CaptainCrunch's list of best collaberations between bands and orchestras
I haven't done one of these in a long time, but it was something that I used to enjoy doing.
I was stumbling around my playlists today on Youtube and stumbled across bands that had collaborated with Orchestra's. Now how can that work, Rock and Hard rock combined with stoogey classical music playing tuxedo wearing snobby musicians. But when it works it works. Music becomes more dramatic and polished and interesting when combinations happen. So without any further preamble. I present and not in any particular order, Rock Bands collaberating with Classical Music Orchestras.
1) Scorpions with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (2000)
A collaboration that lead to an Album (Moments of Glory and a tour). This made classic songs sound more epic and energetic, and there's a real polished feel to it. As well it just came across as louder. Rock You like a Hurricane stands out as the best example of this.
2) Deep Purple Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969)
This came from the mind of Jon Lord who was inspired by hero another mixed performance. He started writing this on the piano and it grew in vision. It lead to a live Album with the Royal Philharmonic.
3) Metallica S&M (1999)
This took two years, to make and lead to an excellent collaboration between Metallica and the San Fransisco Symphony. Classic songs were re-arranged to have a combination of Metallica's heavy metal crunch leveled off by the more casual styles of the SFM.
4) Kiss Alive IV
What do you get when you combine Kiss and the Melbourne Symphony. Brilliants. The key thing is that Kiss didn't lay off their theatrical side, but used the Orchestra to accentuate it.
5) Yes - Symphonic Live
Yes was an insanely talented progressive Rock Band with a long history of collaboration with Orchestra's. In 2001 they release a live album that revisited a lot of their hits and improved it with the help of the European Festival Orchestra
6) Meatloaf Bat out of hell with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2003)
One of the most brilliant over the top theatrical musicians in Rock, he combined a big show feel with almost little plays. But his music was brilliant and ahead of its time. So it was a natural marriage to combine Bat out of hell with an Orchestra.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to CaptainCrunch For This Useful Post:
I'd love to hear an orchestra-only version of both Puppets and Justice. No guitars, no drum(sets) (orchestral percussion only), no singing or any other non-standard stuff. I just want a real, legit symphonist to take both albums and transcribe them as if they were composing them themselves. Maybe someone who leans more towards Baroque than Rococo, though.
I've been saying for the last 30 years that the songs on Puppets and Justice are pretty much symphonies just played on heavy metal instruments. Now I need like 10-15 people to play it on strings, woodwinds (no brass!) and percussion (kettles and piano only!).
Spirit of the West did a beautiful collaboration with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra way back in the day called "Open Heart Symphony". One of my favorite albums of theirs.
RIP John Mann.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to direwolf For This Useful Post:
I know Edmonton is no good but Procol Harum live was pretty good and is Canadianish (although why the hell they ended up recording this in Edmonton of all places is a mystery)
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to afc wimbledon For This Useful Post:
Couldn't one of the dudes have performed the Waters singing (talking) parts? Her and the band are fantastic in the musical parts, but she's pretty cringy in the Waters parts which you'd think would be the easy parts.
Couldn't one of the dudes have performed the Waters singing (talking) parts? Her and the band are fantastic in the musical parts, but she's pretty cringy in the Waters parts which you'd think would be the easy parts.
I don't know, I can't stand the original myself, but this cover is downright scary, sounds like psychosis put to music