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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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Rainbow Theatre Bonnie Raitt Rake's Progress Ramatam |
Ramses Rashomon Raw Material |
Razorlight Reale Accademia di Musica Il Reale Impero Britannico |
Red Dirt Red Hot Chili Peppers Redbone |
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The Armada (1975, 36.58) ****/TTTT | |
| The Darkness Motive Flourish Overture First Theme Second Theme Song Petworth House Song |
The Armada Scene at Sea Dominion Centuries Deep Bolero Last Picture |
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Fantasy of Horses (1976, 40.42) ****/TTTT | |
| Rebecca Dancer Staircase The Big Time Spin Theatre Farewell Caption for the City Night Life |
Fantasy of Horses Early Light Frolic Trappers Captives Frolic Escape Cliff Edge |
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Rainbow Theatre were a seriously obscure Australian progressive band, whose albums have never been (officially) released on CD, and are almost impossible to find on vinyl. I know very little about them, only that their keyboard player/mainman was one Julian Browning, and they are one of the few prog bands ever to have made decent use of a brass section. Their style was, er, difficult to describe, actually. It's almost a Broadway show/opera/prog crossover, but that (at least to my ears) suggests something fairly appalling, and these albums are anything but. The vocals are amusingly mannered, sung in an exaggeratedly English accent, and there's definitely bits of Genesis and Crimson in there somewhere, but they pretty much had a sound of their own; a rarity in any genre, after its 'first wave' of bands.
The Armada opens with solo brass section on the Flourish section of The Darkness Motive, but waits until part 3, First Theme before Browning's Mellotron strings come in. The Mellotron use here is excellent, right up in the front of the mix, and it really enhances the overall feel of the album. I'm reviewing these from tape copies, so some of the tracks may not be 100% accurate, but I think I've got them right. The Armada on side two is even further over the top and operatic, with the Bolero section sounding eerily similar to King Crimson's track of the same name on Lizard.
Their second and final album, Fantasy of Horses is probably an improvement on their debut, with the same mix of influences and similarly OTT vocals. I believe the band was a 14-piece by this time, with both brass and string sections, but without the vocal section used on The Armada. Side 2's title track is the one where I'm least sure I've got the tracks right on the Mellotron front; suffice to say, there's a lengthy 'Tron-free section in the middle, but the piece closes with more of those strings.
The far-Eastern Poorhouse label has 'reissued' both of these on CD, but they're apparently dubbed from vinyl and are almost certainly bootlegs, with none of the profits going to the band. Nonetheless, they're both well worth hearing, so let's hope they're given an official release at some point. Good music, great 'Tron. Beg, steal or borrow (or tape).
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Takin' My Time (1973, 37.34) ***½/T |
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| You've Been in Love Too Long I Gave My Love a Candle Let Me in Everybody's Cryin' Mercy Cry Like a Rainstorm Wah She Go Do I Feel the Same I Thought I Was a Child |
Write Me a Few of Your Lines/Kokomo Blues Guilty |
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Fundamental (1998, 44.04) ****/½ |
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| Fundamental Things Cure for Love Round & Round Spit of Love Lover's Will Blue for No Reason Meet Me Half Way I'm on Your Side |
Fearless Love I Need Love One Belief Away |
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Bonnie Raitt's third album, Takin' My Time, is less bluesy than I'd expected, with elements of funk, soul, rock'n'roll... You name it, really. And, of course, some blues. She's got a great voice, and is a talented guitarist to boot (listen to her acoustic slide work on Write Me A Few Of Your Lines/Kokomo Blues), although I'll be honest and say the album didn't really grab me. That's no excuse for giving it a bad review, though, so I haven't; if you like the various musics mentioned above, you stand a good chance of liking this album. Mellotron? Some orchestrally-arranged strings on the balladic I Gave My Love A Candle from John Hall, though it's halfway through the song before they stop sounding like a string section, which seems to be slightly missing the point, which makes for a rather generous one 'T'.
After heading down into the depths in the mid-'80s, then up into the stratosphere with 1989's glossy Nick of Time and its two successors, Raitt made the album she really wanted to make in '98's Fundamental. More down to earth than its predecessors, it has little in common with Takin' My Time, being more straightforward blues, and (to my ears, anyway) better for it. One classic song, in the beautiful Lovers Will, but there's nothing wrong with anything here, although th pseudo-reggae of I'm On Your Side was probably slightly unnecessary. A Mitchell Froom production, he gets the requisite bit of Chamberlin in, with a brass part on closer One Belief Away, although it's not exactly what you'd call essential.
So; two good albums, in their different ways, but absolutely no 'Tron/Chamby work of any consequence, to be honest. Buy according to taste.
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Altitude (1995, 48.26) **½/½ |
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| El Camino Howard is a Drag Salvation I'll Talk My Way Out of This One When I Kiss Her 2 Eggs Any Style I Hope You Miss Me Whatever |
Heart Full of Stuff Port au Prince Tourist Information Fingers in Your Ears Looks Like This Could Be the End Man Overboard |
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Named for Hogarth's series of engravings (hey! Intellectual cred!), Rake's Progress released an EP, Cheese Food Prostitute in '94, following it a year later with what appears to have been their only album, Altitude. And it's... slightly punky indie-pop, with the occasional decent lyric, but not an awful lot more to recommend it, to be honest. This sort of stuff needs to be heard in bursts of 35 minutes, tops, so at nearly 50, it long outstays its welcome, losing it a clear half star for its lack of much-needed brevity.
Producer Nicholas Sansano is credited with Mellotron, although, unlike all the other guest credits, without mentioning where. All I can hear is a faint cello line on closer Man Overboard, which isn't to say there isn't any more, just that I can't hear it. In all honesty, few of you actually need a copy of this album; I know I don't.
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Ramatam (1972, 40.12) ***/T½Whiskey PlaceHeart Song Ask Brother Ask What I Dream I am Wayso Changing Days Strange Place Wild Like Wine Can't Sit Still |
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Ramatam's chief claim to fame was in having a female lead guitarist, April Lawton, in the early '70s, especially as she was the only female member of the band. Well, it's not common now (sadly), so try to put yourself back in those days of unrestrained sexism to see how unusual this was. Of course, if you didn't know, you wouldn't know, as she was a competent rock guitarist in an era when you could find a competent rock guitarist on every corner, particularly in the States, where rock had more mainstream appeal than it ever managed in the UK. The rest of the band were far from slackers, too, with vocalist/guitarist Mike Pinera from Blues Image (themselves Chamberlin users) and none other than Mitch Mitchell on drums, now, of course, the only member of the Experience not only still alive, but still playing.
Ramatam is an album of unrestrained heavy rock, or is it? A couple of ballads are quite normal on this kind of album, but a brass-fuelled soul feel, as on Wayso, isn't, so maybe they were less 'standard' than you might think. It features the most unbelievable lyrics, mind; well, titles like Whiskey Place and Wild Like Wine tell their own story, I think. OK, it was 1972, and lyrical erudition was pretty thin on the ground, certainly in red-blooded rock circles, and it's not as if anything's improved, is it? Tommy Sullivan guests on Mellotron on two tracks, with grungy, almost distorted strings on the rocking Ask Brother Ask, and cleaner, higher ones on the surprisingly funky Wild Like Wine, but, as with so many others, nothing you can't live without.
So; unless you're very into third-division early '70s US hard rock, you probably won't be that fussed about Ramatam, although it does have its moments. I've heard a lot worse, but then, I've also heard much better, and if your resources are limited (and whose aren't?), you may wish to direct your hard-earned somewhere else. I suspect the usual maxim applies: 'pick it up if you see it cheap'.
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La Leyla (1976, 36.51) ***½/TTTDevil InsideLa Leyla Garden Noise Someone Like You American Dream |
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Eternity Rise (1978, 35.49) ***/TTCity LifeOnly Yesterday Time Windy Agitation Play Eternity Rise |
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Ramses (not to be confused with UK outfit Rameses, of Glass Top Coffin fame) are one of those late-'70s German prog bands that seemed to spring up from nowhere as the scene shifted from the more avant-garde stuff popular earlier in the decade. Like most of their contemporaries, Ramses are good without being anything spectacular; there's little genuine complexity in their music, with more emphasis on creating a mood than trying to be clever.
La Leyla's a good example of this style, with better-than-average songs, and some nice instrumental work. Winfried Langhorst's Mellotron use is the usual stuff; block chords on the strings, and single-note flute lines, but some of it is surprisingly effective, particularly on opener Devil Inside. Don't expect to be blown away by La Leyla, but you'll get a pleasant, if slightly undemanding listen.
Eternity Rise is in a similar vein to Ramses' debut, but with the addition of a string section, making it difficult to work out just how much Mellotron has actually been used on the album. Only Yesterday is a definite (average strings), but Windy may be the string section, as is opener City Life. Just to confuse the issue, a string synth is utilised in places, too, although the closing title track has some immediately identifiable choirs. So, to summarise, two reasonably good albums, but La Leyla's the only one worth it for the 'Tron.
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The Ruined Map (Film Music Volume 1) (2007, 39.30) ****½/TT½OnibabaBlast of Silence A Quiet Week in the House The Mascot Branded to Kill Confessions of an Opium Eater Lancelot du Lac Ruined Map |
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Rashomon is a solo project from Matt Thompson, ex-Guapo and, incidentally, my brother. Essentially instrumental, although voices are used on occasion, The Ruined Map (Film Music Volume 1) isn't actually meant to sound like film music at all (although it still manages to in places). The tracks are all named for art-house films, with their accompanying pieces described as "companions to the psychic states invoked by the more bizarre outer reaches of narrative cinema", according to Matt's MySpace site. Despite being very different to Guapo, you can hear that the same compositional brain is involved, with his/their trademark dissonance cropping up on most tracks, although the musical palette is far broader, encompassing the weirder end of the progressive spectrum, avant-garde noise, Weimar Germany, various folk musics, insane metal and many other varieties of oddness. A track-by-track run-down probably isn't very constructive, but expect Slayer on acid (Branded To Kill), painful MiniMoog squeals (Confessions Of An Opium Eater), and very little drumming, although Paul Westwood (hi, Paul) plays on a few tracks.
You can also expect four out of eight tracks of Mellotron madness (mine, obviously, played by Matt, as is almost everything else), with dissonant string interjections on Onibaba, Blast Of Silence and Branded To Kill, and a brief burst of flutes on A Quiet Week In The House, alongside Sara Hubrich's violin. My MiniMoog turns up, too, as what appears to be the sole sound source on Confessions..., although as it makes my ears hurt, I'm not entirely sure I should've lent it out...
All in all, this is not an album for Marillion fans, although you'd probably guessed that already. Anyone who liked/likes Guapo should investigate, though don't go expecting more of the same, and anyone else who enjoys stepping outside the boundaries of 'conventional' progressive music (how did it ever become 'conventional', eh?) should seriously think about giving this a go.
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Raw Material (1970, 31.50) ***½/TTime and IllusionI'd Be Delighted Fighting Cocks Pear on an Apple Tree Future Recollections Traveller Man Destruction of America |
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Raw Material were a typical UK proto-prog outfit, with that '1970 sound' beloved of bands like Cressida, Indian Summer and Spring, playing lengthy, organ-driven workouts in a post-psychedelic kind of way. This isn't to criticise; the material (ho ho) on Raw Material's pretty good, although they were never going to be front-runners, to be honest. Colin Catt plays lush Mellotron strings and flutes on album closer Destruction Of America, a short piece with either Catt or Mike Fletcher intoning a poem which is, sadly, as relevant now as then.
Their second, and last release, Time is (***½), is supposed to have Mellotron all over it, but upon actually hearing the album (which, incidentally, is an improvement on their debut), all I can hear is an early string synth (an Eminent?), disqualifying it from this site. Sorry. So; Raw Material: not bad, not brilliant, might be worth it if you like the style anyway. One beautiful Mellotron piece, but a minute of 'Tron isn't that big a deal. Up to you.
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CDS (2005) **/½ Somewhere Else Keep the Right Profile |
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Razorlight seem to be the Great White Hope for UK indie in 2005, which can only mean that we really have disappeared up our own fundament without even noticing. They're truly dreadful, from their pseudo-New Wave posturing, bad Tom Verlaine vocals and 'we're as gritty as Squeeze' namechecking of London districts (notably Dalston). Somewhere Else is included as a bonus track on later versions of their debut album, Up All Night (**), but the album's so awful I just can't be arsed to review the whole thing, especially as there's no Mellotron on the regular version.
Anyway, to no surprise at all, it's a tedious little pop song, typical indie-schmindie, and quite clearly wants to be the Libertines, for God alone knows what reason. Mellotron cellos in the background make it sound like a poor man's Wonderwall, which is no recommendation at all. About the only thing for which this is genuinely notable is the band's appearance at Live8, for which they wheeled out an M400, played by bassist Carl Dalemo. I believe they're touring with it as well, which is pretty cool; shame they're so crap, really.
So; don't buy this. You have been warned.
Typically infuriating official site (KILL those popups!)
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Reale Accademia di Musica (1972, 40.17) ***½/TFavolaIl Mattino Ognuno Sa Padre Lavono in Città Vertigine |
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The slightly ponderously-named Reale Accademia di Musica specialised in that strain of gentle, pastoral prog that the Italians were so good at in the '70s, with the beautiful Favola getting things off to a good start. They did pick up the pace here and there, and allowed the occasional lapse of taste (the honky-tonk piano in Ognuno Sa, for example), but overall, their self-titled sole album is well worth the effort.
I've been reading for some time now that there's Mellotron all over closing track Vertigine. Well, there isn't; not that I can hear anyway. There is, however, a 'Tron string part on Favola from Federico Troiani, but that's as far as Reale Accademia di Musica goes on the Mellotron front. So; a good album, if not a great one. Worth hearing (it's on CD), but don't pay a fortune.
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Perché si Uccidono (1976, 31.55) ***/TT½ |
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| Epopea Ammoniaca Kalu' Edda Epopea (reprise) My Damned Shit Dodici e un Quarto Block |
R.I.B. Apotheke Distrazione |
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Il Reale Impero Britannico were basically Goblin by any other name; the nom de plume may have been used because some of the tracks were written with Fabio Frizzi, and therefore stand slightly outside the rest of the band's catalogue. A film soundtrack again, most of the music on Perché si Uccidono is instrumental, with few tracks longer than four minutes. Unsurprisingly, it sounds quite like Goblin, although it has a side that the parent band lacked, with a slightly more mainstream sound. Actually, to be brutally honest, some of the material slips into Pat Metheny fuzak territory, and the three 'songs' are all a bit grim, including the ludicrously-named My Damned Shit, while Epopea cuts George Martin/Van der Graaf's Theme One very closely indeed.
Anyway, Claudio Simonetti probably plays more Mellotron here than on anything else in the Goblin/related catalogue, with quite overt string and flute parts on Edda, plus flutes on Epopea, with strings on the other highlighted tracks. I have to be honest and say this isn't the greatest album Goblin etc. ever made, but it does have some reasonable 'Tron work here and there.
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Red Dirt... Plus (1970, 41.37/60.49) **½/T |
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| Memories Death Letter Problems Song for Pauline Ten Seconds to Go In the Morning Maybe I'm Right Summer Madness Laced With Newbald Gold |
Death of a Dream Gimme a Shot Brain Worker I've Been Down So Long [CD adds: Mixed Blessing Wilting Tree Three Fair Maidens Back Alley Sally |
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Red Dirt were a British heavy blues-rock band, whose sole eponymous album appeared and disappeared again in 1970, leaving little impression on the record-buying public. The reason for this, unlike some other unfairly obscure efforts, is that it's dull and generic and completely unable to provide anything not already catered for by many far better bands. Surprisingly, there's Mellotron (player unknown) on opener Memories (also the album's least generic track), with fairly heavy MkII strings, although that appears to be it.
Oddly, the bonus tracks on Audio Archives' CD issue, Red Dirt... Plus, are more interesting then the contents of the album itself. The first two, Mixed Blessing and Wilting Tree, are long, slow, dark pieces, a long way from the blues, while Three Fair Maidens and Back Alley Sally are fiddle-driven country hoedowns. So; you're only really going to like Red Dirt if you're into early, grungy blues-rock, but the opening track and at least the first two bonus ones are worth hearing, though not necessarily buying.
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Mother's Milk (1989, 44.55) ***/TT | |
| Good Time Boys Higher Ground Subway to Venus Magic Johnson Nobody Weird Like Me Knock Me Down Taste the Pain Stone Cold Bush |
Fire Pretty Little Ditty Punk Rock Classic Sexy Mexican Maid Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky |
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Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991, 73.58) ***/T½ | |
| The Power of Equality If You Have to Ask Breaking the Girl Funky Monks Suck My Kiss I Could Have Lied Mellowship Slinky in B Major The Righteous and the Wicked Give it Away |
Blood Sugar Sex Magik Under the Bridge Naked in the Rain Apache Rose Peacock The Greeting Song My Lovely Man Sir Psycho Sexy They're Red Hot |
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One Hot Minute (1995, 61.06) ***/T | |
| Warped Aeroplane Deep Kick My Friends Coffee Shop Pea One Big Mob Walkabout |
Tearjerker One Hot Minute Falling Into Grace Shallow Be Thy Game Transcending |
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Californication (1999, 56.26) ***/T | |
| Around the World Parallel Universe Scar Tissue Otherside Get on Top Californication Easily Porcelain |
Emit Remmus I Like Dirt This Velvet Glove Savior Purple Stain Right on Time Road Trippin' |
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By the Way (2002, 68.48) ***½/½ |
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| By the Way Universally Speaking This is the Place Dosed Don't Forget Me The Zephyr Song Can't Stop I Could Die for You |
Midnight Throw Away Your Television Cabron Tear On Mercury Minor Thing Warm Tape Venice Queen |
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Since their mid-'80s inception, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have become fantastically popular, chiefly, it seems, with the musclebound 'jock' type of American concert-goer/record-buyer who likes nothing better than some good ol' macho funk metal and no gurlz. Homoeroticism aside, the Chilis have done little to quench the flames of rampant misogyny that have surrounded them for many years, although Californication, despite its title, may have finally broken the back of their all-too warranted reputation. I can't say I'm wildly enamoured with their music, to be honest, but I'll try to review these albums as fairly as possible.
Well, you certainly can't fault 'em on energy grounds; Mother's Milk kicks, er, 'ass' (so what's that poor donkey done to anybody?) in a funk/rap/metal hybrid driven along by Flea's pyrotechnic funk bass licks and John Frusciante's ripping guitar, replacing the recently deceased Hillel Slovak (heroin, death fans). Despite fairly detailed instrumental credits, there's no mention of keyboards anywhere, including the organ on the fairly reprehensible Sexy Mexican Maid, but given that it's produced by noted Mellotron fan Michael Beinhorn, it's probably safe to assume it's his playing that can be heard on three tracks. Nobody Weird Like Me is layered with strings, although it's one of the heavier tracks on offer here, ditto Knock Me Down. Taste The Pain, however, is slower, with some reggaeish guitar, and 'Tron choir and string parts that, strangely, don't really seem to add anything much to the song. In fact, none of the 'Tron parts are that relevant to the music, leaving one to wonder why Beinhorn actually bothered at all, though it's difficult to knock anyone who puts the Sacred Keyboard onto anything. Track nine is the Hendrix song, incidentally, which I remember seeing them play on TV with Flea playing the entire song hanging upside down from the lighting rig.
I've seen Blood Sugar Sex Magik written as the rather indigestible Bloodsugarsexmagik, but I think I'll stick with the readable version. For some reason, the Chilis opted to put out over 70 minutes' worth of music, which to be quite honest, is absolutely interminable. This is the sort of music that should rush in, mug you when you're not looking and be out again before you've noticed; 50 minutes would be overlong. Anyway, the album follows its predecessor's template fairly closely, although the band veer away from their chosen path in a few places, particularly on the acoustic Breaking The Girl and I Could Have Lied. This time round there's Mellotron credited on a couple of tracks, played by engineer Brendan O'Brien; Breaking The Girl has 'Tron flutes a-plenty, plus a little burst of strings somewhere along the line, while the utterly reprehensible Sir Psycho Sexy has cello and string parts towards the end. Shame about the lyrics, 'cos it's not a bad song.
One Hot Minute, 1995's belated follow-up, shows a few signs of maturity, with a couple of decent songs in Tearjerker and the title track. I believe it's regarded as a bit of a stopgap album, but it doesn't sound that dissimilar to the rest of their catalogue to my ears. I've no idea who plays the 'Tron on this one, but there's quite a bit to be heard on Tearjerker, with a few choir and flute chords before a full-on strings part at the end.
After another several-year gap, the Chilis released Californication, and their emotional and musical maturity seems to have come on apace, although lead-off track Around The World gives the temporary impression that it's No Change on the Chilis front. The rest of the album is (relatively) more laid-back, in fact, almost mellow in places. Parallel Universe and Road Trippin' are genuinely good songs, although most of the rest have trouble rising above average. Patrick Warren was brought in to play Chamberlin (bizarrely credited as 'Chamberlin organ' - at least they spelt 'Chamberlin' correctly...) on Road Trippin', and succeeds in lifting what was already a good song with some well-placed cellos, strings and flutes.
With By the Way, the Chilis have continued their unstoppable march towards the mainstream while, to be fair, keeping something of themselves about it. Best song is probably the opening title track, with the proverbial chorus to die for, but overall, the quality of the material is pretty high, although it does sound like a watered-down version of their previous funk/metal crossover. I'm sure they've made many more fans than they've lost, though. Just a couple. There are strings on a few tracks, and uncredited keyboards, so I've bugger-all idea who plays the Mellotron strings on This Is The Place, consisting of some block chords over the drumless mid-section of the song. There are several other moments on the album that could be 'Tron, but somehow, none of them ring true, so I'm leaving it at this, at least without any more information.
None of these albums is exactly a Mellotron Classic, to be honest, but then you knew that already, right? If you like the Chilis' sound, you've probably already got these, and you'll like 'em if you haven't. The 'Tron/Chamby parts aren't bad, by any means, but certainly not worth buying on those grounds alone. Borrow the albums and compile the relevant tracks, and you'll have an OK, if shortish album.
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Cycles (1977, 40.20) **½/TCyclesOpen (Give it Back to Me) Gamble (Take a Chance on Me) Ooh Give Our Love Another Try Dancing Bones Checkin' it Out Funky Silk Don't Say No |
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Redbone were formed in the late '60s by Native American brothers Pat and Lolly "Vegas" Vasquez, hitting gold with two major hits in the early '70s, Maggie and The Witch Queen Of New Orleans. However, by 1977, it seems their star was firmly on the wane, especially after (temporarily) losing long-term guitarist Tony Bellamy, and Cycles was their last album for many years. By this point, the band had slipped sharply from their original Native American take on Santana to a rather gloopy soul/funk direction, although I've heard far worse in this field. The first two tracks are fairly affable soul/funk things, but by track three, Gamble (Take A Chance On Me), the band delve into the murky waters of... well, what was the biggest-selling genre in the States in the late '70s? You got it... Four to the floor, Saturday Night Fever, Yowzah! Yowzah! Yowzah! Yup, it's essentially disco, although the rest of the album manages to skirt the issue without doing the full Rose Royce.
The only band member not called 'Vegas' by this point was keyboard player Aloisio Aguiar, who, along with the ever-present Rhodes and string synth, is credited with Chamberlin; great Chamby strings intro on the title track, with a flute part on Open (Give It Back To Me) and more strings on Funky Silk, although all other string parts appear to be string synth. Anyway, despite its first 20 seconds or so, you really don't need a copy of this album, although I suspect their earlier work may be worth hearing.
