Best use of melodica in a song?

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I was listening to Sleater-Kinney's The Hot Rock today and had to play "Quarter to Three" like three times in a row, because I couldn't get enough of that melodica outro. I've also always enjoyed Tortoise's "I Set My Face to the Hillside," where the melodica takes on a spaghetti-western feel.

What songs featuring melodica do you enjoy?

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

hot snakes - "i hate the kids"

but seriously, have you ever heard any augustus pablo? howabout the hooters?

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Was the melodica that little-keyboard-you-blow-into thingy that the Hooters always used?

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, if Augustus Pablo did then I'll nominate "Satisfied" by J-Live which samples Pablo

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

jaymc -- d'you mean outside reggae/dub?

If so, many a tune of Yann Tiersen's. For starters...

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

fave melodica: pablo, gang of four, clinic, me

― JasonD (JasonD), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

You can include reggae/dub, if you like. I haven't heard much of that, so that's why my examples are both hipster-indie picks.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"555 dub street" or "555 crown street"

or JasonD

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

New Order's "Your Silent Face" and Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts" from 101 (if that's really what Gore is playing at the end there) are two of my candidates...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 October 2003 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I would say Augustus Pablo or New Order.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

You can include reggae/dub, if you like. I haven't heard much of that ...

A-ha. Then *definitely* search Augustus Pablo.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Pablo: search King Tubby meets Rockers Uptown, East of the River Nile, Original Rockers, Glen Brown Termination Dub--there's a version on there of the great 'Youthman' riddim (sampled by St Etienne on 'Carnt Sleep') which Pablo melodicizes over.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

that clinic song (maybe all of them).

soon-to-be-released charles atlas song 'signal flags' with a melodica, trumpet, and guitar tuner chorus in the outro

some song by timesbold I saw them do live twice made gorgeous use of melodica.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Mick Turner and Mum both used melodica when I saw them live (different shows). That was good stuff.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"Soft Pyramids" by Q and Not U

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Gorillaz' 'Tomorrow Comes Today' is also pretty neat.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Monday, 6 October 2003 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Bauhaus, "She's In Parties."

― hstencil, Monday, 6 October 2003 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

jaymc, when i saw this thread title i was going to post about "quarter to three"!! its my favourite sleater song.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Monday, 6 October 2003 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

'It's Her Factory'.

― Ferg (Ferg), Monday, 6 October 2003 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Did anybody ever play melodica on a record before Augustus Pablo? Where the hell does this weird little instrument come from, anyway? Is all indie melodica playing a citation of earlier reggae use? (I would imagine the Gang of Four sure is.)

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Monday, 6 October 2003 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

New Order's "Your Silent Face"

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Copycat.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Did anybody ever play melodica on a record before Augustus Pablo?

i was just over at a friend's house scavenging through his record collection before he moved and picked up a Trojan Collection called "Melodica Melodies". on the back it says "Although Peter Tosh is usually given credit for introducing the melodica to reggae, it was undoubtedly the "Far East" sound of Augustus Pablo that inspired the likes of Joe White, Glen Brown and dozens of others to make their own contributions to this unique brand of music."

― JasonD (JasonD), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 01:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Múm owns this thread.
I think they play Moogelodicas, too.

― Marcus Barr (Marcus Barr), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Daddy, I want to play melodica ...
... No problem little boy !!!
http://saintgui.free.fr/Melodica/Divers/garcon_melodica.gif

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I think melodicas used to be used solely by schoolchildren.
The first man who called himself Augustus Pablo--Glen Adams--took to playing it. Horace Swaby met Glen while the two were working in Kingston studios, and Glen let Horace take ownership of both the name and the instrument.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 04:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The Good Life by Saloon.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 06:53 (twenty-one years ago)

CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA. Obviously.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 06:54 (twenty-one years ago)

(actually it's the only one I can think of right now)

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 06:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Best: Your Silent Face by New Order

Worst: ANYTHING by Gorillaz. Go away, you puffy-faced twat.

― kate (kate), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 07:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The first man who called himself Augustus Pablo--Glen Adams--took to playing it. Horace Swaby met Glen while the two were working in Kingston studios, and Glen let Horace take ownership of both the name and the instrument.

Is this true? How astonishing.

I'd vote for Pablo's "Pablo Meets Mr Bassie" as one of my favouritest pieces of music ever.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 07:04 (twenty-one years ago)

'Star' by Primal Scream (played by Augustus Pablo)
'Sleep on the Left Side' by Cornershop (I think it's a melodica)

& King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, obviously.

― bham, Tuesday, 7 October 2003 08:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Best: Gang of Four - 5:45

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it just me who HATES these things with a passion? Stupid parpy farty things, they sound fucking horrible. Most of the time anyway, I'm sure someone somewhere has made one sound nice, but I've sure as hell never heard it.

― Steve.n. (sjkirk), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Is this true? How astonishing.

Was it also Swaby then who played melodica on the early instrumental piece by Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Memphis"? (For it wasn't Pablo on that track, I've read somewhere)
It's a search-worthy track anyway.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

"Someone Somewhere" by the Wannadies was a good one, because without the melodica it would have been no fun.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 12:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"Is it just me who HATES these things with a passion?"

While I like the sound of them, I have a friend who absolutely hates them. Calls them 'Jamaican bagpipes'.

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

(Nod to Jay Kid) Deltron 3030 - 'Time Keeps On Slipping'
Money Mark - 'Monkey Dot'

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Jack DeJohnette plaid melodica on his first solo record, "The DeJohnette Complex", years before Augustus Pablo. "Equipose" from that LP, for example, is a wonderful melodica/tenor sax duet between DeJohnette and Bennie Maupin.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Jack DeJohnette plaid melodica on his first solo record, "The DeJohnette Complex", years before Augustus Pablo

About a year and a half or so, more like?
With "The DeJohnette Complex" being recorded in late December 1968, and the young Pablo/Swaby doing his first playing in the studio in 1970, as it's chronicled.
;)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

(Was it also Swaby then who played melodica on the early instrumental piece by Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Memphis"?

Woops! Was it *Glen Adams* then... - was wot I meant. Me bad.)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Melodica 2 by International airport is very good

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

That Tortoise tune on TNT, and "It's Her Factory" by Gof4.
And lets not forget Big Chocolate Flavour!

― peepee (peepee), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I think New Order also used it at the start of "Love Vigilantes".
Cracking tune.

― Neil FC (Neil FC), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

RFI: Melodica

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 05:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh, I don't remember that thread. Why was this one more successful?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 05:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i hate when people resurrect threads and i say the exact same thing on both of them

― JasonD (JasonD), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 05:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Cause nobody knows shit about the melodica itself but are eager to point you towards a tune the like that features it?
Or maybe cause you started it, Mr. Dreamboat. *bats eyes*

(xp) I think EVERYone said the exact same thing on both threads.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

With "The DeJohnette Complex" being recorded in late December 1968, and the young Pablo/Swaby doing his first playing in the studio in 1970, as it's chronicled.

Well, okay, but according to the liner notes of "The DeJohnette Complex" DeJohnette had been playing melodica for quite some time, and this was only the first recorded example of him doing so. Still, I'm sure Pablo had everything to do with popularizing the instrument, since DeJohnette rarely played it after that one record.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 07:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Plus, I doubt Pablo knew of DeJohnette's dablings.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 8 October 2003 07:05 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

1. Pablo "Jah in the Hills"
2 Pablo "Baby I Love You So"
3. New Order "Your Silent Face"
4. New Order "Love Vigilantes"
5 Dub Narcotic "King Harvester"
6 Bauhaus "She's in Parties"
7 Joy Division "Decades"
8 New Order "Hurt"
9 Big Sugar "Cass Corridor"
10 Smashing Pumpkins "Glynis"

― Duke Dubuque (Duke Dubuque), Saturday, 21 January 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

tourists ( pre-eurythmics)- don't say i told you so
did the b52s use one ?

― retrogurl, Sunday, 22 January 2006 04:09 (nineteen years ago)

Bob Marley - Sun is Shining has a pretty great (what I think is a) melodica part.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Sunday, 22 January 2006 06:23 (nineteen years ago)

Bernie Worrell played some great stuff on "You Hit The Nail On The Head" and select other Funkadelic songs.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Sunday, 22 January 2006 08:00 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

Joy Division - Decades
New Order - Truth & Your Silent Face

I should probably listen to more reggae & dub

― Ian Dyster, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 02:18 (nineteen years ago)

Charlie Palmieri - Tiene Sabor

Great, great song (except for a purely Geirist sensibility--I would steer him away from this song if he happens to read this thread). The melodica (which I initially thought was an accordion, here) comes in after the song is about 3/4 over, and it really took me by surprise. (I wonder if Charlie Palmieri was listening to reggae in the 70s. I'd kind of be surprised if he hadn't at least checkde it out.) I hope Fania issues a remastered version of The Heavyweight in short order.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe not the best, but I wasn't expecting it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtXXRsQrin0&search=shiina%20ringo

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Saturday, 22 April 2006 20:25 (nineteen years ago)

Have you even not known you needed something, till you got it?

thats how i fell about that last clip.......

― danny boy (danny boy), Sunday, 23 April 2006 10:14 (nineteen years ago)

have you ever not know you needed somehting till you got it?

thats how I feel about that last clip.....

― danny boy (danny boy), Sunday, 23 April 2006 10:15 (nineteen years ago)

"Alabama Blues", St. Germain (Todd Edwards remix)

― hank (hank s), Sunday, 23 April 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

have you ever not know you needed somehting till you got it?

That's how I feel about Shiina Ringo in general.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 23 April 2006 12:45 (nineteen years ago)

I thought Alan Wilder was the one playing the melodica in 101!

Regardless, it's still the best.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 23 April 2006 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

Augustus Pablo, obv.

Although I do quite like the melodica in Blue's "All Rise" too (the only thing I like about that song tho)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 24 April 2006 11:46 (nineteen years ago)

Augustus Pablo, obv

Too much improvisation! ;-)

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 24 April 2006 12:24 (nineteen years ago)

I Couldn't Wait from the Kurt Wagner/Josh Rouse work-up is quite nice.

Roland Kirk's clavietta work deserves mention, even if he does play it with one nostril.

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 24 April 2006 13:34 (nineteen years ago)

New Order are all over this thread, but no-one's mentioned "In a Lonely Place" or "Turn the Heater On" yet?

― David A. (Davant), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 01:17 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Nice soprano melodica solo in Belle and Sebastian's "Electronic Renaissance".

― absolutely no one of any stature, Sunday, 14 May 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

Other than anything by Augustus Pablo, 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order and 'Fishes Eyes' by New Fast Automatic Daffodils.

― yer mam! (yer mam!), Sunday, 14 May 2006 20:14 (nineteen years ago)

The Handsome Family - "Weightless Again"

― Eazy (Eazy), Sunday, 14 May 2006 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

Neutral Milk Hotel - Naomi

― Steve Goldberg (Steve Goldberg), Sunday, 14 May 2006 22:30 (nineteen years ago)

I will cast another vote for "It's Her Factory."

― J (Jay), Sunday, 14 May 2006 22:31 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Another song with Shiina Ringo playing melodica (awesome):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR0rjMO7JE4&search=tokyo%20jihen

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 01:28 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

I can't emphasize enough how worthy the Charlie Palmieri's use of melodica is on The Heavyweight.

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Friday, 22 September 2006 01:40 (eighteen years ago)

four years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-IXJLgRnvs

Live performance of this classic song with an awful-sounding melodica solo starting around 1:35. It goes on and on and...yeah, wow. Is that in the studio version at all? Are they just trying to expand their sound?

― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 2 April 2011 06:07 (fourteen years ago)

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