David Emm Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 This is a fun read that added a few new gems to what I already knew. Leave it to Rick to get a Mellotron on the first bounce, eh? "One afternoon he dropped by a local recording studio, where he spotted an odd little keyboard in the corner. The manager of the studio, Tony Visconti, told him it was a Mellotron, the spooky-sounding, electro-mechanical instrument made famous by the Beatles on “Strawberry Fields Forever.” But it was so difficult to play that nobody in the studio could figure out how to use it. 'Mind if I have a go?' asked Wakeman. Visconti and his recording crew watched in awe as the gawky kid made the Mellotron sing. 'How’d you do that?' an engineer asked. 'Don’t tell him,' Visconti told Wakeman. 'It’ll make you a fortune!'” https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-stranger-than-fiction-secret-history-of-prog-rock-icon-rick-wakeman?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us 3 Quote "Well, the 60s were fun, but now I'm payin' for it." ~ Stan Lee, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finale Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Good read, thanks for sharing. One of my favorite works from RW is his King Arthur album and it's interesting to know the details about when he composed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Tales of topographical keyboards. 2 Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 3 hours ago, Baldwin Funster said: Tales of topographical keyboards. Tape-ographical, surely? Cheers, Mike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Great article 👍 What is this keyboard? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUSSIEKEYS Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 2 hours ago, Tusker said: Great article 👍 What is this keyboard? Looks like a Korg Trident. I had one back in the day. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMcD Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 6 hours ago, Tusker said: Great article 👍 What is this keyboard? It appears to be a piano of some sort. ...I'll show myself out. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 What a great read. 1 Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 Just BTW, the article features a nice shot of Rick at his rig. You can gear-spot a probable early digital Hammond, a JD-800, several Korgs (I spy the telltale joysticks) and the classic pair of Minimoogs. I don't know exactly what he may have used for Mellotron, but by that point, probably not a real one. Too much potential grief. I enjoyed seeing him demo G-Force's M-Tron and laughing about the absence of tape snarls. Science! Quote "Well, the 60s were fun, but now I'm payin' for it." ~ Stan Lee, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineandkeyz Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 If you want to read further, pick up Wakeman's "Grumpy Old Rock Star: and Other Wondrous Stories" and "Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star." I've read them both many times, and every time I laugh at the same bits! Quote Live: Yamaha S70XS (#1); Roland Jupiter-80; Mackie 1202VLZ4; IEMs or Traynor K4 Home: Hammond SK Pro 73; Moog Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue; Yamaha S70XS (#2); Roland Integra-7; Wurlitzer 200A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan May Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Rick Wakeman also helped play and develop the birotron, which was also a tape loop operated keyboard, which was his response to the Mellotron. It was used primarily on the album Rick Wakeman’s Criminal Record and the Yes album Tormato, but has since been discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Ah Tormato. I think that album was released direct to the cut out bin. I remember having that on cassette. I actually like it. 1 Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Gehrig Charles Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 On 11/8/2023 at 3:52 PM, Baldwin Funster said: Ah Tormato. I think that album was released direct to the cut out bin. I remember having that on cassette. I actually like it. Years ago.... Well, close to forty.... radio station WWCT in Peoria IL had a contest where listeners had to keep track of 106 album names (because it was 106 FM - get it?) announced at random at various times of the day, and then send in their lists for a chance to win a Cobra sports car replica. I've forgotten most of what was on the list but "Tormato" will probably remain in my memory forever, mainly because I didn't know how to spell it and had to check at the music store so I would know what to write on the list. Looking back, the contrarian in me would have chosen "Drama" instead, but whatever; at any rate I think it was the only Yes album on the list. At any rate, I didn't win the car, and neither did my friend. But we did try to improve our odds by hand-delivering our lists to the studio and they were nice enough to roll out the red carpet to us and give us a tour of the place. I miss that station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.