The Mellotron Group

I LOVE limitations!  

fd

 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: tron400 <tron400@yahoo.com>
To: newmellotrongroup <newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Nov 30, 2010 9:11 am
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/) .
>