Mellodrama - The Story Of The Mellotron

Expect to see this over the next few months in the U.S. The maker of this film tells me that she expects to see this in the U.K. by the summer of 2009 and on DVD by the end of 2009.

Personally, I think it looks fascinating ! :o)

Here's the blurb (followed by some links)...

Mellodrama, a documentary by Dianna Dilworth, explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron – the first musical keyboard to “sample” the sounds of other instruments – from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields” to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama is a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery. Soon, through the music of the Beatles, the Zombies, and the Moody Blues, the Mellotron became the "instant magic sound." In the 1970s, the Mellotron defined the sound of progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Genesis. Though forgotten during the 1980s, when digital synthesizers hijacked pop music, the Mellotron is today again a highly desired and sought-after device, a connection for artists like Radiohead and Kanye West to the mystical lost world of invention and possibility. Mellodrama chronicles the fascinating fifty-year history using original interviews with Brian Wilson [Beach Boys], Mike Pinder [Moody Blues], Rod Argent [The Zombies], Rick Nielsen [Cheap Trick], Ian McDonald [King Crimson], Brian Kehew [Author "Recording the Beatles"], Jon Brion [Producer--Kanye West, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann], Patrick Moraz [Yes], Jesse Carmichael [Maroon 5], Matthew Sweet [Recording Artist], Michael Penn [Recording Artist], among many others.

http://www.myspace.com/mellotrondocumentary

http://www.mellotronmovie.com/