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An early double-manual, woodgrain Mellotron. Later Mellotrons came in a white case and were simplified for ease of use by rock musicians; it was these Mellotrons that became an iconic symbol of 60s and 70s progressive rock.
An early double-manual, woodgrain Mellotron. Later Mellotrons came in a white case and were simplified for ease of use by rock musicians; it was these Mellotrons that became an iconic symbol of 60s and 70s progressive rock. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved

The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. Polyphony is the property of an Electronic musical instrument which describes how many notes it can sound at one time Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969

The Mellotron superseded the Chamberlin, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard. The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical Keyboard instrument related to the Mellotron. In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording The heart of the instrument is a bank of magnetic audio tapes (which are parallel linear, not looped as has sometimes been reported or presumed). Tape loops are loops of prerecorded Magnetic tape used to create repetitive rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound Each tape has approximately eight seconds of playing time. Playback heads (underneath each key) enable the playing of pre-recorded sounds.

The earlier MKI and MKII models contained two side-by-side keyboards: On the right keyboard were 18 selectable "lead/instrument" sounds (such as strings, flutes, and brass instruments). A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. The left keyboard played pre-recorded musical rhythm tracks (in various styles).

The tape banks for the later, lighter-weight M400 models contain only 3 selectable sounds such as strings, cello, and the famous eight-voice choir. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers The sound on each individual tape piece was recorded at the pitch of the key to which it was assigned. To make up for the fewer sounds available, the M400 tapes came in a removable frame, which allowed for relatively quick changes to new racks of sounds.

Contents

History

Although tape samplers had been explored in research studios (e. g. , Hugh LeCaine's 1955 keyboard-controlled "Special Purpose Tape Recorder", which he used when recording his classic "Dripsody"), the first commercially available keyboard-driven tape instruments were built and sold by California-based Harry Chamberlin from 1948 through the 1970s. Hugh Le Caine ( May 27, 1914 - July 3, 1977) was a Canadian Physicist, Composer and instrument builder Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical Keyboard instrument related to the Mellotron. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.

Things really took off, however, when Chamberlin's sales agent, Bill Fransen, brought two of Chamberlin's instruments to England in 1962 to search for someone who could manufacture 70 matching tape heads for future Chamberlins. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Initially, Harry Chamberlin was not happy with the fact that someone overseas was basically "copying" his idea, and that one of his own people (Bill Fransen) was the reason for this. Fransen approached a UK company that was skilled enough to develop the idea further and a deal was struck with brothers Frank, Norm, and Lesley Bradley of engineering company Bradmatic Ltd. This resulted in the formation of a subsidiary company named Mellotronics, which produced the first Mellotrons in Aston, Birmingham, England. Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Bradmatic later took on the name Streetly Electronics. In the early 70's 100 of the instruments were assembled and sold by EMI under license. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Many years later, following financial and trademark troubles, the Mellotron name became unavailable and resided with the American based Sound Sales while Streetly manufactured instruments after 1976 were sold under the name Novatron.

Throughout the 1970s, the Mellotron had a major impact on rock music, particularly the 35 note (G-F) model M400. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African The M400 version was released in 1970 and sold over 1800 units, becoming a trademark sound of the era's progressive bands. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The earlier 1960's MK II units were made for the home and the characteristics of the instrument attracted a number of celebrities. Among the early Mellotron owners were Princess Margaret, Peter Sellers, King Hussein of Jordan and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British Hussein bin Talal King of Jordan (حسين بن طلال Ḥusayn bin Ṭalāl) ( November 14, 1935 – February 7, 1999) was Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices initially created by American Science fiction author L Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13 1911 &ndash January 24 1986 was a fiction writer who devised a self-help technique called Dianetics and philosophy known as Scientology

Mellotrons were normally pre-loaded with string instrument and orchestral sounds, although the model 400's tape bank could be removed with relative ease by the owner and loaded with banks containing different sounds including percussion loops, sound effects, or synthesizer-generated sounds, to generate polyphonic electronically generated sounds in the days before polyphonic synthesizers. For the album by The Jam see Sound Affects. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced Sounds In Music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent Melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice ( Monophony

Beneath every key is a disengaged tape head and roller.
Beneath every key is a disengaged tape head and roller.
Depressed key engages tape head and roller.
Depressed key engages tape head and roller.

The unique sound of the Mellotron is produced by a combination of characteristics: Among these are tape replay artifacts such as wow and flutter, the result being that each time a note is played, it is slightly different from the previous time it was played (a bit like a conventional instrument). Wow is a relatively slow form of Flutter (pitch variation which can affect both gramophone records and Tape recorders In the latter the collective expression The notes also interact with each other so that chords or even just pairs of notes have an extremely powerful sound.

Another factor in the strangely haunting quality of the Mellotron's most frequently-heard sounds is that the individual notes were recorded in isolation. For a musician accustomed to playing in an orchestral setting, this was unusual, and meant that he/she had nothing against which to intonate. Thus, the temperament of the Mellotron is always somewhat questionable when it is used in the context of other instruments. In Musical tuning, a temperament is a system of tuning which slightly compromises the pure intervals of Just intonation in order to meet other requirements of the Perhaps for this reason, and perhaps also to allow easy transposition of the instrument's limited range, the pitch control is placed closest to the keyboard on the M400 model.

This temperament issue has led to the Mellotron being regarded, rather unfairly, as a difficult instrument to tune. There certainly could be mechanical problems that would also contribute to this. The original varispeed servo design was poor, for instance, but later improved dramatically. The tapes would stick inside their frames and refuse to rewind if the frame became distorted due to careless handling of the machine. Properly maintained though, the machines behave a lot better than their reputation suggests.

Although they enabled many bands to perform string, brass and choir arrangements, which had been previously impossible to recreate live, Mellotrons were not without their disadvantages. Above all, they were very expensive. They sold for £1,000 in the mid-1960s, and the official Mellotron site gives the 1973 list price as US $5200. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Like the Hammond organ, they were a roadie's nightmare: heavy, bulky and fragile. The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company "Roadie" redirects here For the 1980 movie see Roadie (film. After years of touring with Mellotrons, Robert Fripp formulated a rule: "Tuning a mellotron doesn't. Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England) is a Guitarist, Composer and a Record " The tape banks were also notoriously prone to breakages & jams and those groups who could afford to (like Yes) typically took two Mellotrons on tour to cope with the inevitable breakdowns. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968.

The original Mellotrons (MkI/MkII) were not intended to be portable (they often become misaligned when jostled even lightly), but later models such as the M300, M400 and MKV were designed for portability. The American Mellotron distributor Sound Sales, produced their own Mellotron model the 4 Track in the mid 70's. At the same time Streetly produced a road cased version of the 400 - the T550 Novatron. By the mid 1980's both Sound Sales and Streetly Electronics suffered severe financial setbacks losing their market to synths and samplers, which rendered the Mellotron almost extinct.

All models, when installed permanently in a studio, provided a very realistic effect. Many examples abound. One example of this can be found on Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh Studio album by British Singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973 Despite these shortcomings, Mellotrons were prized for their unique sound, and they helped pave the way for the later sampler. A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer.

In the late 1990s, a Calgary-based company began producing new Mellotrons. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada These new MKVI Mellotrons were similar to the M400, with some modifications. The company also released sample discs featuring wav files of each individual note sampled from an original Mellotron. WAV (or WAVE) short for Waveform Audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM Audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on These files, when played using a sampler, enable keyboardists to recreate part of the sound of the original Mellotrons using cheaper and more reliable modern keyboards. A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer. Streetly Electronics has also released a new version of the M400 Mellotron,called the M4000, and is the first machine to offer a failproof cycling mechanism, an updated design of the system used in th 1960's MK 1, MK 2 and M300 machines.

Bands such as Counting Crows and The Musical Box have toured using these sampled Mellotrons to avoid the inconvenience of transporting and maintaining original Mellotrons on the road. Counting Crows is a Rock band originating from Berkeley California. The Musical Box is a prominent Genesis tribute band. History Taking their name from the 1971 track of the same name, they formed in The Musical Box, being a tribute band dedicated to visually reproducing early Genesis shows, have taken great pains to hide the fact that they do not use a real Mellotron by hiding a Kurzweil synthesiser in a wooden box made to look like a Mellotron. Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists

The Mellotron in popular music

British multi-instrumentalist Graham Bond may have been the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron, beginning in 1965. Graham John Clifton Bond ( 28 October, 1937 in Romford, East London, England &ndash 8 May, 1974 at Finsbury The song Baby Can It Be True, is the first hit song to feature a Mellotron MKII. Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues, and an 18 month long employee of Streetly Electronics for quality control and test driver, introduced the Mellotron to John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the The Beatles, and they used it prominently on their groundbreaking single "Strawberry Fields Forever" a year later (recorded November-December 1966)[1]. Michael Thomas 'Mike' Pinder (born 27 December, 1941 to Bert and Gladys Pinder in Erdington, Birmingham, England) established The Moody Blues are an English psychedelic rock band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " Strawberry Fields Forever " is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. It was also Pinder who brought the Mellotron to the forefront of popular music with The Moody Blues' 1967 album Days of Future Passed in songs including "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon". Days of Future Passed, The Moody Blues ' second official album (released in 1967 was their first of what would be a succession of Concept albums It was " Nights in White Satin " is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, first featured on the album Days of Future Passed. Pinder made regular use of the instrument on The Moody Blues' studio albums from 1967 through 1971. The Moody Blues are an English psychedelic rock band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Their 1972 album Seventh Sojourn employed the Mellotron's predecessor, the Chamberlin. Seventh Sojourn, released in 1972 was the seventh album released by The Moody Blues ' psychedelic era line-up The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical Keyboard instrument related to the Mellotron.

The Mellotron was also used by Led Zeppelin in "The Rain Song" and "Kashmir". Led Zeppelin were " The Rain Song " is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's fifth album Houses of the Holy, released in 1973 " Kashmir " is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. Contrary to popular belief, a Mellotron was not used on the studio recording of "Stairway to Heaven", although it was used to recreate the recorder arrangements in live performances. " Stairway to Heaven " is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The Zombies ("Changes"), Donovan ("Celeste", "Breezes of Patchule"), Manfred Mann (several Mike D'abo-era recordings, including "So Long Dad" and "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. For the Undead creature of Vodou lore see Zombie. For other meanings see Zombie (disambiguation. Donovan ( Donovan Phillips Leitch, born 10 May 1946 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Singer-songwriter and guitarist This article is about Manfred Mann the band For Manfred Mann the man see Manfred Mann (musician. James"), Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Tuesday's Gone", "Free Bird"), The Rolling Stones ("2000 Light Years from Home", "We Love You"), Deep Purple ("Anthem"), The Bee Gees ("World", "Every Christian Lion-Hearted Man Will Show You"), Traffic ("House for Everyone", "Hole In My Shoe"), Pink Floyd ("A Saucerful of Secrets", "Julia Dream", "Atom Heart Mother" and "Sysyphus"), Procol Harum ("Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)", The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow, Cream's "Badge", "Anyone for Tennis", The Left Banke's "Myrah", Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), Nilsson's "The Moonbeam Song", Big Star ("Kangaroo", played by producer Jim Dickinson) and others made use of the Mellotron during the psychedelic era. Lynyrd Skynyrd (ˌlɛnɚdˈskɪnɝd is an American Southern rock band " 2000 Light Years From Home " is a song from The Rolling Stones ' 1967 Psychedelic rock album Their Satanic Majesties Request. " We Love You " is a rock song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, first released as Decca single F12654 in the UK Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertfordshire in 1968 The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. Traffic were an English rock band formed in 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. Pink Floyd are " A Saucerful of Secrets " is a multi-part instrumental by the rock band Pink Floyd from an album of the same name, released in 1968. " Julia Dream " is the B-side of the Pink Floyd single " It Would Be So Nice " " Atom Heart Mother " is a six-part Suite by Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, composed by all members of the band and Ron Geesin. " Sysyphus " is an Avant-garde, instrumental four part suite written by progressive rock band Pink Floyd 's keyboardist Richard Wright. Procol Harum are a British rock band formed in the 1960s which built an important foundation for what would become Progressive rock, or perhaps more The Pretty Things are a Rock and roll band from London. They pioneered a raw approach to Rhythm and blues that influenced a number of key SF Sorrow is the title of a 1968 LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things. Cream were a 1960s British rock band " Badge " is a rock song by Cream, penned by Eric Clapton and George Harrison during a collaborative effort between Clapton Harrison and Ringo The Left Banke was an American 1960s pop-music group best remembered for their two hit singles " Walk Away Renee " and " Pretty Ballerina Marvin Pentz Gay Jr, known as Marvin Gaye ( April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Singer-songwriter " Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology " was the second single from Marvin Gaye 's legendary 1971 album What's Going On. Nilsson is the fourth most common surname in Sweden. The name is a Patronymic meaning "Nils' son" Big Star is an American Rock and roll band founded in the early 1970s Jim Dickinson is an American Record producer, pianist and singer Modern psychedelia For "psychedelics" see Psychedelic drug. The Kinks featured the instrument prominently in their recordings between 1967 and 1969, most obviously on 1968's "Phenomenal Cat," from The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society. The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is a pop-rock album released by the British music group The Kinks on 22 November

The Mellotron was widely used to provide backing keyboard accompaniment by many of the progressive rock groups of the 1970s and, alongside the venerable Hammond organ, it was crucial to shaping the sound of the genre. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company It has been featured on the following albums (not an exhaustive list): Once Again by Barclay James Harvest, Music in a Doll's House by Family (band), Grave New World and From the Witchwood by Strawbs, In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, and Diamond Dogs by David Bowie, 2112 by Rush, I Robot by The Alan Parsons Project, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes, and Nursery Cryme, Genesis Live, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, Seconds Out and …And Then There Were Three… by Genesis, and Space Ritual, Hall of the Mountain Grill, and In Search Of Space by Hawkwind. Once Again was the second album released by Barclay James Harvest, in early 1971 Barclay James Harvest is a British rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences Music in a Doll's House is the debut album by Progressive rock group Family, released in July 1968 This article is about the British rock band For other uses see Family (disambiguation. Grave New World is a studio Album by English band Strawbs. It was the first album to be released after the departure of Rick Wakeman From the Witchwood is a studio Album by English band Strawbs. Strawbs are a rock band founded in 1964 in England. Originally known as the Strawberry Hill Boys, they started out as a bluegrass In the Court of the Crimson King (an observation by King Crimson is the 1969 debut Album by the British Progressive rock group King King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 This article is about the song For the album which includes this song see Space Oddity (album. Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971 (see 1971 in music) Diamond Dogs is a Concept album by David Bowie, originally released by RCA in 1974 David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. 2112 ("Twenty-One Twelve" is the fourth Studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently comprised of I Robot is a Progressive rock Album recorded by The Alan Parsons Project, engineered by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson The Alan Parsons Project was a British Progressive rock band active between 1975 and 1990 founded by Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons. Fragile is the fourth album by British Progressive rock band Yes. Close to the Edge is the fifth album by British Progressive rock band Yes. Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by British Progressive rock band Yes. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. Genesis Live is the first live album released by Progressive rock group Genesis in 1973 (see 1973 in music) Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by British Progressive rock band Genesis and the second from the "classic" lineup of Peter Gabriel Selling England by the Pound is the fifth studio album by the Progressive rock band Genesis and was recorded and released in 1973 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (sometimes called simply The Lamb) is a double concept album recorded and released in 1974 by the British A Trick of the Tail was the seventh studio album by the Progressive rock band Genesis and the first to feature Phil Collins as full-time Wind & Wuthering is a studio Album by British Progressive rock band Genesis, originally released in the UK on 27 December 1976 and Seconds Out is a live Double album by Genesis, released in October 1977 And Then There Were Three is the ninth studio album by the British band Genesis and was released in 1978 Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London is a 1973 live double album recorded in 1972 by UK rock band Hawkwind. Hall of the Mountain Grill is a 1974 album by Space rock band Hawkwind, regarded by many critics and fans as a career highlight Hawkwind are a British rock band, one of the earliest Space rock groups

The mellotron was also used extensively by pioneering German electronic band Tangerine Dream through their prime, including solo work by Edgar Froese. Tangerine Dream is a German Electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. Edgar Wilmar Froese (born 6 June 1944) is a German Artist and Electronic music pioneer best known for co-founding the electronic The Tangerine Dream albums Phaedra, Rubycon, Ricochet, and Encore as well as Froese's Epsilon in Malaysian Pale provide excellent examples of Mellotron playing. Tangerine Dream is a German Electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. Phaedra (1974 is an album by the German Electronic music group Tangerine Dream. Rubycon is an album released in 1975 by German Electronic music group Tangerine Dream. Ricochet is the first live album by German Electronic music group Tangerine Dream. Another example of the Mellotron's unique sounds can be heard on Immediate Curtain, played by former Soft Machine-percussionist Robert Wyatt on the first album of his second band Matching Mole. " Immediate Curtain " is the final track on the first album of the English rock band Matching Mole, an Instrumental piece composed and performed by Robert Soft Machine was an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945 in Bristol) is an English Musician, and founding member of the influential Matching Mole was a UK Progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene best known for the song "O Caroline" The Pillory, recorded in 1977 by American musician & composer Jasun Martz, is often considered the "Holy Grail" of Mellotron releases. Jasun Martz is an American Record producer, Composer, Musician, Fine artist and Sculptor who has worked on several #1 best ref: * [1]

The advent of cheaper and more reliable polysynths and preset 'string machines' saw the Mellotron's popularity wane by the end of the 1970s. Following the impact of punk, the Mellotron tended to be viewed as a relic of a pompous era. By 1980, Switzerland's progressive rock band Flame Dream used the Mellotron on all 6 of their Vertigo, Phonogram albums; and its status had diminished to the extent that Captain Beefheart was able to reappropriate it almost as an archaic "found instrument". Don Van Vliet (born Donald Glen Vliet on January 15 1941, in Glendale California, U One of the few UK post-punk bands to utilise its sounds were Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who featured it heavily on their platinum-selling Architecture & Morality album (1981). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a Synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula Architecture & Morality is an Album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released in 1981 It was also used by English band XTC on the albums Mummer, The Big Express and on their albums under the alias The Dukes Of Stratosphear. XTC was a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005 The Big Express was XTC 's Album released in 1984 It was one of XTC's harder-edged albums in contrast to the Pastoral Mummer The Dukes of Stratosphear was a pseudonym used by the British rock band XTC in the mid to late 1980s concurrently with XTC's continued musical activities A handful of British groups, notably Cardiacs and IQ continued to use Mellotrons throughout the mid 1980s, but they were in a minority. Cardiacs are an English band formed in 1977 Their broad combination of styles is sometimes referred to as Pronk (progressive punk although singer IQ are a British Neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes in 1982 following the dissolution of his original band The Lens.

The Mellotron experienced a revival of sorts in the 1990s. A plethora of bands began using the instrument or more commonly, samples of the instrument because of the release of Mellotron sounds in software form.

These bands include Dinosaur Jr, You Am I, Fiona Apple (in this case - real Chamberlin), Pulp, Marillion, U2, Radio Massacre International, The Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows, Oasis, Barenaked Ladies, Sheryl Crow, Incubus, Tori Amos, Spock's Beard, Lenny Kravitz , Kevin Gilbert, The Flower Kings, Nine Inch Nails, Modest Mouse, Muse, Pearl Jam, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Faith No More, Grandaddy, Tom Waits (real Chamberlin), The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Charlatans, Paul Weller (real Novatron - formerly Steve Hackett's machine), Radiohead (real mellotron) (The song 'Exit Music (For A Film)' is a good example of the stop/start style of the Mellotron, in this case with the choir patch), John Medeski, Porcupine Tree, Air, Anekdoten, Morte Macabre, Opeth, Enslaved, No-Man, Waterclime, and a revived "double-trio" version of King Crimson. You Am I is an Australian Alternative rock band fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. Fiona Apple (born Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart on September 13, 1977) is a Grammy-winning American Singer-songwriter. Pulp were an English Alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978 by Jarvis Cocker ( vocals Guitar) Marillion are a British rock group Formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England in 1979 their recorded studio output comprises Radio Massacre International are a trio of British musicians Steve Dinsdale (Keyboards and Drums Duncan Goddard (Keyboards and Bass and Gary Houghton (Guitar Synth The Smashing Pumpkins are an American Alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988 Counting Crows is a Rock band originating from Berkeley California. Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL or occasionally BnL) is a Juno -winning and Grammy -nominated Canadian Alternative Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. Incubus is a Grammy -nominated Alternative rock band based out of Calabasas, California. Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is a Pianist and Singer-songwriter of dual British and American Spock's Beard is a Progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American Singer-songwriter, Multi-instrumentalist, Record Kevin Gilbert ( November 20, 1966 - May 17, 1996) was an American songwriter Musician, composer producer and collaborator The Flower Kings are a Swedish Progressive rock band Formed in 1994 by veteran guitarist Roine Stolt as a touring band to support his solo album Modest Mouse are an American Alternative rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah Washington by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Muse are Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Red Hot Chili Peppers are Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg Washington in 1985 by vocalist Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Petty Faith No More was an American Alternative metal band that formed in San Francisco, California from 1982 to 1998 Grandaddy was an Indie rock group from Modesto, California, United States. Thomas Alan Waits (born 7 December 1949) is an American Singer-songwriter, Composer, and Actor. The Brian Jonestown Massacre (frequently abbreviated as "BJM" or "The BJM" are a neo-psychedelic rock band founded in San Francisco California The Charlatans (known in the United States as The Charlatans UK) are a British Alternative rock band Paul Weller (born John William Weller 25 May 1958 in Sheerwater near Woking, Surrey) is an English Singer-songwriter. Radiohead Anthony John Medeski (born 28 June 1965) is an American Jazz keyboards player and Composer. Porcupine Tree are a Progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. AIR is a French (from region Île-de-France) music duo consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Anekdoten is a Swedish Progressive rock band composed of Guitarist / Vocalist Nicklas Barker Cellist Anna Sofi Dahlberg Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band that formed in 1990 in Stockholm. Enslaved is a progressive Black metal band formed in 1991 in Haugesund, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen No-Man is a British duo formed in 1987 as No Man Is An Island (Except The Isle Of Man by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson (also of Porcupine Waterclime is yet another project of Andreas Hedlund aka Vintersorg of the band of the eponymous name, as well as Borknagar, Otyg, King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 In 1989/90, R.E.M. Losing My Religion" French electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre was particularly vocal in his love of the instrument, using it extensively in his 1997 Oxygene tour, and often describing it as the "Stradivarius of electronic music". REM is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe ( lead vocals) Peter Buck ( Guitar " Losing My Religion " is a song by the American Alternative rock band R Jean-Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948, Lyon) is a French Composer, performer and Music producer. A Stradivarius is a Stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family particularly Antonio Stradivari.

The Flaming Lips, in 2002, used Mellotron samples in the recording of their album Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. The Flaming Lips (formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983 is an American rock band Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is the tenth Album by The Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002. Armenian metal band System Of A Down has used the sound in their music, most notably on the song "Roulette. " It is used a lot on Vincent Gallo's 'When' LP. On Porcupine Tree's 2005 album Deadwing, track 6 is titled "Mellotron Scratch" and includes lyrics about the sound of a Mellotron causing a woman to cry. Porcupine Tree are a Progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Deadwing is the eighth studio Album by British Progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in March 28, Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson prominently used the Mellotron's haunting choral sounds on No-Man's 2003 album Together We're Stranger. Porcupine Tree are a Progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Steven John Wilson (born November 3, 1967) is the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter and the founder of Progressive rock band Porcupine Tree No-Man is a British duo formed in 1987 as No Man Is An Island (Except The Isle Of Man by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson (also of Porcupine Released by Snapper Music in 2003 Together We're Stranger is No-Man 's fifth studio album In 2006, Sloan featured the Mellotron's flute samples prominently on "Fading Into Obscurity" and "You Know What It's About. Sloan is a Power pop quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. History Early years The band was formed in 1991 when Chris " The flute sound was also used extensively on Eels' 2005 album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as A Man Called Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (2005 is a double album by the band Eels. And most recently, the Mellotron can be sparingly heard on songs from the Canadian rock band Rush's 2007 release, Snakes & Arrows (the Mellotron has made an appearance on one of their earlier songs "Tears". Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently comprised of Snakes & Arrows is the 18th full-length Studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush. The sound also appears on British artist PJ Harvey's 2007 release, White Chalk, and Black Mountain's 2008 release In the Future. Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English Musician and Songwriter. White Chalk is the eighth Studio album by PJ Harvey. It was released on September 24, 2007, in the UK, and on Black Mountain is a Canadian Psychedelic rock -band composed of Stephen McBean Amber Webber Matt Camirand Jeremy Schmidt and Joshua Wells The Belgian band Hooverphonic also used mellotron samples on their album The President of the LSD Golf Club. Hooverphonic is a Belgian rock / pop group formed in 1995 Though early on categorized as a Trip hop group they quickly expanded their The President of the LSD Golf Club is the sixth studio album album by the Belgian band Hooverphonic. British indie rock band The Kooks also use a real mellotron on their new albums Konk and Rak most noticably in the song shine on. The Kooks are an Indie band based in the United Kingdom. The band was formed in Brighton, United Kingdom, and currently consists of four members The Rak is a flying Fictional creature from the pages of L Frank Baum 's 1914 Oz book Tik-Tok of Oz. The Strokes also used a mellotron on the song 'Ask Me Anthing' on their 2006 album First Impressions of Earth. First Impressions of Earth is the third album by the American rock band The Strokes.

It should be pointed out that many bands who use a real Mellotron most likely don't own one due to the rarity of both surviving original machines / newer models, and that the ones used are often in based in studios. This is especially true of Chamberlin instruments. Nevertheless, many bands are content to use Mellotron samples in software libraries, and these can provide an adequate, if less accurate and less expensive version of the sound.

Unfortunately this has also led to a new trend: Mellotron (or Chamberlin) samples are used but list real Mellotron in album liner notes in an attempt to fool the listener. This is documented on www. planetmellotron. com where several entries exist. Many records produced in the mid 90's and up to present day may have no real physical Mellotron, Chamberlin, Optigan, or Orchestron on them and use samples instead despite the real instrument listed in liner notes. Whether this matters much to music buyers in general is an open question, but according to online information in music newsgroups, certainly many Mellotron owners and users consider it fraudulent and offensive. This has led to a growing phenomenon of savvy younger musicians curious about mellotrons and related instruments now seeking out albums pre 1990's to hear what they consider to be authentic mellotron music.


References

  1. ^ Welcome to Mike Pinder's Official Web Site

See also

External links

Michael Thomas 'Mike' Pinder (born 27 December, 1941 to Bert and Gladys Pinder in Erdington, Birmingham, England) established
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