Tony wrote: I guess you could say that along with the Mini Moog, the Mellotron is my favourite instrument used in prog rock. I don't think it is necessary to demonstrate why here, as I guess I'm not the only one who enjoys its sound. Anways, the tron has made quite a comeback in the last 5 years or so, after being pretty much unused in all of the 80s and the 90s. Porcupine Tree uses it alot, Opeth started using it because of SW, Radiohead used it and now there's lots of it on the new TMV. Is it going to be used on more and more diverse albums with time? And were there any other example of its recent use? Will we see the return of the ARP, or the Moog or the Hammond organ soon?

We can only hope

Tony wrote: Radiohead used it

Did they? Whenabouts?

In lots of songs from the "OK Computer", actually: the string orchestration that appears during the interlude section of 'Paranoid Android' is also played on mellotron.

The mellotron in itself has been recatured by many Scadinavian bands (WHITE WILLOW, ANGLAGARD, ANEKDOTEN, FRUITCAKE). IQ used it for their first albums, and retook it for "Dark Matter". The neal Morse-era SPOCK'S BEARD  albums and those by GLASS HAMMER include the mellotron, too, in a large degree.

Regards.

Hi folks;

My favorite instrument in Progressive Rock is also the Mellotron. It features some of the prog essential sounds, like strings or choirs.

Stay tuned for the upcoming album by a new norwegian band called WOBBLER. The band´s keyboard player Lars Fredik Froislie uses no less than 3 mellotrons (he owns 2 of them) on their debut album. They are going to play the prog festival NearFest around June or so and the album may be released by Laser´s Edge by that time.

LONG LIVE PROG ROCK & THE MELLOTRON

Cheers,

Roger

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/ - http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/

not completely up to date but still amazingly comprehensive.

A thread about those Mellotrons, eh?

Mellotron is great! Here's few superb Mellotronic songs that first come to my mind:

Genesis: Watcher of the Skies ; King Crimson: Epitaph, In the Wake of Poseidon ; Moody Blues: Legend of Mind, My Song ; the whole album by SPRING ; Barclay James Harvest: She Said.

Discipline uses Mellotron, do I remember right?

I think U2 used the Mellotron for the intro to "It's a Beautiful Day".

Unusual for a Pop Rock song ........is it?

chorus of one wrote: PROGMAN wrote: I think U2 used the Mellotron for the intro to "It's a Beautiful Day". Unusual for a Pop Rock song ........is it? Not sure about that one, but you'd be surprised at the variety of bands/artists who have used the mellotron. Check out the site James Lee posted above, excellent resource.

That is in fact a Mellotron at the beginning of "It's a Beautiful Day."  I can pick a Mellotron out of virtually any song because of owning one for nearly 25 years.  Absolutely no synth or sampler can reproduce the warm sound that the tapes make going over the tape heads.  Ikey Owens from The Mars Volta is one of the most recent keyboardists to use one.  My all time favorite usage of the Mellotron was Genesis' Tony Banks' bending the pitch wheel with the choir sound during the live version of "The Waiting Room" from "The Lamb Lies Down" tour.  I use to do the same thing, but I would also incorporate a Space Echo and Leslie in with this technique.  Chilling, I tell ya. 

Hi Everyone,

All I can say is me too! Mellotron is my favorite prog-rock instrument. After first hearing it in the 60's with the Moody Blues and the Beatles, and then hearing it on King Crimson's ITCOTCK, I knew a new era (Symphonic Rock) in Rock music was emerging. There is something dark and spooky about its sound. The way the tape loops drag and sometimes slow down gives it a gloomy and gothic type sound which seems perfect for the darker side of prog-rock. It's frightening power worked wonders for Crimson, the early Genesis etc., and it's come back in the 90's and the present is certainly welcomed by me. Two very good newer groups that use it well and not mentioned in previous posts are the prog groups Guapo, from England, and Paatos from Sweden. Look out for a new debut album soon from Norwegian group Wobbler. Two complete free demos are on their web site and are drenched with loads of sweet tron. Their keyboardist is also in White Willow, and their sound is dark and similar to Anglagard.   http://www.wobblermusic.com/ - http://www.wobblermusic.com/   A good web site for tron fanatics is also at:   http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/index.htm - http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/index.htm  called The Ultimate Mellotron Recordings. Last update was in February, and lists just about every commercially recorded album ever recorded using the Mellotron. Some reviews on this site too. Hey out there! Any more good newer prog band out their you could suggest that I may not know about? Please enlighten me! I will always have in insatiable appetite for the beloved Mellotron. Thanks! 

Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

uses Mellotron strings in the verse right before the guitar solos. I love that part man!!

Riverside (progmetal) are using Mellotron, and that's actually the main reason why their music is good.

Tony wrote: Is it going to be used on more and more diverse albums with time? And were there any other example of its recent use? Will we see the return of the ARP, or the Moog or the Hammond organ soon?

Check out Glass Hammer. That new american band is using a lot of different keyboards. Maybe you'll find what you are looking for.