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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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Zebra Zello |
Zita Swoon Zoldar & Clark |
Zombies Zomby Woof |
Zucchero Fabio Zuffanti/Victoria Heward |
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Zebra (1983, 37.40) ***½/TTTell Me What You WantOne More Chance Slow Down As I Said Before Who's Behind the Door? When You Get There Take Your Fingers From My Hair Don't Walk Away The La La Song |
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Zebra were always a band out of time; too late for the 'sophisticated hard rock' crowd, and too early for the AOR brigade. Saying that, by the time of their third album, V.3, they had indeed moved in that direction, but it appeared to be too little, too late.
On replaying Zebra I was reminded how good two of the songs are; Tell Me What You Want and Take Your Fingers From My Hair, although, strangely, neither are among the four tracks on the album featuring Mellotron choir. I suspect that, like so many of his contemporaries, helium-voiced singer/guitarist Randy Jackson preferred string sounds from synths (why?!), but at the time there was simply no substitute for the old 'Tron 8-voice (and some would say nothing's changed...). All four of the 'Tron songs here are good, pomp-inflected US hard rock; looking at the copyright dates, most of them date from several years earlier, and it shows (in the best possible way, of course).
Zebra's follow-up, No Tellin' Lies (***) is good, though not in the same league as their debut, and sadly, 'Tron-free. The band have recently reformed, and recorded their rather belated fourth album. I've no idea what they sound like these days, but I suspect they haven't re-attained the heights of their first release. So, if you like a bit of pomp, you could do worse than pick up a copy of Zebra; don't expect an all-out Mellotron classic and you won't be disappointed.
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Quodlibet (1999, 53.55) ****/TTI Will Be the WindSpaken Flag of Convenience Prästpolskan Zwecia Anthem of the Long Forgotten Loss Ekelundapolskan |
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Strangely for a Swedish band, the first outfit I thought of when I put Quodlibet on was Kansas. OK, so Zello have a violinist, but the influence goes much deeper than that; there's some ripping Hammond playing, and although the vocals are weaker, the singing has something of Steve Walsh about it, although I heard a touch of John Wetton in Anthem Of The Long Forgotten Loss, too. In other areas, though, they're very different, especially in their song structures; Zwecia is 25 minutes long, a song length Kansas never even nearly attempted. Opener I Will Be The Wind is the most Kansas-alike track on the album, with a superb chorus melody; some bands could've turned this song into a dismal AOR effort, but in Zello's hands it works brilliantly. Most of all, though, the similarity is in the melodies; you know, those major-key violin bits over distorted Hammond with that 'wide-screen' American prairie feel to them. Actually, the only non-'Tron tracks here are three short folk-influenced violin (or should that be fiddle?) pieces, sounding strangely more English than American.
There's actually very little Mellotron on Quodlibet from Anders Altzarfeldt and Mats Olsson (haven't I seen that name somewhere else?), mostly just little bursts of choir here and there, with an occasional string chord, so it's really only used to enhance their sound, rather than being central to it. The main keyboard work on the album is the organ (with a little mono synth), with a couple of great solos thrown in, Steve Walsh style (sorry). So, all in all, this is an excellent album, modern prog without any discernable neo- influence, and above all, great material. Not so hot on the 'Tron front, but buy it anyway.
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I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress (1998, 52.38) ***½/T |
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| She = Like Meeting Jesus Ragdoll Blues Still Half My Friend? The Rabbit Field Song for a Dead Singer One Perfect Day About the Successful Emotional Recovery of a Gal Named Maria |
Our Daily Reminders My Bond With You and Your Planet: Disco! Stamina 50 Years in Dope Jittery The French Trombone |
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dEUS collaborator Stef Kamil Carlens formed his own outfit in the mid-'90s, called Moondog Jr, although a legal dispute forced a name change to Zita Swoon after one album. It's difficult to describe the music on the Zitas' second album, I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress; think 'indie, but with plenty of variety and imagination', i.e. very little like any British bands falling into that category. The quality of the material is somewhat variable, although My Bond With You And Your Planet: Disco! raised a smile, and the slower tracks manage to be solemn without being over-gloomy.
It's hard to tell exactly on how many tracks Carlens may've played 'Tron, as there are two or three points at which it may just possibly be buried in the mix. The one definite, though, is the flute part on Our Daily Reminders, which is as good as anyone else's Mellotron flute arrangements, and better than many. One track doth not a 'Tron album make, though, so if their style doesn't sound like your bowl of gruel, best go elsewhere. Incidentally, I very much doubt if there's any 'Tron on their debut release, Music Inspired By Sunrise, and there's definitely none on their third album, Life = a Sexy Sanctuary.
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Zoldar & Clark (1977) ****/TTTTTouch the SkyNow is the Time To Be Alive The Ghost of Way Lunar Progressions In Time Day After Day |
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Zoldar & Clark's lone album crept out as a private pressing in 1977, at a time when lesser outfits were still being signed, playing in a similar, though inferior style. I suppose the best way to describe this stuff is pomp, that peculiarly American cross between prog and radio-friendly rock (as popularised by Styx, Angel, or most of all, Yes-lite crew Starcastle), that never really travelled very well, although they definitely veered towards the more progressive end of the style. Maybe that was their downfall. Anyway, I don't actually know very much about the band (i.e. next to nothing), although Joe Cannata played the Mellotron, probably along with the other keys.
Although a couple of tracks head a little too near 'very mainstream' territory (To Be Alive is a particular offender), most of Zoldar & Clark is very good indeed, and deserves better than the considerable obscurity in which it finds itself. Cannata's Mellotron work is excellent, too, with strings, brass and choir all over the place, with some nifty pitchbend parts cropping up here and there. To say you're not going to find this album easily is probably a bit of an understatement, but should you happen to come across a copy for less than top dollar, it's probably worth the investment.
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Odessey & Oracle (1968, 34.58/79.58) ****½/TT½ |
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| Care of Cell 44 A Rose for Emily Maybe After He's Gone Beechwood Park Brief Candles Hung Up on a Dream Changes I Want Her She Wants Me |
This Will Be Our Year Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) Friends of Mine Time of the Season [CD adds: A Rose for Emily (alternate version 2) Time of the Season (alternate mix) Prison Song, a.k.a. Care of Cell 44 (backing track)] |
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The Zombies were the intellectuals of the UK beat scene, being grammar school boys from St.Albans, just north of London. Mind you, Mick'n'Keef went to grammar school too, so there goes that argument. Anyway, after a string of hits, including the sublime She's Not There, later devastatingly covered by Santana, the band released their swansong, Odessey and Oracle, to little initial acclaim; they were so low on their label's priorities that no-one coughed up to correct the sleeve designer's idiot misspelling, so Odessey it remains. Between Colin Blunstone's distinctive vocals, Rod Argent's keyboard work and the superb songwriting, it's almost inconceivable that it could fail, but the band split soon after its release, sick of the usual industry hassles. The only reason this album has any standing in the public consciousness now is that Time Of The Season (which sounds like it was recorded at an earlier session) was released as a posthumous single in the States, becoming a massive hit; with appalling irony, the biggest of their career. They refused all entreaties to reform, with Blunstone going on to a sporadically successful solo career, and Argent going on to form, er, Argent.
Musically, Odessey is absolutely fantastic; perfect intelligent pop with a psych edge, it reminds me strongly of Fairfield Parlour's wonderful From Home to Home, consisting largely of mature, melancholy little pieces like A Rose For Emily and Beechwood Park. As for Argent's Mellotron, Care Of Cell 44 has a wonderful string part, as does Hung Up On A Dream, which adds flutes to the mix. Changes opens with a beautifully-recorded 'Tron flute part, reprising throughout the song, although Brief Candles is slightly less special. It's a shame they didn't use it more (where have you heard this before?), but three superb 'Tron tracks is three more than you can usually expect. Either way, this is an absolute late-'60s classic, and an essential buy.
Incidentally, Big Beat's '30th Anniversary Edition' contains not only the mono and stereo versions of the album, but finds room for three alternate versions, including A Rose For Emily with a 'Tron flute part presumably removed from the album version, although a backing track for Care Of Cell 44 removes the 'Tron strings.
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Riding on a Tear (1977, 41.40/64.54) ***½/T |
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| Introduction Suicide Riding on a Tear Requiem Part 1 Requiem Part 2 Dora's Drive Mary Walking Through the Woods Walking Through the Woods |
Finale [CD adds: Dora's Drive (single edit) Mary Walking Through the Woods (single edit) Highwire Dance Back Home] |
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Zomby Woof (whom I mistakenly referred to as Zomby Wolf for ages) got their name from a Frank Zappa song (on '73's Overnite Sensation, I believe), but had no musical connection with ol' Frank whatsoever. The Bavarian outfit had been around since the early '70s, but apparently didn't consider themselves professional enough to record until 1977, when their demos were picked up by the independent Jupiter label. Riding on a Tear was released later that year, and is a typical German progressive release of the time, loosely comparable to acts such as Rousseau or Tibet, while never being in the Novalis league, never mind Grobschnitt.
The album opens with some excellent piano work on Introduction; in fact, the instrumental work is highly competent throughout, especially Matthias Zumbroich's keyboards, including a considerable amount of clavinet, not heard so often on progressive albums from the era. The composition is adequate, although nothing really leaps out at the listener, at least on an initial listen, although there's some excellent jamming on Dora's Drive. Speaking of which, whose weird idea was it to release an edited version of a jammed-out instrumental track as the album's sole single? The '70s, eh?
There's actually very little Mellotron to be heard on the album. Apparently, the band found a broken-down one in the studio, and bassist Udo Kreuß spent some considerable time and effort getting it running again, although the only 'Tron I can hear is a male voice choir part on Requiem Part 2. So; do you or don't you? Yes for progressive fans looking for something they haven't previously encountered, but no for the casual listener, and no for anyone looking for some serious 'Tron use. Oh, and the second two bonus tracks are well worth hearing, though you're unlikely to find this without them anyway, I suspect.
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Bluesugar (1998) ***/TTT |
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| U Make Me Feel Loved Blue Thin Air If Not Tonight Back 2 U Donkey Tonkey (Temporaneamente) X Sempre Tuo More Than This |
Karma Stai Kalma I Wish You Love I Tempi Cambieranno |
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Zucchero ('Sugar') Fornaciari seems to have been around for ever, releasing albums in English for the last decade or so. Going by Bluesugar, he's in that 'adult pop' area, sitting next to U2 et al., so don't come here looking for innovation or anything. Actually, most of the material's fairly balladic and middle-aged, making U2 sound cutting edge (if you'll excuse the pun); one for people who don't want anything new.
Four Mellotron tracks on the album, played by the man himself. Thin Air has some fairly upfront strings, while the strings on If Not Tonight sound like they could almost be real, so I'm not sure what the deal is there. More Than This has both flutes and strings, while I Tempi Cambieranno (sung partially in English) has more of those orchestrally-arranged strings.
I believe there's 'Tron on 2001's Shake, too, though I'm unlikely to hear a copy in the near future. While I'm personally far from blown away by Bluesugar, the songwriting's actually pretty good for what it is, and the Mellotron stuff's not bad, too, so you'll have to make your own mind up about this one.
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Merlin: 'The Rock Opera' (2000, 89.09) ***/T |
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| Overture As it Was in the Beginning Winter Lament The Musician Arrives Tricked/Must You Leave So Soon? Free for Another The Wedding March Our Time is Now Fairies Dance Madman Sings |
Song for a New Day Merlin and Vivian Beyond the Nightmares How to Do the Sleeping Spell Gloria Blessed With Peace How Long Can She Wait? Uninvited Guest/The Last Battle Wait for the Golden Age |
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Bassist Fabio Zuffanti is possibly the major name on the Italian progressive scene at the moment, having fingers in many pies: Finisterre, Höstsonaten, La Maschera di Cera... Basically, the cream of Italian prog in the new millennium, although I'm not entirely convinced you can add Merlin: 'The Rock Opera' to that list. In fairness, this double CD does exactly what it says on the tin; it's a rock opera, complete with eight different singers taking roles, sounding like a rather more acceptable version of those rubbishy Andrew Lloyd-Webber productions with which we've been cursed for the last few decades. It's a straight collaboration between Zuffanti and Victoria Heward, a British poet, who wrote the English-language libretto, with which the Italian cast cope admirably well, giving the impression of an updated version of Puccini, or similar.
Zuffanti collaborator Agostino Macor plays keys throughout, including Mellotron, although it tends to get lost in amongst the swathes of digital 'boards; it certainly isn't at the front of the mix, but then, this is a vocal album above all, with the music relegated to second place, at least to my ears. All highlighted tracks above feature 'Tron strings, although it's possible there's a bit of choir here and there, too, though it really is hard to tell.
I'm not sure exactly to whom I should be trying to recommend this album; some prog fans, notably those into bombastic neo- stuff (Ayreon, anything involving Clive Nolan), may delight in its OTT-ness, but the 'traditional' progressive audience may be horrified by its associations with West End/Broadway musicals, although I'm sure it'll make a spectacular stage show. Anyway, very little audible Mellotron, so please don't bother on that account.
