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“The Mellotron was a Labor of Love” Former President of Mellotron

I love the Mellotron.

My favorite instrument ever!

Justin Hayward’s voice, Mike Pinder’s Mellotron and Ray Thomas’s flute got me hooked to the music of the Moody Blues. I listen to their music everyday since 1967.

The Mellotron M4000D can reproduce every sound from the M400, the Mark I, the Mark II, Mark VI and has sound presets to reproduce every instrument in an orchestra. With the introduction of sound cards 02-03-04-05-06.......the possibilities are endless. I just hope one day Marcus comes out with an 88 key Mellotron. That would be fantastic. Yes, I'd buy one.

Any band who used this owes the Moodies and Pinder a huge favor. Pinder introduced the mellotron to the Beatles.

Excellent bit. The production quality of this video transported me right back to the Mellotron age! Seems like it was made in the 1970s on the gear I used back in college. Nice touch!! ;-)

I still use it!

There is nothing like a Mellotron Nothing. The sound it makes is magical.

Good job, but you seriously need to remix this and bring your voice up in the mix!

I saw Graham Nash in concert two weeks ago (March 24, Gold Coast Australia) and was so stoked to see a Leslie cabinet behind the keyboards that it took me a minute to notice the Mellotron, high and proud. All the CSNY stuff, just as it had been arranged to sound.

Nice feature on the mellotron. I used one at a local keyboard store in Miami back in the seventies it was a beautiful little machine that cost $4,000.😂

A little interesting fact, taylor swift used the brass sound of the mellotron in shake it off. You can hear it in the beginning

I don't think the Mellotron was replaced by synthesizers because synths sounded more realistic. I think the synths were "good enough" to use, but much more reliable and easier tour with. Later synths and samplers became much more realistic. The Mellotron reminds me of. Old newsreels, because of the lo-di quality and the wow and flutter.

Damn my g ! Set it off with and you and I ! Great way to open a video

Surprised you didn't mention FOCUS

Mellotrons got a bad rap for being unreliable. Actually, it was their owners that were unreliable. I've owned 4 of them and the level of maintenance is extremely low. I spend way more time maintaining one guitar than I do on my one remaining Mellotron.

They need to bring it back with bands, bring back our great music! YAY to The Moody Blues, Mike Pinder played it in 1968, love the Moodies!♥️🎵🎶🎵🎹🎸🎸🪈🥁

The narrator's voice is effectively gone.

Mellotron we recorded way back when. Keeping the pinchrollers and giant capstan clean and with the correct pressure was not fun - th-cam.com/video/vClw_rCR3U0/w-d-xo.html

Wish you’d mentioned The Rolling Stones’ employment of the Mellotron on their underrated psychedelic album “Their Satanic Majesties’ Request.” The late multi instrumentalist Brian Jones mastered it and the result was the eerie and haunting sound on “2000 Light Years From Home” and “She’s A Rainbow” on that album, as well as “Child of the Moon,” the B side of their 1968 single “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” You also don’t mention its employment by Led Zeppelin’s bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones (the quietest and most underrated member of that band) on the song “Kashmir,” from their 1975 album”Physical Graffiti” (also augmented by actual strings). It gives the song an otherworldly atmosphere.

Brian Wilson used it in '65 to make Good Vibrations

I've just listened to early Steve Miller Band masterpiece Children of the Future after long time. Masterful mellotron work by Jim Peterman on par with best Pinder's works.

It's own unique sound, sort of like a Hammond B3.

Listening to you is akin at trying to hear the guy next to you in the middle of a rock concert. I’m sure what you had to say was great, however I couldn’t hear you.

Angel=1975-80, TRES Cool/Heavy use of the Mellotron for POMP Rock Epics!

The mellotron was usually found in certain studios in London, and bands recording in those studios would have the option of using it in the mid/ late 60's,when it was working..The Bee gees early albums, mainly their first 2,feature one, played by Maurice Gibb..

I’m a massive prog fan since the beginning of prog rock , but I admit to never fully understanding the background, to the mellotron . so i thank you for the very helpful and history

Talking about the history of the Mellotron without talking to Rick Wakeman is like talking about the Moog synthesizer without talking to Rick Wakeman. Wakeman was the only session musician in London who could play the Mellotron in tune by modulating his finger pressure, and that’s the reason you hear him in Space Oddity among dozens of other well-known hits. That was before he joined Yes, and one of the reasons he joined Yes.

How do you not mention Jasper Wrath

The Mellotron was my first musical instrument! I bought it in 1976 and still have it and used it as often as possible with my current band NEUTRAL EARTH. Thanks!

All hail our Mellotron Overlords! The Mellotron is a staple of our sound. We use a vintage 1972 M400 with 4 different tape sets, as well as a digital M4000D (with all of the Sound Cards), 2 Mellotron Micros, and several Mellotron Apps for iPad and iPhone. You can never have too much Mellotron. We write and record our own interesting music for the fun of it and post the albums on our NEUTRAL EARTH TH-cam channel. Mellotron lovers unite! Long live the Mellotron!

I have a Mellotron on my iPad that I midi to my Yamaha grand electric piano, it sounds good. It sounds like a Mellotron, but it passes, and I love the sound and the versatility of it, and would someday love to have a real one.

I learned a lot. Thanks . Now reengineer the voice over.

The Mellotron never fell - it just got replaced by VST's, Samplers and emulations of its function. The Mellotron was genius, but flawed by its size and complexity in keeping it functioning well. Now you can get those sounds in a handy box :) Long may that sound pervade our music.

Occult Teacher George Gurdjieff (867-19491 loved this instrument

Thanks for recognizing this amazing instrument. But there are many of us who believe it hasn't fallen. It's sound is too iconic.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! There is no such condition as 'most unique'. Unique is an absolute. Something either IS unique or it's not. When, oh when, will the horrid misuse of this word cease?! Rant over...... ......for now 😁

When Black Sabbath used one on their classic track "Changes", it sounded seriously eerie.

not one mention of David Bowie using one

I agree with the other commentator, your vocals are sometimes too low respect to the video. Also, you need to e more animated. Your voice is just too mellow to want to listen to. I think every TH-cam channel starts out with one voice and the person eventually changes their voice to be more animated or higher, pitched or faster. Whatever. For what it’s worth.

Well, as pointed out, even by Tony Banks, they had to rebuilt the Mellatron after every performance. Who wants to keep an instrument which has to be repaired night after night? I remember a keyboard that used little discs, like mini CDs for its sound. Saw it in Keyboard magazine during the 1970's. Obviously, it didnt catch on, and advanced keyboards during the 1970's were outrageously expensive. I remember when the first Kurzweils came out, like who could afford them? Now, almost every keyboard player has one. So, unless any keyboard does not hold up while touring, it's going to go by the wayside.

Just call it "proto" synth!

Many groups used Mellotrons in the 1980s, including Captain Beefheart (Doc at the Radar Station) and XTC (The Big Express).

Ugh! “Freebird”? Anybody that beings up Freebird can’t possibly know much about music!

Big thumbs down due to the horrible audio levels, both in narration and music. Also thumbs down for not mentioning the use of the Mellotron in "Stairway To Heaven".

Yeah, I don't think any band captured the pure essence of the Melotron like The Moody Blues. It became a very intricate part of their music. RIP Mike Pinder.

Such an interesting instrument - please remix this so we can hear your voice over music clips.

If the audio tape sections for each key were easily replaced and a new one inserted with words or a phrase recorded on it it would be the first audio sampling keyboard.