Mike Pinder and The Mellotron

Mike Pinder was a founding member, and once the keyboardist, of the band The Moody Blues.  Pinder passed recently.  Mr. Pinder was an acolyte of the weird instrument, The Mellotron.  

What was The Mellotron?  I asked ChatGPT to provide some illumination.  Here is what they said:

A Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in the early 1960s. It works by triggering prerecorded sounds stored on magnetic tape when a musician presses the keys on its keyboard. Each key on the Mellotron is connected to a tape playing a recording of an instrument, such as strings, flutes, or choirs, allowing musicians to produce orchestral sounds and effects that were difficult or impossible to recreate in live performances at the time. The Mellotron became famous for its distinctive sound and was prominently used by bands like The Beatles, The Moody Blues, and King Crimson, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s, adding a unique, ethereal quality to rock and progressive music.

Mike Pinder adopted the instrument to create some unique and memorable passages for the Mellotron.  Witness his use of the instrument on "Nights in White Satin", "Tuesday Afternoon", and "Legend of a Mind".  Symphonic, atmospheric, haunting.  Awesome work!  RIP, Mr. Pinder.

View the very interesting documentary on The Mellotron by clicking on the link below.

A Brief History of The Mellotron 

JOHN WETTON - RIP - "EXILES" - 1973

The late, phenomenal John Wetton on bass and vocals performing with King Crimson back in 1973.  Crimson plays "Exiles".  Wetton had a very distinct and powerful singing and playing style.  We will miss his myriad contributions to popular music.  Another unique talent is lost.

Greg Lake, "I Believe In Father Christmas"

A sad farewell was bid to Greg Lake, a talented and influential musician, who passed away this week.  Lake was a founding member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.  He also held a stint in Asia, as well.  Here is the popular Christmas tune he penned years ago.  I will miss Lake's distinctive vocal delivery, his impassioned playing and his memorable recorded work.  A true progressive rock luminary and a very iconic performer.

KING CRIMSON JAM 1973

This is a video of King Crimson improvising live in Bremen in 1973.  King Crimson, in its original run, blended a diversity of musical styles in their playing.  A wild variation of instruments are utilized here.  In addition to guitar, bass and drums, flourishes of flute, violin, mellotron and percussion are injected.  An interesting noise results.  The players include Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross, Bill Bruford and percussion whirlwind, Jamie Muir.  It is nice that a lot of these performances were recorded as the band's personnel could shift quite quickly.