I love the sounds of the mellotron, especially the way in which it was used in the context of the stones, so I thought I'd post this as a small 'heads up'...

Here's what the instrument was designed for, home entertainment!!!









But here's what Brain did with it, genius!









Although it was used mostly on the We Love You single and Satanic Majesties album, it also appears on Beggars Banquet:

Jigsaw Puzzle - flute(with loads of echo)
Stray Cat Blues - trumpet/trombone/saxophone - mixed brass
Factory Girl - mandolin

I supect that Nicky Hopkins played the mandolin - mellotron on Factory Girl, mainly because Keith has said that Nicky suggested the fiddle effect. Nicky also played the instrument at sessions for The Kinks and The Creation amongst others.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-02 12:51 by His Majesty.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-02 18:58 by His Majesty.

.....is this the same instrument Rick Wakemen used in that Yes Songs concert movie (from the 1970's) in which he would play different keys and each one sounded like a choir singing? I remember being stoned as shit and watching that movie at a theater late show when I was a teenager and thinking....WTF? did he program in a different vocal note for each key?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-02 21:28 by Lukester.

They surely must have replaced the mellotron with synthesizer by Steel wheels in 89.?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-29 05:01 by schillid.

Yes, Rick Wakeman used the later model of mellotron with the choir sound.



Check this hahha:






I think Chuck uses mellotron samples from a CD rom.

[www.mellotron.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-02 21:56 by His Majesty.

bless you, your Majesty

Lukester Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bless you, your Majesty



You can see two MKIV mellotrons below the mini moogs. His raodie's must have hated him!!!

You realy know your Mellotrons don't you.....thanks for the photos....I saw Wakemen with Yes in the mid 70's, cape and all.....what a show!!!

I also seem to remember a band (i think) called "silver apples" (?), or something like that...
on the steve allen show in the afternoon (?) that may have been among early mellotron users in rock bands.

Lukester Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You realy know your Mellotrons don't
> you.....thanks for the photos....I saw Wakemen
> with Yes in the mid 70's, cape and all.....what a
> show!!!

Wow! He gets a lot of stick, but he's an amazing player!!!

schillid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also seem to remember a band (i think) called
> "silver apples" (?), or something like that...
> on the steve allen show in the afternoon (?) that
> may have been among early mellotron users in rock
> bands.

I think the guy made his own synths out of oscillators etc.

The earliest known commercially released recording is By The Graham Bond Organisation, a single called 'Lease on Love' followed by their album 'There's a Bond Bewteen Us' both from 1965.



Here's Graham playing an organ and a MKII mellotron on Ready, Steady Go in 1965. Wish I'd been around back then to see it hah!!!

from [www.music.com]


"Decades after their brief yet influential career first ground to a sudden and mysterious halt, the Silver Apples remain one of pop music's true enigmas: a surreal, almost unprecedented duo, their music explored interstellar drones and hums, pulsing rhythms and electronically-generated melodies years before similar ideas were adopted in the work of acolytes ranging from Suicide to Spacemen 3 to Laika .

The Silver Apples formed in New York in 1967 and comprised percussionist Danny Taylor and lead vocalist Simeon , a bizarre figure who played an instrument also dubbed the Simeon, which (according to notes on the duo's self-titled 1968 debut LP) consisted of "nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual manual controls...The lead and rhythm oscillators are played with the hands, elbows and knees and the bass oscillators are played with the feet." Although the utterly uncommercial record -- an ingenious cacophony of beeps, buzzes and beats -- sold poorly, the Silver Apples resurfaced a year later with their sophomore effort, Contact , another far-flung outing which fared no better than its predecessor. After the record's release, the duo seemingly vanished into thin air, perhaps returning to the alien world from whence they purportedly came; however, in 1996 the Silver Apples mysteriously resurfaced, as Simeon and new partner Xian Hawkins released the single "Fractal Flow." American and European tours followed, and a year later a new LP, Beacon , was released to wide acclaim. The follow-up Decatur appeared in 1998, and was soon joined by A Lake of Teardrops (a collaboration with avowed fans Spectrum ) as well as The Garden, the long-unreleased third and final effort from the original Simeon /Taylor partnership. However, on November 1, 1998, the Silver Apples' van crashed while returning from a New York gig; the accident left Simeon with a broken neck and spinal injuries, casting his continued musical career in grave doubt."

Love ya Mr Majestyk.
Have tried to start mellotron threads before, but...

I will contribute, Mark All My messages Read!

mr. mellotron, thank you...........................

Hippy time.
Wakeman sucks, Klaus Schulze is the man :-)

Great stuff Majesty; givin the Rockman a run for the crown. excellent material. I am actually surprised at how long the Mellotron persisted. What I mean is that those cats from the 70's Banks, Wakeman, Emerson were all still using M. when I thoight these were already early synths. But the early ones were mainly monophonic. E.g that part by Wakemna that Lukester refers to is actually a nod to Handel by wakeman and was the payoff in his solo spot with Yes in 70's.
Although RW took so much sh*t from everyone (I mean those things about Henry VIII and some other epic piee were hilarious ly over the top)he was a greatr musician who played with Lou Reed and other rockers and supposeldy brought a lot of humor into old fogies like Yes.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

You wont find any mellotron on ELP albums, Keith didn't like them. He did use one for one song whilst in The Nice and Greg Lake used one for a couple of shows during the 70's, but that was promptly stopped!

Keith's reasoning? He didn't want to play someone elses music, ie pre-recorded notes! Pretty funny when you take in to account the amount of stuff he 're-arranged' from old classical stuff.

It pretty much dissapeared by the late 70's - early 80's, but there were still a few bands who used them on occasion, like OMD.

No Mellotron thread is complete without one of the instruments greatest pioneers, Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues!





and of course, Ian McDonald of King Crimson!



In the Court of the Crimson King is essential Mellotron listening, and well, just essential listening really!

I met Ian at the King Crimson Book launch in 2001 and also was able to have a telophone conversation with him where he helped me out with info for a college paper I was doing on The Mellotron. Tis great stuff being able to meet one of your favourite musicians!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-03 15:28 by His Majesty.

I know so much more about mellotrons than I did, say, two days ago.

In the Court of the Crimson King is one of the most monumental rock classics
there is. Shamingly unknown among common people.

This was a good thread. I came here not looking for it, but now I know a lot more about mellotron.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

How about some nice informative links to keep it going?

This is one of the best sites about the Mellotron:

[egrefin.free.fr]

And, here's a site with lots of examples of the various sounds available for the instrument:

[www.blackcat.demon.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-04 02:09 by His Majesty.

His Majesty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You wont find any mellotron on ELP albums, Keith
> didn't like them. He did use one for one song
> whilst in The Nice and Greg Lake used one for a
> couple of shows during the 70's, but that was
> promptly stopped!
>
> Keith's reasoning? He didn't want to play someone
> elses music, ie pre-recorded notes! Pretty funny
> when you take in to account the amount of stuff he
> 're-arranged' from old classical stuff.
>
> It pretty much dissapeared by the late 70's -
> early 80's, but there were still a few bands who
> used them on occasion, like OMD.
>
> No Mellotron thread is complete without one of the
> instruments greatest pioneers, Mike Pinder of the
> Moody Blues!
>
> [i51.photobucket.com]
> c/Mellotron/moody_blues_1968_2.jpg
>
> [i51.photobucket.com]
> c/Mellotron/mike_stage2.jpg
>
> and of course, Ian McDonald of King Crimson!
>
> [i51.photobucket.com]
> c/Mellotron/image.jpg
>
> In the Court of the Crimson King is essential
> Mellotron listening, and well, just essential
> listening really!
>
> I met Ian at the King Crimson Book launch in 2001
> and also was able to have a telophone conversation
> with him where he helped me out with info for a
> college paper I was doing on The Mellotron. Tis
> great stuff being able to meet one of your
> favourite musicians!!!

-_______________________________________________________________-



Great record, long time ago it was on my turntable, maybe i should give it a try again (remember Catfood though, Catfood catfood ...............)

__________________________

Yeah I've got that Crimson King album......on vinyl

I love that song 21st Century Schizoid Man

I've seen Yes about 6 times and Rick Wakeman IMHO is the king of the keyboards. They have always put on a great show. Especially if your wasted. I have to pick up that Yessongs CD, I used to borrow my friends triple album version in the late 70's.

Yeah......Sicilian, I hear ya.' I remember that triple album Yessongs very well.....I saw Yes in 1977 or 78..."In The Round," remember those concerts? in which they had a rotating round stage in the middle of the coliseum.
So at times Wakeman's back would be to you....whew, what a show....and let me tell you, Chris Squire and Rick Howe kicked some ass on bass and guitar......I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.

Found these pics of John Lennon playing his mellotron at home circa 1967...









Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-09 23:10 by His Majesty.

Keith had a shot too. :-()



It's possible that he actually bought one in 1967. There was one for sale years ago that was supposed to be Bill Wymans, hmmm...

Crimson is just gorgeous...
I also love Pink Floyd's Julia Dream...

Baboon Bro Wrote:

> I also love Pink Floyd's Julia Dream...

Ah yeah, that track is sublime!!! Great tron flute on there.

Lurv sittin im ma car, lowerin' down the windows,
in summer, sniffin in all the flower scents
& playin Julia Dream... Gotta go hear it right away........



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-01 17:36 by Baboon Bro.