The following recordings should give you some idea of the range of sounds available from Streetly's current Mellotron tape library.
The recordings featured on this web site are for demonstration purposes only and are all (c) 2000-2008 Streetly Electronics
Any wobblies or duff notes are down to the quality of the player and not the quality of the tapes.
The most famous Mellotron sound ever in the history of Mellotrons. Think 'Nights In White Satin'. Think about That Sound you always dreamed of playing whilst dressed in a Wakeman Cape made from your mother's bath towels. Think monolithic. Think massive. Think huger than Huge Jock McHuge himself. Think about three middle aged women scratching their instruments in one of Harry Chamberlin's bedrooms in 1952.
Arguably the most famous Mellotron sound of all time - progressive rock might never have even happened without it being available (a collective guilt that the entire Bradley family must learn to live with for the rest of their lives) - its users are simply too numerous to mention.
No Mellotron sound collection is complete without it, and no Mellotronist is worthy of the name if he or she cannot play the intro to Starless on it. And yes, you can hear the scraping of a violinist's chair on one of the notes - you just have to find out which one.
Not so huge as the last one. Actually it's just like the Mk II Violins sound, just with its testicles removed in a horrible freak accident involving piano strings. In an attempt to sweeten the sound of the Mk II strings for use with the M400, the sound was entirely remixed to roll off the high end EQ and iron out some of the more raucous notes.
A much smoother (and, some say, less characteristic) sound than the classic string sound, it can be found on several mid-period Genesis compositions.
With the advent of the M300, so several new sounds were introduced, including two new 'strings' of which this was the first. This sound has a far greater clarity to it than the original Mk II Strings and was much favoured by both Barclay James Harvest and Gentle Giant. the recording is of two violins in unison and was an attempt at a more realistic sound after the raucous mess of Mk II Violins.
This is the second new string sound introduced with the introduction of the Mellotron M300. In this case, it is a recording of a solo violin played very gently. The Moody Blues used this sound for 'Watching and Waiting' and Marmalade also used it on 'My Island'.
A beast of sound is this one. A shattering combination of violins, viola and 'cello, this sounds like the original Mk II Strings have suddenly grown up and had its glands go on the rampage. It's apt to take over the sound of almost anything else playing (and therefore a great way of drowning out the singer who thinks he's going to get off with the girl in the front row) to the extent that it really must be played with restraint.
Holding down chords is still okay, but phrasing is all-important, as is knowing which inversions you can get away with and which are strictly verboten. The booming low-end of the 'cello, together with the dense tonal clusters of the upper end make this a perfect candidate for playing close upper-end triads with single note bass lines.
It has often been said that a Mellotron is one of the few instruments where you can get away with playing only one note and having it sound impressive. This is never more easily demonstrated than by the sound of the string section - as the entire career of a nameless German Electro-Ambient band playing hours of E-minor appears to show.
The brain surgeons among you all you there will have worked out that this sound is as per the previous String Section, only minus the 'cello, thereby allowing a bit more scope for playing chords.
Another new sound for 2008 here. As well as the trusty old warhorse featured above we now feature a new improved String Section, featuring the sounds of the New 'Louise Davis' Cello doubled and played an octave apart and the Sad Strings which taken together give the impression of space between the cellos and violins.
We think this one is destined to become an instant classic. Then again, we also have Betamax and Birotrons so who are we kidding? The sample is quite long and runs to a couple of megabytes, but we think it's worth it. Have a listen to the sound of six overdubbed string sections and feel the instant need to part with your money.
This new sound is a hybrid of the Mk II Strings and the M300A Strings, the blend of the latter tending to take the 'edge' off the former.
Overseen by Colin Campbell (Mellotron demonstrator extraordinaire), this was the recording session from Hell. Mainly because the ace violinist forgot his violin. Heavy improvisation with a tennis racket and elastic bands proved futile so a cheap wattle and daub violin was sought locally (in rural Worcestershire) and surprisingly it turned out rather well. Muff Murfin (the man who gave us the music to Gladiators) was the engineer.
For all that it was made on a relatively late recording, the viola sounds rather 'boxy' in comparison to some of its contemporary sounds. That notwithstanding, the quality of the playing itself is superb, with a style very reminiscent of John Cale.
Whilst never particularly popular as a solo sound in its own right it lends colour to other combination sounds, such as the string section and the altogether unfortunately named Dickstrings.
This is a special combined sound made up for Mike Dickson, comprising (approximately) 40% viola and 60% M300A strings. The overall sound is extremely melancholy and well suited to the miserable sort of music that Mellotronists the world over like listening to, usually because their prog-rock fixations prevent them from getting any Hot Girl Action.
Yes, the old wheezing and groaning 'cello is still with us. If there is a sadder sounding instrument better suited for the Mellotron then it's yet to be found. (Note that by sad I mean 'melancholy', not 'ukulele')
The variant effect on the lower end of this sound is entirely due to the 'cellist who recorded the original sound for Streetly. Reginald Kirby - a noted string sessionist in the 1960s - did not want to detune his 'cello to the lower register on the Mellotron keyboard for fear that he would damage it. For some reason this unlikely explanation was accepted and instead, a double bassist was used to play the lowest G to B range, hence the 'booming' effect and extreme timbre alteration.
Oasis famously used this sound on 'Wonderwall'.
A completely new recording of a 'cello here, played by the distinctly non-grumpy 'cellist Louise Davis, a multi-faceted and uber-talented hingesplitter who fortunately excels in music where she has miserably failed at bus driving, running a hotel and keeping down more than a magnum of red wine.
This sound is available for an additional octave below the Mellotron's usual registers, as Louise was not afraid to detune her instrument. Mind you, she was also unafraid enough to let me into her home to record this so she appears to have no fear.
A new take on the 'cello, this time without vibrato - an effect brought about by stopping the tremor in Louise's left arm with suitable applications of medicinal grade brandy.
Another completely new 'cello sound recorded by the fearless Louise.
A very nice a delicate sound this, for all your plinky-plonky needs, especially when you realise that the Mellotron Piano is in fact utterly awful and is fit only for those with no sense of pitch or shame.
Imagine you've just heard that your entire family has been killed in a Bizarre Toileting Accident, that your puppy had just been caught in a food processor, that Yamaha were bringing out the DX7 again and that Michael Bolton was planning another tour. How sad would this make you feel?
Probably sad enough to want to listen this miserable new sound. The Sad Strings - also known as The Strings Of Doom - came from a 1/4" master we found that was unedited. It had a lot of poor starts and finishes, poor middle bits, poor pitching, duff players, cats howling, windbreaking and car accidents, so it had to be coaxed into life.
What has emerged is a very atmospheric sound that has great sonority when played sympathetically, i.e not block chording like all the useless Bontempi Organ players tend to do when confronted with a Mellotron.
Now imagine you've just heard that Michael Bolton is moving in next door to you. How angry would this make you feel?
Another new one from Fritz Doddy, this features doubled 'cello on the low end G1 to D2 with the remaining notes being two violins in unison. Everything was played fff and con fuego.
The 'cello was performed by Mary Wooten and violins by Sandra Park and Lisa Kim.
Definitely one of the 'classic' Mellotron sounds, this is. The recorded combined output of two saxophones, two trumpets and a trombone, this is a powerful and punchy sound much beloved of King Crimson, Rick Wakeman, The Moody Blues and even John Lennon who thoughtfully recorded most of a demo of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' using the black Mellotron Mk II he kept on his half landing.
Never fails to impress. Never fails to scare small children either.
Of course, one of the most famous applications of this sound was in Tony Banks introduction to 'Watcher Of The Skies' where the sound was equally mixed with Mk II Strings and accompanied by bass accordion on the left keyboard of the Mk II. A complicated piece with some rather cumbersome chords (which Banks chose because he thought they were the only ones that sounded 'right' on the instrument), this remains one of the choice numbers with which Mellotron Bores insist on depressing their audience. However, if you are insistent on perpetuating this Appalling Crime then we can supply you with a special tape set featuring exactly the right mix.
It's brass. It's muted. What else is there to say?
It's actually exactly the same as the Mk II Brass but with the top end EQ rolled off to make it sound less punchy than the original. making it much better (or sweeter) for playing the usual block chords that Mellotronists seem to favour. Are they all failed Hammond Organists or is there another less simple explanation for it?
A bright and wonderful Trumpet sound that has the cutting power of a Thargian atomiser ray gun. This is distinguished by being the only known recording of testicles as they are re-absorbed by the body. You can't actually hear the event but those increasingly short top notes let you know that the musician is in 8 second pain mode, with buttocks at Maximal Clench Factor.
The sound of a solo trombone (see the GC3 Brass entry if you need more than one trombone at once) as heard on Manfred Mann's 'Ha Ha Said The Clown' and on the tail end of the Beatle's 'The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill'.
Of course, you lose the 'slide' effect on the Mellotron, but judicious and skilful use of the pitch control has been used before in order to do a fair impression.
Les could never quite remember what went into this heady brew but the best way to hear it is in the intro to 'New World' by The Strawbs.
One mother of a sound.
The more astute of you may be wondering just whatever happened to Mixed Brass A. The truth is that we just don't care. We're like that.
The 'GC' in this sound's title is none other than George Chisholm, a well-known face on British TV in the 1960s. As incredible as it might sound to our culturally-advanced cousins from foreign climes, George was that rarest of creatures, a TV Comedy Trombonist. Yes, this is how we found our entertainment in the UK in those dark old days. If it sounds like the sort of entertainment we used to treat ourselves to during the war then you might just be right.
Odder even still is the fact that this sound is simply our George playing single notes on the trombone which have then been bounced down three times to give that particularly strange phased effect, making it seem like George Chisholm has just taken industrial-strength LSD during his particularly distressing experimental drug music years. Don't say you never get to the outer limits of bizarre with Streetly Electronics. And we don't charge you extra for this either.
This is a bounce down of Crazy George Chisholm again and the trumpet player with the strangulated hernia.
This can also be supplied as a keyboard split. Sort of like the trumpet-playing hernia-sufferer's abdominal muscles.
Moog Brass! There are several Moog Brass sounds and we will release more but for now we have this one which is a low fart with a rasp an octave higher. Anyone with a Mini Moog should create a sound they would love to be polyphonic and send it to us along with money. In fact forget the Mini Moog. Just send us the money.
Another new recording from Canada, played by Phil Poppa. Phil is also one of the top free-lance sax players in Toronto and is quite adept at all styles, especially jazz and R&B.
Not to mention playing thirty five notes in a studio. Not the sort of skill called upon every day in life, but then again neither is ear-wiggling. We have no idea at all whether or not Phil can wiggle his ears and frankly, why are you even interested?
The original MKII sax cut from the master by Streetly Electronics. In your face and increasingly breathy as you move up the scale.
Ideal for that quiet Take Five moment. Relax with a Ronco Foot Spa, gin and tonic, chintz and walnuts. Note with profound disinterest the depressing similarity of this sample to the last two. I confess that I had lost all bloody interest> by this point.
Definitely not a Take Five moment. More like a Take Cover moment. This can also be supplied as a keyboard split. Ear muffs are optional.
Another new recording from those classical types in Canada, as played by Rick Blechta. Rick was the keyboard/brass player for one of Canada's top progressive rock bands in the mid-70's, the legendary Devotion. (Notice that by saying 'legendary' we do not wish to ibnfer that they were any good, but that since no one has heard of them we can make up stories about them to suit ourselves)
You might think that Alton Glenn Miller disappeared from the radar in 1944, but we know better than that. He is, in fact, incarcerated in a coal bunker in Walsall and was dragged out to make some recordings for the Mellotron in exchange for his freedom. Being a lying shower of bastards we took the recordings anyway and threw him back in the coal bunker, where he languishes to this day, coming out only at night tethered to a tree by a chain, foraging for scraps of food.
This might sound like a pile of elderly cak largely because it actually is. In fact, this is the sound of Mellotron Brass with the saxes removed and clarinets stuck in their place. A bit like the way they do heart transplants, except a bit cheaper. And with less blood but more clarinets.
A new honker of a sound from the honkers of Streetly. I'd like to apologise for the Music for Elevators moment here, but I really don't have it in me. Words you are unlikely to hear outside of the average Carry On film.
This was played by Pam 'The Artist Formerly Known as Homzy' Fong who comes from a famous jazz family and currently teaches and freelances in Toronto. Yep. Another Blechta-Bot from Canadia. How many of them are there, we wonder.
As plastered liberally all over records by Tangerine Dream such as 'Rubycon', this delightful little sound will add colour to almost anything, and will almost convince people that you're able to play the real thing.
A lie of course, but one with which I think we can live.
Reedy. Lyrical. Gentle. Pastoral. Expressive. Light.
None of these words could be applied to an enthusiastic jazz tuba player, but they are well suited to this brand-new sound from Canada. The lower registers feature the voice of the Cor Anglais (the name of which probably comes from an obscure French Insult from the days of Agincourt) which translates seamlessly into a beautiful new recording of an oboe.
This was recorded by Senia Trubashnik, the principal oboe of the Moscow Philharmonic and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra from 1955 to 1972. After leaving the Soviet Union, Mr. Trubashnik was principal oboe of the National Orchestra of Belgium. In Canada, he has been principal oboe of Symphony Nova Scotia and is currently principal oboe of the North York Symphony and also the Symphony of Toronto.
This is a wonderfully understated sound that will transform your melodies into something sophisticated and exquisite. Not the sort of sound you want to hammer out Chas 'n' Dave songs to.
If you're one of those people who has ever stuck an oboe mouthpiece into a septic tank and blown, you will be familiar with this sound. For those of you who haven't - try it. Remember the rule - blow, don't suck
No doubt the most widely heard Mellotron sound, (although without some people even knowing that it's not the real thing) thanks to its use in Paul McCartney's introduction to 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Anyone who owns a Mellotron will know the look of recognition that passes over the faces of the unwary when they hear this famous sound come from the rather unlikely-looking box in front of them. (The long suffering Neighbours Of Mellotron Owners are probably all-too used to it as well)
Much used by Tangerine Dream, King Crimson (I defy anyone to play the top 'D' and not immediately think of 'Trio') and Robert Wyatt, the actual pitching of the sound is in some doubt, being sharp to differing degrees on different parts of the keyboard. It's almost certain that two different models of flute were used to record all the sounds, hence the change in timbre about halfway up the keyboard. And yet, despite all this, the sound still works.
For some time, this sound has been made available on a rather poor recording which features all manner of drop-outs and bias pops. Now, with the discovery of a far earlier generation copy of the same sound, Streetly Electronics can now offer a Mk II flute that is as yet unsurpassed anywhere in terms of clarity and strength.
This is the original clarinet sound that appeared on the Mellotron Mk I but which was deleted from the Mellotron Mk II libraries.
The new Clarinet sound was recorded by Julian Smerdon, one of the top free-lance clarinet player in Toronto. (Being a free-lance clarinetist may sound perilously close to describing utter unemployment but we are assured that Julian is doing well, despite a woeful career choice.)
Oh the gloom! The gloom! Now you too can recreate the bridge to 'Epitaph' in the comfort of your own home!
By far one of the oddest sounds in the library (or in the orchestra, for that matter), the bass clarinet takes some beating for sheer atmosphere, in almost the same way that a Theremin makes you start to wonder what is standing behind me?
Also recorded by Julian Smerdon, the bottom 5 notes of the bass clarinet tracks were recorded on the bass clarinet, but then lowered in pitch and would actually be in the range of the contra-bass clarinet--however we couldn't find an example of the real thing that sounded any good!
This brand-new sound comes on a superb recording with astonishing clarity and presence, where only the upper half dozen or so notes sounding anything at all like its more famous two-octaves-removed cousin. Not for the faint of heart or weak of spirit. And probably not for tight chords either.
Vicki Blechta has been principal flute with the Composers' Orchestra since 1985, appearing as a soloist and in broadcasts with the orchestra and plays in the Canadian Chamber group, Musica Viva.
The piccolo track is notable since it also uses the very rare (and quite possibly never before recorded) Eb flute for the bottom 7 notes since the piccolo range does not extend to a low G. A micro-digeridoo is also used for some of the upper notes which can also be used to summon dogs to do thy bidding.
Another brand-new sound from Canada, having been recorded by Scott Paterson, one of the foremost recorder players and teachers in Canada and at present is on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
For recording purposes he used soprano, alto and tenor and took the strongest notes on each instrument. There may also be one or two bass recorder notes at the bottom.
There were two versions recorded: one with light vibrato and one without. At present, only the vibrato-less version is available.
Adding vibrato to this sound by quickly wobbling the pitch control is not recommended. Neither is adding vibrato to a recorder by vigorous head-wobbling.
Just like the last one, but with two recorders playing an octave apart. Playing tight chords on this can make it sound acceptably like an harmonium. Slacker chords can make it sound unacceptably like a penguin having an enema.
As any fule kno, Ian was a founder member of King Crimson in 1969 and is best known for his breathtaking Mellotron work on their legendary first album 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' which also features Ian playing reeds and woodwinds.
Ian has specially recorded an entirely new flute sound for our new tape library. One listen to it will have you hooked on getting it. As has been pointed out by others, the mere sound of it will suggest 'flutey phrases', as if you can't help yourself play well with it. The breath control, pitch, crescendo and vibrato on these recordings is exquisite and far surpass the original Mellotron flute sounds by the fabled mile.
It looks like the product of the unnatural coupling of a Bass Clarinet and a lavatory u-bend but sounds quite happy about it. A very sweet sound with a heavy vibrato, thanks to the impressive playing of Vicki Blechta, the unfortunate wife of the hideous Rick who must find solace with her lot by blowing into the business end of a series of pipes to wring whatever vile and futile amusement she can from her tortuous life.Oo-er missus...
Performed by Aaron Heick, and recorded by Fritz Doddy this new sound layers several sounds to create something new. The lower octave and a half is English horn and alto flute, the remainder being oboe with C flute. The split point between horn/oboe is offset from the split point between Alto/c flute to give a smoother transition.
Very pretty indeed. Unlike the ghastly Mr Doddy.
The more famous eight voice choir was actually recorded simultaneously in two 'halves', with the four female and four males voices being recorded individually in order to allow them to be offered separately and together, the cunning swines.
The other half of the eight voice choir recording. We can also offer a split choir with half male and half female voices.
Originally recorded on a hand-held recorder within St John's Wood Church (as per the church organ sound), this sound was often much maligned due to its rather inferior sound quality. However, subsequent finds have unearthed a far earlier generation copy of the same sound which offers a substantial improvement.
Recent use of this sound was made by Oasis on their song 'James'.
Certainly one of the major 'classic' Mellotron sounds, and perhaps the most arresting, this recording of four females and four males was first used in the early 1970s with the advent of the M400 and was widely used by rock groups who found that the sound of a Mellotron was a bit better than the sound of their chronic off-key harmonising.
The sound is usually played either on a heavy reverb (e.g. 'Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats' by Genesis) or close and 'dry (e.g. 'Exit Music' by Radiohead). For many people this was the sound that finally unhinged them into their life-long quest to buy a Mellotron. It's also highly recommended as a sound you should get on your first M400 frame, since complete keyboard duffers can sound great with it. It's almost impossible to hit a bad chord on this, even when you're playing Belgian Jazz.
The strain on the vocal performers shows up in two places on this recording; on the upper registers the male voices repeat the last octave they sang - mostly because the castratii failed to show up on the day - whereas on the lower end the female voices sound like they are either on Quaaludes or trying to gatecrash a Masonic party.
This little-known sound is a blend of the male, female and boys choir. Probably the closest you can get to a Mellotron Singalong. Our vision of the future! A Mellotron in every East End pub. The whole cast of 'Eastenders' gathered round the Old Slithery Boot (*) singing selection from the last Anekdoten record shortly before an outbreak of violence and unconvincing storylines.
(*) Cockney rhyming slang for Mellotron. Anyone who works out why gets a free jellied eel.
This new sound is an absolute monster. Compared to it, even the fabled 8-choir pales into near-insignificance. Well, almost. Yes folks, within the comfort and luxury of your own squalid little home you too can have your own Miserable Russian Orthodox Choir groaning their way through the latest reasons why living in the former Soviet Union is the dog's pants.
We absolutely defy anyone to accurately recognise that the sound comes from a keyboard and not a real choir.
They said it couldn't be done - but it has.
Those of you familiar with the story of the Birotron are probably used to the adjectives 'ill-fated' and 'worn-out' by now. The truth of the matter is obviously a lot more complicated. Despite the fact that the instrument is to Wakeman what the Orchestron is to Moraz (ie, a one-to-one relatonship) the Birotron came with its own range of Mellotron-like sounds. The fact that it was running on endless loops meant that you lost all the starts and ends, both of which give sound its characteristic. Well, we have some of the original Birotron tapes here and can offer you (at the moment) the sound of the Birotron choir.
It's actually quite beautiful, in an ill-fated and worn-out sort of way. This recording is not perfect at all - some of the sounds have a couple of howling errors in them - but being a multi-voice sample it's impossible to remove them entirely. Furthermore, the male voices at the bottom end sing solo (and rather loudly) but are joined at the top end by some very sweet female voices indeed.
Even playing a series of uplifting majors and open fifths, this still sounds like the sound of abject melancholy. Maybe due to the sales figures. Who knows?
Whilst messing about in 1992 or 1993, Les Bradley accidentally mixed a tape of choir, string section and church organ bass to produce this hulking great brute of a noise. Best suited for that Notre Dame Moment, there is probably no more colossal a sound to intentionally come out of a single electronic instrument, anywhere.
Not the sort of thing you could busk Bob Dylan songs to, that's for sure.
Les Bradley reputedly mixed lots and lots of different orchestra combinations but was never completely happy with many of them. This combination - a mixture of Mk II brass, string section and woodwind - was his last and probably the best.
Although it at first appears that there is a lot going on, careful listening shows that the sounds are 'weighted', so that only certain instruments appear at certain points, thereby not allowing the sound to become over-cluttered.
This one is a wicked and evocative combination of bassoon, oboe, flute and clarinet. The very sound of it brings to mind images of vast drunken feasts, chopping off each others' heads, religious instability, rampant venereal disease, political turmoil, civil war and slaughter.
The Mellotron was built near Birmingham.
This monstrous racket is the one sound of them all that will eventually convince your neighbours to either move house or have a whip-round so you can buy yourself a remote cottage somewhere suitably distant. The church organ sound should cause walls to quiver, insecure ornaments to wander about the shelves, pictures to fall off the walls and small pieces of plaster to fall from the ceiling. (Especially on the bottom 'C' which, on good volume through a decent PA, will loosen bowels at fifty paces) The lower notes are doubled with a bass pedal for an even more resonant sound.
And do not confuse the genuine article with pale and bloodless inferior products of the same name. You should be able to hear the stops rattling, the top-end shrills screech and the air gathering in the bass pipes. Yes, it's out of tune - as are most, if not all, pipe organs - but the sheer power in this sound is more than enough compensation.
The original MKII recording cut from the master. After several attempts to get this thing recorded in the studio, a frustrated Bill Fransen stayed up all night and did it on his own.
He then recorded the piano.
Anyone remember The Gallery on 'Vision On'? Play big ugly chords on this thing in an off-beat and off-tempo manner and pass it off as jazz. No one will question you.
We have two mandolin recordings, one from the MKII and one from the Chamberlin. This is Harry's and is much cleaner. As soon as you play it you'll come over all Gondolas and Ice cream. Probably.
'The definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the accordian, but doesn't.' We wouldn't know about any of this, but this sound is far removed from the Jimmy Shand Dance Band Combo Kilt Shock Horror that has plagued Scotland for generations.
The sound of a miked-up and plucked guitar, which sounds a bit like an old Fender Telecaster. The timbre builds from a muted low end to a piercing top end which, with suitable practice, could do a reasonable facsimile of the Crossroads theme music.
Although one of the lesser-known sounds, and one which is unlikely to turn you into Jimi Hendrix overnight (even if you can play a Mellotron on your shoulders behind your head, with your teeth, or whilst it's alight, etc), it nevertheless unexpectedly creeps into songs by the likes of Gracious, King Crimson and Roxy Music. The ideal sound for Sad Mellotron Trainspotters everywhere.
A gently plucked guitar acoustic sound best suited to Fast Keyboard Runs designed to impress the ladies. Of course looking like Antonio Banderas might also help a little. Mind you, it might have cheered up Desperado a bit if they all carried Mellotrons instead of guitars, don't you think?
Big wooden thing. You hit it with other things. It goes bonk. Like a xylophone whose glands have gone on the rampage. Bizarrely, this sound only goes down to the lowest C on the Mellotron keyboard, so the remaining five notes are taken up with various gongs and cymbals being bashed and crashed. We are sure that this sounded like a great idea at the time.
A keyboard split of hammered scaffolding meets the Munchkin's piano. Actually the Tubular bells are at the bottom end of the keyboard. And the Munchkins are at the bottom end of Willie Wonka. Oo-er.
This sounds includes a French Horn and a Piccolo for a very smooth sound.
The original one octave keyboard you play with your feet, capable of subsonic sounds that drive women into sexual frenzy and men into blubbering prog-rock geeks. These samples are taken from the Taurus I (of course), which came with three presets; 'loud', 'bastard loud' and 'there go the neighbours but - hey ho - I never liked them anyway'.
It's a Moog going whoosh. Sort of. More of a whump sometimes. Occasionally it's a bleep. The sort of thing that would appeal to the lesser musician.
Steves's thank-you for lending him (OK renting him) a MKII with an exploding amplifier. Once the flames had died down Steve said he'd never really liked the house anyway.
In a melancholic mood with TL. Instant misery with a smile. Lovely.
A song, a dance, and a Leonard Cohen record.
Adrian had all the windows in the Empire State Building removed and 12" speakers fitted. He then set up a microphone in LA and let rip.
Ric has a quality that eludes some, he plays in tune. He also likes beer. A violinist who drinks beer and plays in tune is a rare and splendid thing. There are other Ric recordings in the can and Ric still drinks beer. Things just get better and better.
What can we say? Gordon kindly recorded these about two years ago and we have dragged our feet getting them to you. Sorry.
Ray would like his frets back. You know who you are! Ray also plays the Bassless Fret - an instrument of complete pointlessness.
A breathy vocal sample with a slightly clunky loop, taken straight from the standard Fairlight CMI library. As used by Peter Gabriel, Thomas Dolby and nearly everyone wih money to burn in the 1980s. You can also hear this sample at the beginning of 'Zoolook' by Jean Michel Jarre and 'Screen Kiss' from 'The Flat Earth' by Thomas Dolby
Another Fairlight CMI library sound, this time of a saxophone, as heard on Rhythm of the Heat from 'Peter Gabriel 4' where it takes the main melody line.
As with all Fairlight samples there is no multi-sampling capability so transposition becomes part of the character of the sound. This is our funny way of sounding that they all sound crap, not unlike saying that with a Yamaha DX7 the nopise made as you gouge out your own eardrums with a blunt oyster knife becomes a part of the sound. Except that we like the Fairlight.
Pan pipes with attitude. As taken from the standard Fairlight library, and as used by Thomas Dolby on 'Mulu The Rain Forrest' and inevitably by that man Gabriel again, this time on 'Family and the Fishing Net'. Do you think that Fairlight users deliberately make up daft titles for their songs?
This is actually Sparky's Piano before the haunting. If you've ever lived under the lid of a grand piano due to poor housing then you will recognise this sound.
If you've ever lived under the lid of a grand piano for any other reason then you have taken bad drugs and must die.
This is a newly-recorded sound by Fritz Doddy, and features a Yamaha C7 piano, Edam cheese and a guitar pick.
The sound of about eighty Americans pumping at roughly the same time. A sight and sound that could probably clear Guatamala at a single stroke. Mind you, this is the opportunity to turn your Mellotron into a Tom Waits Revue at a single stroke as well. Like you're fixing to die.
This sound comes to us courtesy of our good chum Jim Licka up near Chicago.
In 1972, on the request of a well-known musician, Les Bradley and his brothers rounded up thirty five cats which had been 'auditioned' for pitch and timbre, and recorded their yowls within the shed at the bottom of his garden.
The resultant little-known recordings were completed (after much difficulty) and presented to the requesting musician who incorporated them onto his new album. Unfortunately, word leaked out of Abbey Road Studios that something cruel and unusual was taking place and the RSPCA were called in to investigate.
The attention soon turned away from the artist and studio, falling instead on the Bradleys who were approached by officers from the RSPCA and were asked just how it was that they managed to extract an upper 'E' above middle C from a feline without the Application Of Mild Cat Abuse.
The officers were finally satisfied when they were introduced to the un-neutered two-year-old mongrel tomcat named Barnacle who had produced the howls for all the last seven notes on the keyboard.
Having been previously thought lost, this master has recently been unearthed and is now available for those of you who can't afford a real sampler. Or a real cat.
Twelve guitars, each playing one note at approximately the same time in almost approximately the same key. Actually, that's a lie but it sounds more interesting like that.
Magnetically wobbled guitar string with infinite sustain and the ability to inspire phenomenally tedious guitar moments where the player can put on the guitar face, which looks like a cross between a cat with piles and...another cat with piles.
Fortunately, Mellotrons do not inspire endless solos. They will, however, inspire nubile and firm women to throw their underwear at you. Honest.
In addition to the above sounds for any Mellotron, we can also offer the following tape services for specific instruments;
If it is at all viable we will also prepare any special tapes you require. Please call with your details and we will do our best to supply.
To order sounds or for more information on restored Mellotrons of all shapes
and sizes, e-mail Streetly Electronics
For comments or suggestions on this web site, or just for downright abuse and
unpleasantness e-mail Mike Dickson
The site was last updated on 22nd February 2008
STREETLY ELECTRONICS - All things Mellotronic