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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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Son of Walter (1996, 72.22) ***½/T½ |
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| Plastic Elvis Beautiful Sister Red Hair You Saw Me Comming Barking or False Point Blues Forgiven All Hope is Gone With You Away Dead Man Sitting on a Train |
It's Not Like You Garden Aeroplane Trap Driven Away Raining on TV Requiem Winner's Way |
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I'm ashamed to admit that, prior to this, I've never actually heard a Bevis Frond album all the way through, even though I saw him/them live years ago. The Bevis Frond is essentially Walthamstow native and 'Countdown' regular Nick Saloman (don't worry about this stuff if you're not a native Brit), who writes, sings and plays guitar on everything, ploughing his own lonely psychedelic furrow through the murk of what is laughingly known as The Music Biz. In his own quiet way, he's a real star, refusing to bow to 'commercial reality' (a.k.a. 'The Man') while managing to keep his head above water far enough to carry on making his own unique brand of psychedelic guitar-driven rock. A whole slew of his albums used to be available on London-based Reckless Records' (legendary small second-hand chain) own imprint, but the rights seem to've long-reverted to his own label, Woronzow, which also seems to be linked to excellent obscuro fanzine the Ptolemaic Terrascope (with me so far?).
Son of Walter is something like Nick's 13th album in nine years (!), and it's a double (although I'm aware that several of his early releases consist of older material); believe me, this guy doesn't mess about, although his output has slowed of recent years. It covers several different bases, from the acoustic singer-songwriter fare of Winner's Way and Dead Man Sitting On A Train, through the grunge madness of Barking Or False Point Blues to the (short) side-long killer jam of Garden Aeroplane Trap. It's this last that interests us the most, as Nick (who plays everything, by the way) overdubs tons of 'Tron flutes and strings, although I've zero idea where he might've found a functioning Mellotron in 1996. In fact, there's so much on the 12-minute track that it actually gets a full T½ rating, despite not being heard anywhere else.
So; Nick Saloman needs and deserves your support, so buy this album. Only one 'Tron track, but it's a) good and b) long, so a borderline 'worth it for the 'Tron' one, I think.
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Parallax (1983, 38.29) ****/TTTSilent RunningPrediction Suite Ran Prologue: The Sky Distorting Too Much A Klaxon of Dr. Strange-Love Parallax Company Great Parallax Epilogue: Crimson Children |
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Kyobo Na Ongaku [a.k.a. A Violent Music] (1998, 53.18) ***½/TTA Violent CityFeet on the Ground A Violent Party A Violent Fort A Man of Hand to Mouth Creep Funk A Violent Nightmare |
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I've only heard one of noted Japanese King Crimson imitators Bi Kyo Ran's albums, although there seem to've been a whole slew of releases over the years, including several archive live things, many allegedly Mellotron-soaked. I believe Parallax is fairly typical, though I'm hoping to hear some more of their stuff at some point.
Silent Running isn't actually that great, starting off in arena rock mode, although it improves over its near-eight minute length, but Prediction is a lot better, operating in laid-back 'I Talk to the Wind' mode, with little Mellotronic interjections here and there. Side two's Suite Ran is definitely the album's highpoint, opening with 'Tron flutes before lurching into a Crimsonesque riff that sets the tone for the rest of the track. Mellotron strings in (I think) part 3, Great Parallax which pounds the listener into submission with a hypnotic cycling riff for seven or eight minutes, with flutes and (real) violin in the following gentle Epilogue: Crimson Children (are you sure?!). This is pretty fine stuff, actually, if rather lacking on the originality front, but since when was that necessarily a problem?
Well, in fifteen years, it seems that Bi Kyo Ran haven't changed noticeably, still sounding an awful lot like King Crimson. Kyobo Na Ongaku, or A Violent Music, is well-named, slightly resembling Crimso's Starless & Bible Black (album) in its relentlessness and angularity. It's difficult to pinpoint 'best tracks' on an album like this, as there's little stylistic difference between most of them; suffice to say, if you like their previous work, there's a good chance you'll like this. Mellotron strings on most tracks, from Noriyuki Kamiya, though never that much, and I'm not entirely convinced they're real. As so often, though, it's devilishly hard to tell, and certainly on opener A Violent City, it sound 'wobbly' enough to just possibly be real. Kamiya's 'Tron technique seems to consist of waiting until maybe 40% of the way into each song, then bringing in some nicely Crimsonesque, ever-so-slightly dissonant chords, which are played for about 30 seconds before he switches to another instrument, which he sticks to on every highlighted track above.
So; a good, if pretty derivative band. If you like Crimson, and don't mind someone else ripping off their sound wholesale, you may well go for this, unless you're dead set against imitators. These are both good albums, remarkably consistent, given the fifteen-year gap between them, both OK on the 'Tron front without being outstanding.
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The Underfall Yard (2009, 60.38) ****/T½Evening StarMaster James of St. George Victorian Brickwork Last Train Winchester Diver The Underfall Yard |
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Well, Big Big Train have been threatening to get into this site's main reviews for a long time, and have finally done so with 2009's The Underfall Yard. Reason? The presence of no less a personage than Dave Gregory (ex-XTC) and his trusty M400, albeit on just one track. The band have been improving steadily over the years since their early neo-prog-by-numbers approach, their last effort, 2007's sample-only The Difference Machine, garnering four stars over in Sampledelica!. The Underfall Yard opens with a Beach Boys-esque harmony vocal section, before shifting into the same kind of inventive, reasonably individual symphonic prog they played on its predecessor, drumming throughout again provided by Spock's Beard's Nick d'Virgilio.
Instrumentally, the band continue to stand out from the pack with their use of a brass section (think: orchestra, not soul revue) on three of the album's six tracks, with occasional cello, too. Most of the album's 'Mellotron' work (there's some on most tracks) is sampled, but Gregory adds strings, choir and possible flutes to the twelve-minute Victorian Brickwork, sounding a little bit more 'real' than the M-Tron employed elsewhere.
So; another excellent album from Big Big Train with some real 'Tron this time. I'm still not sure why the band don't try to use a real one (I mean, they even had access to one this time), but that's up to them. If you like inventive modern progressive rock, though, you can't go too far wrong with this. Worthwhile.
See: Sampledelica! | XTC
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#1 Record (1972, 37.09) ****½/T½ |
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| Feel The Ballad of El Goodo In the Street Thirteen Don't Lie to Me The India Song When My Baby's Beside Me My Life is Right |
Give Me Another Chance Try Again Watch the Sunrise ST 100/6 |
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Radio City (1973, 36.11) ****/T |
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| O My Soul Life is White Way Out West What's Going Ahn You Get What You Deserve Mod Lang Back of a Car Daisy Glaze |
She's a Mover September Gurls Morpha Too I'm in Love With a Girl |
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Sister Lovers: the Third Album (1978, 50.30/55.15) ***½/T |
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| Stroke it Noel Downs Femme Fatale Thank You Friends Holocaust Jesus Christ Blue Moon Dream Lover You Can't Have Me Big Black Car |
Kizza Me For You O Dana Nightime Whole Lotta Shakin' Going on Kanga Roo Take Care [CD adds: Nature Boy Till the End of the Day] |
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Big Star formed in Memphis when Alex Chilton (ex-Box Tops, of The Letter fame) joined Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens in Ice Water, changing their name during their initial writing sessions. They played what was, for the early '70s, deeply unfashionable intelligent pop, with a soul influence from Chilton creeping in here and there, leading to the group being included in the infamous 'B's; Beatles, Beach Boys, Badfinger, Byrds... There honestly isn't a bad song on either #1 Record or Radio City, so yet another great band ignored during their lifetime have gone on to, if not fortune, at least posthumous fame.
#1 Record doesn't put a foot wrong, from the opening pure pop of Feel, through rockier numbers (Don't Lie To Me, When My Baby's Beside Me), or ballads (Give Me Another Chance, Try Again). Plenty of other writers have written about this album far more eloquently than I ever could, so I'll concentrate on my usual speciality. Bassist Andy Hummel's only solo composition on the album, India Song, is a beautiful acoustic number, with a richly original Mellotron flute part, played by him, making it one of the album's highlights (against stiff competition), while Give Me Another Chance has some rather unsubtle strings from friend/studio owner Terry Manning, although the end result is still well worth the effort.
By Radio City, Bell had left, producing demos that would appear as I am the Cosmos long after his death in a car crash in 1978. Big Star seemed to function just as well as a trio, at least in the studio, as live dates were apparently a disaster. The songwriting is still fabulous, with songs like Way Out West and You Get What You Deserve equalling those of their influences. Hummel's (if Hummel it is) Mellotron is only obviously heard on one track; opener O My Soul has some stabbed string chords, with some slurred pitchbend work at the end, and despite a couple of other 'possibles', it's the only definite 'Tron track here.
Hummel departed after the album's release, leaving the remaining duo to record another album with a new bassist, although The Third Album, sometimes known as Sister Lovers, wasn't released until 1979, long after the band's demise. It's a messy affair, to be honest, with every different release seemingly containing a different track selection, the one above being from the UK 1987 Dojo/Castle vinyl version, which claims to contain every track recorded at the sessions. It's unsurprisingly less focussed than their first two albums, but there are still many excellent tracks, if little of quite the same quality as before. The Mellotron on Kanga Roo could have been played by either Chilton or producer Jim Dickinson, opening with a wobbly flute melody, before some string chords in the verses; note the alternate sleeve above, with (reversed) 'Tron surprisingly in shot.
So; two great albums, one reasonable one, all in the 'intelligent pop' vein. Four Mellotron tracks spread over three albums; you decide.
See: Chris Bell
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Closer to Doom (1997, 25.14/38.19) ****/TTTT |
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| Change Crazy Frustration Salvation In the Void Closer to Doom |
[Full-length version adds: Theme One I, the Jury Fight Baron Saturday (live)] |
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Money Machine (2000, 38.43) ***½/TTTT½Money MachineSellout Neuropsychopathic Eye Side Effects (Another) Nervous Breakdown Mindbender Ironheel Death Walks Behind You The Bitter End |
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Hex (2003, 60.49) ****/TTTT |
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| Madhatter Bats in the Belfry II Pain Killers Disappear Rock & Roll Contract Sunshine Suicide Falling Bombs Black Moth |
Carry the Load Burning Bridges Bats in the Belfry I Unlisted track |
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Cheat the Gallows (2008, 56.55) ****/TT½ |
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| Gravest Show on Earth Blackball Money, It's Pure Evil Evils of Rock & Roll No Parachute Game Superstar |
Race With Time Hydra Counting Sheep |
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Progfest '97 (1997) ***½/T[Bigelf contribute]Mindbender Sell Out Neuropsychopathic Eye |
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Bigelf are a West Coast quartet with a seriously 'retro' approach to their music-making; the front cover of Closer to Doom has pictured on the cover the most outrageous collection of vintage instruments; if you'll indulge me for a moment...
And probably a few other bits I've missed... All in all, a setup to rival Pink Floyd's on the rear sleeve of Ummagumma, if not to knock it into the proverbial cocked hat. So what do they do with all this stuff? Go straight back to the early '70s, of course; apart from the production, this could've been recorded in 1973. What's more, they're pretty good at it, too; heavy Hammond-driven stuff, nothing over six minutes, Mellotron on pretty much every track (mostly strings). Definitely one for retro hounds everywhere, but genuinely good songs, within the fairly restrictive guidelines they've set themselves. To really confuse the issue, Closer to Doom was released in two versions. The original 6-track CD EP has been succeeded by a 10-track full-length album (still only 38 minutes). Try to find the full-length version, as the bonus tracks are worth a listen, although as a mixture of covers and live stuff they give the overall disc a slightly disjointed feel. No matter, as at least they bring it up to (vaguely) full-LP length.
Three years on, their second album, Money Machine, is similar enough to their debut that if you liked one, you'll like the other, as their style hasn't noticeably changed in the interim. Hard to pick out particular highlights, as it's all pretty good, in a very retro kind of way, but there's an absolute shedload of 'Tron all over the album; mostly strings and choir, but the odd bit of flute and brass (particularly on closer The Bitter End), too, and was that 'Tron vibes I heard at one point? An absolute must for 'Tron fanatics, anyway.
Another three years, and Hex concentrates even more on their 'Black Sabbath with more Mellotron' sound, although without the complex song structures (Bats In The Belfry I excepted), although their actual songwriting has improved noticeably. Yet again, Damon Fox goes completely bonkers on the 'Tron, mostly strings, although distinctly 'Strawberry Fields'-style flute parts infiltrate Rock & Roll Contract and Bats In The Belfry I, and the odd bit of choir pops up, pretty much as on Money Machine, to be honest. For some reason, Bigelf have broken through in Scandinavia (Hex was even recorded in Sweden), and seem to divide their time between there and the US, so there doesn't seem much chance of seeing them in the good old UK, at least at the moment. Shame.
The gestation of Bigelf's fourth album, 2008's Cheat the Gallows, was even longer than for its predecessors. Amazingly, they've got themselves signed to, if not a major, at least a label run by someone with a 'name', Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes, mucho production work), which might even mean that the outside world may notice them. Stranger things have happened... It's another good Bigelf album, basically, although less full-on and more varied than before, maybe, with several longer, proggier tracks amongst the likes of the single, Money, It's Pure Evil. Now, before hearing this, I was told 'they're using loads of real strings this time'. To an extent, they have, but there's still plenty of 'Tron for the enthusiast; look, these guys use one on tour... Anyway, Fox plays background strings on Blackball, good old 'Strawberry Fields'-style flutes on Money, It's Pure Evil with more upfront strings, flutes and choirs on Evils Of Rock & Roll. Obvious choirs and strings on No Parachute, occasional strings on Superstar and more of the same on Race With Time and Hydra, although the rest of the album's strings seem to be real.
So; loads of 'Tron, and good, groove-driven early-'70s sounding stuff. Worth a flutter.
See: Mellodrama
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Rose Kennedy (2001, 52.10) ***/TT½ |
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| Novembre Toute L'Année Les Roses Et Les Promesses Les Cerfs-Volants La Mélodie Du Bonheur L'Observatoire La Monotonie Soixante-Douze Trombones Avant la Grande Parade |
Los Angeles La Palmeraie Rose Kennedy Sous le Soleil du Mois d'Août Les Joggers sur la Plage Un Eté sur la Côte La Dernière Heure du Dernier Jour |
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Benjamin Biolay's debut album, Rose Kennedy, sounds (to my cloth ears) like a hommage to France's most notorious chansonnier, Serge Gainsbourg's L'Histoire de Melody Nelson, not that I've ever actually heard said album, but I'm sure you get the idea. Heavily influenced by French chanson, this is an album out of time, despite the occasional jarring inclusion of modern beats; the cover shot alone, of Biolay smoking on a deserted promenade (looks like Southend, but almost certainly isn't), with Photoshopped-in creases, looks exactly like something you'd find at the bottom of the pile in your local charity shop. For what it's worth, Rose Kennedy has stacks of built-in cool, possibly more likely to appeal to non-French speakers, as even French sounds exotic if you don't speak it (says someone who 'learnt' it for several years and STILL can't speak it).
Biolay plays both Mellotron and Chamberlin, while Yannick Fonderie chips in on 'Tron, too, but due to the album's considerable use of real strings, it's hard to tell where they might've been used. Obvious use is the flutes and choirs on Les Cerfs-Volants and Les Joggers Sur La Plage (hey, even I can translate that!) and the flutes on La Palmeraie, while the strings on the title track are likely to be Chamby, too.
So; retro-French faux-MOR, anyone? This is the kind of music inextricably linked with Gitanes and lung cancer, which is never a selling point around these parts. If you're really looking for that kind of Left Bank cool, go to source and listen to Gainsbourg. Saying that, this is perfectly good at what it does, it just doesn't grab me in any way whatsoever. Passable tape-replay use, but not really worth it for that alone.
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Transparent Make-Believe (2003, 47.47) ****/TTT |
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| Farewell & Godspeed King of Cabbages Callous Affair With Lady Godiva Insect Religion The Looking Glass Old Witch Dimension 5 Madeline |
Sympathy for the Swine Galileo's Son Time Machine |
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E(i)ther Or (2008, 48.55) ****/TTTT |
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| Day in the Life of a Raincloud Transparent Make-Believe Cucumbersome Technicolor Autumn & Spring Karmic Engines Mouth of Lions Father Time He Wastes it Hallelujah |
Fell Right Out of Bed The Golden Era Spiraling Staircase Jane Jubilee |
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Bipolaroid are a modern psych outfit who sound more like Syd's Floyd than, say the Elephant 6 collective, or the whacked-out, 13th Floor Elevators-style stuff that plenty of lazy bands see as a way to psych credibility in the 21st century. 2003's Transparent Make-Believe appears to be their first album, and what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in bravado, fearlessly going where no-one (OK, not that many) has gone since, well, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, I suppose. Ben Glover's vocals are limited, especially his mutterings on Dimension 5 and Time Machine, although overall, the material's great, even if you think you might have heard some of it before. Best tracks? Opening Astronomy Domine soundalike Farewell & Godspeed and closing psych epic Time Machine, probably, but in truth, there's not a bad track to be heard. Plenty of Mellotron from Benjamin Sumner, with flutes on King Of Cabbages, alongside real strings, with a nicely upfront string part on the excellently-named Insect Religion (shades of Bill Bailey, for UK readers). A lovely flute part on The Looking Glass and solo strings opening closer Time Machine and throughout, phased at the end, make this a bit of a Mellotron winner, and at the risk of making a twat of myself, it sounds as real as you like, too. Why can't there be more albums like this?
It took Glover five years to get another Bipolaroid lineup together and release a new album, but E(i)ther Or (Elliott Smith homage?) has been worth the wait. Pretty much as good as its predecessor, it features a panoply of psych styles, albeit mainly British ones, top tracks including tripped-out opener Day In The Life Of A Raincloud and the frantic Karmic Engines, but there's little here that lets the side down. Strangely, closer Jane Jubilee ends the album rather limply, although it would probably stand up perfectly well on any lesser record. Stacks of Mellotron this time round; the strings on Day In The Life Of A Raincloud are completely outclassed by the full-on ones on Transparent Make-Believe (a new addition to the small list of 'album's title tracks actually found on its follow-up'), with flute and string parts on Technicolor Autumn & Spring. The breakdown in the middle of Karmic Engines is filled with 'Tron strings, displaying fine use of the 'Mellotron ripple': working your way round the inversions of a chord to sustain it (sometimes way) past its eight-second limit, while Mouth Of Lions features flutes and strings through its entire length. There are background choirs, for the first time, on Hallelujah and Fell Right Out Of Bed, plus strings on the latter, with an actual flute solo in Spiraling Staircase, among the remainder of the album's 'Tron work. Wonderful.
All in all, then, two very nice little modern psych albums with plenty of Mellotron delights. OK, so they sound like the Floyd, so where's the problem? Unoriginality? Everything's unoriginal now. Stop moaning.
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Some Dusty (1999, 34.41/40.52) ***½/TT |
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| Laugh Dusty Morning Let Her Go One Two Five Lazy Day Folk Singer Port Sunlight Blue Dress |
Linus I Can't Let Go [Bonus tracks: She Can't Lose Thanks for the Birthday Card] |
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Triple Echo (2001, 35.04) ***½/TT |
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| The Original Strand Such a Sound Rosie's Drugstore Sidewalk Poster Blue Eyed Son Silver Line Twin I Love You |
Monday Hammond Blue Eyed Son (Reprise) Coda |
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Reverb Deluxe (2002, 33.16) ***/T½ |
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| Such a Sound Please Rain Fall Send and Receive Silver Line (Reprise) Golden Image Natural Star Lift Up the Sun Shipwrecked |
Thirty Dollar Drum Theme From Tired Linus (Version) |
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Birdie are (or were) the British duo of Deborah ('Debsey') Wykes and Paul Kelly, both associates of Saint Etienne, so it's hardly surprising that their sound echoes the Etienne crew's '60s pop/girl group sound. They debuted with 1999's Some Dusty, an album so wonderfully out of time that, apart from the clean production, it could quite easily be mistaken for a lost mid-'60s obscurity. The songwriting's good, if not jaw-dropping, although Dusty Morning features a beautiful, unexpected chord change. To my knowledge, all the band's album's were recorded in a little studio in Walthamstow and utilise r.m.i.'s Duncan Goddard's M400, complete with its 8+ tape frames. What we get here (from Wykes) is high strings on Dusty Morning, wavery flutes on Let Her Go and Lazy Day (the latter alongside real strings), although you feel it could've been used a little more.
Their follow-up, Triple Echo, carries on in the same vein as their debut, in a sort of French-easy-listening-via-'60s-film-score stylee, all played by Englishmen (and woman). Birdie's lounge lizardry walks the fine line between knowing irony and genuine homage, to the point where you wouldn't turn a hair if you heard these songs used in a retro/'60s film. Or a genuine one, for that matter, as the band's sound is firmly rooted in that decade, with no obvious modern instrumentation at all; the CD booklet even features lovingly-shot snaps of vintage amps, guitars, haircuts etc. Wykes plays all the Wurly piano and Mellotron parts, with 'Tron flutes on Such A Sound, Coda and Poster, with extra cellos on the latter, leaving Blue Eyed Son (Reprise) as the odd man out, with something I can't readily identify, though it may be one of the MkII sax sounds on M400 tapes.
There seems to be some debate over exactly when Reverb Deluxe was released; 2002 seems to be the nearest we get to a consensus. It essentially follows on from its two predecessors, although the fun seems to have gone out of it slightly, which may explain why it appears to be their last album. Wykes adds Mellotron to a mere two tracks this time, with most full-on strings on Silver Line (Reprise) and Lift Up The Sun, making a never-too-late entry into the Mellotron Strings Stakes.
So; while not 'Tron albums per se, Birdie's use is really nice, as is the music, to be honest, although these aren't exactly ones for your prog obsessive. Buy according to taste.
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Dance of Survival (1975, 35.35) ***½/TTDance of SurvivalPossessed (Take the Evil Spirits Away) Something Ain't Right (Gotta Go Home) What's Your Sign? Night of the Full Moon Your Smile Gave Birth to My Idea Astral Walk |
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Edwin Birdsong seems to be a slightly shadowy figure on the US '70s funk scene, releasing odd albums in a sporadic manner, though, of course, this makes him far more interesting than the usual run-of-the-mill funkster. Dance of Survival is a synth-led, post-psychedelic groove machine, getting even my terminally un-funky foot tapping, though those fat Moog lines help with my appreciation, I have to admit... Birdsong (is that really his name?), apart from his fantastic full-on blaxploitation vocals, plays all manner of keys, including the ubiquitous clavinet (What's Your Sign?), the fattest MiniMoog ever (Possessed (Take The Evil Spirits Away)) and, of course, Mellotron.
It's rather difficult to tell where the 'Tron appears for the first half of the album; I presume it provides the strings on the title track and Something Ain't Right (Gotta Go Home), although it sounds more like string synth. Side two's a different matter, though; Night Of The Full Moon and Your Smile Gave Birth To My Idea, are upfront 'Tron-a-go-go, with chordal string parts swamping the mix, almost drowning out the gospel-inflected backing vocalists, making this a little more of a 'Tron album than I'd at first thought.
So; you'll need to have a modicum of funk in your soul to enjoy this (rather surprising that I do, then), but there's some great keyboard work, and the songs aren't bad. Bit of a lost gem, actually, surely ripe for sampling, assuming it hasn't been already (like, how would I know?). Decent 'Tron on two tracks, but don't pay a fortune.
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A Message From Birmingham Sunday (1968, 26.59) ***½/TTTT |
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| Egocentrick Solitude Wondering What to Feel Prevalent Visionaries You're Out of Line Medieval Journey Mr. Waters (The Judge) Fate and the Magician Peter Pan Revisited |
Time to Land Don't Turn Around |
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Apparently only ever released as a test pressing, a handful of original copies of A Message From Birmingham Sunday are in existence, making the odd volume fluctuation on the reissues a smaller deal than they might otherwise have been. I don't know anything about the band at all; in fact, all I can tell you about this is that it's fairly typical West Coast harmony pop with male/female vocals, operating at the lighter end of the Jefferson Airplane. Oh, and the Mellotron. Or, given the time, the Chamberlin, which seems far more likely in California in 1968.
This album is absolutely smothered in Chamberlin strings; almost every track features a strong presence. I'm sure it was only used as a cheap string section substitute, with the unintended result that, nearly 40 years on, it can be regarded as a bona fide Chamby classic, even if it's a bit lightweight musically. So; a pleasant enough record (if a little bit wet), very much of its time, but shedloads of Chamby strings, often played quite innovatively, clearly in an attempt to emulate real strings rather than the usual 'block chord' organist's approach. If that's what you're after, buy.
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Rebirth (1973, 38.15) ***/T½She's Got Nothing on YouMister Hero Grandjeanville No Shade is Real M.P.C. Together Alone Tonight Back From Hell |
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Plastic People (1975, 43.39) ***½/TPlastic PeopleRockin' Rollin' Roller My Mind Tiny Flashlights Trial Trip This Song is Just for You |
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Birthcontrol (or Birth Control) were, at least going by their early material, one of those bands who seem to have ended up being labelled 'prog' without really being anything of the sort. Going by '73's Rebirth and the following year's double Live, they were more in the organ-driven hard rock vein, with some material stretching past the five-minute mark; think 'sort of a Teutonic Uriah Heep'. Their two guitar and keys lineup allowed for some interesting instrumental interplay on occasion; in fact, their keyboard player, Zeus B. Held (are you sure?!) went on to be a big-name producer in the eighties. It's interesting to hear that the man can actually play, with several ripping Hammond solos scattered throughout the album.
The actual material on offer here is quite ordinary fare, to be honest; several over-long boogie workouts that were probably more fun to record than they are to listen to, and an entirely unnecessary drum solo, complete with 'Moog drum' in album closer Back From Hell. It's not all bad news, though, with the beautiful 12-string guitar instrumental Grandjeanville, the instrumental ballad M.P.C. and the epic Together Alone Tonight. The latter two are the only Mellotron tracks here; M.P.C. has flutes and strings, and there's some more strings buried in the mix on Together Alone Tonight. Strangely, Herr Held is credited with, apart from 'Mellotrone' (sic), 'flute' on M.P.C. (straight quote). It's fairly obviously Mellotron; why make a point of mentioning it?
Two years on, however, Birthcontrol had discovered prog for real, making Plastic People a far better proposition. It still has its weak moments (unsurprisingly, Rockin' Rollin' Roller and This Song Is Just For You are among them), but overall, this is a band who've learnt how to write an intricate arrangement without sacrificing their ability to, er, 'rock'. No 'Tron until side two, with choirs from Held on Tiny Flashlights and brass, unusually, on Trial Trip.
Anyway, Rebirth is not bad, not great, although Plastic People is a noticeable improvement. The Mellotron use is OK, but not really worth buying either of them for.
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Black Bonzo [a.k.a. Lady of the Light] (2004, 58.28) ****/TTT |
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| Lady of the Light Brave Young Soldier These Are Days of Sorrow New Day Intermission Fantasy World Freedom Sirens |
Jailbait Leave Your Burdens Where the River Meets the Sea |
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Sound of the Apocalypse (2007, 54.03) ****½/TTTTThorns Upon a CrownGiant Games Yesterday's Friends The Well Intermission - Revelation Song Ageless Door Iscariot Sound of the Apocalypse |
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Operation Manual: the Guillotine Model Drama (2009, 49.34) ****/TGuillotine DramaBecause I Love You Zephyr Sudden Changer War Machine How Do You Feel? Tell Me the Truth Nest of Vipers Supersonic Man |
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You think you've heard retro? You ain't heard nothing yet... Black Bonzo are a seriously authentic early-'70s sounding outfit from northern Sweden, apparently, and are, to all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from any lower-division heavy/progressive band from, say, 1972, with one important difference; they're excellent. Not to diss the likes of Gracious! or Stray, say, but these guys don't let the quality slip, or meander off into soft-rock territory. Their debut, Black Bonzo (a.k.a. Lady of the Light)'s erstwhile title track Lady Of The Light starts fairly generically, before suddenly mutating into Uriah Heep's Easy Livin' with added Mellotron, stretching the whole thing out to seven minutes, complete with piano interlude. One online reviewer has pointed out that this is probably the album's high point, but that isn't to say the rest of it isn't pretty good, too, just possibly not quite up there with the opener. Incidentally, they invoke the spirit of Heep again on New Day, which sounds like Stealin' this time.
Apart from the Hammond and synth (Moog?), Nicklas Åhlund gets a fair bit of 'Tron onto the album, with intermittent strings on Lady Of The Light and Brave Young Soldier, and a typical 'Strawberry Fields'-style flute part plus strings on Fantasy World. The other highlighted tracks all feature strings to one degree or another, with a beautifully lush part on Leave Your Burdens. Åhlund's work stands out for its restraint, with few of the relevant tracks having more than a few seconds of 'Tron here and there, fading in and out where necessary.
Their second effort, 2007's Sound of the Apocalypse, opens with a multi-overdubbed portamento-laden monosynth part worthy of Rick Wakeman's No Earthly Connection, with the essential difference that it's not the only thing on the album worth hearing. In fact, Black Bonzo have seriously raised their game here, making an album that sounds far more like themselves than Uriah Heep, or anyone else for that matter. This is seriously good stuff, from the two-minute Intermission - Revelation Song to the 13 minutes of the closing title track, with a proggier and more original feel than before, although their spiritual forbears are still the early '70s hard rock bands, rather than the progressive ones.
Mellotronically speaking, Thorns Upon A Crown features no 'Tron at all until a brief choir part right at the end of the song, although Giant Games ups the ante with a considerable string and flute presence. A flute melody duels with acoustic guitar on Yesterday's Friends, with more strings and choir on The Well. Now: confusion. Ageless Door has a 'stabbed' string part played in fifths that sounds both like and not like a Mellotron, with more of the same sound on Iscariot. Is this a different string sound? One of the new ones? No way of saying for certain, but it seems more likely to be a 'Tron than not.
2009's oddly-titled Operation Manual: the Guillotine Model Drama is more diverse than its predecessors, although Heep still play a large part in its sound. Somehow, it seems a little less exciting than Sound of the Apocalypse, although it still knocks the socks off most current bands. This lot should tour with Bigelf, thinking about it. Strangely, the Mellotron is hardly anywhere to be seen this time round, with naught but strings on opener Guillotine Drama and Nest Of Vipers, with real strings on a couple of other tracks.
So; three albums for retrohounds everywhere. Uriah Heep are probably Black Bonzo's chief influence, at least on their debut, but anyone who can't get enough of that turn-of-the-'70s Hammond-driven sound should buy these immediately. Decent 'Tron work, too. Buy.
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Monkey Business (2005, 66.03) **½/T |
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| Pump it Don't Phunk With My Heart My Style Don't Lie My Humps Like That Dum Diddly Feel it |
Gone Going They Don't Want Music Disco Club Bebot Ba Bump Audio Delite at Low Fidelity Union |
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The Black Eyed Peas are apparently relatively unusual in the hip-hop world, refusing to conform on various fronts, although to the casual listener, hip-hop it remains. Their fourth album, 2005's Monkey Business, manages to mix serious lyrical concerns with the puerile My Humps, sung by female member Fergie, although she could be said to be making a stand against endemic male sexism. Maybe. Musically, a handful of tracks are more adventurous than the average, although the majority are the same old same old, I'm afraid.
A gentleman calling himself Printz Board, for some reason, plays what sounds like real Mellotron on Don't Phunk With My Heart, with string and flute stabs, ending with a weird little choir melody that I can't imagine anyone else in the hip-hop world going anywhere near. Anyway, one so-so 'Tron track, and for all its invention, the album's still hip-hop. I shan't be playing this again.
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Alive Without Control (2005, 44.23) ***/T |
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| Three Sheets to the Wind Last Call at the Toothless Saloon Alive Without Control Darkest Corners Mirrorman Studio Suffering Third World U.S.A. Tight |
Broken Exit Stagefright Burning Trash Unchanged I Need to Know |
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The Black Halos hail from Vancouver and play punk bloody rock mate as it was, is and evermore shall be. Actually, they make a pretty decent noise, not entirely locked in the past, with real, unfettered energy, unlike absolutely anything that could be described as 'indie', however much they protest to the contrary. Alive Without Control is their third album and rocks along nicely, although Billy Hopeless (stop laughing)'s vocals do grate somewhat. Best track? Probably Broken, with its churning, high-energy riff, although nothing here's going to irritate the seasoned punk fan.
Jason Staczek plays occasional piano, Hammond and Mellotron, the latter on Tight, which opens with some very authentic-sounding solo cellos, before the track shifts into the band's usual gear. A lot of you aren't going to like this at all, and I'm not sure how often I could listen to it, to be honest, but it does what it says on the tin, and one decent 'Tron intro's a lot better than none. Incidentally, for the handful of you who haven't noticed, their label name is a joke that was old when the mighty Blackfoot used it in a lyric in, ooh, 1981 or so.
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Softly Towards the Light (2009, 38.14) ***½/TT½ |
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| Run With Me Run Gloomy Monday Morning When You're Not There Everything's Fine Number Ten Girl Lead Me to Your Fire Let Me Be the One Can't Stop These Tears (From Falling) |
How Did We Get Here Don't Be Afraid to Ask |
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The cheekily-named Black Hollies wear their sole influence quite clearly on their velvet-jacketed sleeves: what Americans call the 'British Invasion'. Softly Towards the Light is an album of stunning unoriginality, although it's also an album of fun, good quality songs that do absolutely nothing to offend anyone who loves the just-pre-psych era as much as The Black Hollies. They're got all the right moves: Farfisa organ? Check. Yardbirds harmonies? Check. Corduroy caps? Check. There isn't a bad track on the album, but nor is there one you don't feel you've heard many times before, The Yardbirds' For Your Love obviously being a band touchstone. The most blatant steal is probably on Lead Me To Your Fire, and then more for its lyrical reference to coming on down from the 13th floor (Roky who?) than any specific musical quirk.
Jon Gonnelli and Justin Morey both play Mellotron, a rare glitch in their homage, as few bands of the era hit it this hard, with a very real-sounding flute melody, complete with key-click, towards the end of opener Run With Me Run, string chords on Gloomy Monday Morning and How Did We Get Here and a faint flute line in Everything's Fine. As on so many records, it may be hidden away on another track or two, but it's rather hard to tell. So; fun but deeply unoriginal. And how, precisely, it that any different to most of the music from the last decade or two? The fun bit, chiefly.
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Shot to Hell (2006, 44.04) ***/TT |
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| Concrete Jungle Black Mass Reverends Blacked Out World The Last Goodbye Give Yourself to Me Nothing's the Same Hell is High New Religion |
Sick of it All Faith is Blind Blood is Thicker Than Water Devil's Dime Lead Me to Your Door |
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Zakk Wylde (that's Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt to you) got the gig with Ozzy Osbourne in the late '80s, keeping it to this day, although it's hardly what you'd call the most full-time post these days. As a result, Zakk has plenty of time to run his own outfit, Black Label Society, which seems to be as much a beer, barbecues and bike club as a band. Going by their seventh studio album, 2006's Shot to Hell, Zakk appreciates that sometimes you need to slow things down a bit, although the bulk of the album's made up of Ozzyesque metal with a bit of Sabbath thrown in for good measure. The first half of New Religion surprises, being a piano-and-orchestration instrumental before the guitars cut in, while Nothing's The Same and Sick Of It All pile on the piano and (relatively) sensitive vocals, but don't make the mistake of thinking Zakk's gone soft on us, er, so to speak.
I've seen both Wylde and producer Michael Beinhorn credited with playing the latter's M400 on the album, so I'm not sure which credit's more accurate. Quite possibly both. Anyway, someone plays strings on Nothing's The Same, a flute intro on New Religion, flutes on Sick Of It All over the synth strings and another flute melody on closer Lead Me To Your Door, which is vastly more than I'd expected. Overall, then, a modern metal album with retro touches and some quiet bits laced with Mellotron. Does that sum this up sufficiently?
See: Ozzy Osbourne
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Dandelion Gum (2007, 46.42) ***/TTTT |
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| Forever Heavy Jump Into My Mouth and Breathe the Stardust Melt Me Lollipopsichord They Live in the Meadow Sun Lips Rollerdisco Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters The Afternoon Turns Pink |
When the Sun Grows on Your Tongue Spinning Cotton Candy in a Shack Made of Shingles Drippy Eye Lost, Picking Flowers in the Woods Caterpillar House Wall of Gum Untitled Roadside Demo Untitled |
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Black Moth Super Rainbow are usually referred to as a 'psychedelic' band, but their fourth album, 2007's Dandelion Gum, is more 'indie psychedelic electronica' than anything else, with programmed beats and (presumably real) analogue synths all over the place. Mostly instrumental, the album has its more acoustic moments, but those looking for a 'typical' psych outfit should probably look elsewhere.
There are uncredited Mellotron flutes on most tracks; interestingly, the band's Wikipedia entry mentions that they use a Novatron, so although it sounds too smooth to be genuine, it seems unlikely that anybody would bother going to that level of detail when they merely mean Mellotron samples. Anyway, particularly heavy use on Sun Lips, The Afternoon Turns Pink and When The Sun Grows On Your Tongue, assuming it's real.
So; plenty of Mellotron, albeit only flutes, on an album that seems largely devoid of boring stuff like tunes. In fact, what little melody gets through is largely from the Mellotron... The band's frontman, Tobacco (hey! Good name!), has released a handful of solo albums, including one with Mellotron inclusions, assuming (again) it isn't sampled.
See: Tobacco
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Black Mountain (2005, 46.31) ***½/T½Modern MusicDon't Run Our Hearts Around Druganaut No Satisfaction Set Us Free No Hits Heart of Snow Faulty Times |
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In the Future (2008, 57.16/72.22) ****/TTTT |
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| Stormy High Angels Tyrants Wucan Stay Free Queens Will Play Evil Ways Wild Wind |
Bright Lights Night Walks [Limited ed. adds: Bastards of Light Thirteen Walls Black Cat] |
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Black Mountain are a funny old mixture; usually described as 'psychedelic', they actually mix early-'70s hard rock (notably on Don't Run Our Hearts Around) with various strains of late-'60s psych, including that weird 'folk collective' style (think: massed vocals from both genders, sometimes with a vaguely gospel feel), with hints of late-'70s Noo Yawk noo wave and modern indie, to mostly good effect. The band are known to own a real Mellotron, but for all their championing of it, there's not actually that much to be heard here, with background choirs on Set Us Free (as it kicks off) and a flute part on Heart Of Snow, probably from Jeremy Schmidt; the strings are either an old string synth or a modern emulation, by the sounds of it.
It took the band three years to follow up with In the Future, chucking out most of its predecessor's foibles in the process, making it a more straightforward and cohesive release. It's unlike me to praise a limiting of horizons, but it's actually a better record for being more focussed. They've seriously made up for their debut's failings on the 'Tron front (Schmidt again?), and how, with strings and choirs on opener Stormy High, nicely upfront string and flute melodies in Angels, strings, flutes and choirs on the epic Tyrants... Wucan's strings are certainly wobbly enough to be real, while Stay Free features the first appearance of a second tape frame and cellos, with more choirs on Queens Will Play and Wild Wind and a return to that second frame for the brass on the 16-minute Bright Lights. A limited edition version of the album adds rather good three tracks to a second disc, two from a limited-edition 12". Bastards Of Light features a 'Tron flute part, with more of the same, plus choirs, on Thirteen Walls.
All in all, then, if you prefer waffly indie/psych with the odd hard rock interjection, go for Black Mountain's debut, but if you're of a hairier persuasion, In the Future's yer man. As for their Mellotronic content, there's absolutely no contest.
See: Sinoia Caves
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Vol.4 (1972, 43.23) ****½/TT |
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| Wheels of Confusion Tomorrow's Dream Changes FX Supernaut Snowblind Cornucopia Laguna Sunrise |
St. Vitus Dance Under the Sun |
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Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973, 42.33) ****½/T½Sabbath Bloody SabbathA National Acrobat Fluff Sabbra Cadabra Killing Yourself to Live Who Are You Looking for Today Spiral Architect |
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Sabotage (1975, 43.44) ****½/THole in the SkyDon't Start (Too Late) Symptom of the Universe Megalomania Thrill of it All Supertzar Am I Going Insane (Radio) The Writ |
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Technical Ecstasy (1976, 40.40) ***/TBack Street KidsYou Won't Change Me It's Alright Gypsy All Moving Parts (Stand Still) Rock'n'Roll Doctor She's Gone Dirty Women |
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Live Evil (1982, 80.03) ****/T |
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| E5150 Neon Knights N.I.B. Children of the Sea Voodoo Black Sabbath War Pigs Iron Man |
The Mob Rules Heaven and Hell The Sign of the Southern Cross/Heaven and Hell (continued) Paranoid Children of the Grave |
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Yep, even the original bad boys of rock, the band who define the term Heavy Metal, even Black Sabbath have used a Mellotron. What's more, their best-known use is on a lush piano ballad, as early as their fourth album, the cunningly-titled Volume 4. The story goes that it was going to be called 'Snowblind' after one of its central songs, but the cocaine reference was too overt for the times, so a fast rethink was in order. Stranger still is the fact that this was their second album out of four to which this had happened; Paranoid was going to be called 'War Pigs' until the unexpected hit single status of its eventual title track.
So; Changes. Some fans love it, some hate it. It's difficult to describe as anything other than a drippy ballad, with rather flowery piano accompaniment strangely uncredited on the sleeve (not very Metal, I suppose) from guitarist Tony Iommi, although bassist Geezer Butler played the Mellotron. Actually, the 'Tron is tastefully arranged in an orchestral fashion, rather like a low-budget John Paul Jones, and drifts in and out of the song quite agreeably. Whatever else it may be, it's a good example of (presumably) M400 strings in action. Oddly enough, after thinking I knew the album quite intimately after over twenty years' acquaintance, I recently discovered that what I'd always thought of as 'real' strings on Snowblind are quite obviously Mellotron. Well fancy that.
Sabbath managed a few more Mellotron bursts over subsequent albums; a genuinely beautiful passage in the middle of the sinister synth-led Who Are You on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, from Butler again; some wonderfully ominous rising chords towards the end of Megalomania on Sabotage (uncredited, but also Geezer) and finally, another extremely tasteful passage in the middle of the rather ridiculous It's Alright on Technical Ecstasy, this time from Gerald Woodruffe, a bizarre song inexplicably sung by drummer Bill Ward. Put it down to the drugs.
After Ozzy's final departure, following the Never Say Die tour, he was replaced by ex-Rainbow vocalist, diminutive American Ronnie James Dio. Their first Dio effort, 1980's Heaven and Hell (****) was not only extremely good, but surprisingly contemporary, although the following year's Mob Rules (**½) was largely crap. Their next project, after twelve years of existence, was to finally release an official live album (1980's Live at Last, recorded in 1972, was legal, but unsanctioned), Live Evil. Er, hadn't Miles Davis already used that palindrome? Anyway, I've recently become aware of the fact that Sabbath used a Mellotron live at the time (offstage, of course; keyboards still weren't very 'Metal'), played by Geoff Nicholls, and it can be heard on a handful of tracks here, along with the organ and occasional synth effect that seemed to be the sum of Nicholls' keyboard arsenal. So; church bell on Black Sabbath itself (I believe that all three selections on their tape frame featured this as their top note), strings and choir on Heaven and Hell, with extra choirs on Children Of The Grave. Quite effective, if a little far down in the mix.
Actually, thinking about it, offstage keys man for Black Sabbath must be one of the most unrewarding jobs in rock; the occasional chord or single note, buried in the mix, and nothing to do for most of the time. I'd imagine it's only enlivened by your roadies telling you that there's a fault with the earthing, and if you put both feet on the ground at once while playing, you'll get a full mains-voltage shock. And you believe them. Eh, Geoff?
Anyway, if you like Sabbath you'll own at least their first six albums, and if you don't I'm unlikely to persuade you to think again. There are some really nice Mellotron Moments on the albums mentioned above, but not enough to really make their purchase worthwhile to the non-fan.
See: Bootlegs | Ozzy Osbourne
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Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse (2009, 91.22) ***/TT½ErnestoProtest-Underground Che Underground Resistance Leila Khaled Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse |
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Black Sheep are Julian Cope's latest band project, clearly based around the concept of resistance and revolution. Released in what appear to be two fairly different editions (CD and vinyl), the double CD is, unsurprisingly, longer, with the title track nearing half an hour. Musically, it both sounds like 'typical Cope' and not, with lengthy jams intercut with chanted slogans and hand-thwacked bass drums. But are there any songs on it? I hear you cry. Er, not really, no, but then that isn't really what you buy Cope albums for, is it? Is it?
Cope (credited, amusingly, as 'Julian H.') plays Mellotron M400 (and credited as such) on four of the six tracks, with harsh flutes and deliberately wobbly strings on Ernesto, complete with probably the roughest Mellotron pitchbend I've ever heard committed to virtual tape, although I can't hear the credited 'Tron on the relatively short Che (sound effects?). Leila Khaled starts with a Mellotron string line, switching between strings, reedy choir and flute before leaving the song to its strummed acoustic and wind effects, while the title track has a flute melody near the beginning, then bugger-all until a clicky repeating string line near the end of the behemoth.
So; another day, another Cope record, although this one takes a bit of a left turn, referencing the Black Panthers and (at least on the vinyl version) the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Mellotronically speaking, it actually features one really good effort (hurrah!), although it's a bit thin on the ground on the other credited tracks.
See: Julian Cope
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Blackfish (1993, 45.24) **½/0 |
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| The Fall I Don't Care The Only One Easy as Saying Goodbye Turn Around If I Sweet Sixteen Down for the Count |
I Wanna Know Sugar Shack Check it Out Hey Julie I Believe in You |
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Blackfish were a one-off late-period hair metal band who had the sense on their sole, eponymous album, to play down the sub-Mötley Crüe-isms and dig out the acoustic guitars on a few tracks. The material on Blackfish is pretty unexciting all round, to be honest, and Down For The Count rips the riff from Rush's The Spirit Of Radio something rotten, while Sugar Shack cops Boston's Peace Of Mind. I wouldn't be surprised if other riffs had origins other than in their rehearsal room, but I'm not well-versed enough (or at all) in their contemporaries to know.
Sean Slade is credited with Mellotron, but I'll be buggered if I have any idea where. Is that the choirs? Nope, backing vox. Strings? Nope, E-bow guitar. Why bother? I mean, why? Lovers of commercial hard rock will probably go for this relatively obscure outing, but the rest of us can sit safely at home knowing that we're missing out on nothing.
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7" (1973) ***½/T Summer Morning Light |
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Nothing to Hide (1973, 36.05/53.32) ***½/0 (½) |
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| Messiah Country Home Cry My Oh My Now We're Three The Spring of '69 Glittery Obituary On His Own |
Too Soon Gypsy Jam [CD adds: Standing in the Road Celestial Plain Sing Don't Speak 2 B Free Summer] |
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Strangers (1977, recorded 1974, 37.34/48.14) ***/T½ |
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| Care to Believe Touch the Sky Shoot All Strangers Tobago Rose Nostalgia Ain't (What it Used to Be) Bye Bye Birmingham Join Together 1812 |
[CD adds: Morning Light Get it All to Me You Need Love] |
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Blackfoot Sue are remembered today, if at all, for their one-off UK hit, Standing In The Road, a 1972 no.4. Helmed by twins Tom and David Farmer, their 'classic' lineup included guitarists Eddie Golga and Alan Jones, all but Jones doubling on keyboards when required. Their official site mentions that they bought a Mellotron, but never took it on the road, in which case, why bother? Why not just hire one when you need it? Odd. Anyway, their third (non-album) single, Summer, is an atypically gentle number, sometimes referred to as being part of the 'Seasons Suite', although I can't trace any references to the longer work. It features a few Mellotron flute pitchbends for good measure, although it's some way off 'Mellotron classic' status.
They released their only album to appear during their 'lifespan', Nothing to Hide, in 1973, bullishly containing no singles, while featuring a vicious put-down of the then-current glam scene, Glittery Obituary. The album's peak, though, is the ripping The Spring Of '69, a condensed heavy epic on a par with the genre's market leaders. Although there's no Mellotron on the original record, it's the easiest place to find the aforementioned Summer, one of no fewer than five bonus tracks on Repertoire's mid-'90s CD issue, although, oddly, the track's ('Tron-free) b-side, the rather average Morning Light, has been added to their follow-up.
This unluckiest of band's said follow-up, Strangers, was recorded in 1974, but not released until '77, and then only in the States, just as the band were splitting up. The bulk of it comprises workaday hard rock-lite, until halfway through side two, when they suddenly lurch into an eleven-minute instrumental prog epic, 1812 (apparently a live fave), complete with musical quotes from Tchaikovsky's piece, church bells, cannon fire and a studio trickery-assisted lengthy Mellotron choir chord at the end. It's not the only 'Tron on the album; Joining Together, while not a great song, features a full-on strings part, although it does little to improve the track. As on Summer, no-one's credited, so it could be either of the Farmers or Golga.
Blackfoot Sue were, at heart, a hard rock band who never really gained enough audience credibility to break through commercially, despite some fine album tracks. As their site says, in the early '70s you were either a 'serious' album artist, or you had hits. They had a hit, cogito ergo sum. Or something. Although their first album's noticeably better than their second, it doesn't contain 1812, so if you really want to hear this lot properly, you're going to need both, as 1812 doesn't appear on any compilation (although, sensibly, The Spring Of '69 does). Incidentally, the band later morphed into Liner, a cheeso late-'70s mainstream band whose one, eponymous album is a classic 'record company record', i.e. the label loved it, but nobody bought it. Forget that, remember them this way.
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Le Long des Lignes (2005, 43.57) ***½/TT½ |
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| Les Aléas Tout se Dévoile Le Long des Lignes Si c'est Ici Se Perdre Je Respire Les Cimes Celui que tu Cherches |
Blâme Moi La Panne C'est là |
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Blanc seem to be a French indie outfit, although I know little about their history. Le Long des Lignes is an interesting effort, although I found some of it dragged a little, though not enough to really spoil the album. Several excellent tracks, though, including La Panne and the epic Je Respire, which has a wonderful cinematic feel to it. They recorded the album in Paris, then presumably sent the tapes (does anyone record on tape any more?) to Mattias "Änglagård" Olsson's Roth Händle studio in Stockholm for overdubs. As you do.
Doubtless amongst other things, Mattias added Mellotron to several tracks, with flutes on Les Aléas and various combinations of cellos and strings on the other highlighted tracks. Strangely, nothing on Je Respire, but most of his 'Tron work is typically upfront, with particularly fine strings on Celui Que Tu Cherches. It's perfectly possible that there's more 'Tron on there, considering some of the more unusual sounds in the Olsson collection, but this is all I can actually hear. So; good album, though not one for the progheads out there, with some nice 'Tron work from the ever-reliable Mattias.
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Happy Families (1982, 40.29) ***½/½ |
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| I Can't Explain Feel Me I've Seen the Word Wasted Living on the Ceiling Waves Kind Sad Day |
Cruel God's Kitchen |
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I have to admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the more inventive end of the early-'80s synth-pop scene; Soft Cell, OMD, even Blancmange. Remember Blancmange? Their biggest hit was the frankly bonkers Living On The Ceiling, which you probably know, even if you think you don't. They took a while to get themselves signed, missing the main synth-pop boat in the process. Their first release was an independent EP in 1979, Irene & Mavis, but it took them three years to sign to London and get anything else out, and then it wasn't until their third single that they actually started selling records in significant numbers. Their unique sound was a combination of vocalist/guitarist Neil Arthur's declamatory tones and Stephen Luscombe's exemplary synth work, initially still in analogue times.
Their debut album, Happy Families, featured a sleeve painting in the style of Louis Wain, whose anthropomorphic cats are another thing you'll know even if you think you don't. I mean, compare this to Spandau Ballet... The best synth-pop of the era can be seen as a kind of successor to art-rock, and tends to be beautifully crafted, as against, say, Spandau Ballet... Living On The Ceiling fits this description perfectly, and is merely the best example of their style on the album, with its bizarre chorus and iconic Coral Sitar line. If you really haven't heard them, imagine Kraftwerk filtered through a (new) romantic haze, with Bryan Ferry's evil twin on vocals, or a less arty Japan. Unlike, say, Spandau Ballet, the album even features a beautiful instrumental, Sad Day, which sounds unbelievably familiar, although from where I have no idea.
So what's this doing here, eh? Obvious answer, but howcum I found out? Stephen Luscombe wrote to me a little while back to let me know, so I felt the least I could do was pick up a copy of the album the next time I saw it going cheap. One 'Tron track only, in that wasteland decade for the instrument, with some almost unrecognisable heavily-effected choirs on the album's first single, God's Kitchen, which just goes to show what a futile undertaking this site can be sometimes.
So; unlike, say, Spandau Ballet, Blancmange were interesting, arty and fun, making Happy Families a worthwhile listen. Next to bugger-all Mellotron, but don't let that put you off.
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Redhead (2003/04, 54.30) ***½/T |
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| Get Up I Won't Go Hollywood That's When I Crash We'll Do it All Again Searchin' for the Satellites Could Be Worse Watchin' You Sleep Somethin's Gotta Give |
Somebody Else You Know, I Know, You Know Trust Me 3's a Charm Feet Don't Fail Dance Dance Babydoll Dance |
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William James "Bleu" McAuley III's third album, Redhead, has been confusingly released in two different versions, the easiest to find being its 2004 major-label issue, following the indie version the previous year. Two tracks from the first version are replaced for the reissue, notably by new album opener, the sublime Get Up, but I've no way of judging whether the surplus tracks should have been replaced or not. Bleu was/is part of the L.E.O. project, so the occasional E.L.O. influence (listen to You Know, I Know, You Know) shouldn't come as that much of a surprise, although his chief influences tend to be the more standard 'B' bands and earlier US powerpop heroes.
Bleu plays Mellotron himself, along with loads of other stuff, although about all I can hear for definite are some iffy flutes and strings on You Know, I Know, You Know, and I'm by no means convinced they're real; L.E.O.'s certainly aren't... I think the orchestrations on We'll Do It All Again are either real or sample-based; the strings on closer Dance Dance Babydoll Dance are real, so it's quite possible they were used elsewhere, too. So; a decent enough powerpop effort, although I've heard better in the genre, and it's a little overlong, given its style. File under 'reasonable'.
See: L.E.O.
