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TEN REALLY BOPPING SINGLES/ALBUMS IN WHICH A MELLOTRON IS USED

Merely playing a li'l game w/myself to see if I can actually think of ten whole (or in part) really entertaining and high-range single or album tracks (or entire albums in general!) in which a Mellotron is utilized, and yeah, it's gonna be tough thinking up ten recordings which use this infamous and pretty silly once you get down to it "electronic instrument" (or better yet deluxe tape-player), but I think I can pull it off. If you have any tunes or elpees you'd like to add to the list, feel free to do just that though remember, MOODY BLUES ALBUMS DON'T COUNT (in case you hafta be told)!

1) The Beatles-"Tomorrow Never Knows"-alright, a Mellotron tape loop was used on that one but I'd say it still counts...howzbout you???

2) Alice Cooper-KILLER-on "Desperado" and maybe elsewhere???

3) The Deviants-"Child of the Sky" from PTOOFF!-and yeah, I thought that was a real flute too!

4) Budgie-the last cut on side one of their self-titled debut album.

5) Sonny and Linda Sharrock-PARADISE-OK, not their best showcasing what seems like a move towards Return to Forever-ish fusion, but Sharrock's mediocre beats most mainstream jazzters' best, if I must get cliched about it.

6) Peter Laughner-"White Light/White Heat" from the "Cinderella Backstreet" single.

7) The Pretty Things-"Talking About the Good Times" 45 (available on a Norton 10-inch EP certainly worth getting!)

8) The Flamin' Groovies-the few tracks Cyril Jordan actually plays one on the NOW album which not exactly their tippy-top moment but see #5...

9) Roxy Music circa their first two albums (particularly on "If There is Something" and "For Your Pleasure" not forgetting the obvious ["Ladytron"]).

10) Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band-DOC AT THE RADAR STATION (a retrogarde fave esp. considering how Mellotrons had become pretty much extinct by the time this 1980 masterpiece came out!)

(Interesting aside, the unreleased John Cale-produced take of the Modern Lovers' "Girlfren" supposedly has some overdubbed Mellotron parts. And of course who could forget Big Star!)

NEXT POST: the ten best tracks using a stylophone!