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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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Sundial Sunshine Fix Superdrag |
Supergrass Swans Matthew Sweet |
Richard Swift Symphonic Slam Synergy |
System of a Down Systems Theory |
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Acid Yantra (1995, 49.21) ***½/T½Red SkyApollo 3,000 Miles Are You Supernatural? Bad Drug Fly Into the Sun Rollercoaster Nova Yantra Jam |
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Sundial (or Sun Dial) are a fairly rare thing, a modern full-on UK psych outfit; formed in 1990 by mainman Gary Ramon, they went through numerous lineups while managing to release several albums, signing with Beggars Banquet in '93. Acid Yantra was their fifth album in as many years, and features various takes on the whole psych thing, from acoustic whimsy (3,000 Miles, Yantra Jam) to all-out rock (Apollo, Are You Supernatural?), opening with almost the least obvious opener, the lengthy, stoned-out Red Sky.
Ramon is credited with Mellotron, and by track 8 I'd given up on hearing any, so I'm pleased to report that Nova, is chock-full of 'Tron strings, played in an endearingly psych-ish manner, with some distant flutes on Yantra Jam to finish off. Acid Yantra is possibly a better concept than an actual album, but it's not at all bad, while making you hope Ramon can hone his skills more finely next time round. Of course, there wasn't a next time round, at least until 2003, when the new lineup released Zen for Sale. No idea if there's any 'Tron - I'll report back as soon as I know one way or the other.
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Green Imagination (2004, 38.39) ***/½ |
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| Statues and Glue What Do You Know Extraordinary/Ordinary Papers Fall Innerstates Rx Afterglow Enjoy the Teeth |
Face the Ghost Runaway Run Sunday Afternoon |
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Sunshine Fix are ex-Olivia Tremor Controller Bill Doss' new band, although he used the name prior to the formation of the OTC. It would be fair to say they have a distinctly psychedelic sound, although they're far from purist sixties-heads, with more than a nod towards the OTC's Atlanta, Georgia scene, alongside Neutral Milk Hotel, the Apples in Stereo et al. Their second album, Green Imagination, is perfectly good, but unlike some other contemporary psych acts, it somehow failed to really grab me, although maybe it will several plays down the line?
Anyway, only one obvious 'Tron track (from Doss), with somewhat background flutes on Rx, although it's possible that the background sounds on a couple of other tracks are also 'Tron-generated. Overall then, not bad, not great, not much 'Tron. I've no idea whether they've used one on their debut, Age of the Sun, or any of their single/EP/compilation tracks; more news should I get to hear any of them and they test positive.
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Regretfully Yours (1996, 41.39) ***½/T |
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| Slot Machine Phaser Carried Sucked Out Cynicality Destination Ursa Major Whitey's Theme Truest Love |
What if You Don't Fly Garmonbozia N.A.Kicker Nothing Good is Real Rocket |
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A quick glance at the cover of Superdrag's debut album, Regretfully Yours, is liable to make one shudder and think, "Indie-schmindie time". While it isn't entirely true to say that nothing could be further from the truth, they're actually a really good punky powerpop outfit with great melodies and an obvious love of The Beatles, although they must have Hüsker Dü and The Replacements posters on their bedroom walls, too. I'm sure repeated plays would bring out the album's subtleties, but on a single listen, no one track particularly stands out (OK, N.A. Kicker is pretty good), although the overall effect is of tuneful but energetic pop/rock, with not a trace of that terrible indie wussiness so many of their contemporaries insist on sporting (anyone say "Bright Eyes?").
Mellotron on Truest Love, from vocalist/guitarist John Davis, with a melodic string part slightly buried in the mix, meaning that one T is too much, but half isn't enough, so one it is. This album isn't going to satisfy the Mellotron junkie, to say the least, but it's a good, energetic pop/rock record for those into the genre.
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Life on Other Planets (2002, 40.45) ***½/½ |
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| Za Rush Hour Soul Seen the Light Brecon Beacons Can't Get Up Evening of the Day Never Done Nothing Like That Before Funniest Thing |
Grace La Song Prophet 15 Run |
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Along with Pulp, and maybe Blur, Oxford-based Supergrass are one of the more literate outfits to've risen from the Britpop 'movement' (more of a music press construction than any real meeting of minds, to be honest). I believe their previous album was something of a letdown, but Life on Other Planets was hailed as a return to form on its release, and it isn't difficult to see why. The songwriting's good (these boys know how to construct a song properly), the influences are impeccable, the musicianship stands up well... Beat that, Oasis! Highlights? Hard to say, but Za is a strong opener, and Brecon Beacons impresses, too, but there really isn't a bad track on the album. Saying that, little of it is 'classic', either, slightly reducing its star rating, but it's still worth hearing for those of you into intelligent, witty pop.
No credits anywhere, but I believe the heavily-featured keys are played (as ever) by mainman Gaz Coombes' brother Rob, the band's unofficial fourth member. I'm not sure what his reasoning is for refusing to become a full member; maybe it pays better this way? Anyway, aside from the Hammond, piano and monosynth parts, Coombes (if Coombes it is) plays a few Mellotron flute chords on the raucous Never Done Nothing Like That Before, and sounds like he's probably doubling the ethereal 'rub a bottleneck across the string' part on Run with a brief single-note string part.
So, a good album of its type, though not one for the miserablists among you. Not an awful lot of 'Tron, to be honest, but a good, solid album.
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Love of Life (1992, 51.04/54.00) ***½/T½ |
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| (-) Love of Life The Golden Boy That Was Swallowed By the Sea (-) (-) The Other Side of the World Her The Sound of Freedom (-) |
Amnesia Identity (-) In the Eyes of Nature She Crys (for Spider) God Loves America (-) [CD adds: No Cure for the Lonely] |
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By 1992, Swans (no 'the'), former enfants terribles had dropped the extreme volume and titles like Public Castration is a Good Idea and had settled into a slightly-nearer-mainstream old age, before their eventual split. Michael Gira's voice is still gut-wrenchingly deep on Love of Life, and their sound still has disturbing aspects to it, but all in all, it's eminently listenable compared to their earlier work (in my humble opinion, of course).
There only seems to be 'Tron, played by female keyboardist Jarboe on two tracks. Both have a fair helping of strings, especially In The Eyes Of Nature, which starts with an almost-symphonic burst of the good ol' three violins. I can't really recommend this to Mellotron fans, to be honest, but it's a good album, deserving of a wider audience. Gira's gone on to do his Angels of Light project, among other things, and he's rumoured to have used 'Tron since Swans days; more news if I get to hear anything. Oh, and all those '(-)' tracks are essentially instrumental interludes, sometimes including found sounds or dialogue. And yes, I find the cover image quite disturbing, too.
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100% Fun (1995, 41.16/48.20) ****/T |
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| Sick of Myself Not When I Need it We're the Same Giving it Back Everything Changes Lost My Mind Come to Love Walk Out |
I Almost Forgot Super Baby Get Older Smog Moon [bonus tracks: Sense of Adventure Slowly] |
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Blue Sky on Mars (1997, 36.40) ***½/T |
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| Come to California Back to You Where You Get Love Hollow Behind the Smile Until You Break Over it Heaven and Earth |
All Over My Head Into Your Drug Make Believe Missing Time |
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Matthew Sweet is one of the quintessential practitioners of powerpop, not as in The Knack, but as in Big Star crossed with Jellyfish, or an American Badfinger. A glorious mixture of pop and rock, more Beatles than Cheap Trick, but in thrall to both, while sounding like neither. His commercial breakthrough came with his third album, 1991's Girlfriend, although his fifth, '95's 100% Fun, is apparently a rather darker proposition, named for a phrase from Kurt Cobain's suicide note, fact fans.
There isn't a bad track here, to be honest, although some of you may not go for the smattering of more country-inclined numbers such as I Almost Forgot. Overall, we're talking powerpop heaven, which will doubtless only get better with repeated plays (one day, one day...). Credited Mellotron (from seemingly the Mellotron's lost advocate, producer Brendan O'Brien) on two tracks, with some lovely volume-pedalled strings on Lost My Mind, although whatever's being played on Super Baby is, sadly, inaudible.
Two years on, Blue Sky on Mars is also stuffed to the gills with excellent material, only... maybe a fraction less excellent than on its predecessor. Despite containing songs of the quality of the insanely short Over It, there seems to be rather less sonic variety than before; is that the problem? Dunno, but it's still a far better record than, ooh, 99.9% of Sweet's contemporaries produced that year, so I'm not sure what I'm complaining about. Two 'Tron tracks from Brendan O'Brien again, with a few string chords on Behind The Smile and some interesting pitchbend work on Into Your Drug.
So; if intelligent, well-written pop/rock sounds like it could be your thing, I think you need to hear Matthew Sweet. There's only one essential Mellotron track here, 100% Fun's Lost My Mind, but that's really not why you'll buy these records.
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Walking Without Effort (2005, 30.13) ***½/TTTWalking Without Effort ThemeHalf Lit In the Air As I Go Above and Beneath Mexico (1977) Losing Sleep Not Wasting Time Beautiful Heart |
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Richard Swift was briefly a member of US indie types Starflyer 59, playing Mellotron on their 2003 album, Old, before leaving to record his debut solo album, 2005's Walking Without Effort. How to describe this? Melancholy, almost 'old-time' music, maybe, with waltz times abounding, and faint hints of old country here and there, though nowhere near enough to fit this neatly into the 'Americana' bracket, although I can imagine listeners of that style finding things to interest them here.
Since Swift played Mellotron with Starflyer 59, it seems reasonable to suppose he plays it here, too. In places, it's difficult to tell where it's being used; is that muted 'Tron brass on Mexico (1977)? Is it a Chamberlin? Has it anything to do with tape-replay at all? Definite 'Tron or Chamby on several tracks, with muted brass and cellos on Walking Without Effort Theme, strings on In The Air, a poly flute part on Above And Beneath and strings elsewhere, though given the range of sounds used, as with Starflyer 59, I think their veracity is a little suspect. Innocent until proven guilty, though... There's a nice pitchbend up into the strings on Losing Sleep, so maybe I'm wrong? The sustained solo male voices at the end of the album (almost certainly Chamby) seem to go on a while, though I think they're within the eight-second limit. Jury's out.
Anyway, a nice album in a melancholy vein, with some decent tape-replay (whether real or not). This only seems to be available with Swift's follow-up, The Novelist, although I suspect the latter is 'Tron/Chamby free.
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Symphonic Slam (1976, 41.32) ***½/TUniverseEverytime Fold Back I Won't Cry Let it Grow Modane Train Times Run Short Days Summer Rain How Do You Stand |
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Symphonic Slam were guitarist Timo Laine's baby, although they're best known for providing Rainbow with their third keyboard player, David Stone. Laine actually lists his main instrument as the '360 Systems polyphonic guitar synthesizer', although guitar synthesis of any sort was a somewhat inexact science in 1976. It's fairly easy to spot where he uses it, as synth lines track the guitar parts (listen to the unaccompanied solo on How Do You Stand), with Stone often being used in a rather background role, which may explain his defection to Blackmore's crew. The band were a trio, with no bass, so although the low frequencies are covered by Stone's keys, the album is rather lacking in the bottom end.
The music's a sort of hard rock/pomp hybrid, with a progressive edge in places, although the sleeve suggests a far proggier proposition. Laine's vocals are in the North American rock'n'roll tradition, which you will probably either love or hate. I know I do. The band sound like they needed to decide which way they were going to go, as Symphonic Slam tries too hard to be all things to all men, with funky clavinet parts one minute (I Won't Cry), and, er, symphonic keys the next (Universe). Actually, the most 'progressive' part of the album is the first three tracks, which segue into a rather good 13-minute piece, after which things go downhill a little, I'm afraid. Stone's Mellotron use is pretty sparse, to be honest; opener Universe has choir and flute parts, with cellos on Everytime, while closer How Do You Stand has some fairly overt choirs, but that appears to be it.
I've seen references to a second Symphonic Slam album, which may have appeared under the name Timo Laine, but I don't seem to be able to trace them at the moment. Symphonic Slam itself is... OK. Nothing spectacular, although the first half of the first side is pretty good, while the Mellotron work is unremarkable, with Laine's guitar synth taking up most of the bandwidth. File under 'also-rans'.
A year or two back, I stated: "Interestingly, it appears that Universe isn't actually Laine's own song, as stated in the credits, as the music's been ripped off hook, line and sinker from Road To Hades, from fellow Canuck Neil Merryweather's Space Rangers album from two years earlier. I don't know if there's an untold story here, or whether Laine just decided to 'borrow' the piece - anyone out there know? (Thanks to Joe Ellis for that one - hi, Joe)." Weeeellll... There certainly is an untold story... I've just been written to by 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 Merryweather review) help to set the record straight.
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Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra (1975, 46.46/49.46) ****½/TTTTLegacySlaughter on Tenth Avenue Synergy Relay Breakdown Warriors [CD adds Classical Gas (1975 version)] |
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Synergy was, and is, Larry Fast's perennial solo electronic music project. Fast has guested with more bands than you can shake a stick at (just off the top of my head, Peter Gabriel, Nektar, FM and the woeful Intergalactic Touring Band), and has been generally regarded as a serious synth-whizz for over 25 years. Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra was the first Synergy album, and possibly the best; all electronic, the writing is excellent, with none of that 'set the sequencers off and noodle over the top' attitude of some of his less illustrious genre-mates. All five tracks are extremely good, but top marks probably have to go to Slaughter On Tenth Avenue for its deeply eccentric main theme, although, to be honest, it's difficult to elevate one track above any of the others.
Fast's entire equipment list for the album consists of a MiniMoog, an Oberheim expander and a Mellotron, which he has subsequently claimed 'was only used on about 6% of the album', to which I say: Rubbish. Its use may be fairly sparse in places, but it's audible on all five tracks, particularly Slaughter On Tenth Avenue, with chordal string and flute parts all over the place. It's less upfront on much of side two, until closer Warriors, with great slabs of strings backing the synths throughout much of the piece. Basically, while you shouldn't expect to hear it throughout, this is definitely a Mellotron Album in the truest sense of the phrase. Buy.
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Steal This Album! (2002, 43.28) ***½/T |
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| Chic'n'Stew Innervision Bubbles Boom! Nüguns A.D.D. Mr.Jack I-E-A-I-A-I-O |
36 Pictures Highway Song Fuck the System Ego Brain Thetawaves Roulette Streamline |
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System of a Down began as an Armenian/American post-thrash outfit, quickly shifting into more interesting territory, to the point where many progressive fans tacitly admit, 'er, they're actually quite good'. Heavily political, in a good, anti-war, left-wing kind of way, the band have written songs about the 1915 Armenian genocide by the Turks, and aren't afraid to tackle issues seemingly considered verboten by 'normal' (i.e. right-wing) society, putting them to music influenced by Black Sabbath, the first wave of thrash bands (Metallica et al.) and, if guitarist Daron Malakian is to be believed, The Beatles.
Steal This Album! is their third release, although it consists of leftovers from previous projects, largely album no.2, the previous year's Toxicity. I'm usually allergic to this kind of stop/start metal stuff, but there's hardly anything on the album that made me blanche, proving various friends' points that they're vastly more interesting than yer usual thrash crew, because...? I'm not even sure, but they're very listenable, and don't sing the usual violent crap we've come to expect from the genre. Someone (Tankian?) plays Mellotron on Roulette, a nice little song consisting of woefully out of tune harmony vocals, acoustic guitar and 'Tron cellos, strings and flutes; it appears to be the real deal, too, which is always nice.
So; a surprisingly good album of varied material with unusual twists and turns for a band often ghettoised as 'metal'; SoaD go way beyond such limitations, and deserve to be heard. Lovely 'Tron on Roulette, too.
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Soundtracks for Imaginary Movies (2004, 74.16) ****½/TTTT½ |
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| Green Miata Baja Bound The Cool Vibe of Asia C Four Piece Suit A Wolf in Sheep's Breeks Larks Loons in Linen Technopants Solar Flared Trousers Silent Service A Lifeboat, Tallulah and Me |
Water Through Fingers Zero Sum Equation One Step to Freefall Last Letters From Stalingrad |
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Codetalkers (2008, 76.15) ****/TTTT½No Deli in DelhiRiverrun (Harmelodythm) Spamivore Car Crash Messiah SohCahToa (the Lost Tail-Wagging Dog) Memory of Ur (Parts 1 and 2) Codetalker Berlin Night Express Red Sun Fading |
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Mellotron used:
Systems Theory describe themselves as an 'Internet project', and given that two members live in southern California and the third in Scotland, you can see why. Although they describe themselves as a 'progressive electronic/world music/prog-rock/fusion hybrid', it's fairly safe to say that they effectively fall under the banner of 'electronic music', with other bits thrown in. It seems that British ex-pat Steven Davies-Morris and Greg Amov met at high school in the late '70s, working together on and off over the years, before coalescing into Systems Theory in the late '90s. Mellotron owner Mike Dickson (scourge, or 'official cynic' of Streetly Electronics) came aboard initially as a collaborator, becoming a full member later.
The band 'released' two sets of demos, Demos 1999-2000 and the craftily-titled Demos 2001-2002, both reviewed here, before the escape of their first proper album, Soundtracks for Imaginary Movies. Unsurprisingly, it has a great deal in common with their two 'official' sets of demos; three tracks from 2001-2 are available here in rerecorded form. The sound? Very obviously Systems Theory, integrating their various influences to the point where their original description of themselves (see above) has actually reached fruition, and they are barely recognisable as a 'typical electronic outfit' any more. Truly progressive rock. The album is split into three fairly equal virtual 'sides' of material, making a future vinyl release a possibility, giving the CD more of a 'good old-fashioned record' feel than is usual these days.
Mike Dickson assures me that he used just about every Mellotron voice he owns on the album, though they're not all readily apparent, adding both bass clarinet and cor anglais to his previous arsenal. His use across the album veers between full-on strings and choir (much of Four Piece Suit) to church organ (Silent Service), clarinet (A Lifeboat, Tallulah And Me) and flutes (Zero Sum Equation). The end section of Water Through Fingers is apparently no fewer than 18 'Tron string sounds stacked up, and sounds like it. Not sure where the slightly more esoteric sounds are used; I'm sure subsequent listens will reveal them eventually. Soundtracks for Imaginary Movies is proof that bands shouldn't rush their first albums; it's a mature work that transcends its influences to create something genuinely new. Highly recommended.
Codetalkers was supposed to appear in 2006, but serious illness delayed the project until it presumably didn't seem worth releasing in the usual fashion. It's finally been made available as a download in 2008, and proves itself nearly as good as its predecessor, featuring the by-now familiar mixture of electronic, progressive and world stylings. If the album has a fault, it's that, like Soundtracks..., it's too long to listen to comfortably in one sitting, being as long as a double LP. I know it's great 'value for money' (especially when it's free), but it does slightly outstay its welcome. On the 'Tron front, apart from the 'usual' sounds (strings, choirs and flutes in various combinations on most tracks), I presume that's 'Tron brass four minutes or so into Riverrun (Harmelodythm), and I'm sure there are a raft of more exotic sounds that aren't nearly so easy to spot (Steve Hackett sustained guitar, an unidentified woodwind in Red Sun Fading, maybe?). Huge amounts of choir on Spamivore, although it basically just repeats the same riff for several minutes, rather in the way Harmonium did with strings. 'Stabbed' choir chords in SohCahToa just wouldn't sound like that if sampled, and the flute intro on Red Sun Fading is sublime. Mike assures me that SohCahToa actually has ten different 'Tron sounds on it, and Car Crash Messiah features the MkII moving strings, too.
So; both collections of demos would stand up perfectly well as albums 'proper', but are seriously outclassed by Soundtracks for Imaginary Movies itself. Now their availability appears to have been compromised, spend your hard-earned on the album, then download Codetalkers. Now.
