As one who doesn't really listen to other people's music all that much any more, I was devastated when I bought copies of A Question of Balance and To Our Children's Children's Children today and drove around listening to them for a couple of hours. Knowing more about how the Mark II works has given me an immense respect for the amount of sound and expressiveness that Mr. Pinder managed to pull out of those instruments. I've always had the deepest regard for people who push the limits of the capabilities of their instrument, and it's clear that this man really helped to demonstrate how deep the Mellotron is. A couple of questions though, does anybody know what happened to Mike's Mellotrons? Does he still own any, or have his disappeared into the black hole of time, or are they sequestered away in the private studio of some collector? Also, if I recall correctly, Seventh Sojourn was primarily Chamberlin? If so, does anybody know if it was perhaps the relative portability of the instrument compared to a Mark II that was the determining factor in that choice?
Also, I too have noticed that my Mellotron is happiest when played frequently, and I only wish I had more time to be able to do exactly that!