Mellotronists

In a message dated 2/3/2006 9:12:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
mellomancinci@... writes:

Sandy Salisbury who was in both the Millenium and The Ballroom confirmed  
with me that Curt Boettcher used a chamberlin, not a tron, on all of the  
recordings he produced.  There is also chamberlin on the "Save It For a  Rainy Day" 
(1966) album by Jan & Dean, "Tanyet" by the Ceyleib People, and  "Don't It Make 
You Wanna Go Home" (1969) by Joe South. The chamberlin string  sound is 
nearly identical to that of the MK II mellotron.  The earliest  MK II tron 
recordings which were made in the United States were by the Tokens  on their 
"Intercourse" album of 1968 (they confirmed via email they did order  a Mark II from 
England late in 1967) followed by the Fuse album
with  Rick Nielsen later of Cheap Trick playing mellotron.  The very first 
M400  recordings in the United States were on Big Star's eponoymous first album, 
 Ardent Studios in Memphis bought the first white M400 sold in the United  
States (verified from Terry Manning, engineer on both of Big Star's first two  
albums and the one who played tron on Big Star's "Give Me Another  Chance.")
 
   Mike Pinder supposedly donated one of his MK II's from the  Moodies to the 
Beach Boys in the mid Seventies.  I listened to all of  their albums and 
there is no audio evidence it was ever used by them on  record.  However, Elton 
John did record a track off his "Blue Moves"  album at the Beach Boys Brother 
Studios in 1977 which probably features this  tron.
 
   Finally, I did obtain a copy of the Graham Dalley Dozen lp  "Sounds 
International" and the only keyboard instrument on that record is an  organ.  The 
liner notes on the back mentioned he did play "mellotrone" on  a BBC Radio Music 
Show.  Thus the first recordings featuring the MK II  are most certainly 
those by Graham Bond in 1965 (although these recordings are  flawed as the tron 
was not hooked up to an amplifier and you can only hear it  way in the back 
ground).  Both of Graham Bond's later albums recorded  later in the United States 
in 1967 and 1968 do feature one tron sounding track  each.  Being that these 
were recorded in California, and that Graham  Bond's mellotron was later used 
by Czar in England in 1969, it is a mystery  whether the two USA Graham Bond 
albums feature either chamberlin or  tron.  The earliest act to use the MK II 
tron most effectively was  Mandred Mann commencing with his "As Is" lp in late 
1966.  The recent  compilation "Ascent of Mann" contains 23 tron tracks, 
including several which  use the rarely heard jazz rhythms of the MK II.  
 
Hope all this info helps.
 
Chris Haley




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