Welcome back to Mellotron Monday, our celebration of that wacky keyboard instrument that made rock music more colorful for a while.
King Crimson are practically synonymous with the instrument. Despite their early lineup having been shaken up completely every year or two, there was always at least one mellotron player in the group, and frequently more than that. Here on “Starless”, you can see the 1974 lineup in action, guitarist Robert Fripp on his mellotron playing the floating notes that hold the chords through the intro, as David Cross plays the melody on violin. Cross will return the favor on “Lament”, in which the band which drummer Bill Bruford once called “the only group that could play in 17/8 and stay in nice hotels” will bemoan the state of the record industry.
