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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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The Sweetest Days (1994, 52.18) **/½ |
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| Intro-Lude The Way That You Love Betcha Never The Sweetest Days Higher Ground You Don't Have to Say You're Sorry Ellamental Sister Moon |
You Can't Run Moonlight Over Paris Constantly Long Way Home |
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Vanessa Williams achieved fame early, being the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss America, although a Penthouse photo-shoot scandal outrageously forced her to resign, in true double-standards tradition. However, she fought back, becoming both an actress and a successful recording artist, which has to stand as a major blow against the (patriarchal) empire. The Sweetest Days was her third album, and apparently more varied than her first two, including jazzier material such as Sister Moon alongside her usual R&B-flavoured stuff. You, the typical Planet Mellotron reader, are not going to like this album.
It's actually perfectly good at what it does, and Williams has a fantastic voice, but if you don't like music variously described as 'adult contemporary' and 'smooth, sexy adult pop', you don't wanna go there... Credited Mellotron on two tracks, surprisingly, with something entirely inaudible under the real strings on Higher Ground, from Nick Moroch, and a pleasant flute part on closer Long Way Home from Jeff Bova. I can only reiterate that unless you're a Vanessa Williams fan who's found their way to this site, you are MOST UNLIKLEY to like this album... One OK 'Tron track, but that really is your lot.
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California (2004, 39.12) **½/½ |
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| You're No Good Old Man California Already Gone Go Your Own Way Turn! Turn! Turn! Monday Monday Get Together |
Doctor My Eyes Dance Dance Dance In My Room Already Gone (acoustic version) |
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On the remote offchance you haven't run into them, Wilson Phillips are a somewhat manufactured trio of children of the Summer Of Love™ generation, namely Carnie and Wendy Wilson (daughters of Brian) and Chynna Phillips, daughter of John and Michelle of the Mamas & the Papas, and friends since childhood. Unsurprisingly, with genes like that, the three of them have amazing voices, which blend beautifully - a marketing man's dream. Unfortunately, their various parents' problems seem to've been revisited by their offspring, with Carnie's well-publicised major weight problem, and the trio's split after their second album sold a mere million copies.
Reforming twelve years later, California is a concept album of sorts, with every track having some connection to the state, be it a lyrical reference, one of their parents' groups songs or one by another Californian artist, although I'm not sure where that leaves Neil Young's Old Man. OK, so he lived in Laurel Canyon for a while... To be honest, the album is heavily over-produced, with some hideous 'contemporary' touches; believe me, Turn! Turn! Turn! does not need a hip-hop-like sampled drum intro... Saying that, the overall feel of the album is pleasantly up (am I actually writing this?), and some of the arrangements work fairly well, although it's not what you'd call a classic. Oh well, at least it's a sensible 'vinyl' length, as they thankfully avoided the temptation to churn out 70 minutes of this stuff.
Roger Manning (of Jellyfish fame, amongst others) plays Mellotron, although the only obvious part is the strings and flutes on You're No Good, which, while nice, don't especially add anything much to either the track or the album. So; OK for what it is, but essentially a mainstream pop album consisting largely of inferior versions of some excellent songs, and minimal 'Tron.
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Morning (1971, 39.16/42.56) ***/TTTTThe Morning SongThe Princess and the Minstrel Dragon's Maid Carnival Schlittenfahrt Puppet Master Tommy's Song [CD adds: Josephine] |
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On the evidence of Morning, the unfortunately-named Wind played a kind of folk/prog hybrid, with an unsurprisingly Germanic feel to the proceedings. In places (notably on The Princess And The Minstrel) it crosses the boundary between whimsical and outright ludicrous, but if you can ignore the vocals, much of the album works, at least as a period piece, although their rockier material was definitely a mistake.
However good or otherwise the music may be, there's Mellotron (from Lucky Schmidt, apparently) to be heard all over the album. The Morning Song features strings, with a brass melody line, then a chordal flute part, and the strings on Dragon's Maid are about as full-on as they get. Actually, the album's first five tracks are all right up there on the 'Tron front, so, thumbs up for Mellotron fans, even if the music sometimes leaves a little to be desired.
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1: Symphinity (1977, 45.47) ***/T½Forward We RideHorsemen to Symphinity Glad to Be Alive Gypsy No Scruples Lamb's Fry Non Siamo Perfetti Flight Call |
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Australian über-progsters Sebastian Hardie fell apart after their second release, Windchase, and guitarist/vocalist Mario Millo and keys man Toivo Pilt formed a new outfit named after said album. Unsurprisingly, I suppose, it sounds very little like Sebastian Hardie, having more of a Downunder Santana vibe about it, both in the guitar department and with the jazzy chord progressions. The lyrics are the usual quasi-mystical stuff that was disappearing around this time; in fact, much as I bemoan the passing of the first wave of progressive rock, Windchase are indicative of why it happened. Unlike the Seb Hardie albums, 1: Symphinity is somewhat meandering, with far too many guitar solos, and far too little melody (certainly in comparison to Four Moments), apart from the odd bits of near-MOR slop like Glad To Be Alive and Flight Call, which probably suffer from a surfeit of melody, if such a thing is possible.
On Seb Hardie's Windchase (confusing, isn't it?), Pilt only really used his Mellotron for choirs, being of the opinion that strings sounded better coming from a Solina (no they don't), and the same approach seems to've been used here. After a tip-off, I actually suspect that his machine contained the notorious 'Teddy Taylor (or 'TT') Choir', one of the less wonderful efforts in the sound library, being no less than a 16-voice choir. Sadly, this doesn't sound twice as good as the usual 8-voice, just murkier. Anyway, assuming that's what it is, you can hear it in the closing seconds of Glad To Be Alive, on Gypsy and very obviously, with key-click, on No Scruples. Finally, it actually sounds like 'Tron strings, for one last time, on Flight Call, but I wouldn't actually stake my reputation on it. So; while the album has its moments (Non Siamo Perfetti is a beautiful, if short, classical guitar piece), it's a real letdown after the glories (pun intended) of the two Seb Hardie albums, and the 'Tron use is decidedly average, too. Approach with caution.
Incidentally, Millo produced a (very) slightly progressive solo album two years later, Epic III (**½), with a passable prog effort in the 14-minute title track, but despite a 'thanks' to Toivo Pilt for 'instruments and equipment', there's no 'Tron to be heard. I believe Millo subsequently moved into film and TV music, like several other Aussie proggers of the time, making this his last gasp on the prog front.
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Breakfast Special (1975) ***/T½Eighteen With a BulletA Whole Pot of Jelly (for a Little Slice of Toast) Hold Me Closer Shadow of a Doubt Anytime Please Lovin' as You Wanna Be Kangaroo Dip Number One Priority Shining Eyes |
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Pete Wingfield's had a long and honourable career, mostly (I believe) in production and session work, but in 1975, Island gave him enough money to knock out a solo album. Sadly, it's a rather ordinary piece of work; not actually bad, but just a bit unexciting, and horribly of its time. Mid-'70s mainstream soft rock doen't sound that dynamic these days; in fact, I can remember doo-wop pastiche Eighteen With A Bullet being a hit at the time, and it didn't sound that exciting then... Wingfield's falsetto grates a little, too, so it's nice when he lowers his range a little, as on Shining Eyes.
I don't feel inclined to slag Breakfast Special off, though; Wingfield's got bags of talent - it's just a little misdirected in this case. There's Mellotron to be heard on a couple of tracks, the aforementioned Eighteen With A Bullet and Hold Me Closer; pseudo-orchestral strings on both, but quite nice use, if (you guessed it), rather unexciting. I couldn't in all honesty recommend this album very highly, but at least it's better than some of the things I've listened to lately...
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No Soul No Strain (1992, 48.01) ***/TT½ |
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| Stone Me Open Sky Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Crashing Back to You Hey Jordan Other Lover How Many More Times Willing it to Be |
Higher Impossible When I Met You 17 Spooks |
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Wire Train, from San Francisco, started life in the '80s as a sort-of arena rock-type band, supporting the likes of U2 and the Alarm, but by the early '90s had become a rather bland pop/indie outfit. No Soul No Strain (apparently a pun on the sleeve art; 'nose hole/nose train') has its moments, but is generally unexciting, although Jeff Trott's guitar work occasionally raises a little sweat.
There's no keyboard player credited, but there's Mellotron to be heard on a handful of tracks, along with some generic synth. The strings (with a dash of flutes) on Crashing Back To You are really full-on, with some wobbly pitchbend towards the end, just to prove they're real; it's a pleasure to hear one played and know it's real, in these days of lazy sample-playback. More of the same on Higher and 17 Spooks, making for a passable 'Tron album, even if the music's rather lacking. Buy? Dunno - possibly worth it for the Mellotron if you see it cheap.
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Wishbone Four (1973, 43.09) **½/TSo Many Things to SayBallad of the Beacon No Easy Road Everybody Needs a Friend Doctor Sorrel Sing Out the Song Rock'n'Roll Widow |
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Wishbone Ash's fourth album had them sticking pretty closely to the template they'd laid down a couple of years earlier, although without the strength of songwriting they'd displayed on Argus. The album opens with an uncharacteristically rocking number, So Many Things To Say, with a more insipid take on the style on No Easy Road. Most of the rest of Wishbone Four sits firmly in soft-rock territory; you can't even excuse it by saying it has prog tendencies, with Sorrel moving beyond straight balladry into the country area.
'Tron strings on Everybody Needs A Friend from George Nash, to no great effect, I'm afraid. I don't like to be so down on 'The Ash', but this album is actually quite soporific in places, and even the 'rock' er, doesn't. Argus may not be the heaviest album ever, but at least the songs stand up over 30 years later. The same cannot be said for the bulk of Wishbone Four.
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Der Jesuspilz/Musik Vom Evangelium (1971, 39.50) **½/T½LiturgieSchöpfung Erleuchtung & Berufung Versammlung/Bekenntnis/Die Aussendung Nehmet Hin und Esset Besuch aus dem Kosmos |
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Witthüser & Westrupp played a sort of stoned psychedelic folk, which has probably got itself lumped in with the other Krautrock merchants somewhere along the line, despite not really being anything of the sort. Saying that, Schöpfung is quite hypnotic, in an acoustic kind of way, although the kazoo on Versammlung and Die Aussendung is completely unforgivable. And no, I don't care what they'd been smoking. There are better tracks; Bekenntnis has some lovely harmonium, and Besuch Aus Dem Kosmos finishes the album off nicely, but it's not exactly a five-star effort.
Erleuchtung & Berufung is the only obvious 'Tron track (from Dieter Dierks), with a high string line and flute arpeggios accompanying a children's choir in places, of all things. As a result, I feel I have to say: don't bother, unless you're big on stoned German hippy folk stuff. Which I'm not.
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Hinterland (2005, 56.52) ****/TTTT½Serenade for 1652Hinterland Rubato Industry Clair Obscur |
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In 2003, the year of Änglagård's brief reunion, appropriately enough, a new name appeared in Scandinavian progressive circles: Wobbler. Um, doesn't have quite the same gravitas as Anekdoten or White Willow, does it? Makes Landberk sound sensible, and hasn't even got the excuse that it's a place-name. Moniker aside, however, Wobbler were the latest entrant in the now 15 year-old wave of New Traditionalist Scandinavian Prog (hey, the NTSP! Catchy or what? Sounds like an online bank or something), insisting on 'authentic' equipment and full-on symphonic prog, with nary a trace of '80s neo-. Thank Christ. In retrospect, I should actually have reviewed their early demos two years ago, although I presumed they'd turn up on their debut album. Wrong. Neither of them have been reworked, let alone reused, and they no longer seem to be available as downloads, sadly. Find a review here.
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| photo: Sven Eriksen | |
Two years on, Hinterland has to be the most-anticipated progressive release of 2005, with the band being invited to play NEARfest before its release, in the (relative) media feeding-frenzy surrounding their formation. And the end result is... not bad. Not bad? Is that the best you can come up with? Well, the same criticisms apply as to their demos, but, surprisingly, more so. You would've thought they'd have ironed out some of the more derivative bits of their style in the two years since then, but the album material is actually less original (spot the cheeky Crimson quote about six minutes into the title track, not to mention the Emersonalike Moog patch later on...), although there are plenty of worthwhile moments. Given that the album features only four tracks in nearly an hour, it comes as a surprise to learn that opener Serenade For 1652 is a mere 41 seconds long, leaving two medium-long pieces and the near-half hour title track. Can Wobbler sustain interest over a 27-minute piece, I hear you cry? Well, sort of. Like the rest of the album (particularly closer Clair Obscur), the track has several transcendental moments, which is more than I can say for most albums, but too much of it has a 'heard it all before' vibe about it, sadly, knocking a whole star from the album's potential rating. Don't get me wrong; this is a very good album, and if you hadn't heard Änglagård, possibly a great one, but when Rubato Industry strikes up like a Larks' Tongues outtake, you have to hope that Wobbler will find their own style by the time album no.2 comes around.
As for the album's Mellotronic input, Lars Fredrik Frøislie uses three different machines, for some reason, including one that I believe is ex-Bulgarians FSB, with, apparently, a whole host of tape frames, though it has to be said, the bulk of the obvious use is the old mainstays strings/choir/flutes, although the brief Serenade For 1652 seems to be largely cellos, and I heard some 'Tron vibes somewhere. The playing's excellent, as it is for all the keys, but the 'choppy' choir part on Clair Obscur is a dead ringer for Änglagård's Jordrok, which in turn is heavily influenced by SFF's Pictures, and as for the previously-mentioned pitchbent strings in Hinterland... Cheeky homage or blunt rip-off? Either way, it's impossible to deny that this is a major Mellotron release, docked a mere half 'T' for unoriginality.
So; try to find those demos as soon as possible, then approach Hinterland with a little more caution. Excellent, but disappointingly unoriginal, although it's probably fair to say there's little of any originality left to say in a near-40 year old genre (yup, 'fraid we're fast approaching its fortieth anniversary...). I look forward to their next effort; if they can come up with anything even approaching Änglagård's second release, they'll have come on leaps and bounds. I feel a little churlish at not being more positive about this album, but wild enthusiasm, untempered by reason, can only mislead. Good, but not great. Oh, and while we're on the subject of originality, the sleeve art is incredibly reminiscent of Il Trono dei Ricordi's self-titled album from '94. Hmmm.
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Maestoso (1980, 39.32) ***/T½Sail AwayQuiet Islands A Prospect of Whitby Lives on the Line Patriots Gates of Heaven (14/18) American Excess Maestoso Waveform |
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Songs From the Black Box (1994, recorded 1981, 78.08) ***/TT½ |
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| Has to Be a Reason Down the Line All Get Burned Too Much, Too Loud, Too Late Even the Night Deceivers All The Will to Fly Sunday Bells Open |
Sail Away Quiet Islands A Prospect of Whitby Lives on the Line Patriots Gates of Heaven (14/18) American Excess Maestoso Waveform |
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Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme left Barclay James Harvest in 1979, and released Maestoso the following year, with a remit very similar to that of his previous outfit. The album is vaguely progressive, but with a strong emphasis on songs, many of them veering sharply towards the 'commercial' end of the spectrum. While the album doesn't personally blow me away, it does what it does very well, and I'm really quite surprised it didn't sell better than it did.
Woolly still had his M300 'Tron, and toured it the following year, but only used it on a small number of tracks on the album, preferring string synth for many of the chordal washes. This fits in with his late-BJH days, when his 'Tron became almost superfluous in the studio. Steve Broomhead's guitar does a similar job to John Lees' in BJH, and the album is surprisingly guitar-heavy. Oddly enough, there's a faint Enid-ish feel to a couple of the more symphonic tracks, particularly the title track, so BJH's early collaboration with future Enid main man Robert John Godfrey presumably left its mark, even a full decade later.
After Maestoso pretty much disappeared without trace, Woolly dropped out of sight for many years, tending to his farm in Wales and fighting idiotic court cases brought against him by people who should have known better. In 1994, small UK label Voiceprint resurrected Maestoso and added a full album's worth of extra tracks, mostly recorded for Black Box, the follow-up that never happened. Oddly, these open Songs From the Black Box, and tracks 10-18 are the original LP. The extra tracks fit in fairly well with the Maestoso material, with Mellotron on three, including Deceivers All, which had already seen the light of day as the highlight of The Rime of the Ancient Sampler - the Mellotron Album, a various artists CD from the previous year, which does exactly what it says on the packet.
If you like BJH, you'll almost certainly like Songs From the Black Box/Maestoso, and if you don't, you probably won't. There's some reasonable 'Tron, but don't expect early BJH standards. Good news on the Woolly front is that in early 2001 he toured with John Lees in the tortuously-but-legally-necessarily-named Barclay James Harvest Through the Eyes of John Lees, with an M400 he'd recently bought, playing a full set of BJH material to sizeable crowds, followed by the reformation of his own band, Maestoso.
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A Quick Step (1975) **½/T½Nympho's Belly-ButtonAlong Came You Christo Said Sweet Sleeping Sixteen Bagatel Herds of Flames Tearful Thoughts Tu Quoque |
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To be honest, A Quick Step isn't anything wildly special. Womega were a Belgian outfit from the mid-'70s, and can't really be classified as anything much; slightly progressive, not really heavy, not really pop. Just 'rock', really, whatever you take that to mean. There's a couple of reasonable songs on the album, and Christo Said has some nice Mellotron strings from the uncredited keyboard player, but I really wouldn't go out of your way to secure a copy, especially considering its relative rarity.
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Construction for the Modern Idiot (1993, 48.06) ***/T |
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| Change Every Light Bulb I Wish Them All Dead Cabin Fever Hot Love Now! Full of Life (Happy Now) Storm Drain On the Ropes Your Big Assed Mother |
Swell A Great Drinker Hush Sing the Absurd [CD adds: Something for Sammy] |
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The Wonder Stuff occupy an odd place in British music history, being pretty much an embodiment of the late '80s/early '90s 'indie' ethos, not to mention being the ultimate 'student' band of their era, loved by undergrads right across the musical spectrum. I have to admit I find their appeal slightly mystifying, their indie pop/rock/folk mix resolutely refusing to grab me. Maybe you had to see them live. While drunk. While being nineteen. Anyway, it seems to be harmless enough, but a very long way from anything you could describe as 'classic'. As a result, I find it impossible to pick any highlights from their fourth album, Construction for the Modern Idiot, though I'm sure their fans would have something to say about that.
Anyway, Pete Whittaker guests on various keys, including (naturally) Mellotron; I wouldn't call it the most overt use ever, but that's not particularly surprising. Some 'Strawberry Fields'-style flutes on Cabin Fever, and more flutes, in a very background role, on Hush, but that's all I can hear. That isn't to say there isn't any more hidden in the mix, but Martin Bell's fiddle confuses the issue in places. So; if you don't like UK indie, you're probably not going to like the Wonder Stuff. Simple as that. Minimal Mellotron, too, so I really wouldn't bother.
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Opposite Directions (1980) **½/T |
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| Spirit of the Meteors I Want to Be Famous Air on a Polymer San Diego Sunset Peace in Our Space (Sue's Song) Distagon Ice Three Six Got to Get Away |
Down Town Reactor Opposite Directions Web of Synthesis |
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Jezz Woodroffe, later of fellow Brummie Robert Plant's band, was Black Sabbath's offstage keyboard player when he recorded Opposite Directions, released in 1980 (according to the record) or '78 (according to his website). In all honesty, it's about par for the course for a sideman's solo album; the guy can certainly play, but the writing leaves an awful lot to be desired, with much of it based around iffy jams (San Diego Sunset), or dreadful attempts at a Midlands take on Chas'n'Dave (to American readers: don't ask). The band Woodroffe gathered together are all very competent, and Gibson John's guitar work (presumably) is actually pretty good, but it's all a bit faceless, really; they sound like session musos.
Unfortunately, many of Woodroffe's keyboards are of that 'late '70s Japanese' type; he must have had an endorsement deal with Yamaha, going by the number of their products he namechecks on the (extensive) gear list. They still sound loads better than 'dodgy '80s digital', but too many polysynths spoil the broth, or something. There's a Mellotron M400 listed there, too, but I can only actually hear the thing on the title track, with flutes (I think) and choirs.
Since Opposite Directions is apparently quite rare, don't rush out to try to find a copy (I found mine in a Birmingham second-hand shop, and I doubt if many found their way much further from the area). Disappointing.
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While You Can (2003, 40.54) **½/0 |
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| Dumb Girls Blindsided Trust Me (You Don't Wanna See This) Is This Hollywood Trouble With Me What's Good for Me Standing |
The Breakdown Always Something Gettin' it on Done |
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Although technically British, Lucy Woodward was apparently brought up in the Netherlands and the US, attending school in the latter, making her effectively American. I suppose she fits into the 'mainstream pop' non-category, as nothing about While You Can particularly stands out at all. Woodward's a decent singer and musician, but this is music designed to appeal to her own societal niche: girls in their twenties who want something girly and undemanding. Ooh! You patronising, sexist pig! It is, however, girly and undemanding, so I rest my case.
Although Patrick Warren plays 'keyboards' on several tracks, I can't hear any of his usual Chamberlin, not that it's credited. However, Greg Bieck gets a 'Mellotron' credit on Trust Me (You Don't Wanna See This), although it has to be said that it's completely inaudible. Why? Why do this? Utterly pointless. Anyway, you're most unlikely to like this album, if your taste has anything in common with mine. Unlike many pop albums I've sat through recently with gritted teeth, there's nothing actually wrong with this, but nor is there that much right. Don't bother.
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Es Liebt Dich und Deine Körperlichkeit ein Ausgeflippter (2002, 45.09/53.42) ***½/½ |
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| Für Wen? Scheusalstage Die Verwundung Die Zunft von Nahweg Wie Sicht Es Aus? Missa Lux Jetzt ist Vakanz Es Darf Gelacht Nisch Mehr |
Im Winter Erfüllung [Japanese bonus track: Bad Morning] |
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Es Liebt Dich und Deine Körperlichkeit ein Ausgeflippter is apparently the appropriately-named Workshop's fifth album, although their first to be released in the States (and elsewhere?). Their music is indeed a workshop of ideas, with one album sounding little like the next; Es Liebt Dich... has more than a little German acid-folk about it, with much acoustic guitar alongside real and programmed percussion, strange, upfront German-language vocals and odd keyboards, amongst other things. This is quite an odd album, to be honest; as soon as anything starts sounding somewhere near 'normal', Workshop turn it on its head and throw something weird into the pot. Standout tracks? Buggered if I know...
Workshop are essentially a duo of Stephan Abry and Kai Althoff, but I've no idea who does what, including the nice (very) little 'Tron strings part on Die Zunft Von Nahweg, which actually sound quite real, though it seems you can never tell these days. So; if that weird German folkish thing floats your boat, you may well go for this. Only one even halfway decent 'Tron track, though, so don't go out of your way on that front.
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Rock Bottom (1974, 39.36) ****/TSea SongA Last Straw Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road Alifib Alife Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road |
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For the one or two of you who don't know his history, Robert Wyatt was the Soft Machine's drummer and sometime vocalist, moving on to Matching Mole, before falling from a third-floor window at a party, resulting in permanent paralysis from the waist down. He'd already released one solo album, 1970's End of an Ear, and recorded his second, the all-too aptly titled Rock Bottom, while recuperating. An intensely personal album, not everyone will fall for Wyatt's idiosyncratic vocals, or the largely drumless music, but it's an album that rewards careful listening, which probably means very few people have bothered with it in the last twenty years or so. Opener Sea Song is probably the most normal, or least abnormal track, which is probably why it was given pole position, and by the time you get to the Alifib/Alife double-act, the more faint-hearted have been left gasping at the side of the road, eager to return to the safety of their latest two-bit flash in the pan music press darlings.
For years, I've been under the impression that the album was free of any Mellotronic involvement. It seems I was wrong. Not that it's that obvious, mind; reedy choirs on opener Sea Song sound both like and not like a Mellotron, while there's an unidentified sound on Alifib/Alife, alongside what sounds like 'Tron strings. Is this a bit vague? Sorry, but Wyatt's credited with merely 'keyboards', including the Moog lead on Sea Song, and the unidentified organ present on several tracks.
So; to buy or not to buy? If you'd like to hear something you've never heard before, stylistically speaking, combined with personal lyrics and unusual instrumental juxtapositions, then yes. Conversely, if not... This isn't worth it for its minor Mellotron use, but is on practically any other grounds you can think of.
