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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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Tracks (1976, 41.39) *½/½ |
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| Smile Hold Tight Never the Same Without Love You Are My Love She's a Lady Call Me Your Love It's a Beautiful Day (I Remember) Julian the Hooligan |
Rosemary Doing it All Again I'll Never Fall in Love Again Every Man Must Have a Dream |
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Oh dear. Mid-'70s UK mainstream pop, anyone? Liverpool Express were pretty awful, if truth be told; schmaltzy ballads, light pop, maudlin dirges, they covered all bases. A couple of tracks on side two up the tempo slightly, but they soon slip back into familiar patterns of behaviour. I thought I recognised You Are My Love; it was their biggest hit, although they seem to be remembered more (though not that much more) for big ballad Every Man Must Have A Dream, complete with Imagine lyrical steal. I've been told there's Mellotron all over the album, but all I can hear is regular (credited) strings, until the aforementioned Every Man..., with a snatch of 'Tron choirs here and there, apparently played by Roger Craig, amongst the band's own backing vocals. Anyway, this is awful. Avoid.
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El Toppo (2000, 43.06) **½/½ |
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| El Toppo Snow White More Salt Doggy Fudge Postcards & Moonrock Feathers Note on the Door Same Song |
Ear the C You Bore Me Movie [unlisted track] |
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El Toppo was London-based outfit the Llama Farmers' (terrible name!) second album, and comes across as a rather confused mess of grungy hard rock, bog-standard indie and typical British observational writing (viz Postcards & Moonrock). I'm having trouble thinking not so much of anything nice to say about this album, but anything at all; it left an almost indelible blank on my mind, although it didn't actively offend me, which is something.
Vocalist/guitarist Neil "Bernie" Simpson doubles on various keyboards, including Mellotron, but it's not exactly what you'd call overused; I think that's strings on You Bore Me, but I wouldn't swear to it, so if I were you, I wouldn't actually rush out and buy this. It didn't cost me very much, but I still feel like I've been had. Anyone want a Llama Farmers CD?
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Kiko (1992, 51.30) ***/½ |
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| Dream in Blue Wake Up Dolores Angels With Dirty Faces That Train Don't Stop Here Kiko and the Lavender Moon Saint Behind the Glass Reva's House When the Circus Comes |
Arizona Skies Short Side of Nothing Two Janes Wicked Rain Whiskey Trail Just a Man Peace Rio de Tenampa |
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I'm stunned to discover that Los Lobos released their first album in 1976; given their late-'80s long-deserved rise to fame, that's the era in which they tend to find themselves placed, so it's startling to learn that they were probably all already in their thirties by then... Said first album, Si Se Puede!, is probably almost impossible to find now, having seemingly never been reissued, but their eighth, Kiko, can be picked up anywhere, given how well it sold. I've seen it described as 'wildly experimental', but that's clearly down to the observer's point of view; I see it as a nicely diverse Latin pop/rock album, pulling in soul, r'n'b, rock'n'roll, psych and even mariachi influences, making for a potent East L.A. gumbo of styles that shouldn't offend anyone who recognises quality songwriting, or appreciates a good production job.
Producer Mitchell Froom, presumably, puts some Chamby flutes down on Just A Man, but so quietly you could easily miss them. Froom's notorious for getting one of his M1s on pretty much everything he produced at the time, although he tired of them later, so I'm sure there's a few of his productions I've missed. So; not an album I'll play every day of the week, but one that's pleasingly different, not only to pretty much everyone else, but even within its own virtual grooves, although its tape-replay content is typically Froomianly low.
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Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (2004, 59.50) ***/T |
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| Where Are They Now? Everyone Alive California Songs Dick Jones Money on the Dresser P.J. Soles How's the Weather Down There? Buffalo Trace |
Heaven on the Way Down Hey, Rita Heavy Metal Bakesale Mellowed That's What They All Say Halcyon Days (Where Were You Then?) |
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Local H are another pre-White Stripes two-man band, with guitarist/vocalist Scott Lucas adding bass pickups to his guitar, though I'm not sure how that substitutes for a bass; it's all in the frequencies, I suppose. Anyway, their fifth album, 2004's Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, references a relatively obscure American actress, for reasons best known to themselves and consists of fourteen tracks of raw, garage rock'n'roll, going way beyond mere 'punk' for their inspiration. The album rocks, although its almost-hour length is way too long for this kind of stuff. Best tracks? Probably Buffalo Trace and the genuinely epic That's What They All Say.
Zak Schneider plays Mellotron on Dick Jones, with full-on pitchbent strings and possibly background flutes on one of the album's most atypical tracks, where they utilise a chord straight out of the Zep songbook. Sadly, that's it on the 'Tron front, leaving us with a reasonably good though overlong rock'n'roll record with one so-so 'Tron track.
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Transfert (1978, 32.31) ****/TT½Le CrieurClair-Obscur Matinale Suite Matinale Transfert Reel à Maryse |
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Locat was keyboard man with the mighty Harmonium, who I believe were in their (amicable) death throes when Transfert appeared. Lush, instrumental symphonic keyboard-led prog is the order of the day here, with synth melodies to the fore, although Matinale and Suite Matinale cross the line into piano balladry, nearer instrumental Billy Joel than progressive rock. Apart from Harmonium themselves, Genesis are a prime influence, being one of the most popular international progressive outfits in Québec in the '70s, although much of the album's sound can be attributed to late-19th century composers such as Mahler, also influencing The Enid around the same time.
Locat plays Mellotron choir extensively on Clair-Obscur, with lesser use on the title track and Reel À Maryse, although the strings on the wonderful Transfert are synthesized. I'm not sure if I can actually recommend this as a Mellotron Album, but the two middle tracks aside, it's very much worth hearing, assuming you can ever find a copy.
See: Harmonium
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We Are Everything You See (1970, 41.14/62.24) ***½/T |
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| Overture Mr. Armageddon Now is the End - The End is When Lay Me Down Gently Nobody Asked You to Come You Must Be Joking A Day in Shining Armour The Loves of Augustus Abbey Part One Rain The Loves of Augustus Abbey Part Two |
Coming Down/Love Song for the Dead Ché The Loves of Augustus Abbey Part Three Time of Light and Darkness [CD adds: Mr. Armageddon (single version) There's Got to Be a Way I'm Never Gonna Let You Go You Must Be Joking (single version) Movin' Down the Line Roll Over Mary] |
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After a couple of ska hits (!), the Birmingham-based Locomotive went all progressiveish, loike, for their sole album, 1970's We Are Everything You See. Vocalist/organist Norman Haines (later of the, er, Norman Haines Band, whose sole album is a classic) lets rip on the Hammond all the way across the record, and although the songwriting falters in places, the end result is an unfairly overlooked late-period psych release. The band were managed by their ex-trumpeter, Jim Simpson, who had quite a stable of Brummie bands, not least Black Sabbath, who even recorded one of Haines' songs for their debut, only to ditch it in favour of the material we know and love. Locomotive's unusual lineup of keyboards, bass, drums, trumpet and sax makes them stand out from the pack on the psych reissue front, giving them an edge over the standard guitar-led format, with the only audible guitar (player unknown) on one of the CD's bonus tracks, Roll Over Mary.
Haines plays Mellotron on two tracks, with something unidentifiable (one of the brass variants?) on A Day In Shining Armour (ho ho), with a couple of seconds of strings at the end, and some excellent pitchbent strings (MkIIs were better for this) on closer Time Of Light And Darkness. Nothing on the bonus tracks, either, so not enough use to consider this in any way a Mellotron Album. It's worth hearing in its own right, however, although the era did produce better records. Not bad, not brilliant.
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Morning Light (1997, 58.38) ***/TT |
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| Your Selfish Ways Morning Light Just Like You I am the Murderer Jukebox Heart Folie One Way or Another No-one in the World |
Clouds at My Feet Summer Rain Ancient Hometown The Girl With the Fairytale Dream Let Me Take You Back Some Love Will Remain Unsaid Shadow Play On the Horizon |
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Locust, a.k.a. Mark Van Hoen, play a kind of laid-back electronica that shouldn't offend those of you/us that aren't into bangin' techno and the like. Mark plays a variety of instruments, including Fender Rhodes and Mellotron, and makes a perfectly pleasant sound, although it can rather drift by at times, which I concede may be the intention. Not being a singer, he brings in several collaborators, which (to my ears) gives the album a slightly disjointed quality, although I'm well aware that this is quite normal in his chosen field.
As far as that Mellotron's concerned, Van Hoen sticks it on nine out of sixteen tracks, with light string and choir work on most, to the point of inaudibility in places, to be honest. However, Summer Rain and, particularly, Some Love Will Remain Unsaid have some upfront 'Tron flute, with some fairly obvious choir on the latter, too. I'd be lying if I said this is a classic 'Tron album, though a few tracks have enough to make them worth a quick listen. Overall, if you like the style, chances are you'll like the album, but otherwise, you're probably best advised to look elsewhere.
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My So Called Knife (2002, 48.20) **½/½ |
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| The Open Door (Intro) Black All Over Like a Disease Father Knee Deep in the Dead Everything I Sad Excuse for a Grip Perfect Woman |
Bury You Personal Jesus Can't Get Away Kill Greedy No Answer (Outro) |
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Lollipop Lust Kill are a pretty typical 'alternative metal' band, sounding not a million miles away from Korn's proto-nu-metal grind, throwing some melody into the mix every now and again. After an indie debut, 2000's Motel Murder Madness, 2002's My So Called Knife (ho ho) was their only major-label release, the band splitting in 2004. The album doesn't seem to do anything much not done as well or better by various other bands, although I'm sure aficionados of the band/genre would argue vehemently that they had an individual take on the style. Whatever.
Producer Sylvia Massy Shivy allegedly plays Mellotron on the album, but the only thing that even might be the mighty 'Tron is an unidentifiable keyboard part on Can't Get Away, that could just possibly be 'Tron strings mixed with something synthetic. Then again, they could've just decided to credit her with 'Mellotron' for no particularly good reason. Who knows. Or cares. Modern metalheads may like this record. I don't, although it gets **½ for being done fairly well. Don't bother. Really.
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London Underground (2000, 37.08) ***½/TTKultual Opus #1Magda K. Worst is Yet to Come Squadron Leader Everywhere I Go Mass Baptizer Was She Worth My Time Love is a Beautiful Thing Watcha Gonna Do |
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Through a Glass Darkly (2003, 47.29) ***½/½ |
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| End of the Race Travelling Lady Sermonette The Days of Man Analonihum A Beautiful Child Through a Glass Darkly Cryptical Purple Browne Orcharde |
Can't Find the Reason Everything is Coming to an End Another Rude Awakening |
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Italians London Underground impressed me immediately with their foreign-language pun; well, can you pun in Italian? They chose the name as they 'play the kind of music that was heard on the London Underground in the late '60s'; I can only assume they're referring to Ladbroke Grove, rather than the actual underground... Anyway, the band evolved from much-missed 'Tronlords Standarte; their eponymous debut appeared in 2000, sitting defiantly in the late-period psych camp at the point where the style morphed into proto-prog, somewhere around 1970. About the only real giveaway is that the distorted guitar sound is possibly too smooth for the time, if that isn't a non-sequitur. Decent material throughout, particularly Worst Is Yet To Come and the Hammond-heavy Squadron Leader. Gianluca Gerlini plays Mellotron, with background strings on Magda K., cellos, strings and brass on Worst Is Yet To Come and strings and flutes on Mass Baptizer, although the strings on Was She Worth My Time sound too real to be Mellotronic.
They followed up with 2003's Through a Glass Darkly, not dissimilar in style to its predecessor, shifting from the full-on psych-rock of End Of The Race and Cryptical Purple Browne Orcharde to the laid-back dreamy psych of Analonihum and the title track. Disappointingly, very little Mellotron this time round, with only a brief string part on closer Another Rude Awakening from Gerlini again, his chief keyboard input being his sterling work on the Hammond, with bits of acoustic piano and Wurly thrown in.
So; two good albums, especially for psych fans on the lookout for a fresh take on the style (sort of), although only London Underground's at all worth it on the 'Tron front.
See: Standarte
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Amrita...All These & the Japanese Soup Warriors (1995, 70.29) **½/T½ |
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| Sheikh Yayli Diwana Soulus Papasus Often Again Sun Epic Song |
Gianyar Fumi Planeshift - Mata Amritanandamayi |
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Loop Guru are a British 'worldbeat' outfit, which breaks down to 'ambient trancey stuff with a bit of 'world' thrown in', for what it's worth. 1995's Amrita...All These & the Japanese Soup Warriors is their third album, and while a few tracks of this stuff are probably fine as background stuff, if you don't object to the rhythms too strongly, seventy blasted minutes of it is enough to drive one loopy. Ahem. I'm sure this stuff has been used as incidental music on TV - it's almost too obvious not to, really, but I'd hardly recommend it as a 'good listen'.
Often Again features a full-on flute part right through the track from an unknown player, while Gianyar sticks some in near the end, sounding reasonably real, although it is the easiest 'Tron sound to sample. So; a rather dull effort if you're not into the style, although one-and-a-bit 'Tron tracks make it worth hearing those, at least.
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Up a Tree (1999, 38.36) ***½/T½ |
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| The Treehouse Impossible Things #2 Burning Flies Festival '95 Ballad of Ray Suzuki Dave the Moon Man Quiet and Small... Columbo's Car |
Up a Tree Again Back to the Treehouse |
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The Snare (2002, 39.58) **½/T½ |
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| The Snare Sugarcane New York Snow Peacock Johnson Driving Myself Crazy Lover's Leap Good Girls She's a Knife |
This Evil Love Fucking Around |
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Looper were formed in 1998 by Stuart David, ex-Belle & Sebastian bassist, sounding like a more electronic version of his old band, maybe. Several of the songs on their debut, '99's Up a Tree, feature David's soft Scots-accented speaking voice, relating melancholy little tales of matters of the heart (Impossible Things #2), or more cheerful takes on a similar theme (Festival '95). Musically, the anachronistic sound of a typewriter (providing the rhythm on Impossible Things #2) combines with Wurlitzers, harmonicas and laptop electronica in a surprisingly appealing juxtaposition that presumably explains why David felt he had to leave his alma mater. David plays Mellotron flutes on a couple of tracks, with a very realistic-sounding part under children's voices and over vinyl crackle on The Treehouse and some chords on Quiet And Small..., making you wish he'd used it a little more.
After 2000's The Geometrid, Looper's last album to date is 2002's The Snare. Sad to say, David has opted to go more 'mainstream' on this release, with most of Up a Tree's most appealing features being either marginalised or simply abandoned, leaving a rather hollow pop album only slightly enlivened by hammer dulcimer and Wurlitzer parts occasionally entering the fray. The nearest the band gets to their previous form is closer Fucking Around, but it's a bit 'too little, too late' for this reviewer. Two 'Tron tracks again, with David adding background flutes to Lover's Leap, with flutes and a solo cello part on Good Girls which, while nice, aren't enough to haul the album up out of the doldrums.
So; while fairly equal Mellotronically, these albums are very different entities and likely to appeal to different audiences. Saying that, there are elements of Up a Tree on The Snare, but I suspect your typical Belle & Sebastian/Looper fan would have to be pretty open-minded to accept the changes in the band's style in three short years.
See: Belle & Sebastian
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Lords Have Mercy (2005, 35.31) ***½/TT |
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| Cyclone Buried From the Knees Down Action Let's Burn She Cried Velvet Project Blue $4.95 |
Live Fast Tough as Nails Time |
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The outrageously-named Lords of Altamont (BÖC's Transmaniacon MC, anyone?) are the type of band you thought were extinct; raw, garage rock'n'roll with more attitude than tunes, and it DOESN'T MATTER. Lords Have Mercy is their second album, and I'd be willing to bet it's an awful lot like their first; concise, three-minute biker anthems about fucking with the system and, er, fucking. Shit, they even have an ex-MC5 member in their ranks, in the form of bassist Michael Davis. On the downside, it's a bit samey; the first three songs are all in the same key, which shouldn't matter, but does, but their sheer enthusiasm carries you along with their manifesto, doubtless a re-run of the MC5's 'dope, guns and fucking in the street'.
Lead Lord Jake Cavaliere doubles on keys (I believe he plays a Farfisa on stage), slathering fat, unwieldy chunks of Hammond all over the album, and (surprise, surprise) Mellotron on a handful of tracks. Let's Burn has rather background chordal strings, but She Cried and closer Time have very upfront, psychedelic string parts; no hiding in the shadows for these boys... So; a most unexpected treat, even if even its mere 35 minute-length slightly outstays its welcome (The Ramones had the right idea), with some even more unexpected 'Tron parts. Worth hearing to appease your Inner Biker.
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Canto (2001, 51.24) ***/T |
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| Siboney Calle Dieceseis El que Siembre su Maiz El Pescador Me Voy Pa'l Pueblo Compay Gato Qualquer Coisa Teresa |
Drumi Mobila Campesino Paloma Guaramera Baby |
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Los Super Seven should probably file under S, but since they're an American (albeit mostly Spanish-language) outfit, they'll stay here until someone tells me definitively otherwise. They're a Latin supergroup, apparently, regular members including Joe Ely, Flaco Jimenez and the now-deceased Freddy Fender, playing a Tex-Mex mix of Latin and American musics, with the accent on the former. 2001's Canto is their second album (of three to date), and while perfectly pleasant, isn't really going to excite anyone not already into the style, I suspect.
David Hidalgo and Rick Treviño both play Mellotron, with a few seconds of either cellos or violas on Calle Dieceseis and what, if I'm not completely mistaken, is Mellotron guitar on closer Baby, so top marks for using such an obscure sound, at least. Seriously, you're not going to like this unless you're well into Latin stuff, so unless you have to hear an example of such an unusual sound, I'd give it a miss if I were you.
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The Red Record (2002, 56.43) **½/T |
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| Estrogen Oxygen Aches in the Teeth Again California Kreates a Presence to Blush The Twisting Ash to Ash Elekt Mai |
97 Ways to Kill a Superhero Anthema Juin Rock'n'Roll & the Teenage Desperation Goldie Ella Juillet Attached at the Mouth |
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Loudermilk hail from a small corner of Washington state, rather grandly known as the Tri-Cities area, and freely admit that they were massive Guns n'Roses fans in their (earlier) youth, although you wouldn't know it from listening to The Red Record. It's an uneasy mix of various genres, chiefly punky powerpop with several awkward ballads thrown in, giving the impression the band aren't entirely certain where their musical loyalties lie. Nope, nothing wrong with variety, anything but in fact, but this is just a bit of a mess, and none of the songs leap out at you as great songs should.
Chamberlin strings from the ubiquitous Patrick Warren on one of the ballads, Ash To Ash, with a reasonably upfront part, although it isn't noticeably different to the (presumably) generic sampled strings on a couple of the other tracks, making you wonder why they bothered. Actually, the same could be said for the album as a whole; the faster tracks at least have some energy, but the slower stuff all sounds lacklustre, with the exception of Mai, for some reason. Anyway, pretentious titles, deliberately 'scuffed' artwork, an overlong album and no songs. Go elsewhere, I think.
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Total Eclipse of the Heart (2004, 36.29) **½/T½ |
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| The Race Beddowframe Little Bit of Good Blooming a Ton Mary My Wife Unsizeable Dear Gravity Fills Living Life Too |
Porch Sleeping Prize is Surprise Be Nice to Me My Hero's Are Lacy Last First Half Fade |
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Chicago's Love of Everything are essentially Bobby Burg plus whoever he has around at the time, dedicated to producing low-fi vignettes about Burg's emotional life, like a less polished version of, say, Low, but more self-consciously 'indie'. Whether or not you'll like the amusingly Bonnie Tyler/Jim Steinman-referencing Total Eclipse of the Heart depends largely on your tolerance for deliberately off-key vocals delivered in an exceptionally fey manner; hey, that's indie, kids... Many of its tracks fail to reach two minutes, making a 14-track album short vinyl length, which is actually a bit of a relief.
Mark Greenberg plays Mellotron on two tracks, with reasonable flute parts on the adjoining Living Life Too and Porch Sleeping. As with so many similar efforts, while perfectly pleasant, his parts are fairly tangential to the album as a whole, which bored me rigid, although many listeners love Burg's emotional honesty. Whatever. I think I've summed this up already, so I'll go and listen to something more interesting instead.
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Love Spit Love (1994, 51.49) **½/TT |
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| Seventeen Superman Half a Life Jigsaw Change in the Weather Wake Up Am I Wrong Green |
Please Codeine St. Mary's Gate More |
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Love Spit Love were formed by Richard Butler from the ashes of The Psychedelic Furs, one of those bands who've largely passed under my radar, although Pretty In Pink is so ubiquitous that even I can't completely avoid it. Their eponymous debut is a perfectly competent mid-'90s pop/rock album, which is, frankly, damning it with faint praise; it doesn't offend, but it doesn't really do anything, the exceptions being the interesting acoustic work on Codeine and St. Mary's Gate.
Jon Brion plays Chamberlin and Optigan on the album, mostly on Jigsaw, with its crackly Optigan oompah rhythm and (presumably) Chamby accordions, strings and brass, while Am I Wrong features Chamby strings, with flutes on St. Mary's Gate and closer More, although the rest of the album's strings are real. Overall, a fairly lacklustre effort, then, with a couple of reasonable tracks and a little Chamberlin. Maybe not.
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Be What You Want (2002, 36.05) **½/T½ |
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| The Sound and the Fury Give it All I Can What am I to Do Something Good Be What You Want Drink the Night (My Love) Guiding Star The One and Only |
It's Always Been That Way Fairweather |
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Meditations (2005, 57.11) **½/TT½ |
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| Mantra (I Gotta) Feel Stars Inside a Dream Was I There in Your Future? Genius Sea Shanty Come Home |
Pictures Across the Sea It's Not Over Yet A Place for Us Wrapped Up in You The Color and the Cut |
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Axiom (2007, 44.00) ***/TT½ |
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| Navigator Wintertime in Hollywood Pieces of Me Signposts Please Don't Break My Heart Tonight Everybody Hides Away Say You Will Ordinary Lives |
A Simple Song Alone |
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The Lovetones, led by Matthew Tow (also an occasional member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre), appear to be Australia's latest indie darlings, having supported Morrissey at home and toured the States heavily. There's been plenty of purple prose written about them, comparing them to McCartney/The Beatles, Bowie etc, although their one overriding influence to my ears is bloody Oasis, with Tow using exactly the same vocal tricks as Our Kid, sounding every bit as irritating in the process.
Be What You Want was released in 2002 at home, and early the following year in the States, and is only saved from getting an even lower rating by the fact that Tow doesn't totally ape Oasis, although it's a close run thing. On the Mellotron front, David Owen plays flutes on What Am I To Do and It's Always Been That Way, plus strings on the title track, although the strings on Something Good and Fairweather are real. Nice to hear some audible (and quite possibly real) 'Tron, but when it's on such an unexciting album, a little despair creeps in. Album's major plus point? Its brevity.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for its successor, 2005's stodgy and overlong Meditations. One welcome change is the addition of a psychedelic jamming feel on a few tracks (yes, this is welcome...), with three songs over six minutes (Genius, Pictures and instrumental closer The Color And The Cut), all extended by lengthy psych workouts. These are about the album's best tracks, but too much tedious filler scuppers it as a whole, and while Tow seems to've dropped his Liamisms, the extra twenty minutes on the album's length dock it a half star from the three I was initially tempted to give it. I presume keyboard player Matthew Sigley plays the album's Mellotron parts, with strings on (I Gotta) Feel, flutes on Stars and a new addition to the tonal palette with rather dodgy-sounding choirs on Come Home that sound like they're bolstering up real backing vox. Background, er, something Mellotronic (flutes?) on Across The Sea and very obvious choirs on It's Not Over Yet and A Place For Us make for more of a 'Tron album than its predecessor, though no classic.
2007's Axiom ups the ante in no uncertain terms by actually being quite good. Stylistically, it combines modern indie with a classic psych feel, improving things to the point where it almost gets a ***½ rating. While a few tracks pall slightly after a couple of listens, opener Navigator, big ballad Please Don't Break My Heart Tonight and Everybody Hides Away are all high points. Sigley and Robert Campanella (The Quarter After, Mia Doi Todd) play the 'Tron this time round, with flutes all over Navigator and Wintertime In Hollywood, flutes and strings on Pieces Of Me and strings (doubling real ones) on Ordinary Lives and closer Alone, making for a most satisfying Mellotronic release.
The Lovetones appear to be improving as they go along, which can only be a good thing; their Mellotron use is also on the up, making Axiom, at least, borderline worth it for that alone.
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Long Division (1995, 49.14) ****/T |
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| Violence Below & Above Shame Throw Out the Line Swingin' See-Through Turn Caroline |
Alone Streetlight Stay Take |
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The Curtain Hits the Cast (1996, 65.08) ****/T |
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| Anon The Plan Over the Ocean Mom Says Coattails Standby Laugh Lust |
Stars Gone Out Same Do You Know How to Waltz? Dark |
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Things We Lost in the Fire (2001, 53.17) ****/T |
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| Sunflower Whitetail Dinosaur Act Medicine Magazines Laser Beam July Embrace Whore |
Kind of Girl Like a Forest Closer In Metal |
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The rather appropriately-named Low have been around for a while now, perfecting their melancholy folky thing. This is all rather wonderful, actually; quite exceptionally mournful, but not in a fake-miserable kind of way, coming more from the area the superb Richard Thompson has inhabited for most of his career.
Their first Mellotron use was on '95's Long Division, with some rather warbly strings on Swingin', finishing with a high note held until the bitter end, when it wobbles obscenely before dying out. More on the following year's The Curtain Hits the Cast, with Steve Fisk putting some strings onto Coattails; the rest of the album's excellent, particularly the 14-minute Do You Know How To Waltz?, which builds slowly to a crescendo, which it then manages to sustain for several minutes. Superb.
Their style reached something of a peak on Things We Lost in the Fire; even the (occasional) louder tracks are taken at a funereal pace. Much of the album features guest string players, playing both separately and together, along with Mark de Gli Antoni on keyboards, including, of course, Mellotron. Of course, the Mellotron was made for relentlessly downbeat music - well, it wasn't, but you know what I mean - and Things We Lost in the Fire is nothing if not superbly downbeat; even the title (a line of lyric) speaks of loss and regret. I'm actually quite surprised they didn't use it on more tracks, but July features some heartbreaking strings and flutes drifting in and out of the mix, enhancing an already excellent song. Unfortunately, it's difficult to recommend this to 'Tron fans on the basis of one track, but it's a great album, well worth your attention anyway. Buy.
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Farewell Good Night's Sleep (2008, 37.49) ***½/TT |
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| I Forget it's There By and By The Reason Why My Heart's in Misery Last Time Around On My Own Farewell Good Night's Sleep Why Do I Worry? Days Have Been |
Little By Little My Second Hand Heart The Country Ballad |
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Chances are you haven't heard of Lay Low, or Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir; it seems a slightly moot point whether that's a band name or a nom de plume. I've eventually opted for the latter, but if anyone disagrees, please let me know. I probably wouldn't have heard of her, either, only she opted to record her third album, Farewell Good Night's Sleep, at Liam Watson's (in)famous Toerag Studios in London. Liam's ethos is 'all analogue'; you have two recording choices: 4-track or 8-track. The studio owns an ex-Abbey Road desk (think: Beatles sessions) and do their utmost to keep everything out of the digital realm. Having become acquainted with the studio earlier in 2008, I was asked if I could hire my trusty M400 out for a session, which turned out to be Lay Low's.
Strangely, for a half-Icelandic singer, the album is essentially a country record, although it does what it does really rather well, not least due to legendary Brit pedal steel man B.J. Cole's contributions. This isn't yer glossy, Nashville country, though, far from it; we're talking backwoods honky-tonk country here, drummer Rupert Brown using brushes much of the time and a lack of the mawkish sentimentality that ruins so much country music. Best track? Probably Why Do I Worry?, as it's less American-sounding than most of the album, but that's really down to personal taste, I suppose.
After demonstrating my entire library of 'Tron sounds, they opted to go with the church organ/violas/vibes frame, making startling good use of the two latter sounds. Last Time Around features Carwyn Ellis on a creaky viola section, which is something I can almost guarantee hasn't been done with the instrument before, while Why Do I Worry? and My Second Hand Heart have some vibes chords that might not actually be possible to play on the real thing. I thought there was supposed to be another viola track, but I'll be damned if I can hear it anywhere. All in all, then, a traditional country album from an Icelandic chanteuse, recorded on analogue and featuring a Mellotron. Not your typical country record, then... I can't imagine most of you wanting to hear this, but it might just be worth picking up for some nice songs and unusual 'Tron work. Different.
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Litany: Quattro Studi (2009 download, 30.10) ***/T½Study 1 (Electric Piano, Electric Violin & Mellotron)Study 1 (Electric Piano, Electric Violin, Mellotron & Bells) Study 2 (Piano & Vinyl) Study 3 (Piano & Drone - Reverse) Study 4 (Electric Piano, Electric Violin & Mellotron) Study 4 (Electric Piano, Electric Violin, Mellotron & Bells) |
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I don't honestly know quite what to make of Marco Lucchi's download album, Litany: Quattro Studi. It is indeed four studies, two of which are slightly reworked, making six tracks in total. It lies somewhere between avant-garde and modern classical, to my ears, using elements of what used to be called 'systems music' (Glass, Reich et al.) and Schoenberg-style atonality to create a slightly disturbing mélange of sounds, the end result probably having less to do with 'music' and more to do with 'experimentation'.
Although Lucchi plays Mellotron on both versions of Studies 1 and 4, it's limited to the same repeating flute phrase on all four, sounding like it could easily have been sampled en masse and just inserted at relevant points. However, unless anyone with certain knowledge lets me know... So; it's free, so if you want to hear it for yourself, go to the link above and do so. There isn't an awful lot of Mellotron to be heard, and what there is could be a fake of one type or another, but it's at least an intriguing listen.
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Where the Groupies Killed the Blues (1972, 41.24) ***½/T½HoboRose on the Vine Mother ...Where the Groupies Killed the Blues Prince of Darkness Summerdream/Delirium/No Reason or Rhyme Burning Ships |
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I'm Just a Rock & Roll Singer (1973, 44.00) ***/TTGroovin' StoneClosed Curtains Born on the Run Blind Freedom Rock'n'Roll Singer Lonely City Days Mary’s Breakdown Song for Louie |
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Lucifer's Friend were one of quite a few European outfits who recruited a British or American singer to sound more acceptable to English-speaking ears (see: fellow Germans Epitaph or Norway's Titanic), in this case, future Uriah Heep man John Lawton. The band actually don't sound too dissimilar to Heep, although they're less organ-driven, with keyboard man Peter Hecht preferring the piano as his weapon of choice. On Where the Groupies Killed the Blues, they attempt that 'complex hard rock' thing that Heep and others were doing at the time, but they don't quite have the chops, although they make brave attempts on Rose On The Vine and the title track, amongst others. As for Hecht's Mellotron use, I can only hear it on two tracks, with brass and strings on Mother and flutes on ...Where The Groupies Killed The Blues itself. A string section is used in places, notably on Summerdream, although less so than on the preposterously overblown Banquet (***) of a few years later.
The following year's I'm Just a Rock & Roll Singer has a totally different style (a band trademark, it seems, a.k.a. an inability to stick to their guns), being more, er, rock'n'roll, with the first six tracks being largely undistinguished boogie. Mary’s Breakdown is more interesting, then suddenly we're presented with the album's closer, Song For Louie, a seven minute-plus full-on prog track, complete with experimental middle section. Er, huh? Not that I'm complaining, mind, but it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album in any way, shape or form, just accentuating the band's almost schizophrenic genre-hopping abilities. Hecht's on 'Tron again, with a flute solo on Mary’s Breakdown that he plays so fast, I almost thought it was real, then he goes totally mad on Song For Louie, playing dissonant flutes in the middle section, plus strings and brass all over the place, bumping the album up to an impressive and unexpected two Ts.
Anyway, Where the Groupies... isn't bad, but isn't exactly a classic, either, and with low-level Mellotron use, I don't really feel I can recommend that you rush out to buy a copy, while I'm Just a Rock & Roll Singer is a really quite unimpressive album, apart from its stunning closing track, so it's your choice whether or not you want to splash out for one killer effort. Incidentally (and amusingly), Peter Hecht's other known Mellotron credit is on James Last's sole (to my knowledge...) 'Tron album, Non Stop Dancing 77. Stop laughing.
See: Uriah Heep
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Luke (1997, 59.28) ***/½ |
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| The Real Truth Broken Machine Tears of My Own Shame Love the Things You Hate Hate Everything About U Reservations to Live (the Way it is) Don't Hang Me on Always Be There for Me |
Open Your Heart Bag o'Tales Bluebird |
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Steve Lukather is famous/infamous for his membership of possibly the most manufactured AOR act ever, Toto, whose biggest hits are audaciously, outrageously commercial, with an élan from which other half-arsed attempts at commercial rock could learn a trick or nine. I mean, just listen to the phrasing of those almost-impossible-to-sing lyrics on Africa... Simultaneously horrible and fascinating, like watching a slow-motion train wreck, that suddenly and inexplicably appears unscathed from the carnage, with extra added schmaltz. I take my hat off to you, chaps...
1997's Luke (his nickname) is Lukather's third solo album, covering ground that he might have found difficult in Toto (the band were in existence until he left in 2008), with King's X-influenced opener The Real Truth, a distinctly Hendrixesque sound on Tears Of My Own Shame and country-rock and a nicked Beatles riff on Hate Everything About U, amongst the more formulaic hard rock and/or AOR. Credited Mellotron on two tracks from Lukather himself, with something faintly audible in the background on The Real Truth and Don't Hang Me On, although if you didn't know it was there...
So; a sessioneer/journeyman-type solo album; loads of spot-on playing, several decent tracks, but a preponderance of rock-by-numbers that belies Lukather's reputation as a songwriter in a hugely successful band (as was). Not bad at what it does, then, but next to no obvious Mellotron.
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Penthouse (1995, 51.10) ***/T |
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| Chinatown Sideshow By the Seashore Moon Palace Double Feature 23 Minutes in Brussels Lost in Space Rhythm King Kalamazoo |
Hedgehog Freakin' and Peakin' Bonnie and Clyde |
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The Days of Our Nights (1999, 54.08) ***/TT |
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| Dear Diary Hello, Little One The Old Fashioned Way Four Thousand Days Seven Steps to Satan Superfreaky Memories Math Wiz Words Without Wrinkles |
The Rustler U.S. Out of My Pants! The Slow Song Sweet Child o'Mine |
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Romantica (2002, 44.19) ***/T |
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| Lovedust Weird and Woozy Black Postcards Black Champagne Swedish Fish Renèe is Crying Mermaid Eyes 1995 |
Rememories Dizzy Orange Peel Romantica |
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Rendezvous (2004, 44.22) ***/½ |
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| Malibu Love Nest Cindy Tastes of Barbecue Speedbumps The Owl and the Pussycat Astronaut Broken Chair Star-Spangled Man Motel Bambi |
Still at Home Buffalo Boots Rainbow Babe |
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Luna are ex-Galaxie 500 guitarist Dean Wareham's band, who have apparently made a career out of not being noticed, which is a bit of a shame, as going by the albums I've heard, they're a reasonably appealing folk/indie sort of outfit with occasional Neil Young tendencies, which is no bad thing. 1995's Penthouse is their third album, mixing their various (mostly indie-related) styles, with the Neil-esque stuff coming across the best, notably on Freakin' And Peakin'. Like so many albums from the CD era, it's a little overlong, and could probably have lost two or three tracks without suffering overly. One Mellotron track, with some silvery strings on Lost In Space, although it would have worked nicely on several other tracks, too.
Two albums on, and The Days of Our Nights is Luna's second 'Tron album, featuring songs of the quality of Dear Diary and Math Wiz, not to mention their laid-back cover of Sweet Child O'Mine, of all things. Mellotron from bassist Justin Harwood and guest keys man Paul Kimble, although a faint choir swell and some background strings on Dear Diary are no match for the full-on (and very wobbly) string part on Hello, Little One, and although the backing vocals on The Old Fashioned Way sound real in places, with no female backing vox, we have to assume they're 'Tron, too. 'Tron strings on Superfreaky Memories and The Rustler, although the cello on a couple of tracks is real, played by Jane Scarpantoni, who seems to have played with everyone, not least R.E.M. and Tiny Lights.
By 2002's Romantica, though, it seems their schtick has grown a little stale, or is it just me? The album has its strong points, not least the killer first couplet in 1995, but overall, fails to ignite at any point, although that may well be the idea. It seems churlish to give the album a lower rating, though, as its perceived failings could be mine, not the album's. One 'Tron track, with strings on Mermaid Eyes from Lee Wall, although I believe the string part on the closing title track is either a synth or samples. 2004's Rendezvous is even more fey, to be honest, although I'm sure Luna fans would argue with my assessment. It does pick up towards the end, particularly Buffalo Boots, also the nearest the album gets to a 'Tron track, with some exceedingly background strings, again from Lee Wall.
The Days of Our Nights is probably the best of the above, although I'm not sure if it holds up that well against its influences. It's also (by a wide margin) the nearest any of them get to 'Tron-heavy, but isn't actually worth purchase on those grounds alone. Incidentally, Wareham and Britta Phillips used 'Tron samples on their 2003 effort, L'Avventura.
See: Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham
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Fever in Fever Out (1996, 47.27) **/T |
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| Naked Eye Don't Look Back Door Mood Swing Under Your Skin Electric Take a Ride Water Your Garden |
Soothe Yourself Why Do I Lie? One Thing Parade Faith Stardust |
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Electric Honey (1999, 50.10) **½/½ |
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| Nervous Breakthrough Ladyfingers Christine Alien Lover Summer Daze Sexy Hypnotist Friends Devotion |
Fantastic Fabulous Gypsy Beloved Country's a Callin' Space Diva Fly Lover's Moon |
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Luscious Jackson's Wikipedia entry describes their thing as "a style of alternative music that combined hip hop, punk, folk and dance", which seems a fair enough summation - in case that's too ornate, 'indie' will do. Fever in Fever Out was the all-female band's second album, and keyboard player Vivian Trimble's last, before defecting to Dusty Trails. I can't say it grabs me in the slightest, I'm afraid, but plenty of people seem to have liked them, so looks like I'm out of step with popular opinion. Again. A particularly irritating facet of the album is the half-spoken vocals on most tracks, but again, some people seem to like that sort of thing. On the Mellotron front, nothing audible on opener Naked Eye, although whatever there is was played by co-producer Tony Mangurian, while Water Your Garden has flutes from Trimble, as does Soothe Yourself.
It took the band three years to come up with what turned out to be their last album, Electric Honey, and at least the half-spoken vocals have disappeared in the interim. Apart from that, there seems to have been little change on the musical front, departing members notwithstanding, although the overall effect is a little less irritating than on its predecessor. Vocalist/guitarist Gabrielle Glaser plays 'Tron cellos on Fly, to little effect, but that's it on the tape-replay front, even though Roger Manning guests on the album.
I really don't think you need either of these albums, to be honest; there's enough tedious indie-pop in the world already, without adding to it. A little 'Tron, but far from enough to be worth bothering with.
See: Dusty Trails
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Free Mars (1997, 61.03) ***/T½ |
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| Backworlds Savvy Kangaroos Gold Free Mars Doctor Mindray The Hotel Family Affair Black Sea Me |
Undergarden Kill the King My Good Fishwife/Blair's Spiders |
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Lusk were a '90s psych outfit, whose sole album, 1997's Free Mars, is a strangely unsatisfying blend of pseudo-'60s psych and then-current indie pop; it's full of moments that make the listener prick up their ears, followed by stretches of considerable averageness and over-stretched material. It certainly has its strong points: opener Backworlds vaguely reminds me of Knife World mainman Kavus Torabi's wonderful '90s outfit The Monsoon Bassoon, while Mindray's lysergic excursions make it one of the album's better tracks, but the album's sheer length (the timing above is minus the five-minute break between 'official' closer My Good Fishwife and the muckabout Blair's Spiders that actually closes the album) grinds all but the most patient listener down after forty minutes or so. I feel rather churlish in not giving this a higher rating, but despite its considerable attention to detail, it somehow failed to grab me in the way I was expecting.
Chris Pitman (now in Guns N'Roses, for his sins) plays Mellotron and Chamberlin, with what sounds like that weird Chamby solo male voice and possible strings on Savvy Kangaroos, Mellotron strings on The Hotel Family Affair and flutes on Kill The King. As always with the Chamberlin, it's quite possible it's on other tracks, too, although with two cellists listed and all four members of the band proper credited with 'synthesizer', all potential parts could be just about anything, really. So; not as good as it should have been and not that much tape-replay. Pity. Probably worth picking up if you see it cheap, however, especially if you haven't yet had this month's psych fix.
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Sacred Groove (1993, 47.16) **½/T½ |
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| Memory Jack Love Power From the Mama Head Flesh and Blood We Don't Own This World I Will Remember The Beast, Part I The Beast, Part II Not Necessary Evil |
Cry of the Brave Tierra del Fuego |
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Another Jim Rigberg reviews, ladies'n'gents.
In the '80s, George Lynch was the guitarist for Dokken, a band that registered at least two gold and maybe one platinum album while never really being on the top of anyone's list of favorite bands. Part of the problem was the uneven product they produced. Singer Don Dokken - like many of his kindred mid-'80s, LA scene metalheads - just so desperately wanted to be all things to all people. I remember hearing a radio interview with him in 1985 or 1986 describing the band's third album, Under Lock and Key, stating something along the lines of "We have some power ballads, we have some Metallica-like songs, blah, blah, blah". And they did. For every raunchy early Van Halen-like It's Not Love or truly heavy-metal stuff such as Back For The Attack (which would please current power metal fans), there was a wussy attempt to channel Journey (the Jonathan Cain/Escape era Journey). The latter category of tunes certainly bought them hits - Alone Again and the lame lite-metal Dream Warriors from one of those Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, for example - but they could have avoided the 'hair band' label and built a solid audience that might still exist if they'd stuck solely to the former.
George Lynch was one of the best guitarists that the LA scene produced in the '80s. He had, and has, a distinct sound - he loves the phrygian mode and diminished scales and always had a killer tone - which lent a doomy and/or aggressive quality to even the goofiest Dokken songs. Not surprisingly, he and Don Dokken did not see eye to eye, leading to a rather spectacular implosion while the band was touring behind Back for the Attack in 1988 (or so). In the '90s, Lynch somehow managed to quell his feud with Dokken long enough to produce two albums before they started sniping at each other again and Don Dokken became a favorite target of web humorists (see, e.g. the hilarious Metal-Sludge.com).
In between the '80s Dokken and reformed Dokken, Lynch released a couple albums with his own band, Lynch Mob, and a 'solo' piece, Sacred Groove. While I like Lynch's playing and much of his song-writing (I suspect he was behind the music on the better Dokken songs), Sacred Groove was a bit of a disappointment. Memory Jack is about 1.39 of noise and though The Beast is listed as being in two parts - suggesting two songs or (admittedly a stretch) some kind of multi-movement prog excursion, it sounds like just one song to me. Realistically, therefore, there are 8, not 10, tracks. Love Power From The Mama Head and closer Tierra Del Fuego are instrumentals, the latter of which has a Latin-jazz groove and nice Spanish-style guitar solo from Daryl Gable. Neither of these is offensive, but neither is terribly exciting, either. The anthemic Cry Of The Brave and the bluesy-hard rock Not Necessary Evil, both featuring vocals from Glenn Hughes, are solid.
The highlight - from both the casual listener's and this website's perspective - is Flesh And Blood. Good riffing, nice solo, and great moody 'Tron strings played by Chris Fuhrman, who also engineered the album, underscoring the vocal melody in the chorus.
The low point is the aforementioned The Beast. It's not often that a singer's voice can destroy a song for me. Lynch got a fella who, unbelievably, is not (or was not in 1993) embarrassed to use the handle "Mandy Lion", to lay down pseudo-death metal cookie monster vocals on The Beast. These vocals don't sound threatening or scary. They sound like the cookie monster. That's why they call them cookie monster vocals. It's fucking horrible. Oh, and the lyrics, which presumably were meant to be funny, aren't. The worst part of all this, is that, as was probably apparent from the beginning of the paragraph, the rest of The Beast (i.e. the music) is a good 'on the heavier' side rocker, with plenty of interesting sounds, including sitar. Indeed, it's apparent that "Mandy Lion" could probably sing well if he'd wanted to do so. The CD notes list Mellotron in both Parts 1 and 2 of The Beast. I'll be damned if I can hear it in Part 1. However, the 'Tron is used to nice effect in Part 2, but not nice enough to make this song listenable.
If you must own everything Lynch has ever put out, buy it. You'll get at least four good hard rock songs with much-better-than average hard rock guitar playing. If you have your own mixing equipment, the master tapes, and the ability to sing at all, you can re-record The Beast for yourself and make that five good songs. No need to buy it for the 'Tron (I sure didn't, though the fact that there was some was obviously a pleasant surprise).
| Jim Rigberg |
See: Dokken
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Wicked Underground (2003) ****/T |
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| Breath and a Scream Beast in a Box When You Bleed Vaccine Ever Higher Zero the End The Evil That You Are Awaken |
Cromaniac Goodbye Utopia Inner View Closer to None |
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Jim Rigberg AGAIN!
Last year, ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson joined forces for what, hopefully, will be the first of several excellent melodic-hard rock releases. The bulk of these songs are driven by Lynch's punchy tone and Pilson's thick, at times Beatle-y bass and smooth vocals. The stand-out tracks - When You Bleed, The Evil That You Are, Ever Higher, Closer To None - hinge on great hooks without sacrificing one iota of aggressiveness, thanks to Lynch's stellar riffing. Also notable is the instrumental - Cromaniac - a nice little piece of guitar violence that sounds like a thrash band channelling Joe Satriani.
Jeff Pilson is apparently the proud owner of an M400 which he puts to excellent use on Ever Higher, an Indian-music inflected cut. A nice string line surfaces during the intro and wafts in and out through a good portion of the balance of the song. The track builds quite nicely culminating in a proggy hard rock à la (the equally wonderful) King's X.
I can't recommend this for the Mellotron content (although it is used well). However, I highly recommend Wicked Underground for anyone interested in driving hard rock, fans of interesting guitar work, and those who wondered what Dokken might have sounded like if they had been consistent.
| Jim Rigberg |
See: Dokken
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Seasons of the Soul (1999, 53.11) ***/T |
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| Welcome Fair Wind Isla del Luna Firebird Bandora's Box The White Ship of Hope Majestica Morning Dove |
The Light & the Longing Faire Thee Well |
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Seeing that Lisa Lynne's Seasons of the Soul is on blander-than-bland new age label Windham Hill was enough to bring me out in a cold sweat, although the reality is better than that inauspicious introduction. Lynne is a Celtic harpist (no! Don't run away!), loosely comparable to Alan Stivell, though nowhere near his virtuosic level. Interestingly, her role on her second album is mainly supporting, giving melody lines to Sid Page's violin or George Tortorelli's recorder and other wind instruments as often as not, although she takes the occasional top line. The material is decent enough as the style goes, although after a few tracks, the more discerning listener is likely to be desperate to hear something a little less... polite. The Scorpions spring to mind.
Jimmy Waldo (New England/Alcatrazz) is credited with Mellotron and Chamberlin, not that we actually hear that much of the poor chap. There's a quiet strings part on Fair Wind and what sounds like a heavily-reverbed combination of strings and cellos on The Light & The Longing, possibly the best piece on the album, largely due to its lack of the cheesy drumming that dominates most of the record. More of the same on Faire Thee Well, not really sounding that much like tape-replay at all, to be honest, but that's Chamberlins for you.
So; all a bit new-agey for this listener, though some of you will like it. I can take about two tracks at a time before my cheeseometer kicks in; gimme Stivell any day. Not much tape-replay work, either, so I really wouldn't bother on those grounds if I were you.
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Love, Shelby (2001, 42.15) **/T½ |
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| Trust Me Bend Jesus on a Greyhound Wall in Your Heart Ain't it the Truth I Can't Wait Tarpoleon Napoleon |
Killin' Kind All of a Sudden You Disappeared Mother |
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Shelby Lynne (elder sister to Alison Moorer) is a country singer who moved towards the mainstream pop market on her seventh album, 2001's Love, Shelby. It's about as bad as you'd expect, the one dissenter being the late-nite lounge jazz of Tarpoleon Napoleon which, while hardly classic (or even that good), at least provides some relief from the schlock that fills the rest of the record, including her closing version of John Lennon's Mother. The sleeve's sexist nonsense, too.
The ubiquitous Patrick Warren plays Chamberlin, with strings and flutes on Wall In Your Heart, strings on I Can't Wait and string swells on All Of A Sudden You Disappeared, with real strings on a couple of other tracks. This isn't as bad as many I've heard, which explains its relatively high two star rating, but I wouldn't take that as any kind of recommendation. Passable Chamby use.
See: Alison Moorer
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Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd (1973, 43.03) ****½/TT |
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| I Ain't the One Tuesday's Gone Gimme Three Steps Simple Man Things Goin' on Mississippi Kid Poison Whiskey Free Bird |
[CD reissue adds: Mr. Banker Down South Jukin' Tuesday's Gone (demo) Gimme Three Steps (demo) Free Bird (live demo)] |
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Lynyrd Skynyrd's first album (or at least, first released) must've come as a breath of fresh air back in '73; an unpretentious record that rocked, though not without a degree of subtlety, too. Like a heavier, less jamming version of the Allman Brothers, Skynyrd's secret weapon was killer songs; in my opinion, all but the rather irritating Things Goin' On still stand up well, and the band play several numbers in their live set to this day.
Produced by Al Kooper, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd features Mellotron on two tracks, one better-known than the other; Kooper plays some excellent semi-orchestral arrangements on the country-ish ballad Tuesday's Gone under his long-time pseudonym 'Roosevelt Gook'. It seems he used this name on some of the Dylan albums he worked on, giving rise to rumours that 'Gook' was ol' Bob himself. The other 'Tron track on the album is, of course, the infamous and horrendously-overplayed Free Bird, presumably played by regular keyboard man Billy Powell. Unfortunately, this has to be one of the worst Mellotron performances on record; it's noticeably flat, and badly-recorded to boot. Shame - however badly you never want to hear it again, the song is a classic, and it's a real pity the 'Tron couldn't have been done a little better.
Of course, after the meteoric rise came the (literally) cataclysmic fall; the plane crash in '77 that killed Ronnie Van Zant and several other band and crew members finished the band for a decade. Since then, another three original members have died, and they only manage to use the name at all by recruiting early drummer Rickey Medlocke, better known as guitarist/singer/mainman of slightly lesser Southern heroes Blackfoot, to make up the quorum of three 'original' members, satisfying various parties legally, if not exactly morally. Ronnie's brother Johnny has taken his place (leaving third brother Donnie with his own Southern/AOR crossover act 38 Special), but of the original seven, a sad one remains. Nonetheless, Skynyrd still rock like bastards, and are always worth catching; I can't find it in me to castigate them for their slight legal chicanery, 'cos you'd be hard-pushed to find a better night out. No Mellotron, of course, but you'll go home happy.
So; Pronounced's a great album, but a million miles away from anything in the prog vein. Good-time 'Suvvern' rock'n'roll, with great songs and one decent 'Tron track. Buy according to taste. Incidentally and very sadly, Billy Powell died on January 28th 2009, at all of 56. R.I.P.
Note: In 1978, after the band disintegrated, they released the best of their pre-Pronounced demos, poignantly, as Skynyrd's First...and Last (****½), which is at least as good as their first album proper. The expanded recent CD issue (Skynyrd's First: the Complete Muscle Shoals Album) explains the reason for the original version's lengthy track-by-track musicians list; the tapes were overdubbed before release, with extra parts being added for various reasons. The gentle acoustic ballad White Dove, featuring Rickey Medlocke (later Ricky Medlocke of Blackfoot) on curiously-choirboyish vocals, credits Randy McCormick with Mellotron. Oh no it isn't... On subsequent listening, it's a generic string synth, so it's anyone's guess why it's miscredited like that. Who knows. Anyway, great album, but no 'Tron.
