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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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And Then There is Silence (2000, 65.14) ****/TT½Fields of SorrowLike a Whisper Tell Me a Story Come Home Reaching for Angels Silence Within She Will Dance No More Autumn Rain |
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Mellotron used:
Valinors Tree's second album, And Then There is Silence, is a marked improvement on their debut, Kingdom of Sadness (with sampled 'Tron, reviewed here), with fewer metal stylings this time round, both vocally and in the guitar department. The Anekdoten comparisons still stand, though Valinors use far more of John Lönnmyr's piano, giving their sound an identity of its own. Actually, the more of this album I hear, the more impressed I am, especially compared to its very ordinary predecessor. They've learnt to pace themselves, use keyboards imaginatively, sing properly... There's trumpet on a couple of tracks, and Reaching For Angels even uses sampled drum loops and pseudo-analogue synth burbles, proving that the band are by no means stuck in the past.
They borrowed The Moor's Kenneth Magnusson's 'Tron first time round, then only sampled it. This time, they actually recorded the thing, with strings on Like A Whisper and She Will Dance No More, very upfront flutes on Tell Me A Story and choirs on Silence Within, although most of their 'Tron use is fairly background, leading to a low-ish 'T' rating. So; while not a classic, And Then There is Silence is worth hearing, though not necessarily for the Mellotron.
See: Sampledelica!
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Newborn (197?, 34.50) *½/TTI Look at the SunHow Sweet it is While I'm Away When You're Smiling - J'Attendrai Butterfly Rock Show 1950's-60's |
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Valley of Sound were one of doubtless many, many thousands of crummy functions bands that littered the musical landscape in the '70s, in the days when people were prepared to pay a real, live band to play their wedding/bar mitzvah/funeral, rather than employ a DJ. As a result, a whole generation of musicians were ruined by playing this crud for filthy lucre rather than getting out there and doing something original. Actually, it's not just the unoriginality I object to so much - plenty of bands are unoriginal, even (especially?) ones who aren't trying to be - but the appalling arrangements these purveyors of cheese foisted on the general public. Mind you, said public probably deserved everything they got, bopping about at their nephew's wedding, pretending they're having a good time and groping their hot sister-in-law during the slow ones.
So, what does this abomination actually sound like? Every bit as bad as you can imagine, is the short answer. Unbelievably, three of side one's tracks are band originals, and are utterly horrible, as are their stabs at two covers; I particularly like the bit in When You're Smiling when the singer smiles, laughs, then cries while he's singing, to match the lyrics. Truly jaw-dropping. The real meat'n'potatoes of the album lies on side two, though. A near-twenty minute live medley of, well, just about everything you didn't want to hear again from the '50s and '60s, played with grim determination by this be-suited bunch of goons, dodgy on-stage harmonies and all. Not to mention their 'risqué' bit in the middle, where they amend a few lyrics to vaguely daring effect. 'Put your legs on my shoulders' indeed. This really has to be heard to be believed, although I doubt if I'll ever be able to bring myself to play it again.
And why is this drivel here, I hear you ask? Why d'you think? My excellent informant correspondent Mark supplied me with a copy of this horror (which cost him all of ¢25), as he noticed a credit on the rear sleeve for Mellotron, played by wonderfully moustachioed singer/keyboardist Garé Rex (I kid you not). It finds its way onto two of their three originals, with full-on 'orchestral replacement' strings on opener I Look At The Sun (sample lyric: 'I look at the sun, and notice it's shining down on everyone') and flute and string parts on cheeso ballad While I'm Away, easily the best thing about either track.
So; how easily are you going to find this? I mean, why would you? It's deeply appalling, even worse than, say, Brit efforts Triple Cream or the better-known Candlewick Green. Shockingly, there are actually aficionados of this stuff out there, some of these albums changing hands for top dollar. Who knows, maybe Mark's ¢25 would sell for 50 bucks plus? Or maybe not. Anyway, should you stumble across a copy at a yard sale or the American equivalent of a charity shop, only you can decide whether or not to shell out your hard-earned on it. I can only stand back and cry with laughter.
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Teenagers Film Their Own Life (1996, 43.59) **½/½ |
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| The Guitarmakers Adventure: Era IV Relaxing Mood An Audio Obstacle Course (One Love) Le Blues Ermetique Flashin' Light (Some Girls Like to Disco) He Cried Rainy Day (Left)/Sintetone 2000 (Right) End/Exploring the City of Ghosts |
Yeti's Folk [Unlisted track] |
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Valvola seem to've been a one-off mid-'90s Italian pseudo-lounge project; remember 'lounge'? Thought not. Anyway, Teenagers Film Their Own Life is vaguely amusing, with plenty of period detail, not least the keyboards used, with plenty of Farfisa (or similar) and slightly out-of-place monosynth. Probably the most interesting thing here is Rainy Day (Left)/Sintetone 2000 (Right), which actually seems to be two complementary tracks playing together, panned hard left and right. Or maybe it's just an exercise in stereo separation.
Michele Profeti (from Standarte) plays Mellotron, with faint choirs on Relaxing Mood, but nothing you couldn't live without, frankly. All in all, an attempt to capture the zeitgeist that only partially succeeds and sounds rather dated over a decade later, and with next to no Mellotron, you'd be wise to say 'no'.
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Pawn Hearts (1971, 45.08) *****/T |
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| Lemmings (Including Cog) Man-Erg A Plague of Lighthouse-Keepers Eyewitness Pictures/Lighthouse Eyewitness S.H.M. Presence of the Night Kosmos Tours (Custard's) Last Stand |
The Clot Thickens Land's End (Sineline) We Go Now |
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Still Life (1976) ****/½PilgrimsStill Life La Rossa My Room (Waiting for Wonderland) Childlike Faith in Childhood's End |
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World Record (1976) ****/TWhen She ComesA Place to Survive Masks Meurglys III, the Songwriter's Guild Wondering |
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Van der Graaf Generator were the brainchild of manic vocalist/songwriter Peter Hammill, forming at Manchester University in the late '60s. After an early, fantastically rare single, they split, Hammill recording a solo album that eventually, to his irritation, got itself released as the first VdGG outing. Aerosol Grey Machine (***½) isn't bad, but is rather 'of its time' and bears little relation to the sonic holocaust that was to come. Hammill then regrouped the band properly, recording the stunning The Least We Can Do is Wave to Each Other (****½) and H to He Who am the Only One (****½), the title referring to 'hydrogen to helium', so pronounced 'aitch to aitch ee'.
Their third album in as many years, Pawn Hearts is an incredible piece of work; dark, progressive and manic, and that's just the first two minutes of Lemmings. Man-Erg is crushingly brilliant, from Hugh Banton's ripping organ work through David Jackson's screaming saxes to Hammill's, well, Hammill. Many fans hold side two's one track, A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers, to be their magnum opus, but I'm not personally sure if it holds up as well as some of their, er, 'shorter' material, but it's still a fairly stunning achievement. Pieced together in the studio, it was unperformable live, so when they turned up at a Belgian TV studio the following year, only to be told "You WILL perform Lighthouse!" they had to film it in bits, splicing it together in the editing suite. There's some suitably insane Mellotron strings on one part of the track, The Clot Thickens, but there can't be more than a minute or two on the whole album. They're an excellent minute or two, though...
Due to all the usual pressures, Van der Graaf split the following year, although all members helped Hammill out in his solo career, leading to the inevitable reformation in 1975. Their first album under the new arrangement was Godbluff (****½), closely followed by Still Life and World Record, before the band fractured again. To my ears, Still Life is the better album, and still getting better with every listen, but World Record definitely has its moments. Live, VdGG and solo Hammill were growing ever closer, with the band regularly performing several 'solo' tracks in their set, and World Record seems to me to be closer to solo Hammill than band, though I'm sure there are plenty who'd disagree with me. Both albums have Mellotron credited, but there's little audible evidence; maybe a touch of strings on the stupendous Pilgrims on Still Life, and a bit of flute on Wondering from the follow-up, but that's about it, really.
VdGG were one of the very best progressive bands of the seventies, and one of the very few with a still untattered reputation, almost certainly due to their general intensity and uncompromising attitude towards their music. Almost any of their albums are worth hearing, though the four from The Least We Can Do... to Godbluff are probably their peak. The only bit of Mellotron in their entire catalogue really worth hearing is the short burst on Pawn Hearts, so buy them for the sheer quality of the music on offer. Monumental.
See: Peter Hammill
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Where is the Truth (2010, 45.01) ***/T |
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| Put My Trust in You Where is the Truth Yourself She's Selda 1979 Your Voice I Need Your Silence Render the Voice |
Beautiful Photophone Call Soyuz A |
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Mark Van Hoen worked as Locust throughout the '90s, releasing occasional albums under his own name, the fourth of which (after a several-year gap) being 2010's Where is the Truth (question mark clearly optional). It's a decent enough album of mostly instrumental electronica, although Your Voice, a vocal number with an irritatingly dance-informed rhythm, could've been left elsewhere without damaging the record's overall prospects.
Van Hoen plays Mellotron, amongst other keyboards, with strings on the title track (although the actual credit is for Yourself) and closer Soyuz A, while the solo voice on the latter sounds more like a Chamberlin than a Mellotron, though not very much like either. So; very competent electronica, should that be your bag, but very little Mellotron. Your choice.
See: Locust
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Vanderhoof (1997, 57.43) ***/TT½ |
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| Bleed Machine Take to the Sky Falling to Earth Earth Angel Now Out Alive Beg |
50 Cent Sympony Tons of Time 40 Days Down Game is Played |
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A Blur in Time (2002, 53.28) ***½/TTT½ |
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| 30 Thousand Ft. Electric Love Song High St. Nowhere Train 3 A.M. Un-Changed If There's a Song... Brand New Light |
Surface of Another Planet Sleeping Giant Sonic Blur |
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Metal Church's Kurdt Vanderhoof formed his own band in the late '90s, moving completely away from the parent band's power metal into '70s hard rock territory, and would you believe it, they do it rather well? OK, they sound almost exactly like classic Uriah Heep with a lesser singer and more Mellotron, but compared to sounding like a third-rate saddo metal band, there's no contest really, is there?
Their eponymous 1997 debut is so close to Heep in places that it could almost pass as a long-lost outtakes album, particularly on Take To The Sky, but I'm not actually complaining... Vanderhoof plays Mellotron himself, with distant choirs and upfront strings on Angel Now and Tons Of Time, lesser ones on Beg and strings and cellos on 50 Cent Symphony. While I understand Vanderhoof owns a real Mellotron (and loads of other old gear), it doesn't always sound genuine, but it stays here until/if I find otherwise.
2002's A Blur in Time carries on the good work while improving on both the style and production fronts, top tracks including Surface Of Another Planet and Sonic Blur. Loads of Vanderhooftron this time round, with strings on 30 Thousand Ft., Electric Love Song, Nowhere Train and Un-Changed, with a really full-on solo part opening If There's A Song... More strings and choir on 3 A.M. and choirs on Surface Of Another Planet, alongside what sounds like an analogue polysynth (Oberheim?), making for a surprisingly 'Tron-heavy release in an unexpected area. Mind you, Vanderhoof's gone on to form the exceptionally retro Presto Ballet, so should we really be surprised?
Overall, then, one reasonable and one really quite good retro hard rock efforts with Mellotron all round, particularly on their second. It looks like the band has split to make way in Vanderhoof (the man)'s life for Presto Ballet, but A Blur in Time, in particular, is worth hearing.
See: Metal Church | Presto Ballet
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Pixel Revolt (2005, 53.43) ***/TT |
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| Letter to the East Coast Plymouth Rock Exodus Damage Peacocks in the Video Rain Trance Manual New Zealand Pines Radiant With Terror Continuation |
Dear Sarah Shu Farewell Transmission Angela Dead Slate Pacific The Golden Gate CRC7173, Affectionately |
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Romanian Names (2009, 37.18) ***/0 |
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| Tremble and Tear Fetal Horses C & O Canal Too Much Time D.I.A.L.O. Forest Knolls Oblivion Sunken Union Boat |
Romanian Names Carina Constellation Summer Stock Hard Times |
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Pixel Revolt is ex-MK Ultra John Vanderslice's fifth album, although I believe if anything, he's known more for his production work; his style is a sort of indie take on the singer-songwriter thing, although that doesn't really describe it very well. Most of the album just drifts along, with the lyrics (Trance Manual, Angela) standing out more than the music, to be honest, although going by online reviews, Vanderslice is very popular, albeit in a non-mainstream kind of way. Mellotron (from Vanderslice and Matt Henry Cunitz) on three tracks, all credited properly (hurrah!). Flutes and (lesser) strings on Trance Manual and fairly unusual vibes on Angela, leaving Exodus Damage as the album's 'Tron highlight, with a major string part, backed with flutes, plus faint choir and (allegedly) pipe organ, though I can't hear the latter for the life of me.
Vanderslice's 2009 effort, Romanian Names, is a mixed bag of indie-ish singer-songwriter material, better tracks including opener Tremble And Tear, the E-Bow-driven D.I.A.L.O. and brief instrumental Forest Knolls. Cunitz is credited with Mellotron again, but I'll be buggered if I can work out where he uses it, all potential sounds (vibes, low strings) being covered by real instruments.
So; maybe one for the singer-songwriter fan who doesn't mind a few modern production tricks? Pixel Revolt isn't bad on the Mellotron front, though not essential, although you're wasting your time with Romanian Names. Middling.
See: MK Ultra
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Sofa Livin' Dreamazine (1991, 44.31) **½/½ |
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| Wilbur and Orville Kerosene Colorbomb The Jugular Grapevine She Cries Diamonds Heavy Rotation Happy |
Automatic Transmission Naked on a Train |
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Vanilla Trainwreck were a N. Carolina-based band, slotting somewhere in between indie and grunge, stylewise, which hasn't allowed their debut, 1991's Sofa Livin' Dreamazine, to age that well. For all the fuzz and dirt they put into it, it's a strangely lifeless record, vaguely psychedelic closer Naked On A Train being the least dull thing here, which isn't really saying that much.
Producer-of-the-day Sean Slade (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, Blackfish) is credited with Mellotron, but the only even slightly possible use is some of the assorted sounds on Naked On A Train, which could, frankly, have been made by almost anything. I'd take that as a non-recommendation, then.
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Nightwalker (1981, 36.12) ***/TNightwalkerSeek and You Will Find Put the Weight on My Shoulders I Believe Santa Rosa Living Inside Myself Stay With Me Sally (She Says the Sweetest Things) |
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It seems Gino Vannelli has been around since the early '70s, and is still making music today. He unashamedly describes himself as 'pop', and going by 1980's Nightwalker, it's difficult to argue with this; a very musicianly, soul and jazz-influenced variety of pop, although unfortunately somewhat dated by modern standards. Vannelli has an amazing voice, however, and the more soulful material here (Put The Weight On My Shoulders, Sally) shows it off to great effect.
It seems Vannelli likes to keep things in-house, having worked with his brother Joe throughout his career, while another brother, Ross, co-produces here. Joe is credited with 'electric piano, acoustic piano, organ and synthesizer', strangely neglecting to mention the Chamberlin I'm assured is on the album. Several tracks feature real strings, but the Chamby can quite clearly be heard providing the string line on the opening title track, although the use on Put The Weight On My Shoulders and Sally (She Says The Sweetest Things) isn't either that upfront or even entirely confirmed, though the strings sound more Chamby than real. Living Inside Myself has been confirmed for me, although it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing...
So; a very musical album, but also a very mainstream one that really isn't going to appeal to most listeners at the rock end of the spectrum. Your jazz fan will find things to praise here, but the rest of you would really be advised to steer clear, despite the obvious quality of the material. Only one really obvious Chamby track, too, so I wouldn't really bother for that, either.
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Moroccan Roll (1974, 35.14) ***½/TMoroccan RollI Don't Know Why Did it Kasbah - Tadla Growing Stronger Lord (Give Me Money) Leslie Lust Sanglots (Tears) All I Want to Know |
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Les Variations were a French band of Moroccan Jewish extraction, making for an intriguing smörgåsbord of influences, from the power-trio rock of Cream and Zeppelin to indigenous Moroccan and Sephardic Jewish music. Moroccan Roll (the pun pre-empting Brand X by a year or two, and more relevantly) was their third album of four, with its English-language vocals making it accessible to an international audience; the band toured the States at least once, and their last two albums were released there. There isn't really a bad track on the record, but Growing Stronger is the best 'rocking' effort, and Kasbah - Tadla probably the best at the folk end of the album.
Mellotron on two tracks, from an unknown player, with faint strings on Did It and a more upfront part on closer All I Want To Know, although not enough to make a purchase worthwhile merely for its 'Tronic content. So; an interesting effort, at least partially unlike anything much you'll have heard before, although some of the hard rock numbers are fairly generic. Not much 'Tron, but worth hearing if you're thinking of buying it anyway.
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Sweet Life (1998, 48.26) **½/T |
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| Gulf of Mexico Northern Lights Now You're Dirt All About Love While You Were Sleeping Saviours This is the River Underneath the Mountain |
Fuck and Fight Mare Imbrium Tonite Sweet Life |
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Beginning as Anders Parker's solo project, Varnaline had become a trio by the time they released Sweet Life in 1998. Bemusingly, I've seen them described as Americana/alt.country, as their sound is quite clearly positioned slightly towards the noisier end of the US indie spectrum, incorporating occasional hints of Neil Young-ish guitar work. Sadly, it's all a bit dreary, to the point where I don't even feel I can recommend any tracks, which is a bit tragic, really. Maybe the closing nine-minute title track? Maybe not.
Parker plays Mellotron, with occasional strings on opener Gulf Of Mexico, though that appears to be your lot, despite various other keyboards and string sounds (mainly real strings) elsewhere. Sorry, to be so down on this, but, frankly, it bored me rigid. Next to no 'Tron, either.
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Nouvelle Vague (2007, 49.37) ***/0 |
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| Il est Cinq Heures, Paris S'éveille Nouvelle Vague Le Temps de l'amour Ruby Tuesday Suzanne Attends ou Va-t'en Dans le Souffle du Vent Les Yeux Ouverts |
Ya Ya Twist J'attendrai Drive My Car Chante I'm a Believer Et Je M'en Vais Souvenirs, Souvenirs |
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Sylvie Vartan is one of those 'overseas' artists of whom the average Anglo-American-centric music fan has never heard, myself included, despite several decades of Gallic fame. She's actually been making records since the early '60s, shockingly, being one of France's original yé-yé girls (a popular strain of '60s French pop, for those not in the know), her subsequent career being largely informed by that remarkable decade. Married to 'the French Elvis' for fifteen years, Johnny Hallyday, she's also worked with later Spooky Tooth member and Foreigner mainman Mick Jones and had songs written for her by Paul Anka, amongst others.
2007's bilingually-punning Nouvelle Vague sums up her '60s-centric work perfectly; a good album, certainly, but it lacks originality, containing a slew of '60s covers, not least The Stones' Ruby Tuesday, Leonard Cohen's Suzanne and The Beatles' Drive My Car, plus French-language versions of Reach Out I'll Be There (J'attendrai) and Then I Kissed Her/Him (Et Je M'en Vais). Then again, why would a singer in her early sixties be bothered about being original? Her intention was clearly to make a good, professional and entertaining album that her fans would enjoy, in which I can say she's been entirely successful.
John Philip Shenale (Tori Amos, Willy DeVille) plays Chamberlin, although as so often, it's effectively inaudible, unless it provides some of the very real-sounding strings on the album. Nouvelle Vague isn't really an album for the international market, more for her domestic audience and Francophiles everywhere, so with no obvious tape-replay work, I can't honestly recommend it, despite its obvious quality.
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99.9F° (1992, 37.42/39.38) ***½/T |
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| Rock in This Pocket (Song of David) Blood Makes Noise In Liverpool 99.9F° Blood Sings Fat Man and Dancing Girl (If You Were) In My Movie As a Child |
Bad Wisdom When Heroes Go Down As Girls Go Song of Sand [Some versions add: Private Goes] |
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Suzanne Vega is proof positive that singer-songwriters can still write relevant, tuneful material that doesn't just navel-gaze to the point where the music becomes entirely secondary to the lyrical content. 1992's 99.9F° is her fourth album, produced by the mighty Mitchell Froom, later her husband. It's full of material of the quality of Blood Sings, Bad Wisdom and the title track, and while some of her fans threw their hands up in horror at Froom's relatively 'electronic' production, his use of 'period' instruments stops it sounding like a relic, 17 years later. And Richard Thompson guests. Result!
I heard a rumour years ago that Froom plays Chamberlin on the album; he's stated that he used one on 'pretty much everything' he produced at the time, so it's hardly surprising. There's a large, composite sound on the Vega/Froom co-write Fat Man And Dancing Girl, but it's as likely to be a combination of organ and synth, but As Girls Go features possible cellos and definite strings, albeit briefly. So; a '90s singer-songwriter album that still sounds good now, due almost entirely to a combination of Vega's songwriting and Froom's production. Worthwhile.
See: Mitchell Froom
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Saltbreakers (2007, 43.44) ***/T |
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| Pink Light Ocean Night Song Don't Lose Yourself Drink Deep Wandering Kind Nightingale Saltbreakers To the Country |
Cast a Hook Phantom Mountain Black Butterfly Wrecking |
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Laura Veirs' sixth album, Saltbreakers, is probably best described as being at the pop end of the folk-rock spectrum, although several of its tracks betray no commercial influence at all, notably closers Black Butterfly and Wrecking. I would have given it a higher star rating had more of the material been in this vein, although I realise getting radio play in a crowded market isn't the easiest of things, and a few poppier tracks doubtless grease the wheels in the right places. There's nothing genuinely bad here, but a few more tracks of the quality of Pink Light and Ocean Night Song might have been welcome.
Chamberlin on a couple of tracks from either Veirs' regular keys man, Steve Moore or Karl Blau, with faint strings on opener Pink Light and a very overt flute part on Drink Deep, although that would appear to be it. So; a decent enough album in its own way, with one 'must-hear' Chamby track.
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Fourfold Remedy (1998, 45.56) **½/0 |
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| Reborn Bitterscene La Sirena Unkind Where Are We? Get Yourself Together Spoiled Children Submarines |
Someone's Waiting That Ain't Mine |
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Velocette (named for the lesser-known yet iconic British motorbike), at least on 1998's Fourfold Remedy, sound like an irritating cross between that female-fronted Stereolab/Saint Etienne kind of pseudo-'60s lounge thing and generic '90s indie, although their tendency is to shift styles between songs, rather than blend them. I can't work out which approach is worse, actually. In fact, the only reason this gets the extra half star is the guitar workout and Riders On The Storm Rhodes on Someone's Waiting.
Jax Coombes (female, in case you were wondering) allegedly plays Mellotron, though entirely inaudibly, as far as I can work out. Plenty of real strings about, but no obvious 'Tron. So; I really must advise you against buying this album, unless weak-as-water naff pseudo-lounge indie happens to be your particular cup of gruel/bag of sick. It isn't mine.
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Teenage Symphonies to God (1994, 45.40) ***½/TT |
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| Hold Me Up My Blank Pages Why Not Your Baby Time Wraps Around You Atmosphere #10 Faster Days Something's Gotta Give |
This Life is Killing Me Weird Summer Star Trip Keep on Lingerin' |
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Velvet Crush coalesced from Choo Choo Train around 1990 and aside from a brief period of nonexistence in the mid-'90s, have been releasing records (ir)regularly ever since. In many ways a classic powerpop band, they have a heavier, less jangly edge than many of their genre-mates that makes them stand out from the good, if slightly identikit bands that typify the field. Their second release was 1994's naughtily-titled Teenage Symphonies to God (Brian Wilson's description of his music, if you don't know the reference), an excellent mixture of jangle and rock, with a smattering of country thrown in for good measure (notably on closer Keep On Lingerin'), highlights including opener Hold Me Up (good powerpop albums always open with their strongest track), Time Wraps Around You and the jammed-out Something's Gotta Give. Oh, and extra marks for the appalling pun in My Blank Pages.
Mike Denneen plays Chamberlin, nicely audible for once, with strings on Why Not Your Baby, flutes and strings on Time Wraps Around You, probable strings on #10 (they could be real), some keyboard mangling (flutes?) on Weird Summer and a lovely string part opening Star Trip. Overall, a very good effort from a band previously unknown to me; I suppose being produced by the legendary Mitch Easter (R.E.M., The Orange Humble Band) gives the game away, but even the masters sometimes get it wrong. Not that much tape-replay, but worth hearing for lovers of great tunes.
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Sotto il Segno dei Pesci (1978, 40.25) **/TSotto il Segno dei PesciFrancesco Bomba o Non Bomba Chen il Cinese Sara Il Telegiornale Giulia L'Uomo Falco |
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Antonello Venditti is a mainstream Italian singer-songwriter, which should tell you everything you need to know about his music; vaguely folk-based pop/rock with lyrics that are probably important, but meaningless to non-Italian speakers. However, Venditti's Italian, so why should he pander to foreign audiences who probably aren't going to care one way or the other anyway? 1978's Sotto il Segno dei Pesci was his eighth album and is an entirely pointless listen for non-Italians (and many who are), frankly, consisting largely of cheery pop/rock with no obviously distinguishing features, which pretty much sums this up for an international audience.
Goblin's Claudio Simonetti plays Mellotron, with choirs on Francesco and Bomba O Non Bomba and strings on Chen Il Cinese, the choirs being so heavily reverbed that they're barely recognisable, which was probably the idea. Believe me, you don't need to hear this album.
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Only Hits (1973, 71.03) **½/T |
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| Also Sprach Zarathustra Hummingbird/Summerbreeze Get Down Soul Makossa My Love Cisco Kid Killing Me Softly With His Song Oh Babe, What Would You Say |
Yesterday Once More Superstition Last Tango in Paris Dueling Banjos Live and Let Die The Morning After Drift Away Alone Again (Naturally) |
I Can See Clearly Now Finders Keepers The Twelfth of Never Frankenstein The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia Are You Man Enough You Are the Sunshine of My Life |
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New Depths (1998, 68.21) ***/½ |
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| Hurricane Drums a Go Go Bombora Hot Doggin' Calhoun Surf Banzai Pipeline Web Surfin' Time is Tight |
Stop the Music Spanish Armada I Fought the Law Hideaway Cry for a Shadow Blue Dawn Peter Gunn Kanari Kiteru Koi |
Flower of the Sun Axel F/Miami Vice TrailBlazer Wipeout 2017 |
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The Ventures don't mean much past Walk Don't Run and Wipeout in the UK, but have now had a (count 'em) over fifty-year career, chiefly in the States and Japan, where they're apparently still huge. The chief reason for their general lack of UK success could be that they were seen as merely a Transatlantic version of The Shadows, operating in a similarly all-instrumental arena, although the Shads (at least early on) tended to write their own material, while The Ventures started playing covers straight away. By the early '70s, though, there was little to choose between the two, both playing slightly anodyne covers instrumentally, which is all well and good, but take the vocals out of most popular songs, and what's left? A vocal melody played on another instrument, with various musical devices used to cover for the lack of any lyrical input, that's what.
I've seen 1973's double Only Hits described as a greatest hits album, although minimal research uncovers the information that the 'hits' part of its title refers to the fact that the tracks were hits for other artists, here reimagined instrumentally, to greater or lesser effect. One of the album's most successful efforts is opener Also Sprach Zarathustra, then still in the popular imagination after 2001: A Space Odyssey, tackled here in a jazz/surf style, which really has to be heard to be believed. Most of the versions here are pretty forgettable, though, many of them bland takes on bland material, with little done to pep them up. I've no idea who plays the Mellotron, or indeed, any of the other keyboards here, as the band were effectively a twin-guitar foursome, but whoever it is sticks fake-orchestral strings on My Love, background ones on Last Tango In Paris and far more upfront ones on The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia. There is a slightly expanded version of this album on CD, adding four tracks, but I've no idea whether or not there's any more Mellotron on them.
I've also no idea whether or not The Ventures used a Mellotron again before 1998, but their album from that year, New Depths (apparently a follow-up to the previous year's Wild Again, on the same label) features David Carr on the machine. The album follows the basic pattern laid down by the band decades before, although its sound is much updated from their early '70s one, thankfully, better tracks including their updated take on Peter Gunn, the rare vocal track Kanari Kiteru Koi, featuring Japanese female troupe The Rice Girls (ho ho) and . The album's no classic, but it's far more listenable than Only Hits, with fewer obvious middle-of-the-road covers and far more than a nod to their surf roots. Carr plays 'Tron flutes on Cry For A Shadow, although that would appear to be your lot.
So; do you... no. You don't. If you're a Ventures fan, chances are you already own at least one of these albums, but if you haven't heard anything they've done since 1960, you're not going to find either of them very edifying, so without a lot of Mellotron work, I really wouldn't bother.
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Diary of a Liar (1998, 41.59) ***/½ |
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| Through My Teeth Debt Little Dumb Rock Song Finger When I Snap Out of This Fall Down in Three Keep This Up |
Everything's Your Fault Baltimore or Less The Porch Song |
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The Baltimore-born and Boston-based Jules Verdone is one of those American 'alternative' artists that the '90s coughed up in unfeasible numbers, although biographical information on her seems to be in short supply. 1998's Diary of a Liar is not only her debut, but seemingly her only release to date, which is a shame, as it's not a bad album of its type, tracks of the quality of Fall Down In Three or the slightly off-kilter Everything's Your Fault pointing to a potential future as, at least, a Lilith Fair regular with respectable record sales.
Jon Lupfer plays Chamberlin, with a skronky but faint flute part on Little, although that would appear to be it. This album only just misses out on an extra half star, to be honest, but lines have to be drawn somewhere... So; good at what it does, but forget it for the Chamby.
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Go (2003, 43.11) *½/T |
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| When You Cry I'm Still Here Forever Sunshine Goodbye Again Echo It's Over One of You |
Won't Go Away Inside Underwater |
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Vertical Horizon are one of those utterly faceless rock/pop/indie-style bands who seem to do well in America. Maybe here, too; I'm totally out of touch with what 'young people' listen to, and if it's anything like Vertical Horizon, I'm keen to keep it that way. Most of their fifth album, 2003's Go, is that awful kind of 'confessional' tosh that so many bands feel the need to foist on us these days. No, we don't care. Shut up. The occasional track picks itself up and dusts itself down, surprisingly, principally the slightly Rush-ish Sunshine, but please don't take that as some kind of recommendation (just in case).
Patrick Warren does his usual Chamberlin thing on a few tracks, with background strings on I'm Still Here, Forever and closer Underwater, none to any great effect, sadly. This is pretty godawful, I have to say, with little Chamberlin use. Avoid. Incidentally and bizarrely, the band's 2009 release, Burning the Days (forthcoming at the time of writing) features no less a drumming deity than Rush's Neil Peart on three tracks, one of which he wrote the lyrics for. Why, Neil? Why? Maybe they've got better in the last six years. Let's hope so.
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Urban Hymns (1997, 69.32) **/T |
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| Bitter Sweet Symphony Sonnet The Rolling People The Drugs Don't Work Catching the Butterfly Neon Wilderness Space and Time Weeping Willow |
Lucky Man One Day This Time Velvet Morning Come On |
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In Urban Hymns, The Verve (they had to add the 'The' after threats of legal action from the US record company) produced a late-period mainstay of the Britpop movement, with the huge success of both Bitter Sweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work. Amusingly, their initial failure to credit the sample running through Bitter Sweet Symphony, from a mid-'60s album of orchestral Rolling Stones songs, led to a court case, resolved by the band allegedly paying out not only 100% of the song's royalties to Jagger/Richards, but also another sum to another interested party, ending up with them making a minus figure on the song. Still, it helped them sell a great many albums, so let's not shed too many tears for them. The Rolling People is also heavily plagiaristic, this time of The Four Horsemen from Aphrodites Child's seminal 666 (thanks, Matt); not very original, these chaps, are they?
The album itself is pretty much as you'd expect, with the usual whiny indie vocals from the irritating Richard Ashcroft and weak drumming, but it sold loads, so what do I know? I presume guitar/keyboards man Simon Tong played the Mellotron on the relevant tracks; Space And Time and This Time have some wavery strings, but that would appear to be it. So; background 'Tron use, boring songs and bad attitude. Avoid.
See: Richard Ashcroft
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The Time Will Come When We Find Our Home (2005, 17.30) ****/TTLife - a Slight ChangeEnd of Love Street Put on More Make-Up A Few Good People |
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Vijaya (2006, 35.00) ****/TTTTÖrby SlottLife - a Slight Change Great Big City Commuter Train (Time Theft) End of Love Street Your Gun Will Never Set You Free A Few Good People Reflections Pale From the Bright Lights |
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Vijaya is a Swedish singer-songwriter, active since the mid-'90s, although she is only now (mid-2005) in the process of recording her debut album. The Time Will Come When We Find Our Home is her second EP, and (I believe) the first to feature Mattias Olsson (Änglagård, Pineforest Crunch etc.)'s production work, including (of course) his inimitable Mellotron, Optigan and so forth. Vijaya specialises in laid-back, melancholy little songs (now there's a surprise, given Mattias' involvement), sung in English, which would almost certainly appeal to a sector of the British (and maybe American?) indie crowd, if only they were actually exposed to it. My personal favourite is 'Tronless opener Life - A Slight Change, but there's little to criticise in any of the tracks here present. 'Tron? A full-on string part closes End Of Love Street, while a flute melody runs through the verses of Put On More Make-Up, with strings towards the end, and Mattias' Chamberlin Rhythmate on A Few Good People, although you're unlikely to spot the latter unless you actually know it's there.
And the following year... Vijaya carries on her good work from the EP, with more melancholy, muted low-fi singer-songwriter stuff. It seems the Time Will Come... EP was a taster for the album; two of the three tracks they have in common seem to be the same versions. The rest of the material follows similar lines, and it's fair to say that if you like previous Mattias Olsson productions, you'll like this. Conversely... Loads of Mellotron, with particular highlights being the very full-on strings (various sounds) on Örby Slott, End Of Love Street and Pale From The Bright Lights, with some of the 'Tron parts being so high in the mix that they drown out everything else. Yes! Apart from the Rhythmate in A Few Good People, you can spot the 'Tron in every highlighted track, although chances are you'll miss sounds such as the Chamberlin piano/lap steel/harp, MkI 'Tron moving cellos/violins and woodwinds, clarinet, boys choir and Hammond with pedals, but they're all in there somewhere. Plenty of Orchestron and Optigan, too, not to mention several strange organs, including the Silvertone (played by Vijaya), the Elgam and the Malmsjö 500. Anything new? Thankfully, no.
As previously stated, if you like Roth-Händle productions, you will assuredly like Vijaya. Despite the writing credits, most of Mattias' productions are effectively his albums with different people writing and singing, and these are no different. Recommended.
See: Änglagård
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Why Do Birds Sing? (1991, 42.23) **½/½ |
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| American Music Out the Window Look Like That Do You Really Want to Hurt Me Hey Nonny Nonny Used to Be Girl Trouble He Likes Me |
Life is a Scream Flamingo Baby Lack of Knowledge More Money Tonight I'm Free |
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Rock!!!!! (1995, 32.12) **½/T |
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| Living a Lie Tonight Bad Dream I Danced Thanksgiving (No Way Out) Dahmer is Dead Life is an Adventure She Went to Germany |
I Wanna See You Again Didgeriblues Death Drugs Sweet Worlds of Angels |
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I'm told the Violent Femmes were at their peak in the '80s, and 1991's Why Do Birds Sing? is their first real letdown. I can believe it, I have to say; dullard 'alternative' stuff with a slight Americana bent doth not make for an especially fun listen, round these parts, at least. Keyboards throughout from producer Michael Beinhorn, including Mellotron on two tracks. Yes, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me is a cover of the execrable Culture Club song (is there any other kind?), made surprisingly palatable by the Femmes' approach, albeit with no more than a hint of 'Tron strings halfway through. Used To Be has a more overt strings part, though nothing you haven't heard a thousand times before, in all honesty, mixed with real strings into the bargain. Nowt special.
Rock!!!!!'s sleeve is a heavy-handed, not to say several years too late satire on late-'80s L.A. hair metal, but the group were well past their sell-by date by this point, so I suppose we shouldn't be that surprised. OK, there's an awful lot worse about, but it all seems rather uninspired, certainly in comparison to their cutting-edge '80s albums; the fact that it was initially released only in Australia says it all, really. The only track that stands out in any way is Didgeriblues (so what's all this Aussie business, then?), which seems to've been mastered louder than the rest of the album, and has a ripping didgeridoo part from bassist Brian Ritchie. Mellotron on one track, from the inimitable Sigmund Snopek III; closer Sweet Worlds Of Angels has a really very nice flute part, from someone who knows his Mellotrons. Sadly, it's the best thing on the album, so if you liked their early stuff, I think I have to recommend that you stick to that and avoid their reformation material.
So; two very unexciting albums, unless, I suppose, you're a diehard Violent Femmes fan, in which case you're not going to take a blind bit of notice of these reviews anyway. One decent 'Tron track between the pair, so don't go too far out of your way.
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The Virgineers (1999, 45.47) ****/T |
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| Love Circus Places That I've Never Been Sun Floating Plastic Man How Far Does Space Go? The Morning Moon Dr. Glouster |
Be My Guru Lost Balloon Diesel Train |
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Despite their apparent claims to be from Antarctica, The Virgineers hail from the Chicago area by all accounts and in their self-titled debut, have produced one of the best '60s psych albums released since... well, the '60s, I suppose. A duo, they're augmented here by a few friends, although I've no idea how they might do this stuff live. Material-wise, the dreamy, lysergic feel of Floating or The Morning Moon contrast with the space glam-boogie of Be My Guru or the sitar frenzy of opener Love Circus, making for a pleasing pot-pourri of psychedelic styles. Of course, as with the Dukes of Stratosphear, several tracks here sound more like homages than original compositions, the caveat being that the Dukes were a deliberate spoof... How Far Does Space Go? has a Syd's Floyd vibe about it, and is that an early Quo reference on Floating's chorus?
Anyway, one of the aforementioned friends is Ray Muirwood, who sticks some Mellotron on a few tracks, with string parts on Sun, Floating and Diesel Train, although I have to say I'm not convinced by its veracity, truth be told. However, it isn't 'sampled' enough to automatically move it into that section, so it stays here until/if I find out for sure. All in all, then, a great little album, if slightly derivative. The writing's excellent and the overall feel takes one straight back to the era of joss sticks, funny cigarettes and too much paisley (can you have too much paisley? Discuss), knocking yer typical indie-schmindie rubbish into the proverbial cocked hat, whatever that is. Buy.
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Narcissus Goes to the Moon (1996, 68.27) ***/TTT |
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| A Succulent Anachronic Pastiche Fuzzy Concept By the River Xenophobia Introvenus Intravenus Lunar Doubts Join My Soul Race on a Pseudo Flying Carpet |
Nothing Left to Hide Ambulance The Awakening Camel Ride Dream A Bubble Burst Prisonnier du Temps The Preacher in the Desert Quicksand The Mad Tryst A New Reality So Divine |
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Barb-à-Baal-a-Loo (2001, 54.19) ****/TTT |
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| Vladivostok The Healer/Maniaquerie Barb-à-Baal-a-Loo Hollow Emptiness Mal Brook Lost Ideals Dans le Vide Qui Sème le Vent... |
Neandertal Visages de Sable Recommencement Freed Again I Was There |
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Visible Wind are another English-as-second-language band who haven't understood the comic potential of the word 'wind' in the wrong context; Belgian band Now have to be the worst offenders with their debut, Complaint of the Wind (stop laughing at the back), but these guys aren't that far behind, sadly. It seems they've been going since the early '80s, although they've managed to shuck off some of their more overt neo-progisms over the years. I haven't heard '88's Catharsis, but '91's A Moment in Time (**) is pretty awful, being Marillion-lite (!), and while I haven't heard '94's Emergence, '96's Narcissus Goes to the Moon is a considerable improvement over their early work, although the song structures are still rather simplistic by symphonic standards. Improvement it may be, but even on the longer material, I find myself wishing the band would be more adventurous, and the guitarist would stop pretending he was playing in a part-time metal band (a common problem in current prog). Originality is an issue, too; there's a direct Saga rip on Intravenus, and what sounds like a Jadis vocal line on Lunar Doubts, though I'm probably being a bit harsh; much of the material holds the interest, despite its over-reliance on Stephen Geysens' vocals, which, to his credit, are almost accentless.
At some point in the mid-'90s, Geysens bought a Mellotron, and uses it a reasonable amount here; choir chords on Fuzzy Concept, a polyphonic flute part on Xenophobia, followed by some full-on, top-of-the-mix strings. More choirs on the lengthy Intravenus (as against the short instrumental Introvenus) and another upfront string part on Race On A Pseudo Flying Carpet. A couple of the highlighted tracks above only feature a few seconds, mind you, with the strings at the beginning of Nothing Left To Hide being no more than a hang-over from the end of the previous track, but overall, Geysens uses his 'Tron imaginatively, and doesn't overdo it, unlike some I could name.
Well, give a band a few years... Five years on, the strangely-titled Barb-à-Baal-a-Loo (no, I don't know what it means either) sounds almost nothing like its predecessor, never mind the band's highly derivative early work. Heavier than before, it's also far more inventive, sounding like... well, no-one, really, and it's not often you can say that in the progressive world these days. There are still some standard song structures dotted around (Lost Ideals), but the band take interesting and unexpected twists and turns all over the place, which is more than you can say for 99% of their neo-prog contemporaries. Geysens' keyboard work is even better than on Narcissus..., too, with plenty of ripping (has to be real) Hammond, and plenty of 'Tron, mostly strings, with some highly effective swells in Dans Le Vide, slightly recalling Crimson's Epitaph. Even where he uses polysynth patches (analogue? Digital?), as on Recommencement, he manages to keep them interesting and original, rather than the awful 'this one's straight outta 1988!' approach that still seems all too common amongst his contemporaries.
According to the band's website, there are a huge number of unofficial recordings available from the band; well over a hundred, dating back to 1983, if they can be believed, and it seems highly likely that many of the later ones also feature it. Also, although it isn't mentioned on their site, another source states that the bonus track on the reissue of A Moment in Time is a re-recording of its title track, complete with 'Tron.
So; do you buy these albums? Narcissus Goes to the Moon: do you have a tolerance for fairly inventive neo-prog? Do you object to a lack of key-changes in your progressive listening? If these aren't problems, there's some nice (real) 'Tron work on the album. Barb-à-Baal-a-Loo: What a surprisingly excellent record - if only more current prog bands would make this much effort to do something new, while not forgetting the all-important exhortation to 'write some songs!' Recommended.
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The Uncertainty Principle (1997, 61.33) ****/T½ |
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| Caught in a Combine Abcircus Blitz One Minute of Thought... Midnight Clear ...In Two Seconds of Time... Vespers ...(Incompete, Broken, and Abstract) |
Cropcircles Black and White |
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Sadly, it seems that Volaré split within a year of their sole album release, The Uncertainty Principle. I've seen reviews comparing them to the incomparable Happy the Man and the Canterbury scene, but to my ears they sounded more like a slightly easier-on-the-ears version of Present, or maybe Thinking Plague, with a side helping of King Crimson, although none of those really describes them. They've also been reviewed on jazz sites, but they're not jazz either... Basically, we're talking complex instrumental music that doesn't entirely forsake melody in its race to be 'weirder than thou'. Best tracks? I'll need to listen to it some more to really nail it, but the gentle One Minute Of Thought... stands out on a first listen.
Keys man Patrick Strawser plays Mellotron on a few tracks, with fractured strings and choir parts, rarely using it for more than a few seconds at a time, although that fits in with their overall style. It's possible there's a little more here and there, buried in the mix, but with several other synths on the album, both analogue and digital, it's hard to say. As a result, you couldn't really call this a 'Tron album, but it's very good indeed at what it does. Highly recommended to all of you who are after something a bit more challenging.
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Charity Von (2004, 42.58) **/T |
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| Weight of the World The Narrow I'll Be (the Pleasure's Mine) Take Me Through it In Your Presence Shine You Make it Fine I Believe in Miracles |
Alone The Message |
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Charity Von is a current Christian artist whose eponymous 2004 debut starts well, in a fairly rocky vein, then quickly descends into the pits of slush with tracks like I'll Be (The Pleasure's Mine) or You Make It Fine, by which time the lyrics have shifted into Full-On Christian Mode. I don't know which style Von prefers (assuming either), but a handful of better tracks do not a decent album make.
Blair Masters (Human, Erin O'Donnell) plays Mellotron flutes on the rather vocally overblown I'll Be (The Pleasure's Mine) and, despite rumours, that appears to be it. Well, a handful of listenable tracks are scuppered by as many or more entirely unlistenable ones, all with an unappealing veneer of God. Pity.
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Baile de los Locos (1997, 34.49) ***/0 |
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| Baile de los Locos Here We Are Again My Soul is Sick Bullet Proof Elephantitis Los Hombres No Lloran Nazican Freeballin' |
Motel Six The Kids Will Have to Pay Nowhere Left to Go This Ain't No Disco Feliz Navidad |
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The Voodoo Glow Skulls play that peculiarly American crossover, ska/punk, and to my ears, they seem to make a perfectly good job of it. I don't know who first decided to speed the snare up to thrash levels, but it's quite an effective trick. I have to say, most tracks on their fourth album, 1997's Baile de los Locos ('dance of the madmen') are indistinguishable from each other, although the odd exception leaks through, not least the almost Cardiacs at their most ska-tastic soundalikes Here We Are Again and Elephantitis.
Jim Goodwin is credited with Mellotron, but I'll be fucked if I can hear it under the manic brass section. I'm sure it's in there somewhere, but you know how it is... Anyway, a good example of a strange (and strangely popular) genre, just not somewhere you'll go to hear any Mellotron.
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Holocauste à Montréal [a.k.a. Vos Voisins] (1971, 33.36) ****/TTVoisins (Mon Chum)Sous la Lune L'Instrumental Tania Le Monstre de la Main Ya Just de T'Ca Le 3/4 de l'Archevèque |
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Vos Voisins ('your neighbours') were one of Québec's (and probably Canada's) first progressive bands, taking their cues from the first Gentle Giant album and Ekseption's mad, Hammond-fuelled takes on the classical canon, amongst others, with maybe a hint of Deep Purple's organ filth. To my knowledge, 1971's Holocauste à Montréal was their sole album, quickly re-released as Vos Voisins after some long-forgotten fuss over the sleeve design. Despite the above influences, the band had already found their own voice by the time they recorded the record, knocking spots off, say, the early Ange albums (to pick the biggest French-language prog band of the, or probably any time), combining classical, rock and jazz in a slightly different way to pretty much anyone else I can think if, which is probably enough to count as 'original', especially when you consider when this was made.
Keys man Jacques Perron played their friend Yvon Deschamps' M300, with strings on Tania and strings and flutes on Le Monstre De La Main, although nothing on probably the album's best track, closer Le 3/4 De L'Archevèque. Although of slightly variable quality, this really is an outstanding album in places, well worth tracking down. The ProgQuebec label are rumoured to be reissuing it at some point, but I don't have any more information at the moment.
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Live (1987, 48.57) ****½/TTT½ |
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| Introduction - Beat of Metal Motion Doncha Wanna Come (Hangar 15) Too Late to Turn Back Mask of Flesh (Masquerade) Pains of Love Love Walks Premonition Hurricane |
Shot in the Dark Nightless City |
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Hard Rock Night (1987, 73.29) ****½/TTT½ |
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| Introduction - Beat of Metal Motion Go Insane Doncha Wanna Come (Hangar 15) Guitar Solo (Snow Flakes) - Pains of Love Too Late to Turn Back Mask of Flesh (Masquerade) Vocal Solo (Cry Me a River) I'll Wait a Lifetime |
Keyboard Solo (including Arabesque) Signs of the Times Love Walks Premonition Hurricane Shot in the Dark Guitar Solo (CCG) - You Got it Made Nightless City |
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V (1987, 46.48) ***/T |
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| Don't Tell Me Lies Somewhere in the Night The Girl in Red Break Out Cry No More Same Town Born to Die Waited for a Lifetime |
Don't Leave Me Now War Man [CD adds: Don't Leave Me Now (extended)] |
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Vow Wow formed in the early '80s from the ashes of Bow Wow, one of Japan's best-loved homegrown rock outfits. Instead of the original band's two guitar lineup, Vow Wow went for one guitar (band leader and wunderkind Kyoji Yamamoto) and keys (the superb Rei Atsumi), and a far more sophisticated sound than their previous incarnation. Sadly, several of their albums have never been available outside Japan, but Live and V were the second and third of four to be released in the West. Live is actually an edited version of the Japanese-only Hard Rock Night, which may have been a double on vinyl; it's certainly a full-length CD.
Live/Hard Rock Night's an excellent record; the best of their repertoire up to that point recorded in front of a partisan home crowd. From killer opener Beat Of Metal Motion to their classic, Hurricane, they can do no wrong. Atsumi's keyboard rig consisted of the best from all eras; MiniMoog, Jupiter-8, DX7 and, of course, a Mellotron M400. There are some nice string swells on Doncha Wanna Come and some epic chords in the short introduction to Hurricane, Premonition, but he gives the full five-star treatment to big ballad Pains Of Love. A picked guitar intro, Snow Flakes, with Genki Hitomi's plaintive (if strongly-accented) vocal leads into a massively effective key change and a blast of 'Tron strings, which Atsumi keeps up for the rest of the song, plus a short flute solo and a burst of choirs at the end. Absolutely magnificent. The longer version of the album adds mucho 'Tron choir and strings on Atsumi's keyboard solo, much as I remember it live from the time, while it becomes apparent that Love Walks has a brief string part and Hurricane features some background choir stabs.
Although the band used their Mellotron to great effect live (I still have fond memories of several London Marquee gigs at the time), it barely pokes its head above the parapet on their next studio effort, V (as in 'Five'). In fact, it's extremely difficult to work out what might be 'Tron and what might be generic string sample, or choir for that matter. It sounds like choir on a couple of tracks, but I'm willing to be proved wrong. The album's best track, Waited For A Lifetime, actually features what sounds like DX7 brass, despite my general dislike of the instrument.
So; if you can trace Live/Hard Rock Night, get it 'cos it's a great album, and has one total 'Tron classic. If you like the band's style, buy V, but otherwise I really wouldn't bother. The band headed further towards the mainstream after this, and the Mellotron was quietly retired from the road. Apparently Rei still has his machine, and it's been spotted on a relatively recent release, so at least he hasn't dumped it, like so many other past players.
