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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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Tin Tin Tiny Lights Titanic |
Toad Tomita Tonic |
Topper Torn Curtain La Torre dell'Alchimista |
Touch Toy Matinee |
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Tin Tin (1970, 35.11) ***½/TT |
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| She Said Ride Swans on the Canal Flag/Put Your Money on My Dog Nobody Moves Me Like You Tuesday's Dreamer Only Ladies Play Croquet Family Tree Spanish Shepherd |
He Wants to Be a Star Toast and Marmalade for Tea Come on Over Again Manhattan Woman Lady in Blue |
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Tin Tin were an Aussie four-piece who formed in 1968 and had a strong Bee Gees connection, via the Gibb brothers' early success in their adopted country; Steve Kipner's father, Nat, produced their early work, and members of Steve's band played on their records (thanks for that, Joe). Maurice Gibb's patronage did Tin Tin no harm at all, of course, and he's credited as a band member on at least one issue of this album. Tin Tin is slightly harder-edged than you'd expect, all things considered, although they were never exactly going to rival Black Sabbath in the heaviosity stakes. 'Baroque pop' is possibly the best description I can think of, with tracks like Swans On The Canal and the instrumental Spanish Shepherd conjuring up images of lace cuffs and the like. Or maybe that's just me.
I've seen one source that lists not only Maurice, but also band members Steves Groves and Kipner as playing Mellotron, although there's no way of telling. There's a passable amount of MkII to be heard, with occasional string chords on Flag/Put Your Money On My Dog, brass on Nobody Moves Me Like You, more strings on the harpsichord-driven Only Ladies Play Croquet, a brass/strings mix (?) on Family Tree and finally, flutes on Come On Over Again. There's genuine orchestral accompaniment on a few tracks, too, notably Swans On The Canal, and I'm not sure if it's 'Tron or 'real' woodwind on Spanish Shepherd, so it's possible I've missed the odd bit of 'Tron.
So; something of a period piece, but not at all bad, and more listenable than most of the Bee Gees' work from the time. Again, reasonable Mellotron work, though not a classic. Worth hearing for fans of the era. There was a second Tin Tin album the following year, Astral Taxi, but I believe it's 'Tron-free. Incidentally, Toast And Marmalade For Tea was apparently a major hit for the band worldwide, and Steve Kipner went on to be a successful songwriter, still working today.
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Hazel's Wreath (1988, 33.55) ***½/TAround it Goes AroundGreen Instead The Bridge Wickerman's Dog Colors and the Light Grown-Up Fish The Capricious Yearnings of King Edward Before You Go Red Planet |
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The Smaller the Grape the Sweeter the Wine (1997, 41.57) ***/T |
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| I Had it All Pinprick Maybe You Will Listen Sing to Me Who's That Whispering Blue Sky Tracey, Tracey Lazybones |
No Baby, No Songs Would You Like to Float |
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Tiny Lights were a sort of, er, folk/rock/classical/jazz/whatever outfit, who (thankfully) didn't fit into the '80s in the slightest. Hazel's Wreath is a pretty eccentric record, and not for those who love stylistic consistency above all else, but there are several excellent songs on the album, particularly the bulk of side two, which is largely the folkier end of their repertoire. With both a violinist and a cellist, the folk and classical influences cut through all over, but they could rock, too, when the mood took them. Mellotron from guest Jack Pettruzzelli on Red Planet, with some fairly full-on choir chords, which is more than you'll hear on almost any other album from that benighted decade. Anyway, a good, if eclectic album, but with only one 'Tron track it's not an essential on that front.
Almost a decade later, Tiny Lights used a Mellotron again, on 1997's The Smaller the Grape the Sweeter the Wine. Unless it was all a huge wind-up, the album sounds, to my ears at least, a great deal more commercial than their early work, at least until what would be side two were this on vinyl. From Blue Sky onwards, the album gets rather more interesting, although not up to the Hazel's Wreath level, to be honest. Andy Burton plays some excellent pitchbent 'Tron strings on album closer Would You Like To Float, but it's not really enough to make it a 'Tron album.
So; one very and one mildly interesting album and not very much Mellotron. If you want to hear Tiny Lights, go for the former here rather than the latter, I think.
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Eagle Rock (1973, 45.27) ***½/T½MacumbaOne Night in Eagle Rock All Around You One of Your Kind Heia Valenga Dying Sun And it's Music Richmond Express Maureen The Skeleton |
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Titanic were the first Norwegian band to gain international acceptance, hitting the charts continent-wide with Sultana in 1971; it even reached no.5 in the UK, but they were fronted by British singer Roy Robinson, which can't have hurt their overseas profile. I haven't heard their first two albums, and the later ones suck, but Eagle Rock is pretty good, in a sub-Uriah Heep kind of way. There's a slight African tribal percussion theme running through the album, reminding me of, er, Uriah Heep on Look at Yourself, but overall, this is just an ordinary mid-'70s hard rock album. It does have a couple of highlights, though, in the epic One Night In Eagle Rock and the excellent Dying Sun, where the band stumble across a great riff, then brutally club it to death over the course of several minutes.
Keyboard man Helge Groslie sticks mainly to Hammond and Rhodes, but the odd bit of Mellotron creeps in here and there, though I rather suspect they didn't own one, or use it anywhere else. One Night In Eagle Rock has a repeating flute motif, while both One Of Your Kind and Maureen feature a few seconds of strings, but that's it. So; not bad, but not that good either, really. One for aficionados of the era, I think.
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Dreams (1975, 37.45/45.00) **/½ |
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| Keep on Movin' Dreams Let's Get Hi Electric Rider Because You're Not You Know Who I am Boogin' on a Saturday Night Break Down |
[CD adds: Purple Haze Making You feel Right] |
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I'm told Toad's first two albums (Toad and Tomorrow Blue) are undeservedly obscure stonkin' hard rock classics, which I'll have to take at face value, as their third and last effort, Dreams, is dull, third-rate hard rock with no obvious distinguishing features whatsoever. Track titles such as Let's Get Hi and (appallingly) Boogin' On A Saturday Night say all that needs to be said, really, although the album has the odd reflective moment (chiefly the title track) to alleviate the tedium.
Although there's no keyboard player credited, there's a little Rhodes to be heard here and there, plus some faint Mellotron strings on Dreams and You Know Who I Am, but we're really not talking anything that worthwhile, to be honest; overall, a bit of a dead loss. While I can't comment on their earlier releases, it seems to me you'd be better off sticking with them. Incidentally, my research for this review tells me that the mysterious Vic Vergat, whose late-'70s solo album used to do the rounds, was actually Toad's guitarist, his real name's Vittorio Vergeat, and he was the only Italian in the band. The other two members were drummer Cosimo Lampis and bassist Werner Fröhlich, for what it's worth.
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Snowflakes are Dancing (1974, 40.40) ***½/TT½ |
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| Snowflakes are Dancing Reverie Gardens in the Rain Clair de Lune Arabesque No.1 The Engulfed Cathedral Passepied The Girl With the Flaxen Hair |
Golliwog's Cakewalk Footprints in the Snow |
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Pictures at an Exhibition (1975, 37.14) ****/TTT |
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| Promenade The Gnome Promenade The Old Castle Promenade Tuileries Bydio Promenade |
Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells The Two Jews Limoges/Catacombs Cum Mortuis in Lingua Mortua Baba Yaga (Hut on Fowls' Legs) Great Gate of Kiev |
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Firebird (1976, 48.32) ****/TTFirebird SuiteIntroduction and Dance of the Firebird Round of the Princesses Infernal Dance of King Kastchei Berceuse and Finale Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun A Night on Bare Mountain |
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The Planets (1976, 52.08) ***½/TTMars, the Bringer of WarVenus, the Bringer of Peace Mercury, the Winged Messenger Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age Uranus, the Magician Neptune, the Mystic |
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Kosmos (1978) ***/TT"Star Wars" Main TitleSpace Fantasy The Unanswered Question Peer Gynt: Solvejg's Song Hora Staccato The Sea Named "Solaris" |
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The Bermuda Triangle (1979, 53.36) ***½/TT½ |
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| A Space Ship Lands Emitting Silvery Light Electromagnetic Waves Descend A World of Different Dimensions The Giant Pyramid and its Ancient People Venus in a Space Uniform Shining in Fluorescent Light Space Children in the Underground Kingdom Called Agharta |
The Earth - a Hollow Vessel The Song of Venus Dawn Over the Triangle and Mysterious Electric Waves The Dazzling Cylinder That Crashed in Tunguska, Siberia The Harp of the Ancient People With Songs of Venus and Space Children The Visionary Flight to the 1448 Nebular Group of the Bootes |
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Daphnis et Chloé [a.k.a.Bolero, a.k.a.The Ravel Album] (1980) ****/TT½Daphnis and Chloe: Suite No.2Daybreak Pantomime General Dance Pavan for a Dead Princess Bolero Mother Goose Suite Pavan of the Sleeping Beauty Hop-o'-My-Thumb Laideronette, Empress of the Pagodas Conversations of Beauty and the Beast The Fairy Garden |
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Grand Canyon (1981, 35.00) ***/T½Grand Canyon SuiteSunrise Painted Desert On the Trail Sunset Cloudburst Syncopated Clock |
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I'm amazed to discover that Isao Tomita was born in 1932, which puts him in his forties when he recorded his first album proper, and over seventy now. It seems he's been writing film music since the fifties, but his first synthesizer album was apparently the Japan-only Catastrophe 1999, quickly followed by Snowflakes Are Dancing. His technique on this album was to take pieces by Debussy and rework them via his Moog modular and sundry other electronic equipment, including a Mellotron M400. The results vary in quality, with some of the tracks tipping over into 'cheesy', but much of the album's worth hearing, reminding me of a more electronic version of The Enid, of all people. There's a fair bit of 'Tron on the album, with not only his beloved choirs (particularly on The Engulfed Cathedral), but noticeable string use on Clair De Lune, too.
Tomita really went for the jugular with Pictures at an Exhibition. Barely comparable to ELP's 1971 version, it's a case study in how to make a Moog modular emulate just about anything you like; who needs digital synthesis when you can do this? Musically, he's actually more faithful to the original than ELP, with very little 'rock', and far less bombast (now there's a surprise). I believe he covers all parts of Mussorgsky's score, including the somewhat un-PC The Two Jews, and however far he goes from the original sounds, the parts are all recognisable. Plenty of 'Tron choirs, particularly on the several repetitions of the main theme, Promenade, and although he resists the urge to go completely over the top on the grandiose closing theme, Great Gate Of Kiev, the old 8-voice still gets a look in.
For some odd reason, there's no Mellotron credited on the otherwise impeccable credits on the back of Firebird, where the great man tackles Stravinsky, with the result being something of a stalemate. At least he had the sense to leave The Rite Of Spring well alone, managing a passable take on the Firebird Suite. As so often with Tomita, it's a bit of a struggle working out what's what in the mix, although I can hear choirs on much of the album, often phased half to death, although I don't know if the strings are 'Tron or (more likely) multi-overdubbed Moog. Plenty of timps, too, especially on the familiar Finale to Firebird (Yes intro tape, anyone?) which may well be 'Tron. More Debussy on side two's Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun, before Mussorgsky's better-known Night On Bare Mountain (I now have at least three different 'rock' interpretations of this work...), both with more choirs (and is that 'Tron flute towards the end of Bare Mountain?), although the album's 'Tron highlight has to be that Firebird finale. Magnificent.
Next time round, Tomita decided to tackle Holst's The Planets; no point being obscure, I suppose. It's accurate enough that a friend who rang up while it was playing (hi, Mel) correctly identified Jupiter down the phone, although he still has a few 'weird synth' parts here and there, specifically at the beginning of Mars. The credits say 'Mellotron (chorus, flute, timpani)' and, while not over-used, the choirs are clearly audible on Mars, The Bringer Of War (a somewhat overdone piece, here played quite faithfully), as well as on several other tracks, but I really can't hear either of the other two sounds. 'Buried in the mix', I expect.
On Kosmos (a.k.a. Space Fantasy), Tomita took his first tentative steps towards playing material other than solely the classics, opening with a rather unnecessary version of the "Star Wars" main theme. The rest of the album is tried-and-tested dead white men stuff, but the cheese quotient is definitely on the up. As far as the Mellotron's concerned, Space Fantasy has choirs dotted about throughout its length; the piece actually consists of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, Wagner's Ride Of The Valkyries and Tannhäser Overture, with particularly good 'Tron on the Strauss. More choirs on two other tracks, but far more in the background.
Despite the lengthy and eccentric titles on The Bermuda Triangle, most of the tracks are actually the usual diet of classical pieces, mostly Prokofiev; another John Williams film theme, too; Close Encounters Of The Third Kind this time. The album actually reminds me in places of Tomita's fellow Japanese synthesist, Kitaro, on whom he has obviously been a considerable influence. The music's better than on Kosmos, although, sadly, the invention of his earlier albums seems long gone. There's Mellotron choir on most tracks, but it's frequently either very much in the background or only for a few seconds, which explains why it doesn't get a higher 'T' rating.
Daphnis et Chloé (a.k.a. Bolero), was a distinct return to form, with Tomita playing Ravel relatively straight, including the much-overplayed Bolero itself (appalling memories of Torvill and Dean spring to mind). There's little to dislike here, although of course he had top-notch material to choose from, and this time round chooses to mess with it very little. Polysynths had entered his keyboard arsenal by this point, with particularly effective use of his CS80 on the title track, but despite using Roland's VP330 vocoder on the album, I think the choir all over side one is basically Mellotron. There's a few chords towards the end of the Mother Goose Suite that dominates side two, but for the 'Tron, don't even bother flipping the record over.
Grand Canyon is, I believe, Tomita's last Mellotron album. It's dominated by the five-part Grand Canyon Suite, spread over most of the album, written by Grofé, to whom I will admit unfamiliarity, although he was apparently a 20th-century American composer who died in 1972. The album is actually credited to 'Isao Tomita and the Plasma Symphony Orchestra', which would appear to consist of his faithful Moog and Roland modulars, the Mellotron and various polysynths, including the (then) fantastically expensive Synclavier II. The end result is rather less interesting than his early albums, although if you want to hear synthesized harmonica (in On The Trail), go no further, though I feel honour-bound to tell you the piece is a less than totally successful attempt to fuse classical and, er, 'cowboy' music. Hmmm. The rest of the suite is better, but Tomita's own Syncopated Clock is pretty dreadful, to the point where I wonder whether the effect is deliberate. Anyway, 'Tron choirs on three tracks, none of them overt.
Tomita is a classic case of 'earlier stuff better', to be honest. It's ironic that as the technology became more advanced, he did fewer and fewer interesting things with it; I don't know anything about his more recent material, but I strongly suspect it's almost indistinguishable from actual orchestral works, such is the 'accuracy' of modern synths. It has to be said that when he had little more than a Moog modular and a Mellotron, the results were far more unusual and interesting. As far as the above albums go, I'd get the first four, and approach the later ones with caution.
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This Way (1981, 42.31) ***½/TTOnce I Had a Dream (Parts 1 & 2)Ask Me No More Black Boy Sometimes This Way Against the Fear of Death |
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Tonic's This Way was a rather late entrant into the German progressive scene, along with Tau's self-titled effort from the same year and maybe a handful of others. It actually covers several bases, including hard rock, folk, blues and jazz, along with material considered more traditionally 'progressive', but the overall feel is of a band willing to reach beyond the mainstream, which is good enough for me. Saying that, I could well have done without the rather dull and jazzy Black Boy, although the first two tracks are very much worth hearing.
Uwe Murschel's Mellotron use is pretty minimal until the last two tracks, to be honest: you have to wait until a good nine minutes into Ask Me No More for the 'Tron choirs to finally appear, only for them to disappear just as suddenly after two runs through a few-second sequence. On the second half of side two you finally get some serious 'Tron action, with a brief string part on the title track followed by choirs, then a full-on string'n'choir bonanza on closer Against The Fear Of Death, grasping victory from the jaws of Mellotronic defeat.
So; this is probably fairly hard to find, and doesn't appear to be on CD, and is only really average musically speaking. Decent 'Tron on the last two tracks, but not what you'd call a Mellotron classic.
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At Last (1977, 34.19) ***/TAstral PlaneSay What You Feel Smile for the Clown Phaze 1 (Prelude) Phaze 2 Devil's Rx Hells Fire |
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It's difficult to know what to say about an album like Topper's lone (?) release, At Last, It's a bit proggy, a bit hard rock, and bit boogie... Seems like they were trying to be all things to all men, with the predictable end result that they produced a rather average album with few real high points. It starts OK, with Astral Plane being one of the better tracks, but by Devil's Rx it's sunk into a tedious rock'n'roll pastiche, rather giving the impression the band weren't ready to record quite yet.
Anyway, keys man Rudy (no surname) plays the usual 'boards, including a string synth on a couple of tracks, and some slightly wobbly Moog in places. Smile For The Clown is the album's only 'Tron track (suspect studio machine), although it rather unfortunately rips off Stairway To Heaven something rotten. I mean, of all the songs... Anyway, strings and flutes throughout most of the track, with the estimable Rudy switching sounds 'on the fly'.
So; I believe this is available on Japanese (legit?) reissue label Never Land, but I wouldn't go too far out of your way for it. Comparable to, say, Strongbow, but probably less interesting, although with one great 'Tron track. Average.
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Torn Curtain (1996, 37.10) ****/TTTTDaymareCreatures Twilite Dawn |
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Another of the Ventricle Records stable of darkwave acts, Torn Curtain bear more than a passing resemblance to Angel Provocateur, with drifting, ethereal, mostly wordless female vocals, with the only credited instruments being 'voice, Mellotron, effects and feedback'. Dusty Lee certainly knows how to get the best from her machine, utilising its gothic inclinations to the full, as with the other bands in the collective.
The only track that doesn't feature the 'Tron as pretty much the lead instrument is Creatures, with just a few flute chords, but the other three tracks have shedloads of almost atonal strings, though, unlike Mauve Sideshow, in a very listenable kind of way. Some of the string parts are so high in the mix they almost distort, so if you like it loud... No particular highlights, but tracks 1, 3 and 4 are unlikely to disappoint on the 'Tron front. Recommended.
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La Torre Dell'Alchimista (2001, 50.07) ****/TTEclisseDelirio (in do Minore) La Torre Dell'Alchimista Il Volo L'Apprendista I Figli Della Mezzanotte La Persistenza Della Memoria Lo Gnomo Acquario |
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La Torre Dell'Alchimista set out their stall on their self-titled debut immediately, as Eclisse starts with the modulated roar of a full-throated Leslie cabinet as its speed races up and down, before they lurch into the track. The rest of the album covers a variety of progressive styles, which, while admirable, can sound a little disjointed at times. There isn't a bad track to be heard, though, so despite a slight lack of musical cohesion, La Torre Dell'Alchimista is a most worthwhile release.
Michele Mutti's Mellotron work can only really be heard on a couple of tracks, although there are several 'possible sightings' that probably aren't, principally the male voices on Eclisse. La Torre Dell'Alchimista itself (their 'theme' song?) opens with a solo 'Tron strings part, and Delirio (In Do Minore) has some more muted strings, but that appears to be it. Mind you, isn't that closing string chord on La Torre Dell'Alchimista held just a little bit too long? Mutti is credited with 'Mellotron', amongst other keyboards, so I'll assume it's real until/if I find out otherwise.
So; a worthy debut, although I'm sure they'll do even better next time round, assuming there is one. Borderline 'worth it for the 'Tron'; only two tracks, but one's a good'un. You decide.
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Touch (1969, 40.12/79.30) ****/0 (T) |
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| We Feel Fine Friendly Birds Miss Teach The Spiritual Death of Howard Greer Down at Circe's Place Alesha and Others Seventy Five |
[Eclectic CD adds: We Finally Met Today Alesha and Others Blue Feeling The Spiritual Death of Howard Greer The Second Coming of Suzanne] |
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Touch (not to be confused with the AOR act that metamorphosed from American Tears a decade later, who also released an eponymous debut album), are a serious anomaly in the History Of Prog™. Received wisdom states that it effectively began with King Crimson in 1969, although that version of events ignores several other bands, not least The Nice and early Van der Graaf Generator. It also ignores Touch, a (gasp!) American band, who can't be conveniently slotted into a 'late-period psych' category or somesuch; this lot were, like it or not, proto-prog, with lengthy, complex song structures and a notable classical influence (listen to the massed vocals on The Spiritual Death Of Howard Greer for proof). The album was released on both sides of the Atlantic, and has apparently been quoted as an influence by both British and American progressive and associated bands, which rather turns the accepted view of events on its head, doesn't it?
"So where's the Mellotron?" I hear you cry? Well, the short answer is: nowhere. Neither a Mellotron nor a Chamberlin were used in the album's recording, which may leave you wondering exactly why I'm even bothering to write this stuff. Well... The album's first CD issue was on the excellent but short-lived Renaissance label, based in California (who also reissued both Gracious! albums, for what it's worth), which added two bonus tracks to the original running order, Blue Feeling and Alesha And Others (demo version). Another three tracks turned up on a hard-to-find compilation from the label called Buried Treasures, including a much later piece of full-blown prog from 1973, called The Second Coming Of Suzanne, including some Mellotron parts from keys man Don Gallucci (who also produced The Stooges, fact fans). After the label folded, I don't believe the album was sighted again for another decade, until the UK-based Eclectic re-reissued it, with the three Buried Treasures tracks added to the two previously-available bonuses, making Touch a slightly belated Mellotron album, some 35 years after the event! The Second Coming Of Suzanne was apparently written and recorded for a long-forgotten surrealist film, but never used; it doesn't sound especially like soundtrack music, to be honest, although it is instrumental, and could easily be edited into shorter sections. Gallucci's Mellotron use is limited chiefly to several flute parts, some of which almost fool the ear into believing they're real, although there's also an effective 'Tron strings/guitar duet around the middle of the piece.
So; for those interested in the roots of prog, or for those who simply want to hear a fine, underrated late-'60s album, you really can't go too far wrong with Touch. Those who want a Mellotron Classic can probably look elsewhere, but they'll be missing out. Those who want a lesser-known late-'70s AOR album should probably get the first New England record, and avoid the other Touch entirely.
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Toy Matinee (1990, 45.56) ***/TLast Plane OutTurn it on Salvador Things She Said Remember My Name The Toy Matinee Queen of Misery The Ballad of Jenny Ledge There Was a Little Boy We Always Come Home |
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Toy Matinee were the duo of Kevin Gilbert and Patrick Leonard, the former being the head honcho of Giraffe (who later played a chunk of Genesis' Lamb at Progfest '94), the latter being a major producer and songwriter, having worked with Madonna, Bryan Ferry etc, and later Elton John. The project was actually initiated by Leonard, although it seems to've become known as Gilbert's baby - he claimed to've written most of the material, although the CD insert just says 'all songs by Patrick Leonard and Kevin Gilbert', so who knows? While this is heavily rated by many people, it's all a bit '1990 mainstream' for me, although most tracks have interesting compositional and arrangement ideas; what's the betting I'll love this in two years' time? For the moment, though, despite excellent lyrics (There Was A Little Boy, The Toy Matinee) and great chord changes (nearly everything), it plays it all a bit too safe for my personal tastes.
I was most of the way through the album before I spotted any definite Mellotron use (presumably from Gilbert), with an upfront string part on There Was A Little Boy, at which point I went back to Queen Of Misery to reassess the background strings, but we're not really talking the heaviest 'Tron use ever. However, this was 1990, at which point practically no-one would touch the 'Tron with a bargepole, so any use at all has to be applauded, even when it's this vague.
So; interesting arrangements could make this one a grower, although the hardened proghead will probably find it all a little unpalatable. Not much 'Tron, either, though a veritable feast for the time. Your call.
Incidentally, other Kevin Gilbert-related 'Tron albums (definites or possibles) include his 1995 solo effort, Thud, Michael Jackson's Dangerous, Spock's Beard's The Light, Marc Bonilla's EE Ticket (possible) and the Yes tribute album, Tales From Yesterday. The only other Gilbert-related albums I've heard even mentioned on the 'Tron front are his own The Shaming of the True (ho ho) and Toy Matinee's Live at the Roxy, though the latter is highly doubtful. Tragically, Gilbert accidentally took his own life on May 17th 1996. R.I.P.
