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Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Speaking of the M4000

From: lsf5275@aol.com
Date: 2010-12-01

Many people don't know this, but Bernie used to know much more about Mellotrons than he does now. He fell down the stairs a while back and when he awoke, he immediately changed his email address and promptly erased all of the knowledge associated with the old one.
 
Be patient. He's coming along just fine.
 
Frank
 
In a message dated 11/30/2010 8:29:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, gabru@comsec.net writes:
 

Really Bernie?....You don’t know what the limitations are? 

You’re kidding right?

J

From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of tron400
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:05 AM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Speaking of the M4000, what's with this?

 



Interesting article, but I'd like to know exactly what the limitations of a Mellotron are. It is what it is.

Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
> A nice article about the M4000 and then a referral to watch a movie that
> hardly mentions Streetly (if at all)and is mostly about Chamberlins.
>
>
>
> _New Mellotron M4000 Finds Home With Chicago Psych Rocker_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/)
> 18Sep10
>
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/)
> _Send to a Friend_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/) | _Feed for this Entry_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/feed/) | Filed under: _Keyboard Synthesizers_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/keyboard-synthesize
> rs/) , _Samplers_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/samplers/)
>
>
> Mellotrons have a checkered history. They’re known for their unique sound
> and place in electronic music, but they’re also known for their limitations
> and temperamentality.
> But, while the sound of the Mellotron has been captured in samples and
> software, there’s still something about a real tape-based Mellotron that
> appeals to a lot of musicians.
> And, for some keyboardists, it’s hard for them to imagine playing their
> music without a Mellotron.
> Chicago-based psychedelic rocker Jim Licka, right, recently added a new
> _Mellotron M4000_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/09/18/streetly-electronics-introduces-a-new-mellotron/) , from _Streetly Electronics_
> (http://www.mellotronics.com/) , to his arsenal. Licka leads a
> psychedelic/ambient/rock band _Umbra and the Volcan Siege_ (http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago)
> .
> Why a new Mellotron?
> “I think the Mellotron is the most dynamic and influential instrument
> invented,” says Licka.”I love it every time I play it and hear it.”
> The Mellotron M4000 is the newest in a the Mellotron family of
> electro-mechanical, polyphonic sample-playback keyboards. Psychedelic and progressive
> rock bands used the Mellotron extensively in the ’60s and ’70s and the
> instrument features on album like George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music, King
> Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King and Architecture & Morality by
> Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.
> More recently, the Mellotron has seen a resurgence of interest, especially
> with prog and metal groups.
> “It sends me to a place that’s special and sacred,” adds Licka. “It makes
> me feel alive and I feel lucky to own one. I think that keeps me coming
> back for more and more and it’s the most amazing sound ever.”
> Licka, who also plays guitar and Moog synthesizer with Umbra and the Volcan
> Siege, ordered his Mellotron M4000 in 2007, after visiting Streetly’s
> Staffordshire, England, headquarters and testing a prototype. An older model
> Mellotron is featured on the most recent Umbra and the Volcan Siege EP, 2009’
> s The Beginning of the End.
> If you’re interested in learning more about the Mellotron, a great place to
> start is Dianna Dilworth’s excellent _Mellotron documentary Mellodrama_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/02/12/mellodrama-mellotronchamberlin-d
> ocumentary-trailer/) .
>