Okay---this is a VERY important subject. To me, anyway. See---what happened the other day was, I found a one-hit wonder, who had incorporated the Mellotron into the recording of their one hit! See, as you kidss already know, I like one-hit wonders the best. I also prefer studio recordings, as well. Not always, but usually. Also, great covers when I find them on Youtube. Lyrics count for zip; if I want words, I'll read a book. Okay---the song is one from 1974. Noooo, it's not Skynyrd or Zz Top or Radar Love or anya that "classic rock" crap. Nope. It's one the Cool People hate, because it's too "soft rock", for them. The song is "Poetry Man" by the late Phoebe Snow, Greenwich Village performer from Joisy. I heard it somewhere the other day--prolly the grocery store. And, I have it on a 45 I bought back in 1975. Anyway, I listened to it a couple times and declared: "Hey--there's a Mellotron in there!" Realizing that, after 45 years!
See--in the last year, I've been keeping my ears open for (older) music that features a Mellotron. A Mellotron is considered a primitive sampler or synthesizer, by some. It's an electro-mechanical device that uses a keyboard to replay pre-recorded sounds--notes, by stringed instruments or horns, etc., that can be dubbed into recordings or even live performances. Here's the controversy: Musicians Unions et al objected to their use, because it undermined their livelihood, or so they claimed. Anyway--for a better explanation of how a Mellotron works, view on youtube: Bell Tone Synth Works Mellotron. You kids have no doubt heard "Strawberry Fields", by the mop-topped foursome, wherein McCartney played the Mellotron. Right? The Moody Blues' Mike Pinder played Mellowtron on Tuesday Afternoon & other compositions. Now do you see? So, it's become a game to me that I call "Spot The Mellotron". Do you kids think that is Obsessive-Compulsive, or am I on the Aspy Spectrum, about midway? Be honest, and don't Gaslight littlebittymee. Ha. But yeah---"Poetry Man" integrated Mellotron, and it's most apparent during the (real) saxophone solo. There's (real)harp in there too, and (real)upright string bass, per Phoebes' request. How do I know this? Well, I don't "know" because I wasn't there, BUT I ran across an essay on the 'net, by someone who claimed to have taken part in the process of producing this one hit with Snow, as an employee of the record company. Anyway, that's what they said. They also made the point that during the mid-60's was when the emphasis on recorded music came about. Prior to then, record companies just recorded music performances, just as they'd sound live. Minus the audience. Ha. But, the industry--that includes some leading artists-- wanted a more surreaal sound--more sophisticated & progressive, if you will. So, from then on, the studio was where the creative process took place, for many successful bands! See--I read a Stevie Nicks biography, last year. It was not all about her romances and drama and whatnot. Nope. A little, maybe. But the takeaway was---you had two American kids--Buckingham and Nicks---who had already recorded an album that was a modest success. It defined their sound, and their fan base was live audiences in the deep Southern USA. They were looking for opportunities in SoCal, and Nicks was cleaning house for a record producer who introduced them to a veteran group from the UK (Fleetwood Mac) that was looking to reinvent itself, with new players and new music. See? Sooo, this record producer introduced them, and they all partied together, found they were compatible, even though they had different style of music! Well, they were put in a leased recording studio that was VERY compfterbal, for weeks on end, and they proceeded to create several albums filled with hits! After the records were released & became popular, they then had to tour and perform in large arenas, with 1000's of people! Touring really curtails the creative process, and so does success, according to whgat I read. See? Okay--where was I? Oh, yeah--Mellotron. It's obsolete; prolly was obsolete, even in its' prime. But it has a cool psychedelic sound, and one reason is on account of its technical deficiency--the so-called "flutter and wow" of the magnetic tape used to play the pre-recorded notes added to the record. See? You can research it, for a better understanding, if you choose. Hope that helps you some. Thankk mee.
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Originally Posted by littlebittybobby
