RIME OF THE ANCIENT SAMPLER - THE MELLOTRON ALBUM

My #500 review is dedicated to the unsurpassed Mellotron and what a coincidence, it's all about MELLOTRON'S!! This CD is an initiative from Alan Fluff Freeman, the executive producer is Martin Smith and it's dedicated to Leslie and Norman Bradley and to the memory of Frank Bradley and Bill Franssen. All these aformentioned people contributed very much to the rise of the Mellotron in the late Sixties. The 8 page booklet contain a foreword by Alan Freeman and a story about the Mellotron, short but comprehensive and very pleasant to read.

The CD delivers 18 tracks in which we can enjoy the Mellotron in all its splendor: voices, electric guitar, violins, choirs, sound effects, harps, waltz, backward piano (!), Hammond organ, boys choir, flutes, vibes, 16 voice choir, female choir, oboe, trumpet, Spanish guitar, mandolin, strings, brass and saxes. These sounds are produced by several Mellotrons, a Birotron and Chamberlain and played by a lot of known progrock musicians like Michael Pinder, Sheila Maloney, Blue Weaver, Nick Magnus, Woolly Wolstenholme, Julian Colbeck and David Etheridge. The music is on a varied level (from boring New Age to wonderful prog) and contains some splendid pieces like "Deceivers all" from Woolly Wolstenholme (close to the early BJH sound), "Bradmatic" from Martin Smith (wonderful Spanish guitar/choir-Mellotron duel), "Mellow blues blues" from Blue Weaver (indeed, blues featuring the Mellotron) and "Julia" from Gordon Reed and "Lift" from David Kean, both with David Cross on midi- violin, very compelling! The final track "1964 Mellotron demonstration disc" from El Cumbanchero is a very entertaining and funny one, a person tells enthousiasticly about the numerous possibilities and you can hear guitars, violins, mandolin, several rhythms and an latin orchestra, "..what a thrill..."!

ESSENTIAL FOR EVERY TRON-MANIAC!!