Anyway, if you were here yesterday, when I posted that kinda goofy rocked up version of J.S. Bach's "Air" by Dutch band Ekseption, you probably saw the subject of today's esssay question coming down Broadway, as they say.
So without any further ado, let's get right to it. To wit:
...and your favorite (or least favorite) post-Elvis pop/rock/folk/r&b record by a group or solo artist demonstrating either an overt or implied influence of European classical music in the writing or performing or both, is...?
Discuss.
No arbitrary rules, but just to be a little more specific, what we're talking about doesn't have to be some kind of obvious borrowing from a particular classical composition; some of my favorites aren't, as you will see shortly. And when I say post-Elvis, that's to make sure none of you bastid kids nominates one of those godawful 1940s hits like "Full Moon and Empty Arms," which actually appended sappy lyrics to a melody from Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. And yes, you're allowed to put up prog shit if applicable, as distasteful as I might find that personally. 😎
And my nominees? It's a tie. Between this...
...and this.
That's the late Alan Civil playing French horn on the Beatles track, BTW; in case you're unfamiliar with him, he was considered to be perhaps the greatest exponent of his instrument in the second half of the 20th Century. You should hear him do the Mozart horn concertos with Otto Klemperer, is what I'm saying. 😎😎
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?
And have a fabulous weekend, everybody!!!
Steve:
ReplyDeleteYou have to know this would be my nominee:
Repent Walpurgis - Procol Harum
Captain Al
I had my suspicions, yes. 😎
DeleteTwo, both by the same band - ELP
ReplyDeletePictures At An Exhibition
Tarkus (Aaron Copeland)
Regarding Otto Klemperer his son,
Werner was Capt.Klink on Hogans Heros 😉
Don't get me started on ELP. 😎
DeleteCoincidentally, "Tarkus' was the first thing I listened to this morning. Side One is epic!
DeleteAs the sequel opens today...
ReplyDeleteLick My Love Pump by Nigel Tufnel
i'll say a word in favor of ian anderson of jethro tull - not such a nice guy personally, it seems, but as songwriter, musician and showman, he's one my favorites from my generation
ReplyDeleteI did a phone interview with him once (about his lox farm business) and I thought he couldn't have been nicer.
DeleteSpeaking of Anderson,
ReplyDeleteJethro Tull - Bouree
chatgpt tells me -
ReplyDeleteMovie Quote (fictional, comedic)
In The Seven Year Itch (1952), there’s this line:
“This is what they call classical music, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I could tell because there’s no vocal.”
Tom Ewell - still a highly enjoy able movie
Delete"Good old Rachmaninoff, the 2nd Piano Concerto Never Misses" 😉
AI strikes again! Seriously, thanks for clearing that up!!!
DeleteSorry Steve, no AI. I'm 74. I'll give you that I googled quotes for a film I will probably watched 10 times (lol)
DeleteAnd Dana Carvey (a la Dennis DeYoung) doing "Choppin' Broccoli."
ReplyDeleteDamnit, you guys beat me to it. Still, from "Flower People" to "Hell Hole," the best band is Spinal Pap, er, Tap.
ReplyDeleteThe Who - "Underture" from Tommy
ReplyDeleteA whiter shade of pale. ...or is that just too obvious?
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, just yesterday I heard an interview with Randy Bachman who said BTO's "Let it Ride" was inspired by Dvorak's Piano Concerto. O-kay.....
ReplyDeleteRe Alan Civil: I've always assumed that he was paid just once for his part on "For No One." Same with Bud Shank's flute solo on "California Dreamin." Any experts out there on this subject?
Bob in IL
Interesting. The Dvorak piano concerto is a relatively obscure, i.e. not so often performed, entry in Antonin's ouevre. My respect for Bachman just increased precipitously. 😎
DeleteNot to nitpick Steve, but doesn't precipitously generally mean downward?
DeleteThere is a video of Steve Morse, ex dregs, performing JS Bachs - Jesus Of Man's Desire - beautiful rendition
ReplyDeleteRob - Werner K played COLONEL Klink, you dummkopf :-) :-)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDuh...COLONEL, got it.
DeleteI Know Nothing. 😉
Hey Rob, sorry to hijack. Posted this on the recent The Beths thread but thought you might miss it... very interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksUCuMIwwik
DeleteDennis, I the "old guy" here.
DeleteRather than having to type all that give me something to Google. I am a wicked researcher 🧐
Nut Rocker by B. Bumble and the Stingers
ReplyDeleteA Lovers Concerto by The Toys
and something I only found out this week: Hook by Blues Traveler is based on the hook from Pachelbel’s Canon!
Electric Prunes - Mass In F Minor ⛪
ReplyDeleteVery interesting call. 😎
DeleteHere's one more Steve from our era -
DeleteBlood, Sweat & Tears - 1st album.
Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie First & 2nd Movements
and one more
Pink Floyd Meddle
Fearless/You'll Never Walk Alone - Oscar & Hammerstein
The Move's 'Cherry Blossom Clinic' breaks into Bach's 'Joy...'
ReplyDeleteELO, of course, built their early career on this approach with '10538 Overture,' 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' and their intro to 'Roll Over Beethoven.' Roy Wood would answer that later with the more jazzy 'Bend Over Beethoven.'
As for the worst, it doesn't get lower than Walter Murphy's 'A Fifth of Beethoven.' Gott in Himmel!
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!
DeleteAt 11:40 of In-a-Gadda-Da-Vidda, they use the melody of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4
You mean somebody actually stayed awake 11:40 into In-a-Gadda-Da-Vidda?
DeleteThat's about where it kicks in on the soundtrack for "Manhunter".
DeleteOur neighbor in the next town over (Clinton) sold his drum kit to the drummer of the band I roadied for (Buddha Records)
DeleteShould have mentioned it was Ron Bushy's kit.
DeleteSeveral ELO songs, of course; agree with Alzo there. I saw them live twice (the real band, not “Jeff Lynne’s ELO” that is without powerhouse drummer Bev Bevan) and in addition to being fabulous, they did cello and violin solo spots that were classically inspired. Great stuff. And they rocked like mofos too.
ReplyDeleteBut my favorite is the James Gang featuring Joe Walsh, “The Bomber”, on their “Rides Again” album. During the long instrumental middle section of the seven-minute song, they play the main theme from Ravel’s “Bolero” as a three piece rock band, very cool, and finish the instrumental section with Vince Guraldi’s “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”, also very cool. And the song begins and closes with some of the most badass cowboy chord riffage in existence.
(The Bolero part has a strange side story: apparently Ravel’s French estate specified that Bolero could never be played except by a symphony orchestra and as a complete piece, so the label - ABC/Dunhill - got nastygrams about the James Gang’s usage; the label of course folded like a cheap suit and had the song and album remastered with the Bolero section cut out. The band and later solo Walsh kept playing the full version in concert though, and “The Bomber” was restored to its full glory when the CD of “Rides Again” was released, with zero Frenchified legal action. The song remains a fixture of Walsh solo concerts.)
Speaking of which -
ReplyDeleteJeff Beck's Bolaro with parts of Maurice Ravell's Bolero ..
I guess Beck had a little more clout 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFqPMzFV5fM&list=RDVFqPMzFV5fM&start_radio=1
ReplyDeleteLOL at 9:00 when Ritchie Blackmore unveils 'Swedish Rhapsody" before tearing it up.
Lots of people played Joy of Man's Desiring, including Leo Kottke. And the Roches did Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. I've also heard more than one bluegrass band quote Gershwin's Rhapsody. And didn't McCartney compose an Oratorio, which I haven't heard. Could someone enlighten me?
ReplyDeleteSteve Morse playing Jesus will make you find the Lord😉
DeleteHow come I didn't nominate "Beck's Bolero"?
ReplyDeleteHighway Star - Deep Purple (purrrrfect for haulin' ass down the freeway at three in the morning - wired, top down and topless) (sunglasses optional) (at their best Lord and Blackmore were motherfuckers)
ReplyDeleteVR
You basically laid out my daily drive.
ReplyDeleteExile on Main Street
Top down, Vw convertible, turbo 200, fender system. At 11 it shakes people off their walkers 😉
Dave Edmunds does Sabre Dance and Classical Gas which would qualify imo.
ReplyDeleters
also Symphony #40 Allegro in G Minor. rs
DeleteAlso Bizet’s “Farandole” on Love Sculpture’s Forms & Feelings
Delete- Paul in DK
Yngwie Malmsteen
ReplyDeleteConcerto Suite for Electric Guitar and
Orchestra in E flat Minor, Op1
It took 50 comments for someone to finally nominate
ReplyDelete"Pretty Ballerina"
even with Left Banke in the article?? Great googly moogly!
I couldn't agree with you more. 😎
DeleteI wonder if anyone else counted the comments to see if I was right.....
DeleteMichael Quatro
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmnjtiVm2Xk&list=RDzmnjtiVm2Xk&start_radio=1
"Pretty Ballerina" is by far my favorite The Left Banke track. One of my all-time favorite tracks by anyone.
ReplyDeleteGreat call M_Sharp!
Captain Al
A couple more faves in the baroque vein:
ReplyDeleteA Rose for Emily - Zombies (Eleanor Rigby meets For No One)
Though You Are Far Away - Colin Blunstone (from One Year)
In My Life - Beatles
Jimmy Page - Chopin's Prelude N.4 E Minor, ARMS Royal Albert Hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5-me5ND8mw
Every Sound I Heard - Colin Blunstone (from Ennismore)
Honorable Mention:
Dave Edmunds did a frenetic version of Bizet - L'Arlésienne, Suite No. 2, Farandole with Love Sculpture on Forms and Feelings.
VR
Toccata and just about anything else by the band Sky, featuring John Williams on guitar.
ReplyDeleteCurved Air - Vivaldi
- Paul in DK
Garth Hudson - Chest Fever
ReplyDeleteThe opening organ melody is that of
Johann Sebastion Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Aaaaahhh. Pretty Ballerina. That song was playing on the radio at a key moment the first time Sandy and I made girl love. My parents had gone out to dinner and Sandy was on a sleepover. We used to practice kissing guys with each other often. This time we took it all the way. We crossed that line and the cat's been out of the bag ever since. Don't get me wrong, we're not gay. Barely bi. Just special friends that like to share.
ReplyDeleteThat first time was very special. Girls remember that kind of stuff. Vividly and indelibly. Especially me with my hyperthymesia. I had a huge bedroom with a queen-size bed, a sound system and a grand piano. It had its own full bath. It was like a second master bedroom. We lit strawberry scented candles, killed the lights and fired up a joint. The radio was on and the DJ, John Ravenscroft, was playing 30-minute commercial free sets. KMEN came in really good at my parents' house. It may have been AM but it was really clean with a lot of punch. They must have had a top-notch audio processor. Sandy always told me that my radio was magic. We joked about how we were able to will certain songs on the air, aspiring witches that we were. In fact, while lighting the candles and downing the lights, I said "You know, a little "Season of the Witch," would sound real good right about now." Damn if it wasn't the first song in the set. It was playing when we made out in the shower soaping each other up.
When we made it to the bed, we got on our knees and I prayed out loud. "Dear Lord, swim in our flesh. Dear Lord, inflame the passion. Dear Lord, enchant our senses. Dear Lord, satisfy our souls. Dear Lord, fill our cups till they run over. Dear Lord, make us one.”
Our prayer was answered forthwith. Our baptism was our consummate immersion in the pleasures of the flesh. The warm feeling of closeness was never so deep or gratifying. We experienced transcendence and unity as the boundaries between us became less defined. Our egos dissolved and we were one. We stepped out of our concrete sense of self and radiated joy from our newfound freedom. Rapturous release.
That's the G version, anyway.
Even though we were locked into a sex trance, I remember every song in that early evening set like it was yesterday. After Donovan's "Season of the Witch," Laura Nyro's "Wedding Bell Blues,' came forth. It was a Top Five hit in Berdoo. While embracing, we took turns singing and acting out the lines to each other between kisses, it was a fun lead up.
The Mojo Men's version of "Sit Down I Think I Love You," was next. Followed by the Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," Lesley Gore's "California Nights," Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar Town," the Merry-Go-Round's "Live" the Airplane's "My Best Friend," Love's "She Comes In Colors," the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina," and the Misunderstood's "I Can Take You to the Sun."
It was a religious experience.
VR
Is it warm in here or is it just me? 😎
Delete🚨. 🌈
DeleteDear Penthouse Forum, my best friend VR (not her real name)...
DeleteThe grand piano had its own bath? I've heard of getting an organ wet, but that's another level.....
DeleteC in California
Was this a Kathy Bates hot tub moment?
DeleteEric Carmen - All By Myself (album version) should be on the list.
ReplyDeleteCause when we kiss Mmmmmm Fire
ReplyDelete, 🔥
TMI, TMI
ReplyDeleteCaptain Al
I know that this is a complete 180° degrees off topic - Steve I under stand if you delete but I ask those among us to Google Todd Snyder's song - Conservative Christia...
ReplyDeleteIt's especially relevant to the turmoil we are experiencing
I'm a fan of his, but I don't know that song. Gonna go check it out right now....
DeleteAnd may I just say, and for the record, that unless I am very much mistaken, this is now the all-time record for number of comments on any blog post in PowerPop history. 😎
ReplyDeleteLet's add one more 😉 Steve
ReplyDeletewere you able to find Todd's song on YouTube - he performed it at Farm Aid
Back in the day he was often a guest of "Imus in the morning" on your local WNBeeeC"
Bitter Way - New York Rock 'N Roll Ensemble (their Reflections album is pretty solid)
ReplyDeleteBegan To Burn - New York Rock 'N Roll Ensemble
and these Bach numbers by the same band
Bach's "Trio Sonata No. 2 in G Major." & "Trio Sonata No. 1 In C Major 2nd Movement - Alla Breve Fugue"
Did anyone mention the Byrds' "She Don't Care About Time" which quotes "Jesu ...." That's a favorite of mine, as I testified to previously on one of these blogs
Just for the hell of it, here is the Pretty Ballerina "magical girl love" Ravenscroft KMEN setlist with an addition and a correction. It blew our tweenage minds. I'll testify to that. Time frame: January 1967. Right before Penny Lane & Strawberry Fields. Right before Ravenscroft peeled out for Radio Caroline amid rumors of a pot bust with underage girls. KMEN was the only station in the USA which played the import only single of I Can Take You To the Sun by the Misunderstood. Despite being unable to chart, it was in regular rotation as long as Peel was there and the listeners demanded to hear their local heroes. You really had to be there to fully appreciate this but a little imagination goes a long way.
Here's the link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vmPLhErspwasvMg8q2nwlQBDZPIa0GcU?dmr=1&ec=wgc-drive-hero-goto
VR
The following are not my faves but more examples-
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Joybringer (Holst The Planets Jupiter The Bringer of Jollity influence)
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused (live version) (Holst The Planets Mars The Bringer of War quotes)
Rainbow - Difficult to Cure (Beethoven's 9th) (pretty cheezy)
`
One more: Cozy Powell - Over The Top which includes a Tchaikovsky finale.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKRGjKOj46M
- Paul in DK