Mellotronists

--- In Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
>  
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> 
> WOW!
>
Yea! DOUBLE WOW! Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering
where Boettcher might have heard of the Mellotron that early
but it was a Chamberlin. Cool.

phil