Mellotronists

Any discussion of Tales of Topographic Oceans is likely to produce 
strong reactions, one way or the other, and I realize that bringing 
it up is risky. However, I feel it is worth noting here that the 
latest Rhino re-release contains "studio run-throughs" of two of the 
four parts, one of which is a fascinating display of raw Mellotron 
work.  The second track on disk 2 is an apparently unprocessed 
recording of a trial run of The Revealing Science of God, which is 
educational for two reasons:

First, it dispels the rumour that Yes' long pieces were simply the 
product of editing and splicing.  Both "studio run-throughs" make it 
clear that they played these songs in their entirety during the 
development process.

Secondly, beginning at about the 10-minute mark, Wakeman's mellotron 
is right up front in the mix with minimal, if any, processing or 
effects.  Unlike the other 3 sections of Tales, most of the tron in 
Revealing Science is violin, but it is fascinating to hear it so raw, 
and you can really hear how he plays it.  It's also educational to 
compare the mellotron parts in the run-through with the studio 
equivalent elsewhere on this release - it makes it much more apparent 
the type of effects that were used.

By the way, if anyone knows for sure which strings these are, I'd 
love to know.

Personally, I never tire of listening to Tales.  There is so much 
going on from a mellotron standpoint, and much of it is subtle and 
requires careful listening (I love the solo cello used in The 
Ancient).  This new Rhino release is a wonderful window into what is 
really going on.

On the other hand, if you didn't like Tales before, this is hardly 
going to change your mind.

-Jamie Robertson
M400 #380 (still in pieces)