 Though the Mellotron was not extensively used in the 1980s , a number of bands featured it as a prominent instrument . One of the few UK post @-@ punk bands to do so was Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark , who featured it heavily on their platinum @-@ selling 1981 album Architecture & Morality . Andy McCluskey has stated they used the Mellotron because they were starting to run into limitations of the cheap monophonic synthesizers they had used up to that point . He bought a second @-@ hand M400 and was immediately impressed with the strings and choir sounds . XTC 's Dave Gregory recalls seeing bands using Mellotrons when growing up in the 1970s , and thought it would be an interesting addition to the group 's sound . He bought a second @-@ hand model in 1982 for £ 165 , and first used it on the album Mummer ( 1983 ) . IQ 's Martin Orford bought a second hand M400 and used it primarily for visual appeal rather than musical quality or convenience . 
