The Mellotron Group

If you proceed down this path, "I've just set my 5 cats on it, and they'll be 
licking tapes til I get the motor fixed!"  please consider issues of animal 
magnetism!  


Bill




________________________________
From: Berington Van Campen <vcmusicorp1@yahoo.com>
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 1:48:20 PM
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Thanks & Thoughts

  
Ahhhh, Clay!  So you've BEEN there?  Do TELL!!!  And all this time I thought it 
was just Urban Legend!  HA!

Frank, as always, thank you for your sage advice - on the magnetometer, tape 
(and tape path) cleaning and the auto upholstry idea for the cover!  As it 
happens, my girlfriend lives right around the corner from a good place, so 
that'll be easy!  The tape cleaning does sound lengthy and tedious, but I have a 
good solution for that, too.  I've just set my 5 cats on it, and they'll be 
licking tapes til I get the motor fixed!  It'll keep 'em off the mixing console, 
too!  


"Digital Mellotrons."  Hmmm.  Y'know, most of us still appreciate the quirkiness 
and depth of vinyl records, but we all listen to CDs.  Even now, records still 
sound better, clicks, pops and all, but we usually opt for convenience and ease 
of use.  I think there's a correlation.  When I first heard that inimitable 
blast of Giant Heavenly Mellotrons from The Court of the Crimson King, (yes, 
after of course, "Strawberry Fields," but that only made Mellotrons a 
curiosity.  K.C. frikkin' ran ya DOWN with 'em!), I didn't immediately take note 
how they worked or how the sound was produced... I fell in love with the SOUND!  
(How shallow, I know.  I know.)  Now I'd love nothing more than to bring my 
Mellotron with me to some shows - because there IS the Mystique of the damn 
thing, no refuting it.  But it's big, and wrestling it into my SUV, while 
do-able, would be a challenge for my arms & back, and tough with lotsa guitar 
equipment in there, too.  So if players stop taking them out because they're big 
& heavy compared to a light little thing you can throw in the back seat (now 
there's an analogy, but I ain't goin' there!), then for the Original Producers 
to come up with that lighter, easier solution, with even MANY more choices of 
the Best Sounds, isn't that a good thing?  No, we don't get the individuality, 
the quirks; we can't use "vibrato" on the keys (how many 'boards do THAT, 
huh?!?), but we DO get The Sound we all fell in love with originally.  So who's 
to say what's "better?"  It depends on the situation, I guess, and the Digitals 
vs. Originals at least give us a choice.  I suspect if I were hired for a 
session to play Mellotron, and showed up with a little sample player, there'd be 
Trouble.  Such is The Mystique, even if the end result sounded identical.  But 
to head out with The BEATUNES (my Beatles Tribute band), & add the 'tron parts 
they actually used a lot of, well, I can't deny it'd be awfully nice to lighten 
an already-heavy load, and use less room on the stage.  I am a "purist;" I fully 
concur with real Mellotrons vs samplers, but in the real world, maybe I'm 
grateful for the choice, anyway.  And if it says "Mellotron" on the name plate, 
at least we're supporting the fine Streetly people and all who've believed, and 
stayed the course through SUCH a roller coaster over the years, and that'sgot to 
be a good thing, too, right?  My humble 2-cents/pence.  Thoughts, anyone?

Thanks to you all for the ever-present humor!  As for Degrees: I've got 98.6 of 
'em, and I've had 'em all my life!  And as was said, as long as you've got those 
- and are still above ground - there's hope!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, everyone!  Much to be thankful for... right now I'm so glad 
to have my cats.  They're good for dusting, too!

Cheers!
Berington

Berington Van Campen 
Van Campen Productions / V.C.MusiCorp / BEATUNES Beatles Tribute
VCMusiCorp1@yahoo.com
(626) 458-4474 Home/Office
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