Triple Cream  (1980)  **/0
	The Chosen One Love is in the Air Honesty The Long and Winding Road 2001: Also Sprach Zarathusa December '63 I'm Stone in Love With You Zanzibar	I'm Not in Love The Sideboard Song

Current availability:

• Unsurprisingly, not on CD

Triple Cream appear to be that most wondrous of things, a cabaret band who release an album containing some of their doubtless vast repertoire (see: Candlewick Green). Of course, the elemental beauty of such records is their monumental cheesiness, as whoever heard of a cabaret act veering away even slightly from a diet of the blandest, most mainstream material possible? Like all such ventures, the Essex-based band's eponymous sole LP (it seems) is perfectly well-played, but anodyne, featuring rather perfunctory versions of The Stylistics' I'm Stone In Love With You and 10cc's I'm Not In Love, amongst others. The award for the most bizarre cover, however, goes to their take on Strauss' 2001: Also Sprach Zarathusa [sic], with the familiar melody played over a funk-lite backing (!) that really has to be heard to be believed.

Of course, one of the chief problems with this kind of album is how most of the subtlety and nuances of the original tracks are squashed flat, no doubt due to the band's desperate attempt to get themselves heard over loud, drunken twats at whatever godforsaken function they're playing that weekend, and being unable to switch back into 'sensitive musician mode' in the studio. I'm Not In Love is a particular case in point here, with whichever member of the trio sings on it getting the phrasing horribly wrong, ruining the melancholy feel of Eric Stewart's vocal, not to mention their budget take on the original's expensive/expansive production. No 24 tracks of vocals 'played' from the mixing desk here, folks... Just a Rhodes, a string synth and the odd backing vocal, although Brian Greenaway's Graham Gouldman-channeling bass part almost makes the grade.

Vocals/keys man Dave Brock (not that one) was obviously a bit of a keyboard nut, as he listed every instrument used; eight, in fact, which ain't bad for a functions band, even in those pre-digital synth days. Most of them are (relatively) easy to spot, but the last-named proves to be a bit of a mystery. Yup, it's the Mellotron. My guess was some reverbed choirs on I'm Not In Love, but nope, it's all Elka strings. Maybe 2001? Nope, it's CS80. Orchestral stuff on The Long And Winding Road? Nope, CS80 again. Chas'n'Dave's The Sideboard Song? OK, I'll stop there. I actually wonder if the estimable Mr. Brock was so enamoured with the 'Tron that he just had to credit it on the album whether he used one or not, and my guess is he didn't. I can't prove it, but if there's anything here at all, it's buried way down in the mix somewhere, so I'm afraid it's the full null points on the 'Tron front.

Amazingly, Triple Cream are still going, with only one lineup change in the last 30+ years. According to their website, while they still do music (corporate functions and the like), they now specialise in stand-up comedy. Something for everyone, then. You can search the site all you like, too, but you won't find any mention whatsoever of this album. A Google search for a cover scan didn't seem to cough up any other releases, so it seems it was a one-off. I would imagine it was only ever produced as something to flog at gigs to up their earnings a little; a 'conversation' with a punter stuck at the end of the last track (which features a pub scene, being a good ol' cockernee knees-up an' all that) has said audience member asking the price, to be told, "Three quid", which is pretty blatant commercialism by anyone's standards. Then again, that's what function bands are for. It's easy to mock, but at the end of the day, this kind of band isn't about art, it's about making a living, and as you sit on your fat arse in your office, contemplating another 25 years before you can retire, just think about playing in a function band.

Cons:

• Crummy hours
• Carrying your own gear
• Repertoire-assisted boredom
• Bad stage clothes

As against... Pros:

• Decent money, often cash in hand
• Playing music for a living, even if it's not that good
• Eyeing up pissed women at weddings, and maybe occasionally even getting off with one
• Getting away from the nagging missus and screaming kids most weekends

OK, no-one ever said it was perfect, but nor's working in sales. Is it? Yes, you, reading this site when you should be doing some unutterably tedious work-related task. Anyway, you probably won't run into a copy of this at random, although I did (signed, too!), and if you do, you don't really want it anyway, do you? Don't you? Or has the thought of 'Also Sprach Zarathusa' (idiots) whetted your taste buds? Just don't, take it from me. I know. And I haven't even mentioned the idiotic sleeve...

Official site

Tritonus  (Germany)

Tritonus  (1975,  38.48)  ***½/T½ Escape and No Way Out Sunday Waltz Lady Madonna Far in the Sky Gliding Lady Turk

Current availability:

• 2-on-1 with Between the Universes: Second Battle (Germany)

Tritonus were another of those ELP-alikes that mainland Europe seemed to produce in great numbers in the '70s (and later), with non-'Tron users Triumvirat probably the worst offenders. Tritonus were a keys/bass/drums trio (no surprise there, then), and keyboard man Peter K.Seiler used the usual run of instruments, although unlike Emerson, he stuck some Mellotron in too, although only on Tritonus, their first album.

The music is perfectly competent prog, without being particularly exciting, and the same can be said of the 'Tron use. There seems to be an element of German electronic music creeping through in places, and to my ears, some of the material would've benefitted from being given a bit more room to breathe; just as the band hit a groove, they'd feel compelled to stop for an unaccompanied keyboard part, spoiling the flow. Or is that what prog's about? Anyway, both the lengthy Escape And No Way Out and Far In The Sky have little bursts of strings, leaving Gliding as the nearest the album gets to a 'Tron Track. Reasonable amounts of (again) strings, with some big block chords, but not the most exciting use you're ever going to hear.

So; passable album, OK 'Tron. I believe this is available on a 2-on-1 CD with the follow-up, Between the Universes, although Seiler had got rid of his Mellotron by then, assuming he ever owned one. Not bad, not great. Incidentally, flick over their hopeless version of Lady Madonna; it's an almost completely unrecognisable two-minute instrumental take on the song that seems to have lost the melody somewhere along the way.

Official Peter Seiler site

Triumph  (Canada)

	Rock & Roll Machine (original Canadian version)  (1977,  39.53)  ***½/T½
	Takes Time Bringing it on Home Little Texas Shaker New York City Streets   Part 1   Part 2 The City   Part 1   Part 2   Part 3	Rocky Mountain Way Rock & Roll Machine

Current availability:

• TRC

For some strange reason, Triumph often found themselves lumped in with Rush; like Mahogany Rush, they were a Canadian hard rock trio, and music journalists are a spectacularly unimaginative lot, so I suppose the connection was inevitable, really. Over the course of their first, self-titled effort and Rock & Roll Machine, Triumph wrote several fairly epic numbers, chiefly the excellent Blinding Light Show/Moonchild from their debut, but they only ever used a Mellotron on The City from this album. It's unclear from the sleevenotes whether it was played by bassist Mike Levine or extra keyboardist Mike Danna (a.k.a. Mychael Danna, of Elements non-fame), although the latter seems more likely, but there's some nice choirs and flutes on parts one and three of the track (part two is an acoustic guitar solo, like Moonchild).

Over their next couple of albums, Triumph moved firmly in the direction of Party Metal (sample song titles: American Girls; I Live For The Weekend; Tear The Roof Off Tonight. Say no more). The warning signs were there from the off; 24 Hours A Day from Triumph was firmly in that mould, and it didn't take them long to let it take over completely. I expect they made more money that way, but the world lost a good little band and gained a mediocre one. A word of warning; a UK release also called Rock & Roll Machine appeared in 1978, compiling tracks from their first two Canadian releases, so the one you want has the sleeve shown here, or the truly hideous effort pictured to the right to which the reissue was subjected that I couldn't bear to put next to the tracklisting. While the UK release is an excellent compilation, it doesn't include The City. Anyway; good album, but no 'Tron classic.

Official site

True Myth  (Canada)

True Myth  (1979,  33.54)  ****/T Reach for the Heavens Light Years Before It's Got to Be Time and Time Again Space Promenade In the Mist Song of the World

Current availability:

• Korean CD (bootleg?)

True Myth, punningly named after mainman Tom Treumuth, have the (dubious?) distinction of having produced the world's second ever digitally-recorded album, the first being Stevie Wonder's rather more high-profile The Secret Life Of Plants. They were actually put together as a music school project, which probably explains the relatively late appearance of this very symphonic progressive release, especially in English-speaking Canada, where prog was about as ubiquitous as in the States. True Myth is typical American-sounding piano-driven progressive, and does most of the things you'd hope that such an album would do. There are hints of Gentle Giant about it, although an overriding vocal influence is the less-fashionable Styx. Individual highlights are difficult to pick out on a first listen; suffice to say the album's very consistent, if not quite a lost classic.

Treumuth's Mellotron work is quite limited, being restricted to a couple of background string chords on It's Got To Be (possibly), and an upfront string part on the excellent Time And Time Again; his use on this track is good enough that it's a bit of a shame he didn't stick a little more of it down. Oh well. Anyway, as I said, good album, but don't go paying a fortune for it; it's one of those things you can see no-one bothering to ever put out on CD, partly because it was (surprisingly) on Warner Bros, and major labels make it more difficult (and expensive) to license back-catalogue. Pity.

Truly  (US)

	Feeling You Up  (1997,  54.34)  ***½/TTT½
	(Intro) Public Access Girls Twilight Curtains Wait 'til the Night Air Raid It's on Your Face EM7 Come Hither	Leatherette Tears The Possessions Repulsion [unlisted track]

Current availability:

• Thick (US)

Although Seattle's Truly were formed from ex-early grunge group members, going by the evidence presented on their last album, '97's Feeling You Up, they had little to do with the 'movement', such as it was. I'm not entirely sure how to describe this album, given that it contains elements of pop, hard rock, psychedelia, electronica and several other genres, thrown together in an appealing pot-pourri that ends up sounding like no-one in particular, which has to be a good thing.

Mainman Robert Roth contacted me a couple of years ago to confirm his ownership of an M400, and it's all over this album, largely strings, although the intro to Air Raid features a major flute part, reiterated on the final, unlisted (though thankfully not hidden) track. Good use all round, with an authentically wobbly part on Repulsion, the nearest the album gets to grunge, while Trish Scearce plays it on EM7, although there's no great stylistic change on the track.

Apparently there's plenty more 'Tron on Truly's sole major-label effort, '95's Fast Stories...From Kid Coma; more news when I track a copy down. In the meantime, Feeling You Up is well worth hearing on both the musical and Mellotronic fronts. After the band's dissolution, Roth went on to play with Built to Spill, putting some 'Tron down on Perfect From Now on, also from '97.

Michelle Tumes  (Australia)

	Listen  (1998,  44.54)  */0
	Listen Healing Waters Heaven Will Be Near Me Feel Christ of Hope My Constant One Untame Lion Rest My Soul	Please Come Back Life is Beautiful He's Watching Over You

Current availability:

• Sparrow (US)

Michelle Tumes' debut album was called Listen. Listen. Yes, listen. Listen to me. Do. Not. Buy. This. Album. There, was that clear enough? Imagine an overtly Christian Enya. From Australia. Get the picture? This is really pretty horrible, though it would be less offensive without all the usual God-bothering claptrap. And she's wearing virginal white on the sleeve. Yuck.

So why am I even listening to the bloody thing? Usual reason, of course. Mellotron, from Charlie Peacock, and guess what? Nope, not 'Strawberry Fields' flutes. Nothing. Nothing audible, anyway. And I sat through this drivel for nothing? Piss off.

Official site

Twelfth Night  (UK)

	Twelfth Night  [a.k.a. The Electra Tape]  (1980,  32.12)  ***½/T½ The Cunning Man Afghan Red Abacus Keep the Aspidistra Flying
	Live at the Target  (1981,  45.42/73.12)  ***½/½ Für Héléne After the Eclipse East to West Sequences [CD adds: Afghan Red Freddie Hepburn Encore une Fois]
	A Midsummer's Night Dream  (2005, recorded 1980,  79.02)  ****/T½ Keep the Aspidistra Flying Abacus Encore une Fois After Office Hours Für Helene I The Cunning Man Afghan Red Sequences

Current availability:

• Electra Tape: tracks split between Live at the Target CD and Voices in the Night (also Cyclops)
• Live at the Target: Cyclops (UK)
• A Midsummer's Night Dream: website

Twelfth Night were one of the first bands to emerge from the early-'80s UK progressive scene, having been around since 1978 in one form or another. After a couple of very limited-release cassettes, they put out a tape of no particular title, sometimes known as Twelfth Night or The Electra Tape, in homage to its rather dreadful American female vocalist, Electra McCloud (yes, really). The music is excellent, displaying their echo-drenched sound, lead bass and intricate arrangements to the full, but it could rather have done without the vocals. Well, the lyrics really. I mean, (from The Cunning Man):

'There he stands upon a stage, Calmly cool, guitar in hand, Is he Beck or is he Page? No! No! He's the Cunning Man'.

Good God. I ask you... Anyway, no point holding that against it, though I think all concerned would now rather it had been fully instrumental. Afghan Red is precisely that, thankfully, starting with Clive Mitten's 6-string bass chords, before their trademark string synth arpeggios and their 'playing along with a delay' stuff cuts in. There's a little Mellotron strings towards the end of the track, but nothing to write home about, really. Abacus is another vocal track, and manages some choir under the vocals, but again, they don't really add very much to the track. I know there's a Twelfth Night reissue programme on the cards at the moment; the four tracks come in at about half an hour, and I'm sure with a few other recordings from that era they'd make a fine CD. (n.b. All four tracks are now available, with Afghan Red being a bonus track on the Live at the Target CD, and the other three turning up on Cyclops' 'vocalist' compilation, Voices in the Night).

By 1981 (well before Marillion, note), Twelfth Night put out their first album proper, Live at the Target. An all-instrumental affair, their sound is still based heavily on the delayed guitar/bass interplay (difficult to describe; you need to hear it, really), although Rick Battersby's keyboards cut through sometimes. Despite hauling an M400 about, it's only to be heard here on a few chords of Für Héléne; a quick burst of choir and it's gone. As indeed, it was from their setup. Battersby left for a while (I saw them in late '82 as a four-piece, desperately trying to cover the keyboard parts along with everything else) and on his return the 'Tron was no more. They'd got themselves a vocalist in the meantime, their old friend Geoff Mann, and they started shifting away from their old style, integrating his vocals to their new approach. They'd recorded the classic Fact and Fiction (****½) during Battersby's absence, following it with the even more classic Live and Let Live (*****), released in early '84, after Geoff's departure.

Twelfth Night carried on for a few more years before throwing in the towel after an abortive attempt to 'do a Marillion' and 'go commercial' (1986 style). Very nasty. They got their classic lineup back together in '88 to record a previously-unrecorded crowd favourite from their heyday, The Collector, subsequently released on the Collectors Item (****½) compilation. Tragically, Geoff Mann (by this time an ordained vicar) died of cancer in 1993, and unlike most of their contemporaries, Twelfth Night have never attempted to reform.

If you can find a copy of the cassette album, go for it, though not for the Mellotron use. Pretty much the same goes for Live at the Target, but I personally recommend the Geoff Mann LPs for the uninitiated.

Many, many years later... Suddenly, as if from nowhere, in 2005 Twelfth Night released a series of 'official bootlegs' (you know, live albums of a quality too poor for full commercial release). Quality be damned; these are excellent documents of the various stages of 'Night activity, making several of my actual bootlegs redundant in the process. The only one which concerns us here is A Midsummer's Night Dream (nice turnaround, there), a soundboard tape of a gig at Reading University in June 1980, before the recording of The Electra Tape above. Recording quality is reasonable, although there's a little distortion in places, and the odd drop-out. Given that this has doubtless been lying around on cassette for 25 years, it sounds remarkably good, to be honest. It contains the first CD release of any sort for Encore Une Fois (originally on their First Tape Album), and instrumental versions of a couple of tracks better-known as vocal ones; After Office Hours is an early version of East To West, in case anyone's watching that closely. You can see Rick's 'Tron clearly in one sleeve pic, and indistinctly on another two, and indeed, there it is, with some very audible choirs on Abacus and Encore Une Fois. Although I've highlighted opener Keep The Aspidistra Flying, I'm not entirely convinced that's Mellotron strings we're hearing at the end, but since his Vox String Thing couldn't make that sound on its own, I have to assume that it's a composite of the two.

n.b. In late 2007, Twelfth Night did indeed reform, with 4/5s of their later recording lineup, the only absence being Rick Battersby. Were they good? Yes they were, pretty much avoiding material from their horrible last album. Roll on more action, chaps...

Excellent fan site

Twenty Sixty Six & Then  (Germany)

Reflections!  (1994, recorded 1972,  73.56)  ****/T½ At My Home Autumn Butterking Reflections on the Future The Way That I Feel Today Spring I Wanna Stay Time Can't Take it Away

Current availability:

• Second Battle (Germany)

Before I begin, I only own the CD reissue of Twenty Sixty Six & Then's Reflections on the Future, titled Reflections! It appears that this is actually a completely different album to the original, comprising various pre-album tapes, with several extra tracks and longer takes. It seems the album tapes are long gone, so instead of mastering a copy from vinyl, the Second Battle label utilised this approach. I don't know if the 'original' album is doing the rounds on CD-R, but I'll review it separately should I get to hear a copy.

Now I've got that out of the way, I was very pleasantly surprised by the music on Reflections! I'd expected another stoned-out hippy jam like Emtidi's Saat or Witthüser & Westrupp's Der Jesuspilz/Musik Vom Evangelium, but actually got a very good psychedelic hard rock album from a band who knew how to keep a jam interesting. To be honest, it does flag a little towards the end, but given that the CD must be the better part of double the length of the original album, there's at least an hour of excellent music here. Highlights for me are the opening tracks, At My Home and Autumn, but most of it's worth hearing; certainly enough to make it worth buying, anyway.

The Mellotron was apparently played by Steve Robinson (a.k.a. Rainer Geyer) and Veit Marvos, although it's not really that prevalent. Strings, brass and flutes on Autumn, with some brass on Butterking, but it's not exactly the heaviest use you're ever going to hear, to be honest. I'm now keen to hear the original version of this album, but if you're finding it as difficult to source as I am, this version will certainly suffice. Buy.

Twilight Singers  (US)

	Twilight as Played By the Twilight Singers  (2000,  46.59)  **½/T½
	The Twilite Kid That's Just How That Bird Sings Clyde King Only Love Annie Mae Verti-Marte Last Temptation	Railroad Lullaby East 17th Into the Street Twilight

	Blackberry Belle  (2003,  44.45)  ***/TT
	Martin Eden Esta Noche Teenage Wristband St.Gregory The Killer Decatur St. Papillon Follow You Down	Feathers Fat City (Slight Return) Number Nine

Current availability:

• Twilight...: Sony
• Blackberry Belle: One Little Indian

The oddly-named Twilight Singers are Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs)'s new band, specialising in laid-back melancholia, although, to my ears, too 'indie' to be especially interesting. I've seen a reference to trip-hop in a review of Twilight as Played By the Twilight Singers, and I can see where the reviewer's coming from, although I'll stick with 'slightly miserablist indie', I think. I'm finding it difficult to come up with anything constructive to say about this album, and I'm sure there's plenty of online reviews from people who know what they're talking about, so maybe I'll just stick to commenting on its Mellotron use. Dulli plays all the 'Tron here, with strings all round, pretty upfront on The Twilite Kid and a short part at the end of Love that slips into the next track. More strings on Last Temptation and Railroad Lullaby, but nothing really that major.

There's apparently some 'Tron on 2003's Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair EP, which I haven't heard, but it's definitely on the same year's Blackberry Belle. The album isn't dissimilar to its predecessor, although the songs seem more... focussed, somehow. Less irritating, anyway. Better 'Tron use, too, from Dulli and Mathias Schneeberger this time, with pretty upfront strings on The Killer, Decatur St. and Papillon, although not so much on Fat City (Slight Return).

Well, you may like these if miserable indie is up your street; I like a lot of miserable music, but somehow, this lot just don't really float my boat. Passable Mellotron on their first, and fairly good on their second, though I'm not sure I should say 'buy for the 'Tron', to be honest. Supposed to be some on their latest, 2006's Powder Burns, too.

Official site

Twink  (UK)

	Think Pink  (1969,  38.07)  ***/½
	Coming of the One Ten Thousand Words in a   Cardboard Box Dawn of Majic Tiptoe on the Highest Hill Fluid Mexican Grass War Rock and Roll the Joint	Suicide Three Little Piggies Sparrow is a Sign

Current availability:

• Akarma (Italy)

Twink, or John Alder to his mum, worked his way through a series of '60s outfits as drummer, joining the band that became Tomorrow, with Steve Howe, before moving on to the Pretty Things. Think Pink was his first solo album, released either late '69 or early '70, made with the help of various Deviants (in any sense of the word you care to use), before all and sundry went on to form the Pink Fairies, and it's... a product of its time. A very trippy album, full of psychedelic guitar workouts like Tiptoe On The Highest Hill and Rock And Roll The Joint, or stoned weirdness like opener Coming Of The One, but very little actually resembling a song per se. Am I missing the point?

A little Mellotron (played by the Pretties' John Povey), with a faint string part on Tiptoe On The Highest Hill, very faint brass, strings and flute in Suicide (real vibes, though) and even fainter strings on Ten Thousand Words In A Cardboard Box (thanks, Johannes). Well, this just scrapes three stars, but is really only for nostalgists, or those who want to hear what hippies really listened to. Minimal 'Tron, too.

Two Times the Trauma  (Sweden)

	I Fell in Love With an Ocean  (2006,  44.00)  ****/TTT½
	I Fell in Love With an Ocean A Little Sign If You Ever A Song My Love Freak Show Some Things Don't Show Until it's Time Darkness My Dearest In Your Eyes	3 a.m. Your Ghost A Song for a Tiger

Current availability:

• Starfly/Exergy (Sweden)

Two Times the Trauma are a duo of Mattias Eriksson from Celestine and the inimitable Mattias Olsson (Änglagård, AK-Momo, Nanook of the North etc.etc.), with help from a bevy of friends and acquaintances. I Fell in Love With an Ocean is, of course, somewhat on the melancholy side, but Pineforest Crunch aside, so is every project in which Olsson has ever had his fingers, it seems. Do you have a problem with that? I hope not. This is quietly beautiful music, although I wouldn't exactly recommend it as something to make the party go with a swing. While there's not a bad track on the album, it's difficult to pick out highlights on only a couple of listens, although the opening title track is just possibly the best thing here.

Copious amounts of Mellotron, of course, variously played by Olsson, Tobias Ljungkvist and Linus Kåse, with plenty of your standard fallbacks, strings (actually three violins, of course) and flutes, although there are plenty of lesser-known sounds, including the striking wineglasses on In Your Eyes, and the Chamberlin harp glissandos on several tracks. However, the jewel in this album's Mellotronic crown are the 'Gaby Stenberg bees'. The WHAT, I hear you cry? Unbelievably, these are a set of Mellotron tapes made from (naturally) pitched bumblebees, which sound a lot like... bees. The estimable Ms.Stenberg recorded what must have been an awful lot of bees in order to get nearly three octaves, but she did it, and this legendary tape set now belongs to Mattias Olsson, which means we haven't heard the last of them, by a very long way...

So; the usual caveat: do you like Mattias Olsson's Roth-Händle productions? If so, you'll like this, if not, you probably won't. As always, shedloads of Mellotron, plus the usual Orchestron and Optigan, not to mention loads of other obscure old pieces of shit vintage equipment. Recommended.

Official site

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