In a Mellotron

“Conceived as a parlor instrument, it made its way into countless formative hits that continue to define classic rock stations today and laid the groundwork for some of our most common studio tools.” From JSTOR Daily, “Tape Heads,” a look at the Mellotron in rock.

And speaking of a parlor instrument, in 2008 I made a short post about a 1965 demo that presents the Mellotron as just that. When I looked up the demo this morning, without even thinking about that post, I noticed the same slightly crazed look on the keyboardist’s face at 2:41. But this time I also noticed an only slightly less crazed look on the demonstrator’s face at 2:11. The host and demonstator are conductor Eric Robinson and magician David Nixon, who together created the Mellotronics company to sell the Mellotron. The keyboardist is Geoff Unwin, an early Mellotron user.

Here’s Paul McCartney demonstrating the instrument.

[Post title with apologies to Duke Ellington.]