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Topic ClosedA big hand for the MELLOTRON !!
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akin View Drop Down
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Joined: February 06 2004
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Points: 976 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2006 at 16:44
I wish I could own a mellotron, but I can't afford one. Sometimes one or another mellotron is avaiable on sale in eBay, but they do not ship overseas and as the value of the money in my country is lower than in US and the conditions for a common man too, let's say that a mellotron that costs $1,500 represents to me something like $7,000.  

I am fascinated by the mellotron sounds and the band which best uses the Mellotron is The Moody Blues. It is almost impossivel to hear The Voyage, House of Four Doors, for example, and believe that it is only mellotron.

At least I could afford an Alesis Micron which can emulate perfectly analog sounds. There are some sounds that sound like a mellotron. I'm starting to use it in my psychedelic band (ridiculous, because it is only me playing bass (poorly), guitar (so-so) and keyboards (poorly))...

I'm interested now in hearing Spring. It will go to my "wishlist". Fortunately, although imported, the cd is not so expensive, less than 20% more expensive than a cd made in Brazil. I will just way till the cds I have already purchased to arrive and them I'll check this band out.
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pierreolivier View Drop Down
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Points: 222 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2006 at 16:16
Originally posted by pirkka pirkka wrote:

When you talk about Mellotron there are two bands that stand out:
 
- Moody Blues
- Spring
 
Everybody knows Moody Blues and the way it championed the instrument but Spring is probably in the list of forgotten bands. They only made one record in 1971: Spring but it included 3 mellotrons. It is a must for a Mellotron fan and actually great prog to whom so ever. It gets average of 4.26 points.
 
But as I notice that it was you Eric who added Spring into PA you are familiar with it Wink.
 
My all time favourite mellotron songs are from The Moody Blues greatest album Seventh Sojourn: New Horizons, For my lady, Isn't life strange. But then they were not played with a mellotron but with a Chamberlain made by the same guy who invented the mellotron.
 
Pirkka
 
Pretty sorry to correct you Pirkka but some of your informations that you stated here are false.First,Spring didn't have 3 mellotrons,they have one(a Mark II) but was played by 3 different members of the band.Andy Thompson mellotron website clear the myth.
 
Secondly,Chamberlin was not invented by the guy who invented the Mellotron.It was invented by an american named Harry Chamberlin from Ontario,California.He patented it's first model in 1952 and developped it in his garage.In 1962,a guy who was working for Mr.Chamberlin as a saleman,Mr.Bill Fransen,went to England in order to find a company that manufactured tape heads.He went to Birmingham and found Bradmatic owned by the 3 Bradleys brothers: Leslie,Frank and Norman,who made tape heads.Fransen order a set of 70 matched replay heads to the Bradley brothers and the brothers were very curious about this strange request and one brother guess it rightly that it must be for something like a music machine.Then,they asked Fransen about the usage of theirs tape heads and Fransen bring 2 Chamberlin MusicMaster 600 to the Bradmatic workshop and the Bradleys were very impressed with it.Fransen then ask if they were interested to manufacture the machine in mass production and the Bradleys agreed to help Fransen.But,Fransen didn't say that this machine was invented by Harry Chamberlin and the Bradleys thaught that it was Fransen who invented it.They eventually develloped the Mellotron Mark I,who is almost a Chamberlin MusicMaster 600 replica and developped it further and update some of the components with the Mark II.Originally,the Mellotron were supposed to be called the "Franson" in honour of Bill Fransen but choose the name "Mellotron" for commercial reason.Harry Chamberlin eventually heard of the Mellotron in 1965-1966 and was very mad at Bill Fransen(who was still working for Mr.Chamberlin in the US during the Mellotron developpement) but was not angry about the Bradley brothers because they didn't know about it and thaught it was Fransen invention.Chamberlin agreed that the Mellotron should go further and a monetary arragement was set between the 2 firms in 1966 and the 2 companies devellopped products independantly trought the 80's.
 
Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues use a Chamberlin on the "Seventh Sojourn" album but also use a Mellotron Mark II and M300 on the album.
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erik neuteboom View Drop Down
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Points: 7659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2006 at 15:22
On the DVD Isle Of Wight Festival you will see a mellotron Mark II on stage while The Moody Blues are performing Nights In White Satin, the violin-Mellotron is so typical and added an extra dimension to their sound.
 
Yes Pirkka, it was me who added Spring, I have always loved their Mellotron drenched sound and I also added Lift because this overlooked USA band features some great Mellotron!
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pirkka View Drop Down
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Points: 191 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2006 at 14:56
When you talk about Mellotron there are two bands that stand out:
 
- Moody Blues
- Spring
 
Everybody knows Moody Blues and the way it championed the instrument but Spring is probably in the list of forgotten bands. They only made one record in 1971: Spring but it included 3 mellotrons. It is a must for a Mellotron fan and actually great prog to whom so ever. It gets average of 4.26 points.
 
But as I notice that it was you Eric who added Spring into PA you are familiar with it Wink.
 
My all time favourite mellotron songs are from The Moody Blues greatest album Seventh Sojourn: New Horizons, For my lady, Isn't life strange. But then they were not played with a mellotron but with a Chamberlain made by the same guy who invented the mellotron.
 
Pirkka


Edited by pirkka - July 27 2006 at 15:13
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erik neuteboom View Drop Down
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Points: 7659 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2006 at 14:45
Last week a progrock dream came true: I was introduced to somebody who owned a Mellotron M400 and allowed to play on it. Although I only know a few chords, I could get a bit of an impression how impressive a Mellotron sounds but also how vulnerable it is: some tapes were lost, it took a hell of a time before 'the machine was warm', some keys didn't function and indeed, after 8 seconds the sound simply stops because the tape stops ... I have experienced it now by myself, it's incredible but true!

Playing on the Mellotron I was overwhelmed by progrock memories: the choir Mellotron evokes Rick Wakeman's solo piece on Yessongs and Tony Banks on Afterglow (Seconds Out version), the violin Mellotron evokes In The Court Of The Crimson King and The Moody Blues and the flute sound evokes Strawberrry Fields Forever by The Beatles and Julia Dream by Pink Floyd, what an amazing sound!

I also realised that this both unsurpassed as infamous keyboard has contributed hugely to the story of the progressive rock and at this moment it's more and more becoming popular, mainly because it sounds so unique, just listen to Anekdoten, Willowglass, La Maschera Di Cera ... to name a few!


I am curious to your opinion about the Mellotron like it's role in the progrock history, your experiences with playing on it or simply which are your favorite Mellotron compositions?

I am looking forward to your reactions, fellow Tron-manicas




 

 
 
                       ATTENTION: MELLOTRON SPECIAL ON PAGE #6 !!!    
 
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Edited by erik neuteboom - September 21 2007 at 13:52
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