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Well, are they or aren't they? There are always going to be at least a few albums whose Mellotron content is uncertain; it may be, but then... Every now and again, these can be verified one way or the other, but there's bound to be a few that always remain a mystery. Many of those below have been removed from the regular reviews pages, and will stay here until/if more information is received.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
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East of Eden Grapes of Wrath |
New Order Odissea |
Peter Tosh |
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Mercator Projected (1969, 45.11/69.54) ****/T |
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| Northern Hemisphere Isadora Waterways Centaur Woman Bathers Communion Moth In the Stable of the Sphinx |
[CD adds: Waterways (demo) In the Stable of the Sphinx (demo) Eight Miles High] |
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Current availability:
East of Eden (name taken from the Steinbeck book/film, of course) are best-known for their unrepresentative one-off UK hit, Jig-a-Jig, but it seems there was considerably more to the band than that. Formed in 1967, their debut, Mercator Projected, is an excellent electric violin-driven post-psych album with loads of energy and great tunes. They weren't afraid to experiment and stretch out, but there was obviously something about them that didn't really gel with the British scene, as they ended up concentrating on Europe, where they actually had a career.
I'm told there's Mellotron on Mercator Projected (player unknown, as no-one's credited with keys), but even though the monophonic string line on Bathers sounds a lot like an effected MkII, it could just as easily be effected electric violin; the few times two notes are played at once are the giveaway, as it stops sounding like a 'Tron and starts sounding like a solo violin. HOWEVER... without finding out from someone who actually knows, it's almost impossible to say, as it could easily be a 'Tron doubling the violin line; the sound is certainly thick enough, but then it could be the violin double-tracked... As a result, this stays here until/if I find out more. It's a damn' good album either way - worth hearing for fans of the era. Something interesting/amusing I noticed is that the band's drummer at the time, Dave Dufort (or 'Dufont' as it says here) went on to drum with NWOBHM stalwarts Angel Witch a decade later, although he didn't play on their sole major-label release.
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These Days (1991, 54.07) *** |
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| Away You May Be Right Consequences I Can't Find My Home Days I am Here No Reason Travelin' |
A Fishing Tale Thru to You Now Miracle |
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Current availability:
The Grapes of Wrath were a Canadian powerpop band, operating at the folky end of the spectrum. 1991's These Days was their fifth album, and last before their split (they reformed in 2000 and recorded a sixth record). Apparently, it didn't go down that well with their fanbase, although it sounds like a perfectly good folky pop/rock release to me, the gorgeous electric 12-string on Days bringing The Byrds to mind, although they shamelessly rip Zep's Rain Song on I Can't Find My Home. Naughty.
Now, I've had this on the site as an 'unconfirmed' just about forever, and now I hear it, I'm no better off. Unlike many similar, I can't find any references to Mellotron use (although something must have made me put it on here in the first place), and the strings on You May Be Right and flutes on the lengthy Miracle are somewhat inconclusive. The only people involved with the recording who have anything to do with Mellotrons are members of XTC, credited as The Dukes of Stratosphear, who play, er, something on A Fishing Tale, but certainly not Mellotron. As a result, this stays here until/if I should find out anything more useful.
So; a reasonably good album with some very good moments, but the jury's out on its 'Tron content.
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Technique (1989, 38.14) ***/½Fine TimeLove Less Run Round and Round Guilty Partner Vanishing Point All the Way Mr. Disco Dream Attack |
Current availability:
The New Order story is far too familiar to bear any serious repetition; suffice to say, they are essentially the regrouped Joy Division after that band's dissolution following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis. New Order have kept a foot in both the indie and dance camps, frequently mixing the two, or producing innovative dance-based material such as 1983's excellent Blue Monday (and no, the choirs on that track are absolutely not Mellotron).
It all seems rather unlikely that they'd use a Mellotron on the acid house-influenced Technique, but halfway through track 3, Run, a familiar-sounding string sound appears, although the more you hear of it, the less 'Tronlike it sounds. 1989 is extremely early in the day for anyone to use 'Tron samples, so the likely scenarios are:
1) It's a generic late-'80s grungy string sample that sounds slightly like Mellotron strings 'cos they're, duh, grungy string samples.
2) It's an early Mellotron sample.
3) It's a Mellotron.
Option 1) would get it disqualified from this site, or at the very best, exiled to Mistaken ID, option 2) gets it stuck in Sampledelica!, and option 3) doesn't actually seem that likely, so this is going to live here until I can prove which option it falls under.
Anyway, is it a good album? Actually, yes; although I'm not exactly a fan of their thang, this is a pleasant listen with some reasonably groundbreaking material. And a remake of Blue Monday.
See: Joy Division
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Odissea (1973, 37.04) ***½/T½UnioneGiochi Nuovi - Carte Nuove Crisalide Cuor di Rubino Domanda Il Risveglio di un Mattino Voci Conti e Numeri |
Current availability:
Odissea's sole release is an above-average slice of typical Italian prog, although at times it sounds just that little bit to close to Genesis for comfort. Strangely, I've seen Odissea described as 'average', but I've heard an awful lot more ordinary albums within the genre, although it has to be borne in mind that the quality of early-'70s Italian progressive was way above that of most countries.
You may have noted that although this album is in 'possibles' rather than 'mistaken identity', none of the tracks above have been highlighted; I was working from an inaccurate tracklisting, and since none of the tracks definitely contain Mellotron, time constraints stop me going back to check, at least this week. Most of the strings are, in fact, clearly uncredited string synth, but every now and again, there's the odd note or background chord sequence that just might actually be Ennio Cinguino's credited 'Tron, though I have no idea how I'd find out for sure over 30 years down the line.
Anyway, a good album, though not one of the greats, but some deeply suspect 'Mellotron'. Your choice.
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Legalize It (1976, 38.55) ***½/½Legalize itBurial What'cha Gonna Do No Sympathy Why Must I Cry Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) Ketchy Shuby Till Your Well Runs Dry Brand New Secondhand |
Current availability:
Now, I'd be the first to admit that reggae isn't exactly my Musical Style Of Choice, although as the years go by, I can appreciate classic Bob Marley more than I could at the time. Peter Tosh was, of course, one of the three original Wailers, along with Marley and Bunny Livingston, but left in 1974 along with Livingston, complaining about maltreatment by Marley and Island boss Chris Blackwell. His solo debut, Legalize It was finally released on Virgin, reggae's other spiritual home in the UK, in 1976, to widespread acclaim, the title track becoming an instant herb anthem. The album is actually pretty varied, given the relatively narrow boundaries reggae sets itself, with several different feels on display across its length, with a beautiful guitar solo on Till Your Well Runs Dry, probably from Al Anderson.
Keyboards on the album were played by both Tosh himself and Tyrone Downie (a.k.a. Downey), but despite rumours of Mellotron use on this album, the strings on Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) are indistinct enough to shift it onto this page. Anyway, reggae fans need this album, along with Marley's contemporaneous releases, but don't even think about it for 'Tron use. Incidentally, Tosh's troubled life ended when he was murdered during a burglary in 1987, leaving Livingston as the only surviving original Wailer.
