Mellotronists

At 02:15 PM 8/15/2003 +0000, thriftyn78412 wrote:
>Question:  "Why do you suppose that so-called mellotron pioneers - e.g.
>Wakeman, Fripp, etc. - avoid using them today?"

We've touched on this before out here...jeez, it was years ago now, 
though.  Man, I'm an old timer.  :-)

I think artists move on and use different things, whatever suits 
them.  Artists don't like things that "get in their way" when they create 
(Townshend still bashes things up when things don't work right, for 
example), and, let's face it, there are things on the market that more 
reliably, consistently, and conveniently reproduce the sounds the Mellotron 
originally set out to do.  Don't forget that many artists wanted 
"orchestral" sounds, not "orchestral sounds that sound like they're from a 
Mellotron" sounds, so they took advantage of the best technology available 
at the time.  The 'tron is certainly not that anymore; technology has moved on.

Why, then, do so many stick with the Minimoog?  If the Mellotron were that 
portable and reliable, we'd see a lot more of 'em, I'd think.

I could ask the corollary to your question:

Why do some artists *insist* on using them?  Probably because they are 
inspired by what goes on inside that box, despite--or because of--the 
idiosyncrasies.

...kl...M400 #805, idiosyncrasies?  corollary?  who bought YOU a dictionary?

* Ken Leonard - Web Table of Contents:  http://www.kleonard.com
* Get Outdoors New England:  http://www.GONewEngland.org
 >> Declare Independence!!  http://www.DownsizeDC.org