The Mellotron Group

Oddly, I have no doubt that you would have as well. I'm sure at the time,  
other people would have shared your view. I know my dad did. At the time, I  
didn't think it was idiotic. I thought the musicianship was incredible and 
the  performance by Gabriel was different and exciting. I had seen plenty of 
Grateful  Dead and CSN, James Taylor, Muddy Waters Michael Bloomfield, BB 
King,  Credence... etc.
 
In 1973, the only other band that electrified me like that was Bruce  
Springsteen, whom I had met and gotten to know a bit. The E-Street Band was  
still forming and David Sancious was their pianist and Ernest Carter was the  
drummer.
 
Completely different musical experience than Genesis, but electrifying none 
 the less. 
 
As I recall, you don't like them either.
 
 
In a message dated 11/19/2012 4:07:32 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
mike.dickson@gmail.com writes:

 
 
 
I've seen quite a few 'real people playing real instruments', Frank.  I 
don't have time for much else, really, even if I am having a hard time  
deciding what constitutes a 'real instrument'.    


My point is only that the whole spectacle looks idiotic.  I'm  pretty sure 
I would have thought the same thing at age 20 as well.


Mike


On 19 November 2012 07:37, <_lsf5275@aol.com_ (mailto:lsf5275@aol.com) > 
wrote:


 
 
 
I remember seeing Genesis at the Tower  theater in Philadelphia back in 
1973. no Mark II but an M400. Mike might  think the whole thing is silly, but 
for a 21 year old I was pretty  impressionable. I LOVED IT! The first live 
concert I ever saw was outdoors  on the Mall in DC. I don't think I was yet 
16. It was Alice Cooper opening  for Arthur Brown. Spring or summer of 1968. I 
didn't turn 16 until that  November.
 
Alice Cooper came out in a pink dress. The band was called "Alice  Cooper" 
at the time. I don't think Vince Furnier had adopted the name for  himself 
yet. I was about 50 feet from the stage and I remember the guitarist  (I 
think) at some point in the show had a giant Styrofoam fist that he slid  up and 
down Vince's body (in the pink dress) until he spit some kind of  white 
creamy fluid all over the people in front of the stage.
 
I freaked out. It was great stuff.
 
Then, after Alice Cooper left the stage, the back line guys swapped out  
the gear and the stage went dark... for about ten minutes. Suddenly there  was 
a rumble after a few seconds, a voice in the dark screamed out..." I AM  
THE GOD OF HELL FIRE... AND I BRING YOU... FIRE. There was an explosion of  
light and this guy comes down down on a wire (Deus Ex Machina- only at  the 
beginning instead of the end) with one arm extended  outwards and the other 
holding a mic and HIS HEAD WAS ON FIRE. Well, at  least that what I thought at 
first, but it was actually a helmet of some  kind. I remember little else 
of that show, but that much, I will never  forget.
 
I saw lots of concerts after that but nothing that approached the  wonder 
and surprise until 1973 at the Tower. I saw Gabriel era Genesis twice  more 
after that also in Philadelphia and was fortunate enough to be 4th row  
center at the Civic Center for The Lamb show.
 
Looking back at now, at the age of 60  I still get a sense  of what I felt 
back then. And over the years, having seen The Musical Box  recreate these 
shows, as good at it as they are (were) Nothing can touch the  memories of 
those shows when I was that age.
 
So make fun of it if you will, Mike... I pity you for having missed it.  
Real people playing real instruments.
 
 

 
In a message dated 11/19/2012 1:30:35 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
_pocotron@yahoo.com_ (mailto:pocotron@yahoo.com)  writes:

 
 
Hi all-
   In listening to the "Watcher" intro, one can hear  the brass/violins 
mix, but the brass sounds a bit like the "Brass B"  recording to me.  Later on, 
in "Dancing with the Moonlight Knight",  the violins are alone.  A choir 
can also be heard by itself  elswhere (I forget where) in the concert.  I have 
to assume  the frame was loaded with Brass B, 3 Violins (probably M400  
Violins) and 8 Choir.
 
   -Bruce D.
   



 
 

From: gino wong <_wonggster@gmail.com_ (mailto:wonggster@gmail.com) >
To: _newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com_ 
(mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com)  
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2012 3:55  PM
Subject: Re:  [newmellotrongroup] Genesis Live 1973


 
 
So they doubled the organ with the 400 strings ?    
I guess they had to do something when they went from many to three  sounds. 
 
On Sun, Nov 18, 2012 at 4:26 PM, <_lsf5275@aol.com_ 
(mailto:lsf5275@aol.com) > wrote:  
 
 
 
 

They began using the organ instead  of the bass accordion .
 

 
In a message dated 11/18/2012 2:34:37 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
_wonggster@gmail.com_ (mailto:wonggster@gmail.com)  writes:

I think they were using an M 400 in the studio by the time of  Selling 
England....  I do wonder how they accounted for the  difference in sound between 
the Mk2 strings and the bass accordion for  Watcher which was a big part of 
their show for a long time. Did they  have special tapes or did they just 
roll with what was around. 


Surely somebody  knows.













--  


Gino Wong Birgelo
BSComm,  BSEE,
ReRED Recording, Analog Sound Design
Audio  Mastering, Recording & Restoration, Logistics   


_Ginowong@gmail.com_ (mailto:Ginowong@gmail.com) 






























-- 
Mike Dickson, Edinburgh