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Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
By the way, if you know of any Mellotron albums that aren't listed here, please look at my albums page first! Thanks.
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Mirabilis (2005, 58.38) ****/T |
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| Star of the Sea Trovommi Amor Temptasyon San'c Fuy Belha Ni Prezada All for Love of One The Lament Musa Venit Carmine Kilmeny Lhiannan Shee |
Umlahi Cittern Segue Return of the Birds Tam Lin Scarborough Fayre Come My Sweet Märk Hur Vår Skugga This World Fareth as a Fantasye Away |
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The Mediæval Bæbes, helmed by Katherine Blake, coalesced from the last lineup of Miranda Sex Garden, who gigged in the '90s with Cardiacs, amongst others. Following on from MSG's semi-medieval schtick, the Bæbes have gone the whole hog and sing nothing but madrigals and other early music, using both traditional and non-traditional instrumentation. Group numbers vary wildly, from six to twelve, with eight on their release that concerns us here, 2005's Mirabilis.
Singing in many languages, both living and 'dead', the ensemble, if you'll excuse the raft of clichés I'm about to land on you, spin a web of voices, harps, hand-drums, violins and all manner of non-standard instrumentation, creating music that gets into the classical charts and even my uncle likes. They do all this whilst remaining more than acceptable to anyone who appreciates the more uncommon things in life, which hopefully includes you lot out there.
Then-member Cylindra Sapphire plays Mellotron on Lhiannan Shee, with string and flute parts enhancing the song nicely, although, sadly, that seems to be it on the 'Tron front. This really is a lovely album, far better than most attempts at recreating the sound of medieval England (not you, Circulus) and far more accessible than most 'serious' early music ensembles. Not much Mellotron, but more than worthy of your purchasing power. Do it.
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One & One is One (1973) ***/TOut on the StreetHow Does it Feel Instant Karma Kid Another Lay Blue Suede Shoes - To Train Time One & One is One Morning Light I Know Why All the Fallen Teenangels |
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Medicine Head are probably best remembered these days, if at all, for being the first band to release an album called Dark Side of the Moon, a whole year before the, er, 'better known' one. They were an odd little band; a duo of vocalists John Fiddler, who played drums and guitar simultaneously (!) live, and Peter Hope-Evans, who played harmonica and other mouth implements. They were exactly the kind of outfit that appealed to the very much-missed John Peel, whose status as 'champion of the underdog' led him to sign them to his fledgling Dandelion label, named for a pet hamster of the same name. Peel released their first three albums, the final one being the aforementioned, before they moved to Polydor for another three records before splitting in 1977, Fiddler going on to front the rather dull British Lions, including members of the recently-defunct Mott the Hoople.
One & One is One was their fourth album, and first for Polydor. So; whassit sound like? I hear you cry. Well... Try to imagine a pub-rock band playing vaguely folk-rock material, infused with the ramshackle spirit of early rock'n'roll, and you might be getting close. I don't know if it sounds anything like their other albums, but I wouldn't be surprised. I can't say it's a sound that's dated especially well, to be honest, although going by the live track at the end of side one, Blue Suede Shoes - To Train Time, they were a lot of fun in a hot, sweaty club.
Tony Ashton, of just about everyone, not least Ashton, Gardner & Dyke and, briefly, Family, augments the duo here on various keyboards, including a very nice Mellotron strings part on what could be the album's best track, closer All The Fallen Teenangels, although that's your lot, sadly. So; you're unlikely to buy this for its 'Tron content, but students of arcane early-'70s British rock (are there such things?) may wish to hear this to see what people were listening to at the time when they wandered off the musical beaten track. Fiddler is still playing to this day, and still has hair (albeit white) halfway down his back, resurrecting the Medicine Head name every now and again, although I've no idea whether he still plays guitar sat behind a bass drum. We can only hope so.
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Largo (2002, 65.26) ****/T |
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| When it Rains You're Vibing Me Dusty Mcnugget Dropjes Paranoid Android Franklin Avenue Sabbath Dear Prudence |
Free Willy Alvarado Wave/Mother Nature's Son I Do |
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Brad Mehldau leads a jazz piano trio, but that's where the similarity to a thousand other players end. Not completely, admittedly, as Mehldau has tackled standards, notably on his early albums in the '90s, before he started writing most of his own repertoire, but his methodology is unusual, as is his habit of covering rock and pop artists in his own style, nor least his version of Soundgarden's ubiquitous Black Hole Sun. Largo is his ninth album in six years, eschewing standards for his own compositions and a few well-known covers, notably Radiohead's Paranoid Android, quickly recognisable, despite its unfamiliar setting. He also tackles two Beatles songs, with an only slightly jazzed-up take on Dear Prudence and a vibraphone-led Mother Nature's Son. Of his own material, Free Willy features an excellent little percussive synth part, while Sabbath is probably the most impressive, mostly because its heavy synth riff sounds slightly like, er, Sabbath...
Jon Brion turns up and does his usual Chamberlin thing, with a high-end string part on Mehldau's segue of Antonio Carlos Jobim's Wave and Mother Nature's Son; at least it's actually audible, which makes a nice change. If this is the face of modern jazz piano, I have no problem with it whatsoever; sadly, most practitioners are far more conservative than this, ghettoising their music for an ageing audience. By no means all of you will like Largo, but it's an impressive piece of work, with once reasonable Chamberlin track.
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Shadow of a Rose (1986, 38.33) ***/½ |
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| River of Singers The Blue Western Sea Shadow of a Rose Where the Wolf Sleeps A Picnic in the Castlegarden Scars Run Rintintin Run Wings of the Dragon |
First Snow First Reprise |
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Mekanik Kommando (where did they get that name?) were a Dutch avant- outfit in the '80s, when that kind of stuff was even more marginal than it is now (hard to believe, but true). 1986's Shadow of a Rose was their fourth full album, its follow-up, The Castle of Fair Welcome, being quickly reissued under their new name, The Use of Ashes, making this the last exclusively Mekanik Kommando release. It mixes elements of folk, Velvets-inspired 'new wave', psych, even prog in places, not to mention a reasonable helping of weirdness, although it's less 'odd' than their reputation led me to believe.
Mainmen Simon and Peter van Vliet both play the band's own M400, with distant choirs on Wings Of The Dragon, although I can't quite believe it took both of them to play the part. This is available as disc one of the three-LP (yes, vinyl only) The Rosebud Years, credited to both Mekanik Kommando and The Use of Ashes, although I've no idea whether the duo are planning to release it on CD at any point.
See: Use of Ashes
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Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996, 47.42) ***/T |
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| Overture Jerry Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) Just Another Day This May Not Be the End of the World Emotional Love Mr. Bellows The Full Catastrophe |
Circling Around the Moon Large World Turning Jackamo Road Life is Hard |
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It took John Mellencamp a decade to work his way from Johnny Cougar, through John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp to arrive at his real name, always claiming that 'Cougar' was landed on him by his manager, the legendary Tony DeFries (David Bowie). After his early-'80s burst of Springsteen-ish hits such as Jack And Diane, Mellencamp rapidly moved in a rootsier direction, particularly on 1985's seminal Scarecrow, unwittingly helping to invent what eventually became known as Americana a decade later. Mr. Happy Go Lucky, his 14th album, is allegedly more 'dance orientated', but simply sounds like a roots-rock album to yours truly, albeit one with a pretty modern sound for the mid-'90s. Good songs all round, but something about it can't compete with the likes of Wilco or, say, Beachwood Sparks.
Despite a serious complement of tape-replay players, there seems to be very little actually on the album. Mellencamp regular Mike Wanchic plays Mellotron, while co-guitarist Andy York plays both Mellotron and Chamberlin, although the only obvious parts are what sounds like 'Tron cellos on Jerry, and definite flutes on Mr. Bellows, which isn't to say there aren't more parts hiding somewhere in the mix. So; Mellencamp fans will love this, Americana fans should give it a go, everyone else should probably not bother. It's actually a pretty reasonable album, although its tape-replay's a bit thin on the ground, to be honest.
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Another Mellow Summer (2000, 42.12) ***½/TTT½ |
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| Shinda Shima Paris Sous la Neige (single version) Another Mellow Winter Sun Dance Instant Love Mellow (part 1) Violet Mellow (part 2) |
Lovely Light Mellow (organic version) Paris Sous la Neige |
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After some 'Net research, I believe I've finally straightened out the confusion over French electronic duo (who said Air?) Mellow's three albums, '99's Another Mellow Winter, 2000's Another Mellow Summer and 2001's Another Mellow Spring. It seems that Winter was the original French release, Summer was the slightly amended UK one, and Spring was the barely-altered US version, with a further Japanese version with more tracks. Confused? You should be. Unsurprisingly, Another Mellow Summer is the version I've tracked down, making me rather unwilling to shell out for another two or three very similar albums. The general consensus is that they're a low-budget Air, with one member (the rather un-French sounding Patrick Woodcock) actually being ex- of that band.
I'm actually of the opinion that they're more like Air crossed with King Crimson in places; Shinda Shima actually sounds like a rewrite of Epitaph, to be honest. Woodcock's Mellotron use isn't always easy to spot, and it's a moot point as to how real it is, too; 'Tron flutes are the first sound you hear on the album, and they're the overriding sound on Mellow (Part 2), but they're also the easiest to sample. I'm assuming the female choirs on Paris Sous La Neige (Single Version) and Another Mellow Winter are 'Tron, but I could be mistaken, but all the other highlighted tracks have flutes, at greater or lesser volume.
Anyway, a decent enough album, loaded with Fender Rhodes (should that be your thing), actually preferable to Air in some ways (in my humble opinion, of course). Plenty of 'Tron flutes, though I'm not so sure about those choirs. Worth a listen.
See: Sampledelica!
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Swaddling Songs (1972, 43.13) ****½/T |
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| Heaven Heath Sheep Season Silver Song The Poet and the Witch Messenger Birds Dan the Wing Reverend Sisters Break Your Token |
Buy or Beware Vile Excesses Lonely Man Boulders on My Grave |
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Mellow Candle's sole album is, in its original vinyl form, one of the rarest LPs reviewed on this site; released to apparently zero acclaim in 1972 on Decca (actually Deram), it unbelievably sank without trace, only to become a collector's item in the '90s. Despite hailing from Ireland, the band had a classic female-fronted English folk rock sound, comparable to the harder end of Fairport Convention, or, more aptly, Trees, only slightly better-known than themselves. The material on Swaddling Songs is absolutely fantastic; more electric than acoustic, it compares well with the best the genre has to offer, making its relative obscurity all the more puzzling. I doubt if the album's bizarre sleeve, not to mention sleevenotes to match endeared it to the general public; the extraordinarily fey descriptions of the band members would have read badly in 1967, never mind by the early '70s. However, the music is utterly superb; Silver Song is a truly beautiful ballad, both Heaven Heath and The Poet And The Witch display the band's rockier side to good effect, and Buy Or Beware is particularly recommended.
Vocalist Clodagh Simonds played Mellotron on the title track of labelmates Thin Lizzy's Shades of a Blue Orphanage, and despite only being credited with vocals and piano here, there's a lovely 'Tron flute part on Sheep Season, although I wouldn't buy the album for that alone. However, you shouldn't need to; any folk rock or early '70s progressive fan should own a copy of Swaddling Songs. Absolutely superb. Incidentally, I originally thought the cellos on Silver Song were played via 'Tron, but despite a lack of any suitable credit, I now suspect it's real cello.
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The Music We Make (1999, 48.53) **/T½ |
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| See the Sounds Kissing Spree A Day After Christmas All the Jens in the World Radio Star Lift Becoming Brighter Wishing and Waiting |
This is Our Year Bonus Track |
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I've seen Melochrome described as 'shoegazer'; is this what 'shoegazer' sounds like? Remind me not to listen to any more (sorry, My Bloody Valentine - I'm sure you're better than this). I've also seen the term 'dream-pop' used, but if that's an efficient way of describing this wishy-washy mélange of poorly harmonised male and female vocals, limp instrumental work and repetitive material, then please, please allow me a deep, dreamless sleep. Honestly, post-punk never sounded so dreary.
Vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Pramod Tummala is credited with Mellotron and Chamberlin, with background Chamby strings (maybe) towards the end of All The Jens In The World and on Becoming Brighter and a nicely upfront (Mellotron?) flute line in Lift, none of which make this dreadful album worth the effort. Please don't buy this. It'll upset me.
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Dirty Mind (2008, 40.57) **½/T |
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| Feel it Coming Anywhere Anytime Never Been Hurt Hard Pressed Dirty Mind Turquoise Sky Rise Up Fall Down |
Don't You Wanna Know Happy Endings Nuclear Sun Birthday Prayer Turquoise Sky (acoustic) |
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Sara Melson is another modern singer-songwriter with a country edge, tailor-made for Starbucks; her debut album, 2008's Dirty Mind, is a pleasant enough effort, though rather unengaging, better tracks including Hard Pressed and Rise Up, although we're hardly talking 'classic' here. A bit harsh? Maybe, but there's so much of this stuff around that reviewer objectivity goes out of the window.
Mellotron from Joe Cassidy and Scott Seiver, with a strong string part on Turquoise Sky, a lesser one on Nuclear Sun and what appears to be a reiteration of the earlier part on closer Turquoise Sky (Acoustic). Overall, harmless but boring, sounding like a million others, with minor 'Tron use. Next...
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Motherland (2001, 57.38) **/T½ |
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| This House is on Fire Motherland Saint Judas Put the Law on You Build a Levee Golden Boy Henry Darger The Worst Thing |
Tell Yourself Just Can't Last Not in This Life I'm Not Gonna Beg |
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Since Natalie Merchant left 10,000 Maniacs, in 1993, she's released four solo albums, 2001's Motherland being the third. I can't comment on the others, but Motherland is a rather faceless effort, to be honest; a typical professional couple's dinner party album, if you like (which I don't). It's harmless enough, I suppose, but isn't going to appeal to anyone who likes a bit of grit in their music, and the material isn't good enough to grab lovers of great songs, although I believe the album did well enough upon its release. If you're after a best track, opener This House Is On Fire's Middle Eastern strings life it above the rest of the album. Always open with your best track, they say... Incidentally, don't blame the sleeve on Merchant; she wanted something slightly controversial involving children and gasmasks, then September 11th happened, giving her record company carte blanche to change it to something boring, none of which excuses that awful orange.
Elizabeth Steen plays Mellotron, amongst other keyboards, while Patrick Warren does his usual Chamberlin thing. It's hard to say for sure, but I suspect it's Warren's Chamby string surges on Build A Levee and Not In This Life, with Steen's Mellotron flutes on Golden Boy, and while it's all welcome, none of it really lifts the material in any meaningful way. So; bland, slightly rootsy singer-songwriter fare. Whoopee. This album's only real strong points are its opening track and tape-replay use, neither of which makes it worth a purchase to my regular readers (I believe I have some). Tedious.
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Bramble Rose (2002, 52.37) ***/½ |
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| Trouble Over Me Virginia, No One Can Warn You Neighborhood Bird of Freedom Bramble Rose I Know Him Too Sunday Supposed to Make You Happy |
Diamond Shoes Are You Still in Love With Me? When I Cross Over |
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Tambourine (2004, 46.00) ***/T½ |
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| Stray Paper Wait it Out Good Hearted Man Ain't Looking Closely Still Pretending Write My Ticket Your Love Made a U Turn Plainest Thing |
Late Night Pilgrim I Am Your Tambourine Laid a Highway Shadow in the Way |
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Another Country (2008, 41.57) **½/T |
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| Something to Me Broken Another Country Hopes Too High Morning is My Destination Keep You Happy I Know What I'm Looking for Now |
Tell Me Something True My Heart is Free Tender Branch Mille Tendresses |
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Tift Merritt's career began in the late '90s, her first album, Bramble Rose, appearing in 2002. It's at the 'country' end of 'alt.country', with a little too much pedal steel for comfort, although the songwriting's good, steering clear of many of the genre's clichés. Opener Trouble Over Me and closer When I Cross Over might just be the album's best tracks, especially the occasional Neil Youngisms on the latter, although Supposed To Make You Happy probably beats them on the lyrical front. Unfortunately, fifty minutes of this is more than the non-country fan is likely to be able to bear; it's a shame there isn't a little more stylistic variety on the record, but most of its tracks, taken in isolation, are fine. Credited Chamberlin from Ethan Johns on two songs, with low strings on Neighborhood, but nothing especially audible on the title track, despite its sparse arrangement.
Two years later, Merritt followed-up with Tambourine, an album on the other side of the rock/country balance, making it rather more listenable for those allergic to pedal steels, with a somewhat Stones-ish vibe about some of the rockier tracks. Again, album opener Stray Paper is one of its best songs (always a good sequencing move, that), although nothing else particularly stand out, to be honest. Chamberlin from good old Patrick Warren, with background strings on Stray Paper and more upfront ones on Ain't Looking Closely, Still Pretending and Write My Ticket, assuming none of the strings are real.
There was a four-year gap before Merritt's next record, 2008's Another Country (presumably not a pun); unfortunately, her schtick has become a little tired, most of its material falling into the 'generic country' trap, although better tracks include opener Something To Me and the '60s soul-esque Tell Me Something True. Warren on Chamby again, with flutes and strings on the title track and Keep You Happy, so despite the instrument's legendary ability to hide in a mix, that would appear to be it.
Merritt's a modern country-rock artist who shifts between the two opposing sides of her musical personality, making her material more or less palatable for her listeners, depending on their taste. The first two of these albums are perfectly good (I'm not quite so sure about the third), which isn't to say you're necessarily going to like them. Next to no Chamberlin on the former and a bit on the latter two makes none of them really worth getting on those grounds alone.
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Space Rangers (1974, 43.45) ***/TTTTT |
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| Hollywood Blvd. Step in the Right Direction Eight Miles High King of Mars Neon Man Sunshine Superman Road to Hades High Altitude Hide'n'Seek |
Escape Sole Survivor |
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Kryptonite (1975, 37.11/67.34) ***/TTT½ |
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| Kryptonite Star Rider Always Be You Give it Everything We Got The Groove Real Life Love You Know Where I'd Rather Be Let Us Be the Dawn |
[CD adds: Aren't You Glad That You Know City Boy Dust My Blues Flat Black You Must Live it Your Real Good Thing Local 149/Are You Ready] |
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I think Merryweather was a Canadian who migrated to Chicago fairly early on, hanging around for a decade or more, releasing several albums in the process, but never really breaking through. After a two-album detour into Mama Lion in the early '70s (Mellotron/Chamberlin use unknown), Merryweather went back to his solo career with Space Rangers in 1974. Now this is what I call a Mellotron album! Except that it's a Chamberlin. For those not in the know, the Chamberlin was the Mellotron's direct precursor, and was still in production in one form or another up to around 1980. Merryweather got a guy known enigmatically as 'Edgemont' (which I've seen written as 'Ed Gemont'...) to play one on every track on it bar their cover of the Byrds' drug anthem Eight Miles High, mostly to great effect. For some strange reason, Chamberlins tend to 'disappear in the mix' far more than Mellotrons, and are often hard to discern. Not this one; for most of the album it's really 'in your face', to the point where I'd recommend this as a Chamberlin demonstration record. Not just the expected strings (apparently identical to the Mellotron's), but choirs, sound effects etc. Sole Survivor even ends with a lonely trumpet melody (which I should probably recognise, but don't), complete with pitch-bend.
So, er, what about the music, anyway? Well, it's sort of mid-'70s transatlantic hard rock with bits of prog, funk and other stuff thrown in. Bit of a mish-mash, to be honest, but not a bad listen, more for the Chamberlin overkill than anything else, really. On the cover version front, there's also their take on Donovan's seminal (it says here) Sunshine Superman, although it's almost unrecognisable. Overall, the vocals are a bit rough, but there's some decent enough guitar playing; er, bit of a three-star effort, basically. Saying that, if you want full-on Chamberlin, buy now.
A year or two back, I stated: "Interestingly, the music for Road To Hades appears to have been ripped off hook, line and sinker by Canadian band Symphonic Slam on their sole self-titled album from two years later, retitled Universe, unless there's an untold story here? There doesn't appear to be any connection between the two outfits, unless you know better (thanks to the estimable Joe Ellis for spotting that one - hi, Joe)." There certainly is an untold story... I've just been written to by Symphonic Slam's Timo Laine himself, who tells me that he didn't rip off Merryweather - Merryweather ripped him off, and the rest of his band. Laine wrote nearly all the material on the album, but had his writing credits stolen, making him feel more than justified in re-recording his own work! Apologies to all concerned for my inadvertent faux pas, but the story's hardly common currency... Let's hope this mention (and the one I've added to the Symphonic Slam review) help to set the record straight. Oh, and all the names on the album were changed: 'Michael "Jeep" Willis' is Laine, and the mysterious 'Edgemont' is actually keyboard player Bob Silvert.
Merryweather followed-up with Kryptonite, with a similar comic-art sleeve, and a more straightforward hard rock agenda, losing most of Space Rangers' disparate influences. More Chamberlin, from James Herndon this time; Star Rider has one of the most upfront parts on the album, along with the proggiest track, closer Let Us Be The Dawn, which is swamped in Chamby strings. I've highlighted the opening title track, although it sounds more like synth strings to me; very hard to tell, to be honest. The album's probably less appealing than its predecessor, but still worth hearing for its string-replay work. The CD adds the entire contents of Merryweather's Neil Merryweather, John Richardson & Boers album from around '69, although I'm not sure they should've bothered. It's a pretty tedious blues/rock workout, although, paradoxically, the best track on this otherwise dull set is the near-eleven minute jammed-out closer Local 149/Are You Ready, which at least has some energy about it, despite the lengthy and unnecessary drum solo.
So; two so-so albums, but loads of Chamberlin all round. Your choice.
See: Symphonic Slam
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The Dawn Anew is Comin' (1972, 34.00) ***½/T½ChangesThe Dawn Anew is Coming Evil Faith and Charity Heaven Knows When I'm Home |
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From Books & Dreams (1973, 41.11) ***½/½Sleep!Dreams and Nightmares (Dreams) Turn Over! Sigh Dreams and Nightmares (Nightmares) Introducing the Myth (including) The Unpleasant Spell |
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Despite the broken English of Message's first album title, the band were actually three-fifths British, with only the rhythm section being German. They've been compared with Nektar in some quarters, although the latter group were all English ex-pats, never having a German member pass through their ranks. Message were less 'prog' than Nektar, never having a keyboard player, although both bands had similar psychedelic/hard rock roots.
Apart from the vocals, The Dawn Anew is Comin' sounds pretty Germanic to my ears, like a Teutonic Uriah Heep, maybe; the material's reasonably good, but you can see why they never broke out of their adopted country, lacking the originality that the international scene demanded. By 1972, British and American hard rock had completely moved on from its psych roots, leaving many bands in both countries adrift without a rudder, although it seems that bands in other territories survived by being the best the local scenes had to offer. This sounds like I'm slating the album and/or the German rock scene; I'm not. It's just rather apparent that this would have sold very few copies indeed in the more aggressive UK/US markets. Anyway, Nektar's "Taff" Freeman played Mellotron strings on the two longer numbers on side two, Heaven Knows and When I'm Home, although his use is somewhat less than overt.
The following year's From Books and Dreams appears to be some sort of concept album on the subject of sleep, with the tracks running into each other (excepting the 'side gap', of course, with the amusing Turn Over being an exhortation to do precisely that). After the brief Sleep!, we're off and running with the lengthy Dreams And Nightmares (Dreams), and it's immediately obvious that Message had tightened their act up considerably since recording their debut. The jamming is more focussed, even if the songs are no more memorable, making for a slightly better album than its predecessor. 'Tron from vocalist/saxophonist Tommy McGuigan this time round, although all I can hear is a couple of chords (literally) in the first part of the Dreams And Nightmares (Nightmares) sequence that ends the album.
The band took two years to come up with their eponymous third album (***), having switched to a more straightforward sound in the interim, although '76's Synapse (***½) was more interesting, as they took a sideways step into jazzier territory. From '77's Using the Head (**½) (toilet humour - who needs it?) on, though, they sunk into a form of tedious mainstream pop/rock, of little interest to all but the most obsessive collector. So; both the above albums are worth hearing if you're into that German jamming thing, but neither is exactly a Mellotron Classic, to be honest. File under 'reasonable'.
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Masterpeace (1999, 53.59) ***/TTT |
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| Sleeps With Thunder Falldown Into Dust Kiss for the Dead Lb. of Cure Faster Than Life Masterpeace All Your Sorrows |
They Signed in Blood Toys in the Attic Sand Kings |
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Metal Church are usually labelled as a thrash band, despite pre-dating the genre by a couple of years. Aficionados would probably stick them in the 'power/speed metal' category, meaning they sound a bit like '80s Judas Priest crossed with Metallica, assuming you can tell the difference (and yes, I can). 1999's Masterpeace is their sixth album, and while it has its moments (They Signed In Blood's relative complexity, the short, inventive acoustic duet of the title track, a passable cover of Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic), much of the album cuts the thud'n'blunder mob far too close for comfort.
Guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof (Vanderhoof, Presto Ballet) plays real-sounding Mellotron, with a cranky-sounding string part on Falldown, with a more straightforward one on Into Dust, until it goes off-piste at the end of the song. Kiss For The Dead is the standard acoustic-into-heavy number, with a melodic string part, while They Signed In Blood gets the choirs out, along with the strings, all rather surprisingly. So; a somewhat so-so 'epic metal' effort, but nice 'Tron use.
See: Vanderhoof | Presto Ballet
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Method (1976) **/½ |
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| So Excited Yorkshire Lad Someone to Love Don't Leave Me Baby Run Run Run Woman Passing Strangers Lonely Eyes |
Sometimes You Win Ask No Questions |
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After 'discovering' 10cc, who were quite capable of 'discovering' themselves, to be honest, the oily Jonathan King and his third-rate UK label were unstoppable, releasing a stream of tedium in the hope of breaking through with the 'next big thing'. As soon as you see a sleevenote on the back of an album written by some third-party exec, you know you're in for a rough ride, with the glaring exception of the first Boston album (no, really). Method is no exception to the rule, with King's hyperbolic rant including such phrases as 'a remarkable bunch of musicians', 'incredible professionalism', 'rekindling the tang of jaded taste buds' (?!) and worst of all, 'combination of heavy sounds and sweet melody'. HEAVY SOUNDS?? For fuck's sake, King, is that the best you could come up with? To be fair to the band, I'm sure they were a decent enough bunch of blokes, but their music was anodyne, faceless '70s pop/rock with little genuine hit potential, although they weren't quite as bad (or commercial) as, say, Liverpool Express.
Guitarist John Hughes doubled on piano and Mellotron, with one credited 'Tron track, Don't Leave Me Baby. To be honest, it doesn't sound an awful lot like a Mellotron, though it's so far down in the mix, it's rather hard to tell. Is it a 'Tron? Is it a string synth? Dunno, but it's a pretty dull part, whatever it is. So; pretty awful album, no 'Tron. Avoid.
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Twangyluck (2006, 64.20) ****/T½Max Planet (incl. The Sudden Turbulent Landing Procedure)Ten Peppermint Butterflies in a Ray of Moonlight Opening Ceremony to the Trolls' Seventeenth Olympic Games Tellus Will Tell Us its Will |
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MetroGnom (ho ho) are a new Norwegian outfit whose take on progressive rock involves long instrumental workouts, jazzy sax and choppy, offbeat riffs that land so far from the prog-metal mainstream that there's (thankfully) almost no point of contact. 2006's Twangyluck is their debut, combining ridiculous 'song' titles with fearsome arranging skills and playing, somehow managing to keep things interesting over four track and 64 minutes, all without vocals. That isn't to say the album's faultless; it is a bit overlong, although as faults go, there's a lot worse, and there's a slight lack of overall focus, but they're pretty minor quibbles, really.
Guitarist Ole Ivar Jörgensen plays Mellotron, with strings on Ten Peppermint Butterflies In A Ray Of Moonlight, cellos on Opening Ceremony To The Trolls' Seventeenth Olympic Games and strings again on Tellus Will Tell Us Its Will, none of it to any major effect, to be honest. All in all, a fine first effort, although I wouldn't bother purely for its Mellotron use.
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Metropolis (1973, 40.27) ***½/½BirthMetropolis Superplasticclub Dreamweaver Glass Roofed Courts Ecliptic |
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The sole Metropolis album may actually, unlike the work of so many German bands from the '70s, fit the 'krautrock' genre, at least to an extent. A trippy mix of straightforward rock, psych and all-out experimentation, various members had links with the likes of Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free and Mythos, and clearly had considerable interest in jamming, although much of the album is fairly conventionally structured.
Most of the strings and flutes on the album are real, easily heard on opener Birth, although a pitchbent strings part on the lengthy title track has to be Manfred Opitz's Mellotron, although it's not actually credited as such. It's easy to see how Metropolis has been labelled a 'Mellotron Album', as many (though by no means all) of the string parts are of the 'block chord' variety, with a slight lack of imagination in the arrangement department. Anyway; a good album of its type, more tuneful than the likes of Dzyan, and rockier than, say, Wind, though definitely further 'out there' than Nektar and their ilk. Hardly any 'Tron, mind, so don't go buying it for that.
See: Ash Ra Tempel | Agitation Free | Mythos
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Half the World is Watching Me (2000, 44.24) ***/TT |
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| Am I Wry? No Mica Saliva King Christian Her Voice is Beyond Her Years 156 Symmetry Comforting Sounds |
She Came Home for Christmas I Should Have Been a Tsin-Tsi (for You) |
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I was under the impression that Mew were 'the new prog', so I was quite surprised, on playing 2000's Half the World is Watching Me, to hear an album of quirky pop, referencing The Beach Boys, Porcupine Tree, Sigur Rós and '70s TV themes (listen to the piano part on Saliva), amongst other influences. OK, so Comforting Sounds is nearly nine minutes long, but this isn't prog by any standard definition, unless what's meant is 'progressive pop', which is another matter entirely. Actually, a large part of this album sports the incredibly irritating type of vocal melodies that became popular in the '90s which make you want to lynch the songwriter, but seem to be popular with 'the kids', although the writing has enough quirks to keep it interesting, if not something that I'll play too often.
Produced by the obscenely talented Tim Christensen, it's hardly surprising there's some vintage kit to be heard here, not least one or more of Christensen's Mellotrons on several tracks. Going by his solo albums, there could be all sorts of obscure sounds, so apologies if this list is incomplete. It sounds like strings, sometimes doubled by a real violin on Am I Wry? No, Saliva, with its rather disturbing lyric and King Christian, plus what I'm guessing are 'Tron vibes on 156 and Symmetry. There's a very clear 'Tron string section on Comforting Sounds, followed by polyphonic flutes, probably the most obviously Mellotronic parts on the album, with real strings later on in the long-form piece.
So; an odd little album, albeit irritating in places. This would have been much improved (musically if not commercially) by some less generic vocal lines and a reduction in tweeness, although the album's breeziness isn't necessarily a bad thing. Only one really overt 'Tron track, sadly, so not worth it on those grounds alone.
See: Tim Christensen
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Items You Won't Find Elsewhere (2004, 51.22) ***½/T |
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| Storyteller Girl The Stars Kiss Me Goodnight Faster Simple Sensation Arms of Love Mr. Wilson Pebbles on the Window The Purest Thing |
My Solo Mary is Missing Wrapped Around Your Finger Phoenix |
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Meredith Meyer is an American singer-songwriter (California via Oklahoma) who bears comparison with Aimee Mann, amongst others, which is praise indeed. Less melancholy than Ms. Mann, she beats the likes of Fiona Apple hands-down on her debut, Items You Won't Find Elsewhere, and with songs of the quality of Storyteller Girl and The Purest Thing surely it can't be long before she comes into the orbit of the Lilith Fair crowd? Mind you, I can't see her dumbing-down for them... Was it a dream, or did people actually once buy well-crafted records that made them think? What happened?
Anyway, the inimitable Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook, Jellyfish compatriot) produces, and has been given free reign with his collection of vintage gear. Mellotron on three tracks (one uncredited), with almost-inaudible strings on Mr. Wilson and something even less identifiable on Mary Is Missing, although the strangely uncredited Pebbles On The Window makes up for it; essentially a brief (45-second) 'Tron cello solo, this is quite gorgeous, though nothing like the rest of the material on offer here.
So; a good album of modern singer-songwriter fare, with those 'up-close and intimate' vocals that give the impression she's singing the songs for you alone, and no sub-Kate Bushisms, either (take note Tori and others). Not actually that much 'Tron, although Pebbles On The Window is a must-hear. Buy if you're into the style.
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Thighs and Whispers (1979, 42.30) **½/½Big Noise From WinnetkaMillworker Cradle Days My Knight in Black Leather Hang on in There Baby Hurricane Rain Married Men |
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Hmmm... Bette Midler, eh? 'The Divine Miss M'. Actually, the world would be a duller place without Bette's raucous humour and larger-than-life persona, although neither excuse this album, or for that matter, the rest of her musical career. Always more Broadway than rock/pop, Midler's albums, as far as I can tell, were largely producer-driven, locking them forever in a prison of the time and place of their creation, and her sixth, Thighs and Whispers (groan), is no exception. About half of its contents are overlong disco workouts (Big Noise From Winnetka, My Knight In Black Leather), with an excruciating version of Hang On In There Baby just to down the ante. Maybe surprisingly, the album's best track is closer Married Men, and that largely for its wry lyrical observations on its subject (amusingly, written by a man).
So why the hell is this here, eh? Usual reason: Randy Kerber plays keyboards on a few tracks, with some distant (credited) Mellotron strings on the faux-S&M My Knight In Black Leather, just about recognisable amongst the general discoisms of the rest of the track's instrumentation. So; you know what I'm going to say, so I won't bother saying it, and if you're thinking of asking why I've given this as high a rating as I have, well, it's Bette Midler, innit?
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Midnight Circus (1972, 32.54/39.01) ***/T (TT) |
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| The Light I Had a Dream November Church Mr. Clown Indian Impression Disappointed Love Meditation |
[CD adds: Coloured Gay Get it] |
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Midnight Circus were essentially the folk-rock-with-progressive-tendencies duo of Christian Bollmann and Torsten Schmitt, who made just the one self-titled album in 1972. Between them, they shared the vocal and acoustic guitar work, with Bollmann adding recorder and trumpet (notably the solo on longest and best track November Church) and various guest musicians filling out the sound. Midnight Circus is good, if not essential, with several of the songs operating in 'meandering and slightly stoned' mode, although some interesting instrumentation helps to lift it out of the also-ran category.
Amongst the album's guests was Veit Madaus on keys, who played instantly-recognisable Mellotron strings on I Had A Dream, with less obvious brass on November Church, with more of what sounds like both on one of the CD's bonus track, Get It, with a particularly abrasive and upfront brass part. So; there are more essential albums in the German Progressive category, though this wins out over the likes of, say, Witthüser & Westrupp or Wind, by being less stoned and containing a couple of decent songs. Not much Mellotron, although I Had A Dream's work is quite nice. So-so.
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Lion the Girl (2007, 44.03) ***/T |
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| Souvenirs Patient Eye Hide Away Ribbons Lion Song Coral Den Bell Tower Parallel Paramour |
24 Hour Dream Dawn Two Years |
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Midnight Movies seem to be part of the new wave of American goth, assuming there is such a thing, although any chance of material as memorable as anything by Siouxsie & the Banshees or The Cure are vanishingly small, I'm afraid, and please don't tell me either of those outfits aren't actually goth; you know what I mean. Gena Olivier's vocals do that female gothy thing passably well, although her voice has little character and sounds like it would be more comfortable singing something a bit more mainstream, or possibly nothing at all.
Mellotron on two tracks, with strings on Coral Den and 24 Hour Dream, probably from producer Steve Fisk. Now, Fisk is known for his past sample use, but apparently bought a real M400 in the mid-'00s, so despite its largely background nature here, we can probably assume it's real. The high part in the latter has the 'ring of truth' about it, but as I've been wrong many times, before, who knows? Anyway, an album of outstanding ordinariness, with a smattering of Mellotron. I really wouldn't bother.
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Earth & Sun & Moon (1993, 53.59) ***/TT |
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| Feeding Frenzy My Country Renaissance Man Earth and Sun and Moon Truganini Bushfire Drums of Heaven Outbreak of Love |
In the Valley Tell Me the Truth Now or Never Land |
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Midnight Oil, or 'The Oils', have followed a path of political activism from the outset, providing a welcome antidote to the unfortunate right-wing streak that crops up all too often in Aussie politics (remember the appalling Pauline Hanson, the 'Oxley Moron'?). While it's easy to accuse them of being musically unadventurous, with their agenda, they weren't going to get very far as a punk band or something, so playing mainstream rock is clearly their compromise, assuming they even consider it to be such. Earth & Sun & Moon was their eighth full studio album, and doesn't sound startlingly different to their two early-'80s records I've heard, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ('10 to 1') and Red Sails In The Sunset, with its apocalyptic sleeve design, being radical radio-friendly rock, concentrating heavily on their country and what will become of it, particularly on the anti-monarchist Truganini. Difficult to argue there...
Guitarist/keys man Jim Moginie plays Mellotron (presumably real?) on several tracks, with flutes and possibly strings on opener Feeding Frenzy, pitchbent strings on Renaissance Man and more regular ones on Drums Of Heaven and Outbreak Of Love. As always, it perks up almost any track, so although his use isn't especially radical (pitchbends aside), it's always nice to hear. Moginie also played it on his solo project from '96, Fuzz Face, for what it's worth.
Although the band appear to have split, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them have another go before too long, even though their most outspoken member, vocalist Peter Garrett, is now a member of parliament for the Australian Labour Party. Although not their biggest seller ('87's Diesel & Dust takes that honour), Earth & Sun & Moon is probably as good a place to start as any if you're unfamiliar with the band, and is probably less slick than their late-'80s efforts. Reasonable Mellotron, too, though I've no idea whether or not Moginie used it with the band again.
See: Fuzz Face
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Brennende Drømmer (2001, 55.11) ****/TTTT½ |
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| Incognito City Dvergenes Palass Nostradamus Pilegrim Jublende Rekker Middelveis Berg og Dvale Døende Stein |
I Tåketimen [unlisted track] |
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Faunus (2005, 49.33) ****/TTTT½Den Dagen Jeg ForsvantVirveldans Sjælernes Evige Beven Trollmann Sultekunstneren Den Gjengrodde Sti Englesangen Famle Rundt Krigsmann |
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Despite forming in 1995, it took Mikromidas until 2001 to release their debut, Brennende Drømmer, but it was worth the wait. I've seen comparisons to Änglagård et al., but the only real one is in their choice of instrumentation, specifically Hammond and Mellotron. Stylewise, they go for a (relatively) straightforward song format with Norwegian lyrics, although we ain't talking mainstream here, more a vaguely Uriah Heep thing, though they're not a particularly good comparison, really. Difficult to pick out the best tracks on one listen, but Jublende Rekker made me stop what I was doing.
Øystein Larsen uses his very obviously real 'Tron (hurrah!) on every damn' track, with plenty of strings and choirs, with some flute and cello parts here and there. He seems to have the same problem with his as I had with mine before its last service, where some of the pinch rollers are clogging up and sticking, giving a few of the high notes that classic 'Mellotron wobble' which, while extremely authentic, isn't really any more welcome than the audible whine and instability of an old motor board. Anyway... particularly strong 'Tron parts on the intro to Døende Stein and the flutes on I Tåketimen, but there isn't a bad 'Tron (or otherwise) track here. Now, an oddity is the last track: only nine are listed, and no other online reviewers seem to've noticed there's a tenth, unlisted track, but it's as good as everything else on the album, and features the usual 'Tron quotient.
Four years on, and Mikromidas suddenly reappear with Faunus, and it looks like the band have taken a turn towards the prog mainstream in the interim, although some tracks, notably Sjælernes Evige Beven and Famle Rundt, hark back towards their earlier sound. Overall, another great album, although I imagine it'll take several plays for its subtleties to become completely apparent. Loads of 'Tron, of course, including quite a bit of brass, especially on opener Den Dagen Jeg Forsvant, plus the usual strings, flute and (a little) choir; this really is a 'Tron monster, falling only just short of the full five Ts.
So; buy? I'd say so, yes, unless you insist on 'symph über alles'. Brennende Drømmer is a damn' good '70s-influenced hard rock/prog album, with some excellent Mellotron work, and Faunus is just possibly even better.
