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Sufjan, TTD, NIN, Stones vs. Beatles: Believer Magazine's 2007 Music Issue 
I'm enjoying the heck out of the new issue of The Believer, and I haven't even listened to the free CD that comes with the issue yet! It has a great interview with Sananda Maitreya - he's loopy and brilliantly witty as always, and the interviewer tries to lead him into talking about Prince several times but Sananda's not having it. 
It has a couple of fantastic essays - one about Trent Reznor and religion, and another article about the ages-long "war" between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. I just read a story last night in the issue about the "Birotron", which was an ill-fated successor to the Mellotron sampling organ thing used by Yes and Bowie way back in the day. And I still have a new Sufjan Stevens song to look forward to on the bonus CD! 
It's a little pricey for a magazine at $10, but it's beautifully laid out and the writing is really well-done and has lots and lots of content (and no ads!). Check it out: http://www.believermag.com/ woops wrong link - fixed! [Edited 6/19/07 5:32am] | |
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i really like the sufjan stevens track on that cd. it's quite different,
sounds like some of the stuff he did on "a sun came" quite rocking and a bit weird.  and true love lives on lollipops and crisps | |
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IstenSzek said: i really like the sufjan stevens track on that cd. it's quite different,
sounds like some of the stuff he did on "a sun came" quite rocking and a bit weird. i'm listening to the CD now...it's a little on the indie/oaty side, but that's okay...it's what i expected from a literary magazine music sampler, just like they've done every year. 
i think i'm most into that mellotron/birotron story...now i wanna go be a prog geek and listen to old yes albums.  | |
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Anxiety said: I just read a story last night in the issue about the "Birotron", which was an ill-fated successor to the Mellotron sampling organ thing used by Yes and Bowie way back in the day.
Sounds like a cool mag. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Birotron Rick Wakeman of the band "Yes" invented and developed this instrument along with help from David Biro. Wakeman formed the company Birotronics, Ltd. which made just 35 Birotrons. Like the Mellotron, the Birotron "sampled" instruments and uses 8-track tapes for the various sounds. This was necessary before digital sampling became available. They were mainly used for strings, choirs, brass, and flutes; sounds not easily reproduced on the synthesizers of that era. This instrument was used on the YES album, "Tormato" and Rick's solo album "Criminal Record." 
Interview with Wakeman in 1999 where he talks about the Birotron Is there any chance of hearing your old Mellotrons & Birotrons again? RW: Oh no!, I don't have any of them! YM: They're missing? RW: Yeah!, I believe there are six Birotrons left in the world. I heard that one was sold in America last year for $ 35,000. YM: Wow!, you could be rich now! You only made about 30... RW: 35. I had four, but two were stolen, and two were damaged beyond repair. So we believe there are six left, and one is in a museum, it has been just bought by Hard Rock Cafe in America, I believe also for a lot of money because they bought the very original one. I don't have one. I would like to have one, I must admit, I'd love to have one. The Mellotron... I used to have two single Mellotrons, and a double special Mellotron. And the two single ones I had, I was so frustrated, because of tuning problems, and the tapes... And full of anger, I took the two Mellotrons into a field, a put petrol over them, and I fired them. YM: You really did that? I can't believe it! RW: Yeah. And all of them, all the wood, burnt and all the metal just... YM: Did you enjoy that?. RW: At the time, at the time I enjoyed it, because they had ruined so many sessions through going wrong and breaking, but afterwards I regret it. Oh, of course I regret it! http://www.8trackheaven.c...otron.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Damn, how was the Sananda Maitreya interview?
Did he mention a new studio album? | |
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hmm... small circles, big wheels!
I've got a pretty firm grip on the obvious! |
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I want a copy!  VOTE....EARLY | |
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Anxiety, I will have to get this mag and check it out. Sounds in dept. | |
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theAudience said: Anxiety said: I just read a story last night in the issue about the "Birotron", which was an ill-fated successor to the Mellotron sampling organ thing used by Yes and Bowie way back in the day.
Sounds like a cool mag. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Birotron Rick Wakeman of the band "Yes" invented and developed this instrument along with help from David Biro. Wakeman formed the company Birotronics, Ltd. which made just 35 Birotrons. Like the Mellotron, the Birotron "sampled" instruments and uses 8-track tapes for the various sounds. This was necessary before digital sampling became available. They were mainly used for strings, choirs, brass, and flutes; sounds not easily reproduced on the synthesizers of that era. This instrument was used on the YES album, "Tormato" and Rick's solo album "Criminal Record."
Interview with Wakeman in 1999 where he talks about the Birotron Is there any chance of hearing your old Mellotrons & Birotrons again? RW: Oh no!, I don't have any of them! YM: They're missing? RW: Yeah!, I believe there are six Birotrons left in the world. I heard that one was sold in America last year for $ 35,000. YM: Wow!, you could be rich now! You only made about 30... RW: 35. I had four, but two were stolen, and two were damaged beyond repair. So we believe there are six left, and one is in a museum, it has been just bought by Hard Rock Cafe in America, I believe also for a lot of money because they bought the very original one. I don't have one. I would like to have one, I must admit, I'd love to have one. The Mellotron... I used to have two single Mellotrons, and a double special Mellotron. And the two single ones I had, I was so frustrated, because of tuning problems, and the tapes... And full of anger, I took the two Mellotrons into a field, a put petrol over them, and I fired them. YM: You really did that? I can't believe it! RW: Yeah. And all of them, all the wood, burnt and all the metal just... YM: Did you enjoy that?. RW: At the time, at the time I enjoyed it, because they had ruined so many sessions through going wrong and breaking, but afterwards I regret it. Oh, of course I regret it! http://www.8trackheaven.c...otron.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 the moral of the birotron story: if you're going to make a musical instrument out of 8-track tapes, ya can't forget one simple rule: YOU CAN'T LAY 8-TRACKS ON THEIR SIDES!
...not to mention the tape didn't age well at all 
here's a sample of what the birotron sounded like: http://www.blackcat.demon...otronchoir | |
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