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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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Plackband Plain White T's Planetarium Plasticland |
Please Plumb Plush Pluto |
Poco Poe Poisonous Museum Brendan Pollard |
Lola Ponce Legendary Marvin Pontiac (I) Pooh Popol Vuh (Norway) |
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The Lost Tapes (2000, recorded 1981, 59.01) ***/TBloodmasterEnd of the Line The Good Earth The Hunchback Sign of the Knife Seventy Warriors |
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Mellotron used:
Plackband were named for Plakband, the Dutch equivalent of gaffer tape, as it was apparently all that held their equipment together back in the mid-'70s. Of course, joke names aren't meant to stick (ho ho), but so often do... It took the band a while to work up to a professional level, releasing a lone single in 1978, Seventy Warriors b/w Some Party, although they either didn't own their Mellotron then, or simply didn't use it. They split in the early '80s, having never recorded a studio album, despite having a healthy following in their home area.
Almost twenty years later, a long-forgotten live tape was found in their old rehearsal space, and released as The Lost Tapes, proving to be of excellent sound quality, and giving a good idea of what a proper Plackband album may have sounded like. And they sounded like...? A rather simplistic version of the classic symphonic prog sound, to be honest, predating '80s neo-prog by a year or two while also sounding a little like Camel, though without the great atmosphere the latter could conjure up on a good day. Most of the material is somewhat overlong for its fairly limited content, particularly The Hunchback, which seems to last for a couple of geological epochs. Don't get me wrong; this is pleasant enough, but all a bit unengaging, and nowhere near the quality of their countrymen Focus or Finch, although several miles ahead of '80s bands such as Coda or the awful For Absent Friends.
Mellotron (from vocalist Kees Bik, surprisingly) on every track, although at no point does it get anything resembling a starring role. It was largely used for a background wash of choirs, although I think I spotted a string part at one point, as against the ubiquitous string synth lathered over every track. All in all, despite the number of highlighted tracks above, this deserves its low 'T' rating, as the 'Tron is so quiet as to be hardly there at all.
Plackband reformed around the time of this release, recording a new album, 2002's After the Battle, following the Remember Forever single, including their original 1978 single tracks. Despite the Mellotron sounds, it seems highly likely that it's samples, as their old 'Tron had been sold many years earlier. As far as The Lost Tapes goes, if you're into that Dutch/German laid-back prog style, you'll probably like it, but anyone with a yearning for something more complex should probably look elsewhere. Remarkably little Mellotron, too, so I wouldn't bother on those grounds either.
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Big Bad World (2008, 33.57) ***/T½ |
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| Big Bad World Natural Disaster Serious Mistake Rainy Day 1, 2, 3, 4 That Girl Sunlight I Really Want You |
Meet Me in California Someday |
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The Plain White T's (poor grammar, but, in fairness, an awkward one) are an indie/powerpop crossover band, who keep spoiling potentially good songs with irritating indie vocal mannerisms, at least on 2008's Big Bad World; it's by no means a bad record, but I keep getting the feeling it could've been so much better. Best tracks? Serious Mistake, the '60s-ish hit 1, 2, 3, 4 and the very powerpoppy That Girl, with its amusingly risqué lyric, although finishing on its worst track (Someday) nearly got the album docked half a star.
Johnny K plays Mellotron, while Jon Brion does his usual Chamberlin thing, with Chamby strings on Rainy Day, a few Mellotron string chords on 1, 2, 3, 4 and flutes from one or the other on Sunlight. Overall, a reasonable enough effort, but less whining in the vocal department would improve matters dramatically.
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Infinity (1971, 36.47) ****/TTTTThe BeginningLife Man (part one) Man (part two) Love War The Moon Infinity |
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Planetarium were a little-known Italian outfit whose real names appear to be unknown; in fact, I've no idea if there are any credits on their sole album, Infinity, at all. Musically, they were full-on instrumental symphonic prog (pre-PFM, note), with the odd wordless vocal, meaning that those of you who can't handle 'foreign' vocals should have no problem. Their sound is a little 'proto-prog', particularly on the title track, but that's hardly surprising, given the recording date. Man (Part Two) and War are probably the album's highlights, but there isn't a bad track on board, to be honest.
The anonymous keyboard player's Mellotron work is pretty full-on, too, with swathes of (presumably) Mark II strings on almost every track, the exception being the acoustic guitar/organ duet of Man (Part One). The finest 'Tron moment is probably the superbly cranky pitchbend at the end of The Beginning (as against the beginning of the end), repeated at the end of the album. Twist that dial! So; good music, loads of 'Tron - can't go wrong really, can you?
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Color Appreciation [a.k.a. Plasticland] (1984/85, 34.34/35.28) ***½/TT½ |
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| Sections Her Decay Rattail Comb Alexander The Glove Disengaged From the World Color Appreciation Elongations Sipping the Bitterness |
The Garden in Pain Magic Rocking Horse Driving Accident Prone Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes The Mushroom Hill Pop! Op Drops [1985 reissue removes two tracks and adds: Wallflowers Posing for Pictures] |
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Wonder Wonderful Wonderland (1985, 34.14) ***½/TTT |
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| No Shine for the Shoes Gloria Knight Transparencies, Friends Fairytale Hysteria Don't Let it All Pass By The Gingerbread House Flower Scene Processes of the Silverness |
Non-Stop Kitchen Grassland of Reeds and Things Gloria Knight (Reprise) Wonder Wonderful Wonderland |
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Salon (1987, 32.12) ***/TT |
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| Go a Go-Go Time What am I to Say It's a Dog's Life A Quick Commentary on Wax Museums Abcessed Words to Climb House (The Lie of) Great Sedan Pinocchio We Can't |
Serene it's True Reserving the Right to Change My Mind The Window Sills Don't Antagonize Me |
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Let's Play Pollyanna EP (1989, 13.53) ***½/TLet's Play PollyannaRadiant Fuzzbox Wig Kaleidoscopic Glance Enchanted Forestry |
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Dapper Snappings (1994, 32.21) ***/T |
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| Craved Blue Memorandum High School Nurse Make Yourself a Happening Machine The Bunny Bear When You Get Subliminal, You Really Get Sublime Radiant Fuzzbox Wig Probing |
Let's Play Pollyanna Passing Over Rollercoaster House of Worms Cookies With the Vaudeville Glaze |
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Mink Dress & Other Cats (1995, recorded 1980-85, 36.12) ***½/T |
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| You Were Such a Bad Time In My Black and White I'm Gonna Emphasize Pushy The Prince's Playroom Too Many Fingers Standing in a Room A Change in You |
Mink Dress They Wore Sequined Masks The Lady is No Lady Some Ghost Ship Lollipop Headlice Rags and Arrogance Baby Scissors Color Appreciation Market Place of Zesty Zeal |
The Mushroom Hill Office Skills Skipping Down the Nature Trail |
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Milwaukee's Plasticland seem to polarise opinion; I've seen both 'brilliant' and 'crap' levelled against them in the same 'comments' section. They played enormously unfashionable neo-psych in the early '80s, at which time only goths were taking the late '60s seriously (think: The Damned's version of Eloise), doing it really rather well, I have to say, even if Glenn Rehse can't really sing. A version of the band is in existence to this day, not to mention loads of offshoots, side-projects and the like.
There's no Mellotron on their first single, Mink Dress and first EP, Vibrasonics From Plasticland, and while they used one on their next two 7"s, they both turned up on their debut album, 1984's Color Appreciation. It was released on the French Lolita label, then reissued the following year as Plasticland, replacing two tracks and completely resequencing the rest, to no apparently good purpose. It's a good album, without being outstanding; they've got the style down to a T (ho ho), but there's something lacking on the actual songwriting front, although there are several minor gems included here, not least Her Decay, Alexander and Magic Rocking Horse. Rehse not only sings and plays guitar, but adds keyboards (including, of course, Mellotron) to several tracks, with flutes on Her Decay and Magic Rocking Horse, a full-on string part on Alexander, with more of the same on Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes and The Mushroom Hill. Of the two new tracks on Plasticland, Wallflowers is crammed full of 'Tron flutes and strings, irritatingly making both versions essential if you want to hear everything relevant. I believe the now out-of-print 2000 CD issue on Hardknocks Records mops up all tracks from both versions, but don't quote me on that.
Not only did Bam Caruso release Plasticland in '85, but the band issued their follow-up, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland the same year. It's immediately obvious that the band have loosened up in the interim, jamming more than before, with fewer quirky little psych-pop songs. Top tracks? Probably the 12-string driven Gloria Knight (I used to know a lady of that name in the instrument insurance business. Coincidence?), The Gingerbread House and the closing title track. Rehse's Mellotron work this time round includes choirs (for the first time) on Gloria Knight, plus strings, with faint pitchbent choirs on Transparencies, Friends. There's flutes on Don't Let It All Pass By and, very obviously, The Gingerbread House, along with strings and choir, finishing off nicely with the strings and overdubbed flutes on the title track.
Plasticland took a stylistic sharp left turn on 1987's Salon, largely leaving quirky psych-pop songs behind, replacing them with a darker, more jammed-out vision, not entirely unlike Pink Floyd's improvisational work in the late '60s. To be perfectly honest, the joy seems to have gone out of it, being substituted by existential panic and too much reverb, although the album still has its moments, not least What Am I To Say, the organ-drenched (The Lie Of) Great Sedan Pinocchio and the mental Reserving The Right To Change My Mind. 'Tronwise, Rehse adds a very psychedelic (read: tuneless and reverb-drenched) string part near the end of A Quick Commentary On Wax Museums, followed by solo choirs, more choirs on the instrumental We Can't, with some truly deranged strings on Reserving The Right To Change My Mind, although we're not talking their heaviest Mellotron use ever.
1989 brought a live album with Twink (Pretty Things, Pink Fairies), You Need a Fairy Godmother, supposedly containing Mellotron; review to follow when I get to hear a copy. They released the Let's Play Pollyanna EP the same year, a fairly low-fi effort with a punky edge on the title track and queasy trumpet on Enchanted Forestry, shifting back into more familiar territory with Kaleidoscopic Glance and the excellent Radiant Fuzzbox Wig. Two 'Tron tracks, with flutes and stabbed strings on Radiant Fuzzbox Wig and a minor flute part, doubling the organ, on Enchanted Forestry.
1990's live Confetti also apparently features the Great White Beast and still hasn't been tracked down by yours truly, leaving a four year gap before the band's next official release, Dapper Snappings. Containing two tracks from their by-then five year-old ...Polyanna EP, it's short on new ideas, given how quickly they spat out their first two albums. In fairness, it's probably a minor improvement over Salon, although they still haven't regained the joyous approach that propelled them through their early releases, despite possibly their best-ever song title, When You Get Subliminal, You Really Get Sublime. On the Mellotron front, there's flutes and strings on Radiant Fuzzbox Wig, but given that it seems to be the same version as Let's Play Pollyanna's, it seems safe to say that you won't find any new Mellotronic contributions here.
Given how many single-only and compilation appearance track the band have produced over at least a two-decade career (depending on what you count), the bulk of them have been available on one album or another at some point, the obvious exceptions being the two tracks from Let's Play Pollyanna that didn't reappear on Dapper Snappings and a 1989 a-side, Seize The Time, which may never have got past the test pressing stage anyway. Two compilations that mop up other rarities are 1995's Mink Dress & Other Cats (Timothy's Brain) and 2006's thirty-track Make Yourself A Happening Machine: a Collection, seemingly the only Plasticland album currently in print. If you're absolutely hellbent on owning every single 'Tron track the band produced, you'll need Mink Dress... for the flutes on its final track, the outtake Skipping Down The Nature Trail.
So; given that buying new CDs isn't the only way to obtain music and I know some of you lot are as dogged as me when it comes to tracking stuff down, how many of the above do you need to hear? In all brutal honesty, if you can find that Hardknocks version of Plasticland and Wonder Wonderful Wonderland, you've got the bulk of their best material, although Let's Play Pollyanna is worth hearing, as are some of their early, anthologised single and EP tracks. OK, they're all worth hearing, just that some of them are more worth hearing than others. A good, largely overlooked band; ignore the naysayers and get those first two albums, at least.
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Seeing Stars (2001, recorded 1969, 40.09) ***/T |
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| Seeing Stars Words to Say Before Time Goes By The Road Rise and Shine Still Dreaming Secrets |
Who You Know But Steal Your Dreams |
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Please were a late-period UK psych outfit, better-known for the bands their members went on to join, notably Peter Dunton, who was playing in T2 within a year of this material's recording. The difference between the two bands is startling; Please have a sound that really predates their era, being more early than late psych, with much Farfisa, whereas T2 were definitely proto-prog, although both bands actually sound rather dated these days. I don't believe Please actually released anything much (at all?) at the time, so I presume Seeing Stars is your typical demos and outtakes collection. It seems to be quite highly rated by some psych fans, but to my ears, it falls between too many stools to really cut it all these years later.
I presume it's Dunton playing the Mellotron flutes on Time Goes By; a decent enough part, but nothing outstanding. Otherwise it's pretty much all Farfisa or Hammond, with a drop of Wurly, and that Farfisa really pushes their sound back to the mid-'60s... So; OK, nothing special, lots better from the era.
See: T2
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Candycoatedwaterdrops (1999, 43.55) */0 |
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| Late Great Planet Earth Stranded Here With Me Lie Low Phobic God-Shaped Hole Solace Worlds Collide: A Fairy Tale |
Damaged Drugstore Jesus Candycoatedwaterdrops |
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Plumb's strangely-titled Candycoatedwaterdrops starts by sounding like it's channelling Zeppelin's Kashmir in a contemporary style, but quickly sinks into a pit of horrors, not least due to the revelation (ha ha) that they're bloody Christians. Well, I should've realised, shouldn't I, with titles like God-Shaped Hole and Drugstore Jesus? Not to mention the 'thanks section: "We want to thank most importantly Christ, our Savior, in whom this album is in honor" Er, 'in whom this album is in honor'? Is their faith so overwhelming that their grammar goes to shit? Obviously. That looks a lot like someone trying to write 'proper' English without actually knowing how. Anyway, this album is lyrically offensive to anyone who would once upon a time have been known as a 'free-thinker', and it's musically offensive to anyone who likes anything outside the mainstream. Yes, even a little bit.
Co-producer Glenn Rosenstein (you mean they allowed a non-Christian to work on their record?) allegedly plays Mellotron on Stranded, but given that both he and Mike Purcell are credited with 'programming', it's safe to say that it's lost somewhere in the glossy, superficial mix. Exactly the same goes for Matt Stanfield's supposed 'Tron work on Solace, giving the album a resounding zero on the T front. Oh well, at least I didn't waste a whole 43 mins 55 secs listening to this dreck; when 'Tron tracks are credited and the music's awful, I freely admit that I reach for the 'skip' button with some frequency. Drivel. And I haven't even mentioned the ludicrously-named Tiffany Arbuckle's horrid, 'confessional' vocal style. After listening to this, I feel defiled. Avoid, with urgency.
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7"/CDS (1994/99) ***/TT Three-Quarters Blind Eyes Found a Little Baby ['99 CD version adds: Found a Little Baby (instrumental)] |
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Plush are a relatively rare US entrant in the 'louche, faux-'60s singer-songwriter' stakes. Led by Liam Hayes (it's pretty much his solo project), their releases are few and far between, partly due to Hayes' perfectionism; 2002's Fed took several years and vast sums of money to record, almost certainly not recouping it in sales. 1994's Three-Quarters Blind Eyes was his/their first release, setting out their pre-psych stall with equanimity, which effectively means that you may well not like it unless you go for (p)lush balladry in a '60s stylee.
Although there's nothing obvious on the a-side, the flip, Found A Little Baby, is smothered in Chamberlin strings and flutes, making at least this track worth hearing for its tape-replay content. Hayes is reputed to've used his Chamby on later recordings, not least 2004's Underfed, a early, pre-multiple overdubs mix of Fed; more news when I get to hear it. He's also lent it to Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces, who swamped their 2007 effort, Widow City in it, and quite possibly Friedberger's 2006 solo double, Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language Music.
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Voyage Into a Dreamer's Mind (1980, 34.57) ***½/TT |
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| Into a Totally Different Race The Struggle Encounter Petal on a Wet Bough Love's Labyrinth The Voyage The Dreamer Hole in a Pocket |
Yanti Au Revoir |
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Norway's Pluto (apparently a person, not a band) released two albums in the early '80s, round about the same time as a band by whom he was surely influenced: Kerrs Pink; it's hard to say which outfit is better, although Kerrs Pink have a higher public profile, due to their patronage by Musea, going by the evidence here. Voyage Into a Dreamer's Mind is a perfectly good and undeservedly obscure late-period progressive album, for which the word 'mellifluous' could have been invented, such is its laid-back melodic approach to the genre; comparisons with Camel (particularly their Snow Goose period) would also be appropriate, with only a few of its ten tracks featuring any vocal involvement.
Difficult to pick out any standout tracks, but nothing here is likely to offend, with the short guitar pieces Hole In A Pocket and Au Revoir being notable. On the Mellotron front (from Pluto himself), after a couple of 'Tronless tracks, the choirs kick in on Encounter, with more of the same on Love's Labyrinth, while The Voyage opens with the album's first obvious 'Tron string part, although a string synth is in evidence, too. While we're not talking 'Mellotron Classic', what you can hear is sympathetically played, adding nicely to the overall effect; shame he couldn't have used it a little more, methinks.
Anyway, this one isn't going to be easy to find, and while it's a perfectly nice album, it really shouldn't be considered 'essential', either for the music or the Mellotron. Usual stuff; pick it up should you see it at a sensible price.
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Cantamos (1974, 36.46) ***½/½Sagebrush SerenadeSusannah High and Dry Western Waterloo One Horse Blue Bitter Blue Another Time Around Whatever Happened to Your Smile All the Ways |
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Poco were formed by Richie Furay out of the ashes of Buffalo Springfield, as Neil Young and Steven Stills headed for solo careers and, concurrently, CSN/CSN&Y. While they can't lay claim to actually inventing country rock, they're one of its chief exponents, having member crossover with The Eagles, in both directions, although sticking closer to their original template. Still going strong today, they've had a more convoluted history than most, pedal steel man Rusty Young being the one consistent member, others leaving and returning more often than Rick Wakeman with Yes, which is saying something.
Cantamos was their eighth album, and second without Furay, who had been persuaded to co-found the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. It's actually a fine album, vastly better than I'd expected, with material of the quality of Sagebrush Serenade and High And Dry, and no awful country schmaltz, thankfully, although the quality does dip slightly towards the end of the record. Although no-one's credited with keys, there are a few seconds of Mellotron strings at the beginning of 'possible best track', Western Waterloo; not the briefest use of the instrument on this site, but bleedin' close...
So; a good country rock album with next to no Mellotron. If you like The Eagles and their ilk, but have never delved into Poco's nightmarish discography (more compilations than original albums), there would be worse places to start than here.
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Haunted (2000, 70.43) **/T½ |
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| Exploration B Haunted Control Terrible Thought Walk the Walk Terrified Heart Wild 5 & ½ Minute Hallway Not a Virgin |
Hey Pretty Dear Johnny Could've Gone Mad Lemon Meringue Spanish Doll House of Leaves Amazed If You Were Here |
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Annie "Poe" Decatur Danielewski is a dance-oriented American singer-songwriter, notable for her vociferous fanbase, who helped with her 'Re-POE-Session' campaign (nice multiple pun there) to persuade Atlantic to relinquish their hold over her masters. Her second album, 2000's Haunted, is probably a decent enough affair within its genre, although since Planet Mellotron isn't terribly keen on commercial dance-pop, it's difficult to say for sure. It certainly has an unexpected breadth of stylistic variation, while Poe has an excellent voice of its type, but to attempt to pick out 'highlights' would probably be futile.
Patrick Warren does his usual Chamberlin thing, nicely audible for once, compared to many albums bearing his name. We get strings and stabby flutes on Terrible Thought, a brief string part towards the end of 5 & ½ Minute Hallway, strings on Hey Pretty, what sounds like literally a single string chord on brief interlude House Of Leaves and what I take to be Chamby strings on Amazed. Given the Chamberlin's chameleon-like quality, it may well be on several other tracks, too, although some of the strings sound real. So; nice to hear the Chamby high enough in the mix to hear, but not an album I can envisage myself playing again in a hurry. OK, ever.
Incidentally, given that Hey Pretty was used as the title music to MTV's short-lived Spyder Games soap, it's possible that the soundtrack's entry on this site (Chamberlin credited to... Patrick Warren) is superfluous. More news should I ever get to hear the thing.
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Let it Go (1999, 50.32) ***/TTT |
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| Sea The Waiting Room Wizard Magic Stars From Here on in Good Times Even Me Fine Line Head Heart & Hammer |
Hymn No Surprise Run A Dream Saved Sun |
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Poisonous Museum's sole album to date is, in many ways, a typical 'modern' progressive album, taking much of its influence from the more metallic end of the spectrum. That isn't to say that it's 'progressive metal', à la Dream Theater, but the guitars have a good deal more 'crunch' than any '70s-influenced band. While mostly British, vocalist Marc "Max" Vanhaeren is French, although his English-language vocals are barely accented. The album falls into the 'not great, but not bad' category, with a couple of the songs standing out, but most not really hitting the 'memorable' button.
The Mellotron use by Andrew Smart is sparse but effective, with Good Times and Saved being especially worthy of mention, so don't buy this hoping for a Mellotron Classic, but it's not a bad album of its type.
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Expansion (2005, 60.57) ****/TTTTTegulaToxic Blue Nebulous Valve Aquarius |
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Flux Echoes (2007, 73.28) ****/TTTTFlux EchoesRadiant Transmission Phosphor Skyline Torque |
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Brendan Pollard is one half of current UK EM duo Rogue Element, Expansion being his first solo project, surprisingly after only one Rogue Element album, Premonition. It has a lot in common with said album, although it lacks its Froeseish guitar work, but otherwise sticks fairly closely to the standard 'Berlin School' template of drones, sequencer lines and shitloads of Mellotron. Yes, it's real, with 'various tape frames' being credited in the CD booklet, although I could only actually spot five specific sounds myself. You may ask yourself (or you may not, given that you're already reading the contents of this site), "What the fuck does it matter whether or not the Mellotron's real?". I'll tell you why it matters: it's to do with the way a musician plays a sound. Piano samples, especially when played on a lightweight synth keyboard, never sound right, and nor do infinite-sustain Mellotron samples with velocity sensitivity (thanks, Roland). That's like pitchbending a piano, or playing eight-note chords on a guitar; good trick if you can do it, but nothing to do with the way the instrument was intended to be played. OK, I'm sure Harry Chamberlin and Les Bradley would've liked to've made an infinitely sustaining Chamberlin or Mellotron, but they didn't, and hearing one that does is just... wrong. So there.
Er, anyway... The album's Mellotron work begins with a full-on choir part a few minutes into Tegula, with flutes, phased strings and even brass thrown into the mix later on. Toxic Blue pretty much opens with an extremely upfront flute part, throwing cellos into the equation further down the line (listen to that raucous double bass note!), while the rest of the album sticks more to the tried'n'tested strings and flutes, although there may well be sound effects (Rogue Element own at least one ex-Tangs frame) here and there as well. So; a good, solid EM release, sounding all the better for its considerable analogue input. As ever with this genre, I'm not the best-qualified person to review it, but as with the Rogue Element album, this will be put on when I need to kick back and drift off. Organic, well thought-out EM. Buy.
Two years on, and Brendan's second album drops onto my doormat, completely unheralded. So what's happened to Rogue Element? They're beginning to look like the Tangs' longevity is not for them, though I may yet be proven wrong, hopefully. Flux Echoes is, unsurprisingly, another Berlin School album, with all the usual reference points; y'know, you either like this stuff or you don't - half measures don't count. It does all the right things in all the right places, although some of you may find what is effectively a double albums'-worth to be a little too much of a good thing. Blame the CD revolution. Anyway, shedloads of 'Tron, with the sounds listed this time. (Deep breath):
The obvious ones are the standard 3 violins (generic 'strings'), the cellos, brass, flutes and both choirs, though the other three string sounds must be in there somewhere. Thinking about it, the mixed violin/cello is probably on the title track. Not sure about the oboes and sound effects, but given that they'll be their ex-Tangs frame, they could be almost anything; certainly not restricted to the 'standard' set I've spotted on a few things. Sensibly, Brendan and Adrian Dolente don't over-use them (they have two M400s), as overkill is easy, particularly with the strings (otherwise known as 'how to spot samples'). None of that here, which is always to be applauded, but when you have at least four tape frames, that really shouldn't be too difficult. So; once again, a 'Tron-heavy EM album for everyone who mourns the day Tangerine Dream got rid of theirs, me included. This beats the crap out of most digital Euro-EM, featuring people who not only can play their instruments, but have to, as most of it is pre-MIDI, and even the sequencing is pseudo-analogue (spot the Doepfer). As with its predecessor, this is a pretty essential album. Buy.
See: Rogue Element | Free System Projekt/Brendan Pollard/Hashtronaut
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Il Diario di Lola (2008, 54.58/63.13) **/T |
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| Colpo di Fulmine Amor Another Life Mi Heroe Come Stai? Devorame Otra Vez Sleep Eva Luna Put Your Arms Around Me |
No Matta What The Car You Wanna Drive It Goes Down Come With Me Use Your Imagination [bonus tracks: La Historia de un Amor El Dia Que Me Quieras] |
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Lola Ponce (pronounced 'Pon-che') is an Argentinian singer/actress type who broke through internationally in Italy (her website has a '.it' suffix); 2008's Il Diario di Lola is her fourth album, combining Italian, Spanish and English lyrics in a probably successful attempt to appeal to the widest possible audience. It's pretty much as you'd expect; pop of various hues, from the glossy AOR of opener Colpo Di Fulmine through the balladry of Mi Heroe to the dance-pop of Devorame Otra Vez, making for the kind of album that you, dear reader, are unlikely to go for.
Rick Nowels (Dido, Ronan Keating, a host of other mainstream pop acts) plays Mellotron, amongst other things, with little repeating string stabs on It Goes Down and flutes on Use Your Imagination. So; not something you're probably going to go too far out of your way to hear (spot the understatement), but far less offensive than expected, with two minor 'Tron tracks.
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Greatest Hits (2000, 51.37) ***/T |
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| I'm a Doggy Small Car Now I'm Happy Power Runnin' Round Pancakes Bring Me Rocks Rubin |
Wanna Wanna Sleep at Night Arms & Legs She Ain't Going Home Little Fly No Kids |
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'The Legendary' Marvin Pontiac was a previously-unknown Chicagoan bluesman of Malian and Jewish parentage, born 1932, died 1977, who began recording in the early '50s, although his descent into mental illness a few years prior to his death stymied any attempts at later work. OK, he wasn't and he didn't. 'Legendary' is spot-on, as Marvin Pontiac never existed. He's the invention of New York avant-gardist John Lurie, aided and abetted by his friends, including the genuinely legendary John Medeski; it's an amusing project, although no-one with the slightest musical knowledge will be taken in for a second, despite the (relatively) authentic blues harp playing. Opener I'm A Doggy was supposedly recorded in 1952, but sounds like exactly what it is: a late-'90s spoof. Actually, most of the album's contents have little to do with either the blues or Malian music, despite the occasional Africanesque rhythms and chanting, which doesn't detract from their enjoyment factor one iota.
Medeski plays Mellotron, along with Hammond and Clavinet, although only on one track, Power opening with a few choir notes, with a flute part later on. Overall, this is a Medeski-style album of NYC avant-er, something, done with plenty of attention to detail, though ultimately unable to keep up the pretence. Definitely amusing, actually not bad, but quite certainly not by a long-dead one-man cultural melting-pot.
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Poohlover (1976, 39.59) ***/TT |
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| Il Primo Giorno di Libertà Gitano Pierre Fare, Sfare, Dire, Indovinare Un Uomo Straniero Venuto dal Tempo Storia di una Lacrima Linda Tra la Stazione e le Stelle |
Io Sono il Vento e Quel Giorno Ero Là Padre del Fuoco, Padre del Tuono, Padre del Nulla |
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Rotolando Respirando (1977, 44.15) ***/T |
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| Sara nel Sole Bella In Diretta nel Vento Che ne Fai di Te Rotolando Respirando Per una Donna Il Suo Tempo e Noi Una Domenica da Buttare |
Dammi Solo un Minuto Ancora Tra un Anno |
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Boomerang (1978, 44.46) ***/T½ |
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| La Città degli Altri Ci Penserò Domani Pronto, Buongiorno e'la Sveglia Cercami Leggenda di Mautoa Air India Quaderno di Donna Incredibilmente Giù |
Classe '58 Il Ragazzo del Cielo (Lindberg) |
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Viva (1979, 37.53) **½/T½ |
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| Io Sono Vivo Notte a Sorpresa Una Donna Normale Tutto Adesso In Concerto Rubiamo un'Isola Così Ti Vorrei Susanna e Basta |
L'Ultima Notte di Caccia Viva |
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Hurricane (1980, 38.28) **½/½Hurricane (Rotolando Respirando)I Dedicate My Love to You (In Diretta nel Vento) Flow (Ci Penserò Domani) Fade Away (Pierre) A Million Miles From Nowhere (La Città degli Altri) Care (Per una Donna) Give Me Only This Moment (Dammi Solo un Minuto) Ready Get Up and Good Morning (Pronto, Buongiorno è la Sveglia) Your Love (Che ne Fai di Te) |
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...Stop (1980, 39.43) **/T |
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| Caro Me Stesso Mio Stagione di Vento Numero Uno Vienna Ali per Guardare Occhi per Volare Cantero per Te Aria di Mezzanotte Quasi Citta |
Gatto di Strada Inca |
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Buona Fortuna (1981, 39.44) **/½ |
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| Buona Fortuna Banda Nel Vento Lascia Che Sia Compleanno de Maggio Gente della Sera Fuori Stagione Dove Sto Domani Replay |
Fotografie Chi Fermera la Musica |
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Palasport (1982, 63.15) **½/T |
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| Canzone per l'Inverno Dove Sto Domani Buona Fortuna Banda Nel Vento Quello Che Non Sai Piccola Katy In Silenzio Tanta Voglia di Lei |
Pensiero Noi Due Nel Mondo e Nell'anima Nascerò Con Te Banda Nel Vento (Ripresa) Viva (Solo Orchestra) Ultima Notte di Caccia Pierre Notte a Sorpresa |
Vienna Aria di Mezzanotte Parsifal Parsifal (Solo Orchestra) |
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Mellotrons used:
I Pooh formed in 1966 and, incredibly, are still going, with no periods of inactivity in between. A beat group when they formed (of course), they shifted into a rather cheesy form of orchestrated progressive pop in the early '70s, before gravitating towards mainstream pop/rock by the middle of the decade. Most surprisingly, albums as late as 1982's live Palasport still feature keys man Roby Facchinetti's trusty Mellotron, although doubtless in a somewhat supporting role. I've seen reference to 'Tron use as early as 1975's Un Po' del Nostro Tempo Migliore, but there's nothing obvious to be heard on either it or their second album of that year, Forse Ancora Poesia, leaving the following year's Poohlover as their first definite 'Tron album.
While the lengthy orchestral tracks coughed their last on Un Po' del Nostro..., Poohlover still has a prog feel about it in places, notably on the pocket epic Un Uomo Straniero Venuto Dal Tempo and closer Padre Del Fuoco, Padre Del Tuono, Padre Del Nulla, although much of the album consists of pretty mainstream fare. Facchinetti's 'Tron turns up on Gitano (upfront flutes and choir swells), Un Uomo Straniero Venuto Dal Tempo (sounds like heavily reverbed 'Tron choir), (I think) strings on Io Sono Il Vento E Quel Giorno Ero Là and more obvious choir on the final track, effected in places. 1977's Rotolando Respirando ('We Go and Breathe', apparently) reminds me of Queen, of all bands, with the same sort of overblown pomp-pop with a considerable guitar presence, although more 'Italian' (and not just because of the vocals) and less, er, interesting. Better tracks include opener Sara Nel Sole and side two's big ballad, Ancora Tra Un Anno, though it's all fairly unexciting stuff, to be honest, just scraping three stars for not being too awful. Limited Mellotron, with what sound like distant background choirs on the title track and a major flute part in Il Suo Tempo E Noi, alongside real strings, but that seems to be it, although I'm willing to admit it could be hidden away on one or two other tracks.
The following year's Boomerang is very similar to its predecessor, with bits of 'Queen guitar' dotted about and a preponderance of stately ballads with a vaguely proggy edge to them. Leggenda Di Mautoa and Quaderno Di Donna are about the best, with most tracks being neither memorable for especially good (the slushy Classe '58 is fairly typical). Mellotron choirs and flutes on Leggenda Di Mautoa and choirs and strings on lengthyish closer Il Ragazzo Del Cielo (Lindberg), on the band's last album to feature any level of progressivity whatsoever. '79's Viva (the band by now without the 'I', or 'The') is essentially mainstream pop, minus even the Queen influence (sadly), replaced by a horrid Euro-disco feel to some of the tracks. No even slight highlights, I'm afraid, although the closing title track is about the least irritating thing here. It's also one of the only two tracks with any Mellotronic input, with a largish helping of choirs, although they're a bit buried in the mix, although the strings on L'Ultima Notte Di Caccia are slightly more obvious.
1980's Hurricane is the anomaly in the Pooh catalogue: an English-language album that turns out to be re-recorded versions of old songs with new lyrics, in true, er, PFM style. Not. The band only mine three of their previous four releases (the Mellotron ones, coincidentally), with the bulk of the material being sourced from Rotolando Respirando. As a result, it's a marginal improvement on its predecessor, although, strangely enough, the band chose not to rework any of their earlier epics for the record. The title track, a reworking of Rotolando Respirando itself, reprises the original's Mellotron parts and repositions the track in its obvious place as album opener. ...Stop was their second album of the year, although, of course, the only one of new material, and is unsurprisingly pretty unexciting and mainstream. I thought it was Mellotron-free, until closer Inca (also the album's best track), with some nice choir swells, keeping the album on this site by the skin of its teeth. '81's Buona Fortuna is only here because I've seen the 'Mellotron' credit on a vinyl original. Very mainstream Italian pop/rock, next to no audible 'Tron, with the only possibility being a high string note at the end of Dove Sto Domani. Useless.
1982's live Palasport seems to have been released in several versions; the original double-LP listing now seems to be available on a 2-CD set, but a seemingly completely different version appeared on a single disc in 1990, which is what I've reviewed here, for want of anything better, not to mention another, different single CD that appeared at another point... On the version I have, not only have several tracks been mostly needlessly cut, as the disc comes nowhere near its 80-minute capacity, but everything's been moved around for no obviously good reason, so, for example, side four's eight-song medley now sits somewhere near the beginning, while ...Stop's Inca, one of their more 'Tron-heavy tracks, is missing, so I shall return here when I manage to locate an original. What you do get is (presumably) their most popular material in front of a huge, female-heavy crowd, who sing along at every opportunity, with the strange inclusion of the whole of the overblown ten-minute title track from Parsifal, a.k.a. an excuse for the band to show off their chops. Facchinetti's credited with Mellotron and indeed, the choirs are present and correct in the proggish Viva (Solo Orchestra), albeit rather muted, with literally just a few chords at the end of Parsifal (Solo Orchestra), although that seems to be it, at least on this version.
For what it's worth, Palasport seems to be the last Pooh 'Tron album, which should hardly come as a surprise, given the era. There's a remote possibility there's a few string chords on '83's AOR-friendly Tropico del Nord, but it doesn't seem likely, all things considered. So; (I) Pooh's early-mid '70s titles are vaguely OK, if not exactly outstanding, but they were well on the way down by the time Poohlover appeared. Can I actually recommend any of these? Er, not really, no, although there are a handful of decent 'Tron tracks (and halfway decent tracks, actually) dotted around throughout their catalogue. A compilation of their best bits might be worth hearing, but it isn't commercially available, for the fairly good reason that it wouldn't be very commercial.
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Popol Vuh (1972, 34.19) ***½/TTT½HunchbackJoy & Pleasure All We Have is the Past Leavin' Chicago For Eternity Sucklin' Pig Medicine |
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Quiché Maya (1973, 39.31) ***½/TT½Queen of All QueensDark Nights Mrs. Randalie Music Box Yesterday Milk-White Satin-Dressed Departure Between You and Me Get Up |
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Stolen From Time [as Popol Ace] (1975, 49.20) ***½/TT½Bury Me DeadToday Another Day Jester Soft Shoe Dancer Mr. Bigalow Sweet Tune Sleepwalker I Can See Tears Suicide |
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Named for the Mayan creation myth, Norway's Popol Vuh released two albums before deciding on a name-change to the less atmospheric Popol Ace to avoid clashing with Florian Fricke's better-known project. After seeing the song titles on Popol Vuh, I expected them to be quite in-your-face, but much of the album is quiet, reflective progressive rock, although Leavin' Chicago is, unsurprisingly, a bad blues. When the band played to their strengths, they were a pretty good proto-prog outfit, with accentless English-language vocals, although I'd be lying if I said the music was especially complex. The way to get the best out of the album is, basically, to play the 'Tron tracks, although the first half of Medicine is a bit suspect, until it suddenly turns into the proggiest track on the album. Pete Knutsen does a good job on the 'Tron, mainly strings, but cellos and flutes on a track apiece, alongside Pjokken Eide's real flute.
Their follow-up, Quiché Maya, reinforces the Mayan connection, although it's pretty much 'no change' on the musical front, although the titles made me think that maybe they'd dropped the bad blues-rock stuff. To be fair, there's probably less of that, and a (slightly) more experimental progressive air to the album, though it doesn't open particularly well. There's a block of 'Tron tracks in the middle of the record, largely strings, with some fucked-up pitchbend work on closer Get Up, too, but there's probably less 'Tron work than on its predecessor overall.
Two years on, Stolen From Time was their first release as Popol Ace, and seems, maybe surprisingly, to be nearly as progressive as its predecessors, with Sweet Tune reminding the listener of Focus, and several other tracks having a distinctly progressive bent to them. Knutsen was still using his Mellotron, though largely for choirs by this point. Background ones can be heard on opener Bury Me Dead, with more of the same and some heavily-effected strings, which may actually not be tape-generated, on Today Another Day. A heavy flute part on Soft Shoe Dancer proves to be the only use of the sound on the album, with more of those background choirs on Sweet Tune and Sleepwalker, plus what have to actually be 'Tron strings on the latter.
So; three decent enough, but formative albums, with a reasonable helping of Mellotron, particularly on their debut. The last Popol Ace album, '78's Curly Sounds, is rumoured to contain 'Tron, though I've been pretty much assured that it doesn't; more news if I get to hear a copy.
