# Interesting records of non-classical musicians with symphonic orchestra



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Notice: this thread is devoted to bands/musicians that doesn't play with orchestra usually. 

It became very popular in rock music recently (Metallica, for example, made very popular record known as S&M). 

I would mention:

Charlie Parker with Strings (currently listening, inspired me to create this thread)

Deep Purple, Concerto for Group and Orchestra

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Past


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## Conservationist (Apr 5, 2007)

Ornette Coleman - Skies of America

...the most interesting thing to come out of jazz (spit).


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## Noak (Jul 18, 2009)

Mike Keneally-The Universe Will Provide


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Go to 8:00


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Noak said:


> Mike Keneally-The Universe Will Provide


Nice to see a Keneally fan here. Mike did a great job on this project. Superb music!

The Steve Howe Album
Terry Bozzio-Chamber Works
Alice Coltrane-Universal Consciousness
Bela Fleck-Triple Concerto
Frank Zappa-200 Motels, Orchestral Favorites
John McLaughlin-Mediterranean Concerto, Thieves And Poets


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Ellington - Night creature






this is only the second movement

Frank Zappa - Dog Breath variations


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## skalpel (Nov 20, 2011)

Progressive Rock band Caravan in 1973






Orchestra plays a far more major role from within the 4th minute onwards.


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Not a recording, but it was a nice spotlight for orchestral music on an otherwise typically pop venue when Foo Fighters auditioned and featured a young orchestra to accompany them on the 2008 Grammy Awards on "The Pretender." The orchestra was conducted by John Paul Jones of Them Crooked Vultures and Led Zeppelin and selected through a YouTube audition contest.




Orchestra starts playing approx 4:43.








Ann Marie Calhoun, violinist, was chosen as the featured soloist. Before and especially after this performance she has been playing for and touring with various rock acts such as Jethro Tull, Steve Vai, Bon Jovi, and Ringo Starr. As a teenager she was a youth fellow with the National Symphony orchestra, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2001 with a double major in biology and music.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

This never works well in rock/pop or metal because the songwriting almost never expands to suit the resources. It's like trying to shove a cathedral in a Cracker Jack box.


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## opium (Dec 15, 2011)

regressivetransphobe said:


> This never works well in rock/pop or metal because the songwriting almost never expands to suit the resources.


I fully agree. Take Metallica's album with the SFSO - the orchestration sucked as the music wasn't accommodating to it.


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## Oskaar (Mar 17, 2011)

I dont find it to functionate eather. I am a big prog rock fan, and a lot of prog rock is inspired by classical music. But when they try to lean on it, it almost always fail. Elp`s pictures of an exebition dont lean on it, but making rock music on its own terms, but heavily classic influated.
The dutch FOKUS have some great music. But sometimes they try to copy, or lean on classical music to much. I dont like that.

But all music is influenced by other music, so trying to dismiss some acts because they are classical influented, and say: "They will never reach up" is snobbery. It is different art forms. Classical music has taken a lot from folk music for example. It is snobbery to say that when classical music takes influences from folk, it is "lifting it up to pure art" and when rock takes from classic.... "they can never compete with the origin"...

This is just some thoughts, and I dont know if I am outside the topic.

My favourite prog rock album, Foxtrot by genesis, Is a pure rock album, but heavily influented by classical music, and at conserts, wery influented from oscure theathre and opera.
Listen to "Suppers ready"!! This is a fabulous work, purely on (art)rocks permissions, but heavily influated from a lot of styles.


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## Catharsis (Mar 15, 2010)

Devil Doll 'Dies Irae' has an orchestra on it. Pretty cool "horror" rock recording - very well put together. Most people will be put off by the vocals though, which are very odd indeed.


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
includes tracks backed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra and the Hossam Ramzy (Egypt) Ensemble.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

When I saw Chuck Mangioni's Friends and Love concert with the Rochester Phil on TV in the early '70s, I thought it was very cool.


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## BlazC (Jan 6, 2012)

It doesn't have a full symphony orchestra, but it does feature a rather funky string section


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## Chrythes (Oct 13, 2011)

It's not an orchestra, but a string quartet, even though it feels as big as an orchestra considering it accompanies a guitar and a voice. Nick Drake, I guess one of the more underrated musicians in his time, was always a favourite of mine among the solo artists. His lyrics usually reflect his depression, but they are sang on beautiful, though melancholic melodies and the addition of the string quartet, and sometimes the piano in his music is perfect. Overall it's an intimate and personal music.


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## skalpel (Nov 20, 2011)

Chrythes said:


> It's not an orchestra, but a string quartet, even though it feels as big as an orchestra considering it accompanies a guitar and a voice. Nick Drake, I guess one of the more underrated musicians in his time, was always a favourite of mine among the solo artists. His lyrics usually reflect his depression, but they are sang on beautiful, though melancholic melodies and the addition of the string quartet, and sometimes the piano in his music is perfect. Overall it's an intimate and personal music.


Crazy coincidence, I just mentioned him in another thread. I'm not really one to rate which music is my favourite or which album is the best but Pink Moon really is one of the most important albums to me, if I were forced to pick a favourite album that would certainly be it. I think it perhaps has to affect you personally at a particular time in life for you to fully appreciate it, there are a lot of people who would say 'yeah, it's a great album of nice acoustic songs' when to me, it has so much more to it than that.

Great to see him mentioned anywhere! - And Day is Done is a good track choice too, the guy who did most of the string composition on Five Leaves Left is Robert Kirby if you're interested and didn't know.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

John Cale (of Velvet Underground fame) is another "popular" musician who uses classical musicians to great effect. Here is one of his compositions with a string quartet accompaniment:






He has recently performed his Paris 1919 album in its entirety with a full orchestra. I've heard the audio from the London show in 2010. I wish he'd come back to the east coast in the US and perform anything.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

The backing for two tracks from Neil Young's Harvest album were recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra - at Barking Town Hall.


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## Chrythes (Oct 13, 2011)

skalpel said:


> Crazy coincidence, I just mentioned him in another thread. I'm not really one to rate which music is my favourite or which album is the best but Pink Moon really is one of the most important albums to me, if I were forced to pick a favourite album that would certainly be it. I think it perhaps has to affect you personally at a particular time in life for you to fully appreciate it, there are a lot of people who would say 'yeah, it's a great album of nice acoustic songs' when to me, it has so much more to it than that.
> 
> Great to see him mentioned anywhere! - And Day is Done is a good track choice too, the guy who did most of the string composition on Five Leaves Left is Robert Kirby if you're interested and didn't know.


This is why I love and appreciate his music in a personal level. For a couple of months he was basically the only music I was listening to as I've never felt so close to one's music before. This piece is one of my favourites, especially because of the so intimate and the relation to my state at the time lyrics.


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