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![Lift [DDR], 'Lift'](images/lift-lift.jpg) |
Lift (1977) ***½/TTTTWasser und Wein...Fällt der Erste Reif Und es Schuf der Mensch die Erde Jeden Abend Früh am Morgen Ballade vom Stein Du Falsche Schöne Komm Her Abendstunde, Stille Stunde |
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Meeresfahrt (1978, 38.24) ***/½Wir Fahrn Übers MeerNach Süden Scherbenglas Tagesreise Meeresfahrt Sommernacht |
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Lift were one of the few East German progressive bands to emerge during the Communist era; unlike some of their contemporaries, they don't appear to have been straightjacketed into applying their country's politics to their music, so to speak. Lift isn't a 'bit of everything so nobody's left out' album like Karat's Albatross, say; I'm not saying it's a symphonic prog classic, and it certainly has its more commercial moments, but there's no reggae or mainstream pop. Which is nice.
After a slow start, there's quite a bit of Mellotron to be heard, particularly on Und Es Schuf Der Mensch Die Erde, with some great string textures from Wolfgang Scheffler, one of the band's two keyboard players. Lift's overall sound is keyboard-heavy, with, despite the six-piece lineup, one member covering both guitar and bass. As a result, there's very little guitar to be heard, although the album's far less of a 'keyboard classic' than other similar outfits like Epidaurus. There's actually one bona fide prog epic on Lift, Ballade Vom Stein, taking up half of side two, with plenty of Mellotron scattered throughout. Actually, apart from the album's opener, there's Mellotron to be heard on every track; almost exclusively strings, though I think I heard some flutes warbling away under the real thing at one point. I relistened to this expecting a bit of a clunker, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not a classic, but a pretty good album, with some great 'Tron work. Buy if you like that German prog sound.
Lift's second album, Meeresfahrt, shoots my argument in the foot slightly by starting off as a 'something for everyone' record. The bluesy chug of clavinet-driven opener Wir Fahrn Übers Meer is pretty awful, Nach Süden merely average, and while a lot more listenable, the string quartet on Scherbenglas sounds oddly out of place. Tagesreise is a decent enough, Hammond-heavy ballad, Sommernacht rather less so, which leaves the title track. To my astonishment, Meeresfahrt is a truly wonderful piece, uplifting in the same way as, say, Gryphon's coincidentally German-titled (Ein Klein) Heldenleben, with a repeating melody to die for, in a vaguely medieval style, before lurching into a fusionesque middle section. Oddly, it's also the only Mellotron track, opening with phased strings and finishing, some 14 minutes later, with some muted choir, although the flute on the track is presumably real.
So; one reasonable album with loads of Mellotron but few real musical highlights, and one so-so record with next to no 'Tron, but containing one of the best prog tracks I've heard all year. Choices, choices... These are actually available on a twofer from German label Buschfunk, which seems to be going pretty cheaply, saving you a potentially agonising decision.
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The Story of Moses (1972, 39.54) ***/T½The WaterThe Blackberry Bushes White Turns Into Black The Nuisances The Desert The Red Sea |
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Light (originally Light Formation) were a one-off Dutch progressive band, unsurprisingly influenced by Ekseption, only without the cheese (well, they were from Gouda - geddit? Oh, never mind) and, of course, Focus. The album is exactly what it says on the tin, being a rather dodgy Biblical concept effort, although thankfully, there isn't too much singing, and very little narration (chiefly on The Desert). It's not bad, musically, although the jazzy Hammond workout complete with walking bass on White Turns Into Black is rather unnecessary. The rest of the album is essentially sub-Focus; heard worse, heard better.
It's difficult to tell what's producing the string sound on The Water, though considering the album was recorded at Phonogram's studios in Hilversum, chances are it was the strangely-popular-in-the-Netherlands M300 'Tron the studio obviously owned, used by several other bands at the time including Ekseption. Anyway, flutes on the track, too, from Adrie Vergeer, and more strings on The Nuisances, though that appears to be it. So; as I said, heard worse, heard better, not that much 'Tron. Passable.
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Bird on a Wire (2006, 50.50) **/½ |
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| Don't Wake Me Don't Let Go Better Slippin' Round & Round My Sweet Song Alone One Sure Thing |
Overflowing Weight of the World Holding Me Down I'd Be Lost Good Find |
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2006's Bird on a Wire is Toby Lightman's second album, to which I can only say, I do hope her debut's better, although I rather doubt it. This is an unappealing mash-up of modern singer-songwriter stylings and R'n'B, with country tinges here and there, all of which adds up to a tediously mainstream record with few redeeming features. In fact, the only ones I can think of are Lightman's pleasant (if undemanding) voice and the use of vintage keyboards, including Hammond, Wurlitzer and, of course, Mellotron.
Bill Bottrell plays it, but barely, with nothing obvious apart from a brief string part on closer Good Find. It may be hidden away on Don't Let Go, too, but without a positive credit, it's almost impossible to say. All in all, then, a dull, insipid album for people who only see music as something to play in the background while they do more important things. Avoid.
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VCU (We See You) (1973, 40.23/79.09) ***½/½ |
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| In Those Times Which is This Pinky Pigs Doctor Martin I'm Lying on My Belly (including Tango Atonale) Eyes Look From the Mount of Flash |
[CD adds: Chemical New York Adlerbar Catch Me The Wanderer] |
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Going by the 'Net reviews/biogs I've found, Lily formed in the late '60s as Monsun, being persuaded to change their name (and image) by their record company boss, who seemed to have some sort of hang-up about the emergent early '70s glam scene. The music on their sole release, VCU (We See You) is actually blues-influenced prog, with that instantly recognisable 'German' sound (NOT Krautrock), and may very well not appeal to all progressive fans, despite their extended compositional techniques. It's not actually a bad album, but a penchant for blues-based music would certainly help in appreciating it. It's difficult to pick standout tracks; they're pretty much of a muchness, to be honest, but they all seem to do the job they were designed for, which is more than you can say for many bands' output.
Dieter Dierks (again!) guests on Mellotron, but unless my ears deceive me, his entire input is limited to a few chords at the beginning of I'm Lying On My Belly, hardly making this a Mellotron Classic. Incidentally, the four bonus tracks almost double the album's length; there's nothing in the sleevenotes to denote when they date from, but they seem to be a reasonable addition to the album. So; not a bad album of its type, but don't bother for the 'Tron.
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Bellaclava (2000, 47.51) **½/T |
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| Count to 9 Ariel vs. Lotus Wake Up to the Sun Hostess Antenna Pregnant Come on Down Teen Fang |
Shoot But Don't Miss Tankhog Polaroid Go Ride Bullring |
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Limblifter began as Kurt and Ryan Dahle's Age of Electric side-project, gradually taking over as their main band before themselves splitting. 2000's Bellaclava was their second album (of three), an indie/powerpop crossover, better tracks including Ariel Vs. Lotus, mainly for its bassline and Come On Down, although I couldn't really claim that any of it's that exciting, frankly.
Ryan Dahle plays Mellotron, while Richard Sera plays Mellotron and Chamberlin, not that there's much to be heard of either. We get background strings on Pregnant, with slightly more upfront ones at the end of Tankhog and on Bullring, although the strings on Go Ride sound like the credited samples. An Optigan turns up, too, just to confuse the issue, which could provide the 'moving strings' on Bullring, but who knows? The band, probably. Anyway, not especially recommended on any grounds. Sorry, chaps.
See: Age of Electric
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7" (1980) ***/T½ Metal Man Hold Me, Touch Me |
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Limelight [a.k.a. Ashes to Ashes] (1980, 37.05) *****/TTTTGoing HomeKnife in Your Back Mamma (I Don't Wanna Lose Ya) Man of Colours Metal Man Walk on Water Don't Look Back [Ashes to Ashes] |
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Limelight have never been one of the first bands to crop up in discussions on Mellotron classics, which is a real shame. Their style is definitely hard rock as against progressive; in fact, they got themselves caught up in the so-called NWOBHM movement of the early '80s, as did any UK band with a distortion pedal and hair past their collars. Unlike many of their contemporaries, though, their style harks back to the early/mid-'70s, with little of the punk influence of, say, Iron Maiden. This is hardly surprising, given that the band originally formed at school in the late '60s, principally as a covers outfit. They bought their Mellotron to give their then vocalist something to do in the instrumental sections, and to expand their tonal palette. When they contracted to a three-piece, they spread the keyboard load among themselves, though keys duties chiefly fell on guitarist Glenn Scrimshaw. Limelight have often had 'Rush copyist' accusations levelled at them (not helped by drummer Pat Coleman's slight facial resemblance to Geddy Lee), so it must be pointed out that they had both their name and their multi-instrumental three-piece setup years before they'd even heard of Rush, so there goes that one... Apparently, they slowly introduced original material to their sets of covers, giving their regular audiences time to get used to the new material, and, in fact, they were still performing the odd cover around the time of their sole album's release.
Limelight has (in my own humble opinion, of course) one of the Mellotron classics in Man Of Colours. I witnessed the band perform the song live on many occasions, and it always brought the house down. Glenn would put his guitar to one side to sit at the Mellotron, while brother/vocalist/bassist Mike covered all guitar, bass pedal and vocal parts himself. A slow Mellotron strings opening builds to a climax before the unaccompanied flutes of the verse. Over the course of its seven-and-something minutes, Man Of Colours not only gets in some magnificent 'Tron work, but also one of the best melodic guitar solos ever, and that from the bassist!
Limelight has a couple of other 'Tron tracks, too; Metal Man, the song nearest to the prevailing mood of aggression, has a burst of choir in the middle (from a borrowed tape frame), and the multi-faceted Don't Look Back has some gorgeous strings, played on stage by the multi-talented Mike Scrimshaw, who used to run in front of his brother to far stage left to play the part, Fender twin-neck flying in all directions. The rest of the album is solid hard rock; better than most of their contemporaries, Limelight were probably doomed to failure for not being contemporary enough.
An earlier version of Metal Man only available as a single features a slightly different 'Tron part, and there's a second single, Ashes To Ashes, and a track recorded for a film soundtrack that crept out on a various artists compilation in the mid-'80s, but that's it for Limelight's recorded legacy. As mentioned in my UK '80s Prog article, the band recorded a second album in Germany, but none of the tracks have ever seen the light of day in any form. I have it on good authority that there was no Mellotron on these recordings, although there are a couple of demo tracks in existence featuring the instrument. Limelight has been unavailable in the UK since the early '80s, although a Japanese CD exists. There's also a European CD of the Ashes to Ashes version of the album, with a different running order and an extra track, but according to the Future Earth (their original label) website, this is an unofficial release.
If you can track down a vinyl original, there were two versions of the album (pictured above); the original black sleeve Future Earth release, and the lime green Avatar reissue (allegedly remixed, though it's hard to tell). It's rumoured that Avatar were one of the major labels' tax write-offs, and none of its releases were ever meant to be a success. Believe what you will. The recording quality isn't far above that of a demo, sadly; the band were obviously on a tight budget, and it shows. However, don't let this put you off hearing a classic; I still have faith that someday someone will give this the proper expanded CD release it deserves. Either way, if you get a chance to hear this, especially Man Of Colours, do so. A classic.
Incidentally, word has reached me that Limelight's Mellotron (M400 #205) was bought from Glenn Scrimshaw for £300 as late as 1998, in 'less than perfect' condition. Its new owner restored it, and apparently ended up selling it to an Italian Limelight fan! At least it's gone to a good home...
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Gothic Impressions (1994, 53.00) ****/TT½Dresden LamentationThe Iconoclast Green Meadow Lands The Cathedral Gunnlev's Round Night on Bare Mountain The Black Stone |
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Rondo (1995, 22.12) ***/TRondoAllegro Percussivo Humerioso Jazz Eruption Solaris |
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Mundus Incompertus (1998, 42.36) ****/TTBaroque Impression No.1The Crimson Shield Mundus Incompertus |
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Live in America (1999, 94.00) ***½/TT |
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| Baroque Impression No. 1 The Cathedral part 1 The Cathedral part 2 Jerusalem The Iconoclast Green Meadow Lands Allegro Barbaro The Crimson Shield |
Bilbo Medley Rondo Mundus Incompertus part 1 Mundus Incompertus part 2 21st Century Schizoid Man |
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Veni Vidi Vici (2001, 50.59) ***½/T½ |
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| Adagio Veni, Vidi, Vici Gradus ad Parnassum Tower of Thoughts River of Tales Juxtapoint Le Grande Chambardement Adagio Con Flauto et Clavicembalo |
Hymn The Premonition |
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Live in Iceland (2002, 56.33) ***½/TT |
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| Adagio (Intro) Gradus ad Parnassum Veni Vidi Vici Tower of Thoughts Montagues & Capulets Charleston Rag The River of Tales Juxtapoint |
Hymn The Premonition |
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Pär Lindh is a Swedish keyboard player who first played in progressive bands in the late '70s, then moved into the classical arena for a decade before helping to kickstart progressive music in Sweden again late in the '80s. He's most decidedly a Keith Emerson nut, which is a bit of a shame, as his own style is frequently subsumed below that of his erstwhile mentor (of whom I am no great fan, I'm afraid).
Gothic Impressions is Lindh's first album, and is certainly very gothic, although fewer digital synths might've been nice, although I suppose he needed sampled strings for some of the pseudo-orchestral arrangements. I actually feel that the album would have been better had it been instrumental; the vocals aren't particularly good, but musically it's excellent. Much church organ abounds (possibly real?), along with the Hammond variety and some analogue synth lines here and there. Lindh owns Anekdoten's old twin-keyboard Mark V, and uses it in reasonable amounts over the first four tracks here, although I don't actually know if he'd bought it by 1994. The most major use is a solo Mellotron section at the end of The Iconoclast (not the ELP number), consisting of various flute, string and cello parts, although the other three listed tracks have enough 'Tron to be worth the effort, particularly the lengthy The Cathedral. Lindh's take on Mussorgsky's Night On Bare Mountain is more 'accurate' than Fireballet's, but isn't a patch on it for sheer excitement value, I'm afraid.
Rondo, a mini-album, was Lindh's next release, and looks rather like a stopgap between albums 'proper'. The first third of the CD is a cover of Dave Brubeck (via ELP)'s Rondo, with full-on Emersonisms abounding, while the next two tracks are short and generally uninteresting. This leaves the 11-minute Solaris, mostly played on an ancient Korg 3100, with a little 'Tron choir and strings coming in after the 9-minute mark (definitely the Mark V this time), so I wouldn't exactly call this one a 'Tron classic. By the way, the lettering on the sleeve says "Like a hellhound train running through warinflicted landscapes" (sic). No, I don't know why, either.
It was back to business as usual on '98's Mundus Incompertus, after Lindh's diversion with Björn Johansson (below) and while it's a definite improvement, those Emersonisms keep creeping in. The vocals are much improved, although the song structures still wander in places, and while there are thankfully fewer digital synths, I still don't know the provenance of the church organ sounds. On the Mellotron front, Baroque Impression No.1 only has the odd burst of choir, while the acoustic guitar-driven The Crimson Shield concentrates more on strings and flutes. The lengthy title track offers very little Mellotronically until about fourteen minutes in, when it suddenly breaks into a solo 'Tron cello part, with choir and strings coming in over the top. Unfortunately, that seems to be it, so hardly a 'Tron classic, but if you like Lindh's other albums, you'll like this one.
Lindh's first live album, Live in America, is a shortish two-disc record of his first US trip, mostly recorded at Progday 1998, although two tracks, Allegro Barbaro and The Crimson Shield, hail from the previous year's Brazilian jaunt. It's a good run-through of material from all three of his releases to date, plus a version of William Blake's Jerusalem that's actually introduced as 'ELP's version', a medley of pieces from Lindh and Björn Johansson's Bilbo and their take on Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man. Plenty of Mellotron (assuming he actually took/borrowed a real one), with choirs on Baroque Impression No. 1, Jerusalem and The Iconoclast, choir and strings on The Cathedral Part 1 and flutes and strings on Green Meadow Lands. However, the choirs on the track sound like generic samples, running alongside the sampled church organ, also appearing on Rondo and the strings on both parts of Mundus Incompertus sound sampled, too. Overall, not bad, but not for beginners.
By now officially a trio of Lindh, Magdalena Hagberg on vocals and violin and drummer Nisse Bielfeld (which probably explains the 'III' on the cover), 2001's Veni, Vidi, Vici isn't wildly different to Lindh's previous work, still with a little too much ELP for comfort, although the band's sonic palette seems to've been somewhat expanded. Opening with a short piece scored for strings, Adagio, followed by the PLP-by-numbers of the title track, the album's centrepiece is Gradus Ad Parnassum; epic in scope, Lindh's concert-standard piano work elevates it to probably the best piece on the album. On the Mellotron front, there are background strings on Veni, Vidi, Vici, Gradus Ad Parnassum and Hymn, with a more upfront part on Juxtapoint, along with what sounds like 'Tron flutes, although there is credited flute on the album, too. With (real) choir on a couple of tracks, more (real) string section and (yup, it's real) church organ, too, despite the occasional overly-bombastic outburst, Lindh has made another listenable and largely well-written album in the by-now classic progressive tradition.
Another live effort, Live in Iceland, does exactly what it says on the tin; a disc's-worth of material from what I would guess to be the band's only trip to an island that rarely features on touring bands' itineraries. It's almost a live version of Veni Vidi Vici, with no fewer than eight of its tracks, plus a bit of Prokoviev (Montagues & Capulets, from Romeo & Juliet, in a not entirely tasteful arrangement) and Eubie Blake's Charleston Rag, going for that 'Emerson effect' again on both fronts. Given the fact that Lindh concentrates on the piano on most tracks, yet there's Mellotron all over the place and Hagberg's credited with keys, I think it's safe to assume that most of the Mellotron work is hers, not his. We get strings and choir (sometimes simultaneously) on Gradus Ad Parnassum, presumably from Lindh's MkV; the choir wobbles authentically enough at one point that it must be real, with more of the same on Veni Vidi Vici, Tower Of Thoughts (although it's not on the studio version), while the choirs on The Premonition are probably Lindh, as a) Magdalena's singing or playing violin and b) Lindh isn't doing anything else at that point.
Well, going by these albums, Pär Lindh has considerable talent, but doesn't always know in which direction to point it, although I'd still say buy all here except Rondo. Tragically, Magdalena Hagberg died in 2007, aged all of 34; I believe Lindh has regrouped the band, but this probably explains their relative inactivity for most of the 2000s.
See: Bollenberg Experience | Mattsson | Marco Lo Muscio | New Grove Project
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Bilbo (1996, 66.04) ***½/TT |
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| The Shire Gandalf the Magician Song of the Dwarfs Rivendell The Dark Cave Running Towards the Light Uncomfortable Seats |
In Beorn's Garden and Beorn's Walk to Carrock Mirkwood Suite Mirkwood In the Palace of the Elven King Barrel Ride Laketown Fugue The Return of the King |
Smaug Roäc's Tale The Battle of the Five Armies Thorin's Funeral Afterture Shire Song |
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Lindh's third album, his take on the whole Lord of the Rings thing (or rather, in this case, The Hobbit), Bilbo, was a collaboration with guitarist Björn Johansson, and is the odd man out in his catalogue, being a largely folk-influenced work. There are still plenty of his trademark keys, but practically no Emersonisms this time round (hooray!), although I hear relatively little of his much-trumpeted 'Mellotron 400 and Mark V', either.
Mostly instrumental, the material is far better than on Rondo, although Lindh still tends towards a lack of taste in places and (again) too many digital synths. Just about the only Mellotron I can hear is choir parts on the highlighted tracks above, some (The Battle Of The Five Armies) more upfront than others, with maybe just a smidgeon of strings on the closer, Shire Song. Did this really need three keyboards'-worth of 'Trons?
See: Björn Johansson
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buzzy [a.k.a. Buzzy's buzzy] (1969, 44.46) ***/TTYellow CabStep Into My Wildest Dreams Willie Jean Wish I Could Find Sing Joy End Song |
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Buzz(y) Linhart was originally known for his mallet skills, becoming a vibraphone virtuoso at a young age. After spells backing noted Greenwich Village doyen Fred Neil and others, he recorded his first solo album, buzzy [sic], in London in late 1968, released the following year. The album is dominated by side two's 18-minute raga-rock Sing Joy, encapsulating Linhart's multiple influences in one long-form piece and featuring what sounds suspiciously like a hurdy-gurdy. The rest of the record consists of bluesy acoustic material like Tim Hardin's Yellow Cab and Wish I Could Find and the lengthy, vaguely psychedelic Willie Jean.
MkII 'Tron strings from Phil Ryan (Eyes of Blue) on Willie Jean, sounding not unlike a Mellotron-soaked version of Python Lee Jackson's In A Broken Dream and End Song, which doesn't. buzzy is a bit of a mixed bag, with a couple of the shorter tracks failing to hold the attention and the epic, while groundbreaking, does go on a bit, if we're going to be honest here. Two decent 'Tron tracks, particularly Willie Jean, so you might want to hear those even if the rest of the album doesn't appeal. Linhart has reissued the album as Buzzy's buzzy, seemingly changing the track order, which makes a slight mockery of End Song, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing.
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Goodbye (2008, 41.22) ***/½ |
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| Run for Your Love Down By the Lake Lonesome Traveller Good to See You (Bill's Song) Old Time Radio Lover Turn Around Secret Wish |
You're Not the Only One How You Doin' Today Runner Run Stone Cold Morning |
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Anita Lipnicka moved to London from her native Poland in 1996, teaming up with John Porter (who has major connections with the country himself) five years later. They made three albums together, after which, although remaining a couple, they opted to work separately. Unsurprisingly, 2088's Goodbye is the last of these, a largely acoustic record with a slightly American folk vibe about it, although as with so many similar, the music seems to be largely a vehicle for the lyrics, having relatively little intrinsic value of its own, which isn't to say it's bad, just generic.
Chris Eckman plays Mellotron, with a real-sounding string part on Old Time Radio that dips in and out of the piece, although the cello on How You Doin' Today is real. Overall, then, a reasonable album, but unless you're heavily into the style, even its forty minutes can pall. One Mellotron track, but even that's fairly minor.
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Pour in the Sky (1991, 49.43) ****/T |
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| Intro Finding My Way W.H.Y.B. No Secret On My Way Better or Worse The Light Sacrifice |
The Colorful Ones Faith to Believe Feelings Flower Bleed |
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When the current trend for 'stoner' bands is mentioned, everyone remembers the Masters of Reality (who are still around), but Liquid Jesus are the forgotten men of the proto-genre. Maybe they just weren't heavy enough. Anyway, after the US-only Live (***½), Pour in the Sky appeared, refusing to adhere to any of the then-current received wisdom about how rock albums should sound. Dirty, bluesy and retro, it was an album both out of and before its time, but sadly, the rivers of musical change seem to have left them stranded on a sandbank somewhere, rather than at the forefront of the burgeoning aforementioned movement.
Various 'authentic' keys are used on the album, including producer Michael Beinhorn's Mellotron, though on two tracks only, with some almost-inaudible strings on No Secret, and rather more upfront cellos/strings/flutes on the acoustic Zeppelinesque Faith To Believe. These hardly qualify the album as a 'Mellotron Record', but for fans of retro hard rock, this is a more than worthwhile purchase.
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Behind the Bend (2010, 28.28) ****/0Was it the MoonSimplicity Dream of Goats World Falling Down Child of Trees Gong for Hours (Jupiter's Under the Moon) |
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Lisa Isaksson's Lisa o Piu released their second album, the beautiful Behind the Bend, in 2010, gaining instant acid folk credibility with their luminous, ethereal sound, all light-as-air vocals, zithers, glockenspiels and violas. At under half an hour, it doesn't have time to drag, but every track has its strengths, notably the twelve-minute Child Of Trees and closer Gong For Hours (Jupiter's Under The Moon), which is, er, three minutes of softly-struck solo gong.
David Svedmyr is credited with Mellotron and supposedly owns a Swedish-built MkVI, but I'd love to know where it is on the album; the strings are clearly real and the flutes (two band members are credited) all sound pretty authentic, too. Svedmyr played mellophone on Roger Wootton (of Comus) and Piu's Cut the Air at Mello Club the previous year; maybe this is the cause of the confusion? Anyway, no obvious Mellotron, but a truly beautiful record, guaranteed to appeal to fans of dark folk. Excellent.
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A Place in the Sun (1999, 45.21) ***/½ |
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| Four My Own Worst Enemy Down Miserable No Big Thing Zip-Lock Lovely Day Perfect One |
Quicksand Happy The Best is Yet to Come Undone A Place in the Sun |
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A Place in the Sun is Lit's second album, displaying their raucous powerpop to good effect; I've seen them described as 'a cross between Nirvana and Cheap Trick', which is no bad thing. Unfortunately, the promise shown by opener Four dissipates all too soon, as much of the material is too samey to sustain an album's-worth of it, although I'm sure that's as much down to taste as anything. The overall vibe isn't helped by the whole pop-punk thing being cheapened by the likes of Green Day, Blink 182 et al, although this is nearer pop than punk, despite the fuzz pedals.
Mellotron on Perfect One, from Niels Bye Nielsen, with a smattering of flutes that don't really add much to the song, to be honest. Well, if you like yer punky powerpop, listen to Lit, and if you don't, er, don't. That's it.
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You Are Here (2004, 62.04) ****/TTTT½ |
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| Infinity Drive Dreams of Space You Are Here Sonic Light Rays of Sonic Light (Theta Wave) Inductor There I Can't Be Sane |
Chime Stone Oscillator (Static Ritual) |
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Planetfall (2007, 76.34) ***/TTT |
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| Destroy the Mothership The Tempest Lost Stations Under the Sign Planetfall Psychic Projection Singularity Helios |
Expanding Universe (Twinstar pt.2) The Machine Age Far Beyond Planetfall/Seti |
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Aurora (2009, 65.31) ****/TTTTBeyond the SunIn the Burning Light Eos Miles Away Stars Kings of Infinite Space Ma:55°N Rift Red Skies |
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Daze öf the Undergröund: a Tribute tö Hawkwind (2003) ***½/T[Litmus contribute]Paradox |
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Er... am I allowed to review myself? Whatever. I joined Litmus in spring 2001, but it's taken us until late '03 to record anything other than demos; You Are Here is a full-length, non-CD-R release, and the first to utilise my elderly keyboard arsenal properly. What do we sound like? The tribute album to which we contributed should give you a clue; while we're not a Hawkwind clone, we are, to quote 'The Secret Policeman's Ball', 'fucking close'. Actually, that's not fair; there's a more metal edge to our sound; our version of Paradox (from The Hall of the Mountain Grill), on Daze öf the Undergröund: a Tribute to Hawkwind (umlauts optional), has more bite than the original, and every bit as much Mellotron (recorded in my front room, fact fans), although I wouldn't try to claim it was superior. How many covers are? It rocks, though, and in my humble opinion ends up being one of the better tracks on the album.
You Are Here itself is a mixture of material we've been playing for a year or two and brand-new stuff, plus several 'interludes' that aren't designed to be played live. Infinity Drive kicks things off in grand style, complete with a ropey Hammond solo by yours truly, followed by Dreams Of Space, in a similar, though slightly more progressive style. The title track is a laid-back acoustic thing, and from then on, every track has a different feel, from the almost-poppiness of Sonic Light (don't ask) to the trippy dronefest that is (Theta Wave) Inductor to the monstrous, 21-minute stoner space-rock epic of Stone Oscillator (Static Ritual).
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| photo: Belch | |
As you can see, my 'Tron gets in on most tracks, with only Sonic Light and two short interludes being spared. And before you accuse me of instrumental nepotism, much of it was insisted upon by our bassist, Martin, who did a grand job of recording the whole thing on his hard disc system. OK... a high string line on Infinity Drive doubles the top note of the string synth riff, although the rising string line in the verse on Dreams Of Space ended up too low in the mix, for some reason. You Are Here itself has strings, flutes and cello all going at once, sounding authentically cranky in places (must sort those pinch rollers out...), while my own little contribution to the album, Rays Of Sonic Light, is a short, Mellotron/Moog-drenched instrumental based on the synth melody from Sonic Light. Inductor is mostly laid-back Moog until it all kicks in near the end and a 'Tron string part takes over, with a weird part during the gradual slow-down at the end which is Martin's sonic trickery with something I'd played earlier. The manic I Can't Be Sane (what happens when you let your drummer write a song...) has some strings and choir buried in the mix, while Stone Oscillator features a polyphonic flute part (my idea, folks) over an initial quiet verse, before some upfront strings later on. The choirs were my idea, again, although they're fairly low in the mix.
I know it's a bloody cheek reviewing my own work, but I make the rules up around here, usually as I'm going along. So there. It's taken me almost 25 years of playing in bands to finally get an album out, and I'm glad to say that my eventual debut is pretty much an unqualified success. Of course I recommend it, and not just to Hawkwind fans, but you'll just have to make your own minds up, OK? Now, hold your breath for three years...
For reasons too irksome to go into here, it's taken us nearly three years to release our follow-up, Planetfall, although it should've been finished in time for autumn 2006 [sigh]. Well, it would be fair to say that it's a mixed bag; too long for a 'proper' label debut, with various tracks of which no-one (myself included) would let go (and let's not even go there re. the closing seconds of the record...), although it would probably have been better having a good 15 minutes chopped off somewhere down the line. Suffice to say, my personal version of the album will be shorter and tighter... A real disappointment for me, after having such a great time at the residential studio in Wales that we used (hi, Dave), was hearing the final mix and realising how much of my Mellotron and Moog work has been mixed either low or completely out while I wasn't looking. In other words, despite the seemingly high number of 'Tron tracks listed above, many of them 'feature' parts mixed down so far that all that remains is a ghostly high string note washing around in the background somewhere, usually at the end of the song as everything else dies down.
Destroy the Mothership, The Tempest, Psychic Projection and Far Beyond all fall into this category, several of them losing Moog lines, too, although the whole-tone scale strings in Singularity and the choirs under the solo in my contribution, The Machine Age, have just about survived. The massive string swells in Helios have ended up reverbed to death and quieter than some contributions by other members that were only designed to be 'add-ons', although a genius idea of laptop guru Anton's is quite high in the mix; he mic'd up the inside of the 'Tron while I was playing, and its mechanical noise, including the tapes snapping back are clearly audible, along with the only obvious (albeit overly quiet) bit of Moog Taurus on the album. That leaves three tracks: the mighty Under The Sign loses about half of what was recorded, although what's left sounds pretty good (watch for the pitchbend before the 'slow bit'), while Lost Stations has a full-on part which survived the cull, particularly on the chorus. Finally, the album's classic (in my humble etc. etc.): Expanding Universe (Twinstar Pt.2). Not only is this a monster track, fitting vaguely into the same category as our debut's Stone Oscillator, but it features wall-to-wall Mellotron, with my patented 'infinite sustain' choirs over the intro (as on You Are Here's Inductor), a poly flute part on the chorus, repeated multiple times on the outro (and all played for real), plus shitloads of strings, both on the verses and during the massive 'tension/release' section in the middle, which builds up to an almost unbearable peak before finally breaking. Oh, and watch for the almost dissonant choir chords after the second chorus; if only I'd written them...
For what it's worth, as you read this, I am no longer a member of the band; the time-honoured 'musical differences' have reared their ugly heads again, which is hardly surprising after this review... We're all still mates, but after six years, I feel it's time to go and do something I want to do. 'Nuff said. I've told Martin he can use my 'Tron (and anything else from my collection, if he so desires) whenever he likes, so expect future Litmus 'Tron albums, only not played by my good self.
Well, after all that, the band's first post-me album is 2009's Aurora. Given how unimpressed I was with the material at early writing sessions, I have to say, it's an absolute triumph. Gone are the near-prog epics, gone are the punky thrashes, replaced by solid, melodic songwriting, albeit in an unmistakably space-rock style. Some things never change... It contains a mere eight tracks, although it's still over an hour long, with three of them jammed into infinity and another two not exactly brief, but the vocal work all round is dramatically improved, at least melodically and harmonically and the whole thing just seems more... focussed, for want of a better word. Saying that, it has its faults; there's still too much noodling and a couple of the songs are too long for their content, not to mention the usual 'it's too bloody long' problem, but all in all, it's fantastic. Highpoints? Kings Of Infinite Space takes forever to reach its peak, but when it does, it's worth it, while Ma:55°N Rift (band in-jokes: don'cha love 'em?) is as trippy as anything we/they ever tackled.
Mellotronically speaking, all the time my M400 sat at Martin's has obviously been beneficial. Unlike last time, he's stuck it all over the place here, mostly strings, well-played and mixed, with interesting lines thrown in, sometimes echoing vocal parts. They use my 'infinite choir' trick not once but twice, to the point where it's starting to look like a 'Litmus trick'. Expect it next time round... Basically, loads of Mellotron, only marked down for its relative lack of ambition, repeating the same 'octave strings' trick from their two previous efforts. Am I sorry not to be on it? Not in the slightest. It's an excellent piece of work, but my days of providing octave strings are over, I hope.
So; what do I recommend? You Are Here and Aurora, chiefly, although there's a killer 40-50 minute album to be made from Planetfall, too, so that's a very cautious recommendation. Basically, the very best space-rock band around, including the obvious.
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Mad Country (2007, 42.03) **½/T |
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| Like it Was Before The Dam is Broken Dream Pony Played Horses Sleep Machine Ten Walls |
No Reason at the Hollywood Hotel Each Measure Shadow in the Sand |
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Australians Little Aida appear to be led by sisters Susannah and Tessa Rubinstein, the latter singing lead across their second album, 2007's Kramer-produced Mad Country, released a startling eleven years after their debut. It's a downbeat, folk-inspired record, falling somewhere inbetween the slowest end of the indie spectrum and early '70s singer-songwriter territory, the sisters' vocals habitually being fed through washes of reverb, along with most of the instrumentation.
Kramer plays (presumably) his M400, with wavery flutes on opener Like It Was Before and distant strings on Ten Walls, neither to any great effect, sadly. This is one of those 'good for two or three tracks' albums, but even at sensible vinyl length, it rather outstays its welcome, so with so little Mellotron, I feel unable to especially recommend it.
See: Kramer
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Little Free Rock (1969, 40.44) ***/T½Roman Summer NightsLost Lonely Blud Castles in the Sky Dream Tingle Evil Woman Age of Chivalry Making Time |
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Little Free Rock, despite their American-sounding name, were a Lancashire-based trio whose name, unusually (uniquely?), is comprised of the meanings behind each member's names. They started as covers band Purple Haze, morphing into the proto-hard rock Little Free Rock in 1969, and after the usual label hassles, recorded their sole, eponymous album. Like so many other bands of the day, they found themselves, through no fault of their own, unable to translate their live sound onto tape, and ended up most unsatisfied with the end result. Before long, they started using African percussionists at gigs (including guys who played with Ginger Baker, and a couple who ended up in Osibisa), and although they were playing the same songs live, they were apparently almost unrecognisable from their studio versions. Guitarist Peter Illingworth's site (link below) details their story in full; all I can say is, it's a wonder anyone ever made any money out of playing music, then or now, and the high attrition rate doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Little Free Rock isn't a bad album, loosely comparable to the likes of May Blitz, Clear Blue Sky or maybe Stray, but it isn't a sound that's dated well, although had the band been able to record their live sound, maybe things would have been different. Closer Making Time, at around ten minutes, is the only jammed-out piece on the record, with the rest of the material being in the usual 3-5 minute bracket, and while nothing especially stands out writing-wise, the whole is a pleasant enough listen. Tim Hinckley, from Jody Grind (whose chief claim to fame was an album called Far Canal; say it out loud in a London accent...), played Mellotron on three tracks, with rather unadventurous string parts on Roman Summer Nights, Blud (with a nice upward pitchbend) and Castles In The Sky, and although it enhances the album, it's nothing you can't live without.
So; OK album, of its time, bit of 'Tron. I'm not really selling this to you, am I? Seriously, if you like that '69-'71 period in British rock, chances are you'll like this, but I wouldn't bother for its Mellotron use.
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Leap Years (2009, 37.04) **½/T |
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| Oslo Highway's Pull The Future Eating Fish in Hamburger Heaven Bait Some Things We Need to Forget The Next Time We Meet |
Sex & Loneliness A Few Words From Our Ten Nominees Letter to Carrie Words That Kill |
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Sjur Lyseid appears to be Little Hands of Asphalt, a Norwegian singer-songwriter at the mainstream pop end of the spectrum, going by his debut, 2009's Leap Years. Although far better than many similar, with a distinct Dylan influence in places, too much of the album's material slips into that cheesy style so beloved of his American contemporaries, largely due to his vocal melodies, worst offenders being Bait and The Next Time We Meet.
Lyseid plays Mellotron, with distant strings on The Future and a flute melody on The Next Time We Meet, possibly even from a real machine. I can't honestly recommend this, although it could've been so much worse. Two Mellotron tracks, but neither exactly redefines the instrument's use in popular culture. Or something.
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Little Joy (2008, 31.07) **½/½ |
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| The Next Time Around Brand New Start Play the Part No One's Better Sake Unattainable Shoulder to Shoulder With Strangers |
Keep Me in Mind How to Hang a Warhol Don't Watch Me Dancing Evaporar |
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The members of Little Joy met in Portugal, formed in L.A. and hail from Brazil and the US, so with so much potential cross-cultural fertilisation, it makes me wonder how they managed to come up with an album as lacklustre as their eponymous 2008 debut. Sorry, but a sort of slightly Latin/indie crossover isn't about to set the world on fire, especially when it 'features' songs as dreary as Play The Part and With Strangers.
Rodrigo Amarente plays Mellotron, with what I presume are 'Tron strings towards the end of Don't Watch Me Dancing, as I can't imagine where else they'd be. Sadly, Little Joy is well-named; despite the South American influence, there really is little joy in listening to this, on any level.
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The World is Flat (1992, 49.16) **½/TT½ |
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| Railways & Roads Au Milieu du Ciel Rubber Hearts In the Heat Rumours Pray for the Great Day Hearts Burn Journey to Ixtlan |
Thoughts & Words When Summer's Gone Late World Shift Bain de Minuit |
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Little Nemo (named for the comic character) were a French entry in the 'alt.rock' stakes, whose third (?) full album, 1992's The World is Flat, is a passable collection of material, although its diversity is its artistic downfall, its contents veering between the folk/pop of opener Railways & Roads, the pseudo-'60s pop of Rubber Hearts and Thoughts & Words and bluesy closer Bain De Minuit.
The album features no fewer than three Mellotron players, Jean Taxis, Ronan Lesergent and Vincent le Gallo (nothing to do with tedious egomaniac Vincent Gallo), although only four obvious tracks: strings and choirs on Railways & Roads and strings on Au Milieu Du Ciel, Rumours and Thoughts & Words. All in all, then, a rather uninteresting set, sadly, although an early player in the 'Mellotron revival' stakes, with a handful of decent Mellotron tracks.
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Birds of Pray (2003, 44.29) **½/½ |
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| Heaven She The Sanctity of Dreams Run Away Life Marches on Like I Do Sweet Release Everytime I See Your Face |
Lighthouse River Town Out to Dry Bring the People Together What Are We Fighting for? |
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To my surprise, the appallingly-named Live have been around in one form or another since the early '80s, releasing their first album under this name, Mental Jewelry, in 1991. Their major breakthrough came with '94's multi-million selling Throwing Copper, since when they seem to've struggled slightly to maintain their momentum. 2003's Birds of Pray was album no.6 and I don't seem to be alone in saying that it was clearly a water-treading exercise, full of the sort of bland, mainstream rock peddled by the likes of Train, or even the horrible Matchbox Twenty, although, in fairness, nowhere near as bad as the latter. I've seen them described as 'post-U2 arena rock', which is about as close as you're going to get, to be honest, Christian-lite lyrics and all. Best tracks? I could listen to this a dozen times (although I'd much rather not) and still be unable to answer that question, due to the anodyne nature of their vaguely anthemic, hollow songs. Oh well, at least it's relatively short.
The ubiquitous Patrick Warren was brought in on Chamberlin, along with a small string section, but guess what? It's as near-as-dammit inaudible, as always. Why do producers do this? What is the point in bringing in a keyboard as distinctive as the Chamberlin, then burying it in the mix? There's something completely unidentifiable on Run Away, and an extremely brief burst of strings on Out To Dry, which may be the string quartet anyway, with nothing else even slightly Chamby-like. Pointless. Ugly sleeve, too. So; if you like hollow, anthemic rock, you'll like Live. As for the rest of us, shall we go somewhere else?
