The article highlights three well-known 1970s rock songs that used the Mellotron, an instrument developed in Birmingham in 1963 and valued for its string and orchestral-like sounds. It argues that the instrument helped broaden the sonic palette of rock music during the 1960s and 1970s, giving recordings fuller, more atmospheric arrangements without a conventional orchestra.

– ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith: Steven Tyler said he created the song’s string section on a Mellotron; he wrote the song over roughly six years.
– ‘Let It Loose’ by the Rolling Stones: the article identifies the track as blending gospel, blues and rock; Mick Jagger later described it as a difficult, loosely defined “rambling” song.
– ‘Changes’ by Black Sabbath: Geezer Butler wrote its lyrics about drummer Bill Ward’s divorce, while the Mellotron supplies the prominent sustained string-like sound; Ozzy Osbourne said the band might perform it live with a Mellotron rather than real strings.