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Michel Polnareff
Legendary Marvin Pontiac
Poor Richard
Iggy Pop
Pop Five Music Inc
Popol Vuh (Norway)
André Popp
Posies
Possum Dixon
Risa Potters
Powderfinger
Daniel Powter

Pola  (Poland)  see: Samples etc.

Polifemo  (Argentina)  see: Samples etc.

Brendan Pollard  (UK)  see:

Brendan Pollard

Pollard/Daniel/Booth  (UK)  see:

Pollard/Daniel/Booth

Michel Polnareff  (France)

Michel Polnareff, 'Polnareff's'

Polnareff's  (1971,  37.27)  **/½

Voyages
Né dans un Ice-cream
Petite, Petite
Computer's Dream
Le Désert N'est Plus en Afrique
Nos Mots d'Amour
...Mais Encore
Qui a Tué Grand'maman?
Monsieur l'Abbé
Hey You Woman
À Minuit, à Midi

Current availability:

Mellotron used:

Michel Polnareff has had a somewhat erratic career, shifting between periods of fame at home and exile abroad, making releases rather on the sporadic side. 1971's Polnareff's is his third album, an outrageous concoction of psychedelic soul/pop, guaranteed to irritate anyone not into overblown French pop, typified by brassy opener Voyages and closer À Minuit, À Midi, Qui A Tué Grand'maman? being about the best thing here.

Polnareff plays Mellotron himself, with flute chords on Le Désert N'est Plus En Afrique and À Minuit, À Midi, as far as I can ascertain. Not something for the prog lover in your life, then, more the Stereolab fan who's adventurous enough to want to find out where they got it from. Next to no Mellotron either way.

Steve Poltz  (Canada)  see: Samples etc.

Polytechnic  (UK)  see: Samples etc.

Lola Ponce  (Argentina)  see: Samples etc.

Legendary Marvin Pontiac  (US)

Legendary Marvin Pontiac, 'Greatest Hits'

Greatest Hits  (2000,  51.37)  ***/T

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

Current availability:

Mellotron used:

'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.

See: Medeski Martin & Wood

Pony Harvest  (UK)  see: Samples etc.

(I) Pooh  (Italy)  see:

(I) Pooh

Poor Rich Ones  (Norway)  see: Samples etc.

Poor Richard  (US)

Poor Richard, 'Place of the Sun'

Place of the Sun  (1978,  31.45)  ***/T

Time
The Gulls
The Ax of Good-By
One Two Three Four
As I Walk
Funky Honky
Series
Finish

Current availability:

Mellotron used:

Vietnam vet 'Poor' Richard Smyrnios' sole LP, 1978's privately-pressed Place of the Sun is sometimes listed as being from seven years earlier, which makes sense when you hear it; a psych/folk effort that could easily date from the turn of the '70s, typified by tracks such as The Gulls or The Ax Of Good-By. It's not bad at what it does, if rather dated for the time, although when it tries to rock out on the duff Funky Honky, it works nowhere near as well.

Producer Bryce "Uncle Dirty" Roberson (why doesn't anyone give themselves that kind of nickname any more?) plays Mellotron on the album's epic (and best track), the twelve-minute Series, with string and flute parts that enhance the song's eerie anti-war message. You're not going to find an original of this for anything you're prepared to pay, but it's, er, 'available' on the 'Net and who knows, may even gain an official re-release at some point.

Poorfolk  (Canada)  see: Samples etc.

Iggy Pop  (US)

Iggy Pop, 'Five Foot One' 7"  (1979)  ***/T

Five Foot One
Pretty Flamingo

Current availability:

Chamberlin used:

The Ig on Planet Mellotron? You're no-one if you're not here, baby... Iggy Pop's 1979 album, New Values, was his first post-David Bowie collaboration release, involving two other Stooges, with James Williamson in the producer's chair and Scott Thurston playing guitar and keys. One of its better tracks, the self-deprecating Five Foot One, appeared as a picture-disc single, backed, bizarrely, with Iggy's version of Manfred Mann's 1966 hit, Pretty Flamingo. Is it any good? Hmmm. Given the Ig's style at the time, it's probably not atypical, but it's not really something you're going to go out of your way to hear.

Someone (surely not Bowie??) plays what sounds like Chamberlin on the flip, with low-end strings and female voices (and brass and/or vibes?) scattered across the track (thanks, Mattias). This is available on the expanded edition of New Values, but it's neither the most exciting Iggy or Chamby track you're likely to hear.

Official site

See: David Bowie

Pop Five Music Incorporated  (Portugal)

Pop Five Music Incorporated, 'Orange' 7"  (1971)  ****/TT½

Orange

Mission Impossible

Current availability:

Mellotron used:

I can't tell you an awful lot about Pop Five Music Inc(orporated), although they released loads of singles and a couple (?) of albums in their native Portugal between the late '60s and early '70s. 1970's Page One is a little dull, although its flip, Aria, is an excellent, Procol-esque take on Bach. The following year's Orange is a great, late-period psych piece, backed with a killer, brass-driven take on the Mission Impossible theme. Sadly, none of these tracks appear to be officially available, which is why unofficial channels exist.

Someone (David Ferreira?) slaps loads of Mellotron string stabs and unfeasibly fast arpeggios all over the 'A', with flutes on the intro, making this a minor Mellotron classic, especially due to its obscurity. If you're hellbent on finding an original, this seems to crop up on eBay every now and again, but if I were you, I'd go for the (cough) download.

Pop Machine  (Belgium)  see: Samples etc.

Popol Vuh  (Germany)  see: Samples etc.

Popol Vuh/Ace  (Norway)

Popol Vuh, 'Popol Vuh'

Popol Vuh  (1972,  34.19)  ***½/TTT½

Hunchback
Joy & Pleasure
All We Have is the Past
Leavin' Chicago
For Eternity
Sucklin' Pig
Medicine
Popol Vuh, 'Quiché Maya'

Quiché Maya  (1973,  39.31)  ***½/TT½

Queen of All Queens
Dark Nights
Mrs. Randalie
Music Box
Yesterday

Milk-White Satin-Dressed Departure
Between You and Me
Get Up
Popol Ace, 'Stolen From Time'

Stolen From Time  [as Popol Ace]  (1975,  49.20)  ***½/TT½

Bury Me Dead
Today Another Day

Jester
Soft Shoe Dancer
Mr. Bigalow
Sweet Tune
Sleepwalker

I Can See Tears
Suicide

Current availability:

Mellotrons used:

Popol Vuh live

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 Mellotron 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 Mellotron, mainly strings, but cellos and flutes on a track apiece, alongside Pjokken Eide's real flute.

Pete Knutsen with Mellotron

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 Mellotron 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 Mellotron 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 Mellotron strings on the latter.

So; three decent enough, if formative albums, with reasonable helpings of Mellotron, particularly on their debut. Despite rumours, there's nothing on the last Popol Ace album, '78's Curly Sounds (**), which sounds exactly like what happens when a Norwegian band attempts to sound like Steely Dan; the influence of vocalist Jahn Teigen's blooming solo career is overwhelming.

See: Jahn Teigen | Prucel

André Popp  (France)

André Popp, 'Piccolo et Saxo à Music City'

Piccolo et Saxo à Music City  (1972,  37.55)  ****/T½

Introduction
Arrivée de Jimmy et des Guitares
Duo de la Guitare Classique et de la Guitare Électrique
Duo de la Basse à Cordes et de la Guitare Basse
Guitare Wahwah, Distorsion, Improvisation Pop Music
Guitare Vibrato
Guitare 12 Cordes
Banjo, Guimbarde, Guitare Steel, Dobro Tutti
Harmonica, Musique Western
Sitar
Orgue Électrique
Accordeon Électronique
Synthétiseur
Le Mellotron
Les Orgues de Cristal
Les Ondes Martenot
Bronté

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Mellotron used:

Noted French orchestral composer and arranger André Popp has been making albums since the late '50s, including several volumes of his Aventures de Piccolo Saxo series, designed to introduce the orchestra to children, not dissimilar in concept to Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf or Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Titles include 1958's Piccolo Saxo et Compagnie and Passeport pour Piccolo, Saxo et Compagnie, but it's his 1972 release, Piccolo et Saxo à Music City (originally a 10" LP), that interests us here.

André Popp, 'Les Aventures de Piccolo Saxo, Vol. 2'

As its cover amply demonstrates, unlike many of his contemporaries, Popp had moved with the times, combining traditional instruments with modern ones, often juxtaposing them within the same piece (the self-explanatory Duo De La Guitare Classique Et De La Guitare Électrique or Duo De La Basse À Cordes Et De La Guitare Basse). Although my French isn't good enough to follow the story (understatement), French actor François Périer's narration clearly concerns the meeting of instruments from two very different backgrounds and (presumably) their new-found friendship. Well, it is a kids' record... As you'd expect, the composition and playing are superb, with excellent Hammond, sitar and synth (ARP 2600?) parts sitting cheek-by-jowl with harmonica, ondes martenot, accordion and classical guitar parts, not to mention the orchestra.

Fred Farrugia plays Mellotron on (you guessed it) Le Mellotron, demonstrating its ability to replicate string section, flute and brass parts against real ones, eventually combining them in a way you'll be lucky to find anywhere else (well, I haven't and I must've heard more 'Mellotron albums' than most...) Although difficult to recommend as a 'regular' listen, this (now available on Universal's Les Aventures de Piccolo Saxo, Vol. 2) is quite superb in its own way, worth hearing for more than just its Mellotronic contributions.

Porcupine Tree  (UK)  see:

Porcupine Tree

Willy Porter  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Porter Block  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Poseidotica  (Argentina)  see: Samples etc.

Posies  (US)

Posies, 'Amazing Disgrace'

Amazing Disgrace  (1996,  53.28)  ****/T½

Daily Mutilation
Ontario
Throwaway
Please Return it
Hate Song
Precious Moments
Fight it (if You Want)
Everybody is a Fucking Liar
World
Grant Hart
Broken Record
The Certainty
Song #1
¿Will You Ever Ease Your Mind?
Posies, 'Please Return it' CDS  (1996)  ***½/T

Please Return it
Sad to Be Aware
Terrorized
The Posies, 'Every Kind of Light'

Every Kind of Light  (2005,  49.54)  ***½/TT½

It's Great to Be Here Again!
Conversations

All in a Day's Work
I Guess You're Right
Anything and Everything
Second Time Around
Last Crawl
Could He Treat You Better?
Love Comes
I Finally Found a Jungle I Like!!!
That Don't Fly
Sweethearts of Rodeo Drive

Current availability:

Mellotrons used:

From Washington State, the Posies specialise(d) in high-energy powerpop, falling somewhere between Big Star and Hüsker Dü. Despite supposedly splitting in 1998, I believe there's still activity somewhere in their camp; in fact, I met them around 2001, when they used my brother's studio for a quick pre-gig rehearsal while in London. Ken Stringfellow (I think) confirmed for me that they'd actually owned a rare Mark V Mellotron in the late '90s, but had since sold it; he told me it was 'all over' '96's Amazing Disgrace, though I have to say that the audio evidence somewhat contradicts him.

It's a really good album, actually, with plenty of wit (Everybody Is A Fucking Liar, Grant Hart, referencing Hüsker Dü's drummer) and stacks of great songs, although they're not quite up to Big Star standards, to be honest. Ironically, Stringfellow and fellow guitarist Jon Auer played guitar and bass in the sporadically-reformed version of that band, backing Alex Chilton. Anyway, on the Mellotron front (played by both guitarists, apparently), Precious Moments opens with cellos before the strings kick in, still running under the heavier guitar parts, World has a reasonable string part, but The Certainty is top Mellotron moment here; a slower number with dirty great slabs of pitchbent strings all over it. It's possible that there's other bits of Mellotron dotted around, buried in the mix, but I wouldn't like to say for sure. For those of you lucky enough to own a copy of the Australian issue's bonus EP, none of the extra four songs (three of which are late '60s covers, including The Zombies' Leave Me Be and The Hollies' King Midas In Reverse) contain Mellotron, even their take on The Bee Gees' Every Christian Lionhearted Man Will Show You.

Incidentally, although Please Return It is Mellotron-free, it can be heard on both its b-sides, Sad to Be Aware and Terrorized, with a background string melody on the former and a few seconds of flute at the end of the latter (also available as a bonus track on some versions of the album and on 2000's four-disc At Least, at Last).

After various splits, reformations and nebulous, in-between states, the band released Every Kind of Light in 2005. Yes, it's a Posies album, but something's changed: their innocence? A ridiculous statement, maybe, but the music sounds slightly wearier this time round, slightly less joyous. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album, but Amazing Disgrace's joie de vivre seems to be missing in action. Presumably either Stringfellow or Auer plays fairly real-sounding Mellotron (their MkV having long since been sold, I believe), with strings on opener It's Great To Be Here Again! and Second Time Around, a near-solo string melody on Conversations and a pitchbent part on I Guess You're Right, making this actually a more Mellotronic release than Amazing Disgrace, maybe surprisingly.

There's supposed to be some Mellotron on compilation giveaway Limitless Expressions, but I have to say I can't hear it, while their (supposed) swansong, Success (***½) sounds Mellotron-free, too, which isn't to say that there aren't any more relevant tracks scattered around their discography. So; I haven't heard their earlier material, but '93's Frosting on the Beater is supposed to be excellent and I can heartily recommend Amazing Disgrace and Every Kind of Light, though more for the music than the Mellotron. But then, isn't that how it should be?

Official site

See: Jon Auer | Orange Humble Band | Beautiful Escape: The Songs of The Posies Revisited

The Possibilities  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Possum Dixon  (US)

Possum Dixon, 'Star Maps'

Star Maps  (1996,  42.25)  **½/½

Go West
In Her Disc
Radio Comets
Party Tonight
Emergency's About to End
General Electric
Crashing Your Planet
Personals
Reds
Skid Marks
Artificial Sunlight
Apartment Song

Current availability:

Mellotron used:

Possum Dixon were an L.A.-based 'alt.rock' outfit, revered by their fans for their Farfisa-driven indie stance and apparent ear for a hook. Can't say I hear it myself, at least going by their second album (of three), 1996's Star Maps. OK, it's a passable slightly '60s-ish record, but I've heard so much better in this area; the only track that stands out in any way is lengthy closer Apartment Song and then only because it isn't a rapid-fire burst of Standells-esque speed-freakery.

Robert O'Sullivan plays Mellotron on Reds, with a brief string part that was hardly worth the effort of hauling what sounds like a real M400 into the studio. Not that exciting, then, unless you're an aficionado of Possum Dixon's brand of pop, with one so-so Mellotron track.

Grace Potter (& the Nocturnals)  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Jack Potter  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Jo Potter  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Risa Potters  (UK)

Risa Potters, 'Take Me Away'

Take Me Away  (1972,  50.07)  **½/T½

Take Me Away
Too Many People
Second Choice
Birds
Moving
Love Song
It Must Have Been Hard
My Mistake
I Think I Always Knew
Traveling Man
If I Could Sing

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Mellotron used:

Risa Potters' debut, 1970's Half Woman/Half Child, was a rather twee singer-songwriter effort, very much of its time, but her follow-up, '72's surprisingly lengthy Take Me Away, saw her backed by Brit prog-lite crew Capability Brown, who managed to inject a little energy into the proceedings. Saying that, it's still a fairly bland proposition, rather insipid efforts such as Second Choice and Love Song letting the side down a little, better tracks including the moving, er, Moving and Traveling Man (why the American spelling?).

Tony Cox plays Mellotron, with a pseudo-orchestral string part on Too Many People and My Mistake, with flutes, in a counterpart to the piano, on the latter, although the strings on Second Choice, I Think I Always Knew and Traveling Man are real. This has never been issued on CD, but I couldn't, in all honesty, really recommend it anyway; harmless enough, but with too many mournful ballads and too little Mellotron.

See: Capability Brown

Powderfinger  (Australia)

Powderfinger, 'Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'

Dream Days at the Hotel Existence  (2007,  44.12)  **½/T

Head Up in the Clouds
I Don't Remember
Lost and Running
Wishing on the Same Moon
Who Really Cares (feat. The Sound of Insanity)
Nobody Sees
Surviving
Long Way to Go
Black Tears
Ballad of a Dead Man
Drifting Further Away

Current availability:

Chamberlin (?) used:

Named for the Neil Young classic, Powderfinger were one of Australia's top live draws through the '90s and 2000s, their indie take on roots-rock striking a chord with many of their countrymen. Their sixth (and second last) album, 2007's Dream Days at the Hotel Existence, is designed to be heard drifting from car windows on intercontinental highway roadtrips, at its least bland on Lost And Running, which isn't saying much.

Benmont Tench (Tom Petty, of course) plays 'piano and keyboards', including what may well be Chamberlin, with a well-arranged strings part on Wishing On The Same Moon. Powderfinger were very worthy, but, as with so many other 'worthy' artists, also rather dull.

Official site

See: Bernard Fanning

Doug Powell  (US)  see: Samples etc.

Daniel Powter  (Canada)

Daniel Powter, 'Daniel Powter'

Daniel Powter  (2005,  40.26)  *½/TTT½

Song 6
Free Loop
Bad Day
Suspect
Lie to Me
Jimmy Gets High

Styrofoam
Hollywood
Lost on the Stoop
Give Me Life
[bonus track:
Stupid Like This]
Daniel Powter, 'Under the Radar'

Under the Radar  (2008,  45.02)  **/TT

Best of Me
Not Coming Back
Whole World Around
Next Plane Home
Am I Still the One?
Negative Fashion
Don't Give Up on Me

Fly Away
Beauty Queen
My So Called Life
Love You Lately (remix)
Bad Day (live)

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Mellotrons/Chamberlin (?) used:

Late starter Daniel Powter (born 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who had the commercial good fortune to find his way onto the US version of the UK's Pop Idol, irritatingly renamed American Idol (why does everything have to be 'American'? Why?), although he's, er, Canadian. Admittedly, he wasn't a contestant; they used his horrible song Bad Day (non-partisan? Moi?) in the series, for some unknown, doubtless nefarious purpose. He released his eponymous debut in 2005, featuring that vile cheesefest and some other vaguely similar stuff, none of it quite as offensive, largely due to being less catchy. There's no such thing as a 'best track' here, although Hollywood is possibly the least nasty; the only spot of light on the horizon is that it's only 'vinyl length'. God, this is loathsome. To my great surprise, the album's laden with Mellotron and possibly Chamberlin. Powter and Chamby hero Mitchell Froom both play unspecified keys, so my guess is it's the latter who splatters tape-replay instruments all over the place here, with strings on the first six tracks, plus choir on the filthy Bad Day, making for this site's first (ta da!) *½/TTT½ rating.

Powter released his follow-up, Under the Radar, in 2008 and it's fair to say that he hasn't noticeably developed his style in the intervening three years. Nothing here's as all-out infuriating as Bad Day, which actually gives the album an extra half star. Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes, many others) produces and plays Mellotron, with strings and flutes on Best Of Me, flutes on Negative Fashion and strings on Don't Give Up On Me, plus a choir part on the remixed version of his hit, Love You Lately. This is also available on some versions of Daniel Powter, as its opening track, so whether Perry plays the Mellotron, or Froom, or someone else entirely is unknown. Amusing to note that Warners presumably didn't have quite enough faith in the album's abilities to sell under its own steam, so a live version of Bad fucking Day is stuck on the end.

Well, if you want to hear loads of well-played Mellotron, you might just go for Daniel Powter, although Under the Radar is rather less in that department. However, unless your cheesometer's been completely disabled, you're going to have more than a little trouble with the horrible music on offer here. You have been warned.

Official site


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