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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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Demis Roussos Roxy Music Rufus Zuphall |
Runaway Totem Todd Rundgren Bic Runga |
Ruphus Rush Leon Russell |
Rustichelli & Bordini Terje Rypdal |
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Forever and Ever (1974, 38.16) **/T½Forever and EverMy Friends the Wind My Reason Lay it Down Lovely Sunny Days Lost in a Dream Velvet Mornings Rebecca When I am a Kid Good Bye My Love Good Bye |
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I've been dreading playing this; I bought it six months ago, and have been putting it off ever since. I paid A$1.00 for it in a crummy shop in Perth, to the extreme consternation of my mate (hi, Stuart), who had only pointed it out for a laugh, and couldn't believe it when I picked it up... OK, it's not good, but with the benefit of 30-odd years' hindsight, an album of Demis Roussos ballads sounds quite harmless compared to some of the utter dreck to which I've subjected myself over the last few years. Roussos, of course, was a member of the mighty Aphrodite's Child (bit of a shocker when I discovered that, many years ago), along with Vangelis, but after their demise, swiftly moved into the realms of Large Greek Balladry, delighting and horrifying Europeans in approximately equal quantities. Yeah, Forever and Ever is pretty crapulent, but largely drifts past without overly offending in the process. Modern dross take note.
Surprisingly, maybe, the album doesn't entirely comprise cheesy ballads, with Lay It Down being an energetic pseudo-rocker, with rather duff girly backing vox, while Rebecca actually has proggy touches, although, er, the other eight tracks all seem to be cheesy ballads, at which I shouldn't be entirely surprised. They obviously couldn't afford a real string section for the whole album, with the exception of closer Good Bye My Love Good Bye, so S. (Stylianos) Vlavianos plays Mellotron on several tracks, with strings and flutes on the title track and Lovely Sunny Days, and a particularly strident string part on Lost In A Dream. I don't think the album's brass parts are 'Tron, though I could be wrong.
So; I can't imagine why you'd want to own a copy of this - oh, you didn't anyway? Well, Demis is hardly ripe for reassessment, but this was a far less unpleasant experience than I'd been expecting, for which I am truly grateful. Passable 'Tron on a few tracks, too, which is always a bonus. Incidentally, note the writing credits: several tracks mention a certain 'Ch. Chalkitis', clearly the legendary Harris Chalkitis, probably the first artist to get a really rippingly bad review on this site.
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7" (1972) *****/T½ Virginia Plain The Numberer |
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Roxy Music (1972, 42.11) ****/T½Re-make/Re-modelLadytron If There is Something 2 H.B. The Bob (Medley) Chance Meeting Would You Believe? Sea Breezes Bitters End |
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For Your Pleasure (1973, 40.53) ****½/TTDo the StrandBeauty Queen Strictly Confidential Editions of You In Every Dream Home a Heartache The Bogus Man Grey Lagoons For Your Pleasure |
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Stranded (1973, 39.49) ****/TStreet LifeJust Like You Amazona Psalm Serenade A Song for Europe Mother of Pearl Sunset |
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Country Life (1974, 41.15) ***½/T |
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| The Thrill of it All Three and Nine All I Want is You Out of the Blue If it Takes All Night Bitter Sweet Triptych Casanova |
A Really Good Time Prairie Rose |
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Siren (1975, 42.11) ***½/½Love is the DrugEnd of the Line Sentimental Fool Whirlwind She Sells Could it Happen to Me? Both Ends Burning Nightingale Just Another High |
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Viva! (1976, recorded 1973-75, 46.09) ****½/TT½Out of the BluePyjamarama The Bogus Man Chance Meeting Both Ends Burning If There is Something In Every Dream Home a Heartache Do the Strand |
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Roxy Music burst onto the scene in 1972, led by the charismatic Bryan Ferry and peddling a sound that didn't really fit into any of the genres of the day. They weren't progressive, they certainly weren't metal, and while some members of the press dubbed them 'glam', they said the same about anyone who put on stack heels and a bit of makeup, which was just about everyone that year. In retrospect, Roxy fit best into the rather small 'art rock' category, along with David Bowie, as much as they fit into anything at all. For some reason, Roxy never settled on a bassist, and just used session guys both in the studio and live. The other 'regular' members were guitarist Phil Manzanera (whom I've heard described rather unfairly as 'a lucky roadie'), saxophonist Andy Mackay and drummer Paul Thompson, with (Brian) Eno on synths, later replaced by Eddie Jobson.
First single, Virginia Plain, is an enduring classic which everyone should own, with a little 'Tron brass way down in the mix. Find it on their Greatest Hits (****½), or any subsequent compilation. Hard on its heels came their eponymous debut, also a bit of a classic. Their cool, arty sound captured the hearts of many a disaffected teenager, many of whom sadly went on to form rather reprehensible bands in the early '80s, but we can't hold Duran Duran et al. against Roxy; you might as well blame Megadeth on Motörhead. Compared to their second album, however, Roxy Music sounds a little formative in places, docking it one star from its rating. Album highlights are Ladytron, If There Is Something and Sea Breezes, with some nice 'Tron strings on the aptly-titled Ladytron, presumably played by Eno ('synthesizer and tapes'), and a few chords on If There Is Something. Like all of Roxy's albums, though, it's never going to be considered a Mellotron classic, but is still very worthy of your attention.
For Your Pleasure was even better, including possibly Roxy's two best songs, the effervescent single Do The Strand, and the dark, moody In Every Dream Home A Heartache (one of the few songs written about a blow-up doll), performed live by Roxy and solo Ferry to the present day. The rest of the album's no slouch, either, with nary a duffer amongst the eight tracks present. There's a good bit of 'Tron strings on the lengthy The Bogus Man, and both strings and choir on the title track, presumably still played by Eno. By this time, Eno was playing his VCS3 and singing backing vocals from the mixing console (!), causing consternation among some concertgoers, so it was no real surprise when he left to pursue his (ultimately) successful solo career, being replaced by the still very young Eddie Jobson, fresh out of Curved Air, doubling on keys and violin.
Stranded, their second album of '73, is still good, but the cracks were beginning to show. A certain commercial intent can be noted on Just Like You, as Ferry's solo career began to take off and the boundaries between that and Roxy started to become blurred. However, most of the album's still excellent, particularly Street Life and the moody and magnificent (and just a little bit camp) A Song For Europe. The only Mellotron on display is a bit of brass on Street Life, which is unusual enough to warrant attention, but not enough for the Mellotron fan to splash out, I suspect.
Country Life's sleeve takes the prize for 'rudest Roxy album cover' hands down; I can't remember who the lady is on the left, though I think she was connected to the band, but the one on the right is the girlfriend (wife?) of Michael Karoli from Can. The more you look at the picture, the ruder it is, and I should know. Er, moving swiftly on... The album carries on down the path of 'easier listening', begun on Stranded, with noticeably shorter songs all round, with the exception of opener The Thrill Of It All. I thought it was Mellotron strings on this track, but on closer listening it's revealed to be Jobson's violin, although the strings on Bitter Sweet are definitely tape replay. Not a bad album, but already not a patch on their earlier work.
By Siren (the cover featuring Ferry's latest squeeze, Jerry Hall), there's no obvious Mellotron to be heard, though I'm assured the sound effects opening the album, leading into killer hit single Love Is The Drug are in fact 'Tron FX tapes. Unsurprisingly, the album heads further towards the mainstream, though compared to the drivel they produced later, it's a classic. The live version of Both Ends Burning was a single, released a year later and is of similar quality, and the rest of the album's good, but not great, although Sentimental Fool's intro recalls earlier triumphs. Shockingly, there were only slightly over three years between the recording of these five albums, so it's a minor miracle that the quality was kept as high as it was.
Before taking a three-year gap (unheard of in those days, leading everyone to assume they'd split up), Roxy released Viva!, which should surely have been a double album. It combines live recordings from 1973, '74 and '75 into a seamless whole, although no less than three different guest bass players contribute. Jobson's Mellotron (originally an M400, later a Mark V) was used slightly more than in the studio, partly to fill out the sound, although two of the three relevant tracks here had 'Tron on their studio versions, the exception being Out Of The Blue, with a great string part. I have read that Roxy's 'Tron had oboe tapes to back Mackay (who doubled on oboe), but I can't hear any evidence here. The Bogus Man is a lot shorter than its studio version (unusually), and features the same string part, while If There Is Something, just to confuse the issue, sees Jobson switching between violin and 'Tron strings. Anyway, it's a pity no-one's thought to release any more live Roxy from this period, although various b-sides turned up on the box set of a few years back. I doubt if there's any Mellotron involvement, but I'll let you know if I ever get to hear them.
So; none of these are really 'classic Mellotron albums', although both For Your Pleasure and Viva! have enough to make it worth listening for. However, both Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure are essential, and all of these albums are worth hearing, though care should be taken the later you go. After they 'reformed', Roxy released Manifesto, including the awful Dance Away, and carried on putting out terrible albums, reaching their nadir on Avalon. Very nasty. Stick with these.
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Phallobst (1971, 36.45/79.29) ****/T |
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| Closing Time Wenn Schon, Denn Schon Schupfner Waste Land Makröjel Prickel Pit Portland Town I'm on My Way |
[CD adds: Paint it Black Kartoffeltango Wade in the Water Sau Aas Spanferkel Schupfner Portland Town Makröjel] |
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Rufus Zuphall's Phallobst was their second and last album, and for most of its length could be described as an interesting blues/prog hybrid, with a clean but punchy guitar sound, very distinct from the band's heavier contemporaries. The material is good, the style unusual, the playing excellent; what's not to like? OK, so it hasn't dated that well, but compared to the type of acid folk that Germany was chucking up at the time (Emtidi, Hölderlin etc.), it hasn't actually done too badly, and I can see this becoming a minor favourite if I ever find the time to play it more often.
Guitarist Günther Krause doubled on Mellotron (Dieter Dierks' studio's machine), although he hardly used the thing, to be honest, with no more than a brief burst of brass at the beginning of Portland Town and some more obvious strings on closer I'm On My Way, but nothing to get too excited about. So; a good, unique album, worth it for the progressive fan who wants something slightly different. Long Hair's CD version has the second half of a bloody good gig, 'Live Aachen '72' (part one is tacked onto the reissue of their debut, Weiß der Teufel), which is, of course, Mellotron-free.
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Zed (1996, 48.54) ****/TTZedMnar |
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Runaway Totem's second album (I think), Zed, is a dense, difficult work, which repays the extra effort required to gain anything from it. Among their chief influences would appear to be Magma, with a similar operatic feel to the male and female vocals, and lengthy sections in march time, although they go off at a tangent, where Magma would plough on till the bitter end. The album consists of two side-long tracks (although I don't know if it's ever been released on vinyl), with a gentleman named Ohm playing Mellotron on the first, and piano on the second; his 'Tron work consists of slabs of strings laid down all over the place, definitely improving the sound of the piece. I'm not sure whether or not to recommend this to 'Tron fans, but if you don't mind your prog a little on the abrasive side, it's probably worth hearing.
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A Wizard, a True Star (1973, 55.56) ****/T½ |
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| International Feel Never Never Land Tic Tic Tic it Wears Off You Need Your Head Rock and Roll Pussy Dogfight Giggle You Don't Have to Camp Around Flamingo Zen Archer Just Another Onionhead; Da Da Dali When the Shit Hits the Fan; Sunset Blvd |
Le Feel Internacionale Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel Does Anybody Love You? Medley I'm So Proud Ooh Baby Baby La La Means I Love You Cool Jerk Hungry for Love I Don't Want to Tie You Down Is it My Name? Just One Victory |
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Todd (1974, 66.28) ***½/½ |
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| How About a Little Fanfare I Think You Know The Spark of Life An Elpee's Worth of Toons A Dream Goes on Forever Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song Drunken Blue Rooster The Last Ride Everybody's Going to Heaven/ King Kong Reggae |
No.1 Lowest Common Denominator Useless Begging Sidewalk Cafe Izzat Love? Heavy Metal Kids In and Out the Chakras We Go Don't You Ever Learn? Sons of 1984 |
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Todd Rundgren is known for recording albums entirely solo, a practice which reached its apogee with Faithful, where he attempted to recreate classic songs to the point where they were indistinguishable from the originals, meaning it's hard to know who's playing what on his albums. On the offchance you've never heard any of his stuff, he's wildly eclectic, and on a good day, a truly brilliant pop writer, although his career contains far too much faff for him to ever be really consistent. Starting with The Nazz in the late '60s, he worked his way through two albums with Runt at the beginning of the '70s, before striking out on his own, then forming Utopia, while running his solo career concurrently. Confused?
A Wizard, a True Star is regarded by many as his peak, with songs of the quality of International Feel and Is It My Name?, although it has to be said that at nearly an hour, it's a little overlong, and a little editing may have been in order. As far as the Mellotron's concerned, although I've had people swear blind he never used one, all I can say is: listen to the highlighted tracks above. It's difficult to tell on Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel until the end of the song, where it's quite clearly 'Tron strings, and they're all over the Medley, a rather unnecessary combination of four soul tracks. It may well be elsewhere on the album, too, but it's extremely difficult to tell, given the denseness of the production.
The following year's Todd is more of the same, musically, with killer songs like An Elpee's Worth Of Toons and Useless Begging vying for space with bizarre tracks like the Gilbert and Sullivan spoof Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song. I'm assuming it's Mellotron strings again on The Last Ride, but I wouldn't actually stake anything really important on it, and if it is, it might also be elsewhere. Who knows?
Rundgren's had a long and honourable career, and is still doing it now, albeit to a smaller audience. I wouldn't absolutely swear that either of the above albums absolutely, definitely contains Mellotron, but it seems likely. As to whether he used one on anything else... More news should I ever get a fuller story.
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Drive (1997, 41.33) **/½ |
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| Drive Sway Hey Bursting Through Swim Roll Into One Suddenly Strange Sorry |
Heal Delight Without You |
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Y'know, I really want to like Bic Runga's music; she's a Kiwi (I have family there), and she sounds pretty sorted and independent. Unfortunately, her debut, Drive, is a dullsville girly singer-songwriter album, like an Antipodean Dido, though without the irritating production (and admittedly, several years earlier). It starts OK, with the sparse title track, but as soon as the band come in, my attention begins wandering, and after a few tracks, I have to physically stop myself from hitting the 'stop' button.
The sole Mellotron track (played by Miss Runga herself), Suddenly Strange, is as dull as the rest of the album, with a brief 'Strawberry Fields'-style flute part before the (real) strings come in. Although there's only one track credited, I can hear a couple of other 'is it?'s, particularly the background strings on Heal, but without confirmation, the one track it is and shall remain. So, buy? Only if her chosen style is really what you're looking for, to be honest. Sorry, I tried...
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Ranshart (1974, 33.35) ***½/TT½Love is My LightEasy Lovers, Heavy Moaners Fallen Wonders Pictures of a Day Back Side |
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I don't know much about Ruphus, to be honest; they give the impression, at least on their second effort, Ranshart, of being a hard rock band with progressive leanings, rather than vice versa. The titles and lyrics rather give the game away; I mean, Easy Lovers, Heavy Moaners? However, the music's reasonably good, though far from world-beating, being fairly run-of-the-mill heavyish mid-'70s prog, although the longer tracks on side two betray a slight Yes influence.
Keys man Håkon Graf plays Mellotron on four of the album's five tracks, along with the usual Hammond and Moog. His use is in the standard 'string washes' territory, although it definitely lifts the tracks on which it's used. Unsurprisingly, for a semi-prog album, the best tracks are the longer ones (why is this so often the case?), those being Pictures Of A Day and Back Side, although I suspect the rest of the album may grow on me, if I can ever find the time to play it enough.
So; not bad, not great, some nice 'Tron. Haven't we heard this somewhere before? Worth hearing for the enthusiast.
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2112 (1976 , 39.00) ****½/T½ |
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| 2112 Overture The Temples of Syrinx Discovery Presentation Oracle: the Dream Soliloquy Grand Finale A Passage to Bangkok |
The Twilight Zone Lessons Tears Something for Nothing |
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Snakes & Arrows (2007, 62.50) ***½/T |
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| Far Cry Armor and Sword Workin' Them Angels The Larger Bowl Spindrift The Main Monkey Business The Way the Wind Blows Hope |
Faithless Bravest Face Good News First Malignant Narcissism We Hold on |
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That's 'Twenty-One-Twelve' to you, not 'Two-One-One-Two', as some initiates to Rush's music first thought (yeah, me too). One of Rush's finest hours (a Rush hour? Sorry...), 2112 is their second album to feature a concept piece, but the first to really get it right. However, it isn't the album's centrepiece that concerns us here, but a rather inconsequential ballad on side 2, Tears. The sleeve states: 'Special guest Hugh Syme - keyboards on 'Tears''. Syme was keyboard player with the Ian Thomas Band, and owned his own M400, also used on the Spoons' Stick Figure Neighbourhood, from '81, and still works for Rush in his capacity as artwork guru to this day. I haven't actually looked that closely at the sleeve of 2112 for years; I was convinced he was credited with 'Mellotron', which shows you how the mind can play tricks sometimes. Well, it is 'Tron, and a very fine example too. The track itself would be easy to discount as a rather wussy ballad if it wasn't for the Mellotron interjections; flutes in the verse, strings in the chorus. Whether the band wrote the 'Tron part or if the legendary Mr Syme came up with it himself isn't specified, but it enhances the song no end, though if you don't like Rush, this track isn't going to convert you to their cause.
Skip forwards 31 years... Rush released their 19th studio album, Snakes & Arrows, in mid-'07, with Geddy Lee's credit reading, 'Bass guitar, bass pedals, Mellotron, vocals'. Er, y'wot? Mellotron? Apparently it's a genuine one, already resident in one of the studios the band used. I must have had more mail about this one album than any other in the seven or eight years I've been running this site, almost all of which said something along the lines of, "But you can't bloody hear it". They're not actually right - although inaudible on my car stereo, there's a fairly obvious string part on Faithless, with a few notes on Bravest Face and Good News First and a background noise on Armor And Sword (so what's suddenly with the American spelling, guys? You're Canadian) that could just, at a pinch, be strings. However, like the credited bass pedals (their producer persuaded them to dig out the old Taurus), there's so little 'Tron here that the credit was barely worth the effort. So, not a bad album, given that their last couple were so ropey, and the accompanying tour was, of course, stupendous. No Mellotron, though.
Buy? If you like Rush, you already own 2112; if you don't, try to hear the track anyway. You won't regret it. Snakes & Arrows is a good modern Rush album, leagues ahead of, say, Vapor Trails (more American spelling!), but please ignore that 'Mellotron' credit.
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Carney (1972, 37.09) ***½/TT |
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| Tight Rope Out in the Woods Me and Baby Jane Manhattan Island Serenade Cajun Love Song Roller Derby Carney Acid Annapolis |
If the Shoe Fits My Cricket This Masquerade Magic Mirror |
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Hank Wilson's Back! (1973, 40.49/48.50) ***½/T½ |
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| Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms She Thinks I Still Care I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry I'll Sail My Ship Alone Jambalaya A Six Pack to Go The Battle of New Orleans Uncle Pen |
Am I That Easy to Forget? Truck Drivin' Man The Window Up Above Lost Highway Goodnight Irene [CD adds: Hey Good Lookin' In the Jailhouse Now] |
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Stop All That Jazz (1974, 35.06/41.27) ***/T |
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| If I Were a Carpenter Smashed Leaving Whipporwhill Spanish Harlem Streaker's Ball Working Girl Time for Love The Ballad of Hollis Brown |
Mona Lisa Please Stop All That Jazz [CD adds: Wild Horses Wabash Cannonball] |
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Will o'the Wisp (1975, 42.12) ***/T |
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| Will o'the Wisp/Little Hideaway Make You Feel Good Can't Get Over Losing You My Father's Shoes Stay Away From Sad Songs Back to the Island Down on Deep River Bluebird |
Laying Right Here in Heaven Lady Blue |
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Leon Russell played (and probably still plays) an eclectic mixture of blues, soul, country and just about anything else you can think of. Despite never crediting the thing, I believe he owned both a Mellotron (M400) and a Chamberlin, using the latter on quite a few recordings.
I can't hear any on 1971's Leon Russell & the Shelter People, but the following year's Carney has it on several tracks. Cajun Love Song has strings and brass on, er, a Cajun-style thing, while the under-a-minute title track has jaunty, fairground-style brass, and the frankly weird Acid Annapolis has male voices, alongside the real thing. The album's Chamby highlight, however, is This Masquerade, opening with an overdubbed strings and vibes part, with possibly other sounds thrown in, with strings (I think) on Magic Mirror, too.
Nothing audible on '72's Asylum Choir II (a collaboration with Marc Benno), but Russell's first 'country' album (in his own inimitable style), Hank Wilson's Back! has presumably Chamberlin strings on I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry and Am I That Easy To Forget?. Given my usual distaste for most country stuff (honourable exception: Johnny Cash), I surprised myself by quite liking some of this album; Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms features some of the most furious banjo playing you'll hear this side of Flatt & Scruggs (don't tell me; it is Flatt & Scruggs, right?), and even the pedal steel stuff didn't make me vomit.
'74's Stop All That Jazz and the following year's Will o'the Wisp are more 'straightforward' Russell albums, whatever you take that to mean; not country, anyway. Stop All That Jazz opens with a bizarre r'n'b take on Tim Hardin's deathless If I Were A Carpenter, then sticks fairly closely to Russell's patented jazz/blues/soul mixture for the rest of the album. Now, why is it that he wouldn't credit his tape-replay use? Full instrumental credits on the album, with the glaring exception of the full-on Chamberlin (?) strings on side two's Big Ballad, Time For Love. Will o'the Wisp's opening pairing of Will o'the Wisp/Little Hideaway is particularly good, although some of the material strikes one as slightly unnecessary (notably closing ballad Lady Blue). Ignoring the comment I made above re. his Chamby/Mellotron use, My Father's Shoes has a really full-on upfront strings part that has to be Mellotron rather than Chamby, although I'm not sure about the intro oboe (clarinet?).
I'm told there's more tape-replay on some of Russell's other albums; more details when I get to hear them. As for this lot, Carney is the only Chamby 'must-have', though Will o'the Wisp's My Father's Shoes really should be heard.
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Opera Prima (1973, 40.48) ****/TTTNativitaIcaro Dolce Sorella Un Cane E Svegliarsi in un Giorno Cammellandia |
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Rustichelli and Bordini were a keys/drums duo, contracted from a trio with a bassist who made just the one, excellent album, Opera Prima. I've seen this listed as 'one of the Italian greats', so it's gratifying to hear that it is, indeed, one of the better albums to come out of such a large scene; I must've heard album opener Nativita sometime in the past, as it was immediately familiar, which is more than I can say for a great deal of music I've owned (and played) for years. The material takes a slight dip in the middle of the album, with some unfortunate vocal parts (Rustichelli?), although that's just being picky, really.
Rustichelli used his Mellotron on four of the six tracks, mostly strings, although there are several cello parts (notably the intro to Cammellandia), and the odd bit of flute. This is all excellent stuff, with the 'Tron coming in just when needed, avoiding 'Mellotron overkill' syndrome. Well, it's nice to hear a much-awaited album, and find that it was worth the wait. Buy.
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Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away (1974, 37.10) ***½/TT½Silver Bird is Heading for the SunThe Hunt Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away |
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Terje Rypdal is probably Norway's best-known jazz guitarists; not so difficult, to be fair, but he's a talented player and writer, active since the early '60s in one guise or another. His ongoing collaboration with the esteemed ECM label began around 1970, while he was working with Jan Garbarek, with Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away being (I believe) his third solo effort. In many ways, it's a typical mid-'70s fusion album, although it has some very untypical Mellotron work from Pete Knutsen of the Norwegian Popol Vuh (nothing to do with Florian Fricke's outfit). Actually, it's unfair to say the album is typical; it's a good deal more inventive and less clichéd than your average American fusion record, with considerable use made of orchestral instruments, particularly on side two's title track, which was written for guitar and orchestra.
Knutsen's Mellotron work on the 'band' side is excellent, opening the album with cellos and strings under (real) french horn on the 13-minute Silver Bird Is Heading For The Sun, shifting key signatures every couple of bars to great effect. More 'Tron interjections throughout the piece, with similar on the shorter The Hunt, along with Knutsen's jazzy Rhodes work. If the album has a fault, it's that the Mellotron could've been used rather more (how many times have we heard this before?), but although it's only on one side of the record, it's well-used. (Tentatively) buy.
