wasn't used on every track, as he adds sax and percussion to some of the keyboardless numbers. Anyway, on the Mellotron front, he provides a strings intro on Pavement Artist, but goes for it properly on All I Really Need, with a strings part throughout, with a cello and strings intro on Take Me Back. Three tracks, all dating from the same period looks like a studio machine to me, although given his cello use, it must've been a new M400, which only came out the previous year.
So; a very archive recording of a primitive hard rock band from the early days of the genre; probably one for completists rather than the casual listener, and not as good as Audio Archives' usual hype would lead you to believe, but also nowhere near as bad as many similar efforts. Three 'Tron tracks, only one of which is at all essential, so you know the drill: pick it up if you see it cheap...
n.b. A very odd piece of information has cropped up regarding Iron Claw... Another early-'70s bunch whose work has appeared on CD in recent years, Antrobus (quite possibly named in honour of the first man to restrict access to Stonehenge, fact fans), are no more or less than the same band! Their CD, Buried Together, includes the four surviving tracks by the Flying Hat Band, who included a pre-Judas Priest Glenn Tipton amongst their ranks. Irritatingly, although fewer Iron Claw/Antrobus tracks are included on this version, they're better quality than on Dismorphophobia. Your choice, I suppose.
 |
 |
Isildurs Bane [a.k.a. Sagan om den Irländska Älgen] (1982, 37.17) ***½/½Sagan om den Irländska ÄlgenOvertyr Saga Eller Verklighet Ove P. Sex Minuter En Vilja Att Leva Evighetens Visdom Marlboro Blues Fredrik |
 |
 |
Sea Reflections (1985, 39.25) ***/½BlizzardBatseba Sea Reflections Part I Sea Reflections Part II Poseidon Bilbo Top Secret - UFO The Story of Chester & Sylvester |
Current availability:
Mellotrons used:
Isildurs Bane are a decidedly strange sort of band, spending their first decade constantly changing styles, doubtless confusing the small number of people who knew who they were anyway. Of course, CDs and the Internet have made their music, like so many others', widely available, but it's difficult to know what to recommend, as they've taken several different paths in their career already. The one thing that seems to tie all their different incarnations together is their use of mallet instruments. I saw them in late '98, and they had no less than three different sets of mallets up there (presumably vibraphone, xylophone and marimba), helping to make them one of the most impressive bands of the festival.
Isildurs Bane (later available, retitled Sagan om den Irländska Älgen with Sagan om Ringen on one CD) is a neo-proggish effort, but ends up being better than that sounds. Some of it is quite pastoral, some a little jazzy (not least because of the vibes), and it ends up being really quite listenable, if not exactly wildly exciting. A little Mellotron choir, probably played by Mats Johansson, at the end of Sagen... part 3, Ove P., but not nearly enough to make it worth buying on those grounds alone.
As far as I can work out, despite recording four of Sagan om Ringen's tracks right back in '81, the next album the band actually released was '85's Sea Reflections, and it's immediately obvious they'd moved in a jazzier direction, with much sax and those mallets to the fore again. A couple of 'Tron tracks this time round (I've no idea whether or not the band actually owned a Mellotron, but I rather doubt it); Batseba and Sea Reflections Part II have some faint choirs, but there's only a few seconds in each song. Barely worth mentioning, to be honest.
Isildurs Bane settled down after their mid-'80s jazz period, and are still going now. If you like the sound of their jazz stuff, Sea Reflections and the album with which it's doubled-up on CD, Eight Moments of Eternity, might be your thing, but the rest of you might be better off going for some of their later stuff (Cheval: Volonté de Rocher is particularly good), or maybe the first CD. I wouldn't bother for their minimal 'Tron use, though.
 |
Go All the Way (1980, 34.56) ***/TGo All the Way (Parts 1 & 2)Say You Will (Parts 1 & 2) Pass it on (Parts 1 & 2) Here We Go Again (Parts 1 & 2) Don't Say Goodnight (it's Time for Love) (Parts 1 & 2) The Belly Dancer (Parts 1 & 2) |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
The Isleys were well over twenty years into their career by the time they released 1980's Go All the Way; like almost every other soul/r'n'b record of the time, it largely sits in the Disco camp (and I mean camp), every one of its six tracks having two sections, a vocal part (editable into single form) and an instrumental outro (presumably for b-sides). The end result is completely flawless, perfectly-executed dance music, useless to anyone looking for genuine musical content, although I'm sure aficionados would argue that one at length.
Chris Jasper (an Isley brother-in-law) plays keys, presumably including the album's Mellotron work, with pseudo-orchestral strings right through the album's ballad, Don't Say Goodnight (it's Time for Love), although it's hardly worth getting hot'n'bothered about. So; a decent album of its type with one reasonable 'Tron track, assuming that's what you're after.
 |
Iviron (1981, 35.56) ***½/TTAfter the PushBernie the Faust Bhairava Wings of Perception Part II Part III Irish "Madley" Sister Magic Tales of Iviron Ode |
Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Do you want obscure? Well, do ya, punk? Iviron are about as unknown as it gets, it seems. I'm only aware of their existence due to the kindness of one of my correspondents (thank you, Wolfgang!) - in fact, I can find precisely two 'Net mentions of it, one of which is an expired auction on Belgian eBay... I think you get the picture. So, what are they like? Well, Iviron is definitely 'progressive' - more so than a great many later 'prog' albums, as the band experiment extensively, no one track on the album really sounding like any other, which is something that just doesn't seem to happen any more. After The Push is a classical guitar/flute duet that turns into a Spanish-sounding piece with tabla backing and the occasional soprano voice, Bernie The Faust is a fiddly unison guitar/bass and vocal thing that picks up the pace halfway through, with operatic interjections, Bhairava is as Indian-influenced as you'd expect, Wings Of Perception is a slower prog thing on Part II (whither Part I?) that turns into jazz on Part III... Get the idea? And I haven't even mentioned the bonkers Irish "Madley" or Sister Magic's sad tale of a transsexual pickup...
Ingo Schleicher-Atanasov plays various guitars, sings and adds Mellotron to a handful of tracks, the only keyboard on the album aside from Robert Säbel's piano, fact fans. It's not over-used, but works well where it is heard, with distant strings on Bernie The Faust, a quiet church organ part on Wings Of Perception, Part II and string chords running right through Ode. To be honest, you're probably not going to find this very easily, unless someone does the decent thing and reissues it at some point, but if you want to hear a rare and unusual prog album with enormously diverse influences, you've come to the right place. Of course, Austria in 1981 probably wasn't a hotbed of progressive activity, so this obscure album is even more to be treasured. I'm not saying it's a classic, but it's very much worth hearing for the progressive aficionado, with some nice Mellotron work to boot.
See: Exciting Café
