| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Raff 
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 29 2005
Location: None
Status: Offline
Points: 24439
|
 Topic: Progrock bands using violin?
Posted: May 16 2009 at 08:19 |
 himtroy wrote:
Caravan's album For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night
has as much violin doing lead work as guitar. Pretty killer violin
tone too |
Actually, what you hear on that album is not a violin, but a viola, which has a deeper sound  .
Anyway, I think most of the great bands featuring violin have been mentioned... Don't miss High Tide, the 'duels' between Simon House's violin and Tony Hill's guitar are out of this world. I also endorse East of Eden (a criminally underrated band), and Roxy Music with Eddie Jobson (check out his solo on the live version of "Out of the Blue" on the Viva! Roxy Music album).
|
 |
el dingo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2008
Location: Norwich UK
Status: Offline
Points: 7053
|
Posted: May 16 2009 at 06:35 |
I don't think anyone's mentioned Eddy Jobson with Roxy Music?
Definitely agree with Caravan, Curved Air & Wolf. It's A Beautiful Day if they've not been mentioned before.
Oh and Rick Grech (Family, Blind Faith, etc).
Oh and Horslips - excellent IMO.
Oh and that's enough from me.
|
|
It's not that I can't find worth in anything, it's just that I can't find worth in enough.
|
|
WalterDigsTunes
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 11 2007
Location: SanDiegoTijuana
Status: Offline
Points: 4373
|
Posted: May 16 2009 at 01:48 |
|
There's also Jorge Pinchevsky, an Argentine violinist who released a few solo records and played with Gong at one point.
|
|
Petrovsk Mizinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 24 2007
Location: Ukraine
Status: Offline
Points: 25210
|
Posted: May 16 2009 at 01:26 |
|
It may have been mentioned already, but it's good enough to say it twice:
KAYO DOT!
|
|
|
|
moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 18769
|
Posted: May 15 2009 at 13:45 |
Hi,
ELO ... I definitly missed that ...
It's a Beautiful Day ... a definite miss ... and White Bird was one of the first songs to make the electric violin famous and pretty much helped bring the others along. And that first and second albums by this band are actually quite progressive ... assuming some folks don't just want ELP and KC covers or copies, of course!
Papa John Creech ... played with Jefferson Airplane many times and albums ... and the only albums that really stand out he is on it ... talk about helping "make" the music ... his involvement in the album that has Caroline and Ride the Tiger by the 2nd generation of the band, Jefferson STarship.
Darryl Way also played with Pierre Morlin in his Gong version ... really nice too, and actually a much better venue for his style. Darryl had an album with Francis Monkman, a symphony kind of thing that I don't think went as well as it could. but had some nice pieces in it. Also .. did he not play in GO with all those other guys?
Mike Oldfield ... you can see the violins in action on EXPOSED, one of the best live concerts ever recorded with an orchestra. The only problem is that I would have to add Yanni to this mix as that lady that played with him is very good ... but Mike's music is way more prog and original, while Yanni's is more conventional. Mike designs his music his own way and later converts things to other instruments ... and some of them these days are ... virtual.
Adding ...
Can ... Holger Czukay and I believe Mikael Karoli were profitient with a violin and used it more than once. I have to re-check this though. Found in Soon Over Babalooma and Landed and some of the other side albums.
Cano ... Canadian band in the 70's that did some really nice things.
Bondage Fruit ... Japanese Prog 90's
Malicorne ... french folk/rock mix that is very nice and could be considered progressive ... it's french folk at any rate, and we're not used to hearing that at all!!!
Alan Stivell ... there isn't an instrument that his albums has not touched! And he is way too prog'y for everyone by blending rock, jazz, accoustic and orchestral stuff together to make some amazing hybrids.
Some greek stuff ... I think that Aphrodite's Child had a lot of violin in it ... have to go chase it down ... son of a gun ... you guys making me work! (Vangelis' first band, btw) .... and very progressive and off the wall this band was with their last album ... that helped define the Gomelsky that eventually brought us Gentle Giant, Gong and so many other biggies of our music. Later, I think it was Socrates, a band that Vangelis helped here and there that also had a violin, but this one is obscure in my head right now ... but greek music is strong on violins usually so it's surprising to not hear it more in various contexts.
I accidentally left the Celtic/Irish stuff out ... but almost all of them have a violin ... there are a few that are/were rock oriented like Horslips, but then you can start with The Chieftains, and go all the way through the hundreds of those families ... Horslips would be, in their earlier days more progressive since they were trying to blend rock with the traditional stuff and be original ... but I have not checked later when they did a christmas album (prog's nightmare!) ... the only issue here is that some of these are way too traditional instead of anything else.
Edited by moshkito - May 15 2009 at 14:07
|
|
BrufordFreak
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 25 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline
Points: 8643
|
Posted: May 15 2009 at 11:06 |
JEAN-LUC PONTY! Mahavishnu Orchestra, early Shakti (check out Natural Elements),
Curved Air, Pure Reason Revolution, Dixie Dregs, Kansas, UK, Eddie Jobson, Darryl Anger, 70-80's Bruce Cockburn, Maneige, and other Quebecois bands (Conventum), ... After Crying, prbably some Celtic-rooted bands that aren't coming to mind... |
|
The Pessimist
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
|
Posted: May 14 2009 at 14:31 |
|
|
|
"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
|
|
Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29630
|
Posted: May 14 2009 at 13:38 |
|
|
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
|
|
Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34099
|
Posted: May 14 2009 at 12:31 |
<<thus their first album "Acquiring the Taste" ... which is highly mandatory and recommended anyways regardless of music>>.  Aquiering the taste is not Gentle Giants first album but it is there 2nd gentle giants first recorcd is caled Gentle Giant (self titeled) and was released in 1970 and AtT was released in 71. but it is greate violin preformances on both CDs Funny Ways and Isnt it Quiet and Cold have both violin.
|
|
Icarium
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34099
|
Posted: May 14 2009 at 12:23 |
|
Electric Light Orchestra have violins
|
|
timothy leary
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2005
Location: Lilliwaup, Wa.
Status: Offline
Points: 5319
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 23:14 |
|
the flock
|
|
The Pessimist
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 20:33 |
himtroy wrote:
It all started when I was eight.. |
Go on, this chair is definitely comfortable enough.
|
|
"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
|
|
himtroy
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 20 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1601
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 20:22 |
It all started when I was eight..
|
|
mrgd
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 02 2005
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 822
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 19:29 |
Moshkito has given you some good leads as well.
STRING DRIVEN THING's ' The Machine that Cried ' features excellent violin from Grahame Smith and some cello also. Darryl Way vintage CURVED AIR is also good as previously mentioned up to ' Air Cut' featuring Eddie Jobson [ great album - you would be aware that, apart from UK , he went on to join TULL, ZAPPA and ROXY MUSIC for short stints and is making a comeback with UKZ].
EAST OF EDEN also uses violin as does USA band of the late 60s and 70s IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. Australian fusion band of the same era MACKENZIE THEORY also had a classically trained violinist. And for something very interesting and current check out Armenian symph band OAKESENHAM who have a nice mp3 stream here on PA. 
A few more then to think about.
|
|
Looking still the same after all these years...
mrgd
|
|
cesar polo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 23 2007
Location: Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 146
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 12:22 |
|
Check CURVED AIR and UK, very interesting bands
|
|
The Pessimist
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3834
|
Posted: May 12 2009 at 06:29 |
himtroy wrote:
The Pessimist wrote:
You all fail because no-one has mentioned Mahavishnu Orchestra the very FIRST band that springs to mind when anyone says violin. |
You fail because you clearly can't read and somehow manage to be on a message board |
How rude... Do you feel you have some unresolved issues you'd like to share with us, because you seem very angry. Don't worry dude, I'm all ears. Slarti, sorry for missing your post man. An honest mistake. You don't fail 
Edited by The Pessimist - May 12 2009 at 06:36
|
|
"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
|
|
SoundscapeMN
Forum Groupie
Joined: January 14 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 68
|
Posted: May 11 2009 at 22:46 |
|
Kiss Kiss
Clann Zu
Murder By Death
|
http://last.fm/user/SoundscapeMN
http://allmediareviews.blogspot.com
|
|
moshkito
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 18769
|
Posted: May 11 2009 at 15:00 |
HI,
Let's see ... off the top of my head ...
String Driven Thing -->> Van Der Graaf (Graham Smith) (And Mckendree Spring?)
Curved Air -->> Wolf (Darryl Way)
Amon Duul (Kris Karrer)
PFM
Banco
Esperanto (try the 3rd album!)
Ides of March (Killer version of Eleanor Rigby on their 1st album)
King Crimson (although I did not find it that special at all)
Per Lindh Project
FM -->> Nash the Slash
High Tide -->> Hawkwind -->> Spiral Realms (Simon House)
Curved Air -->> Roxcy Music -->> UK (Eddie Jobson)
Gentle Giant
Gryphon
We can always add some others, that were not in the pop/rock vein ...
Scarlet Rivera
Jean-Luc Ponty
Frank Zappa
Shankar (ECM)
(will add more as I remember it )
In general, for originality, I would say that Amon Duul 2 is the best. For classically minded uses of the violin, I find all the others rather good, but also somewhat conventional ... it's hard not to enjoy "Vivaldi with Canons" from Curved Air and Darryl Way going nuts ... it's fabulous ... and you must play both versions (live and the original) to get the full pow-wow of it ... but things like Gryphon are highly "classical".
Gentle Giant is the odd ball here. Their musicianship is way up and above anyone else's and their use of instruments ... is off the chart compared to 95% of the bands mentioned here. They are special in their own way, but it is stuff that is heard to sync into ... thus their first album "Acquiring the Taste" ... which is highly mandatory and recommended anyways regardless of music.
In general, Banco and PFM's uses are very well defined in a classical way. King Crimson's couple of albums with it, are not ... as "important" to my ear ... as the more experimental stuff around. I really thought it was just some people wanting to bring their instruments into the modern idiom of "rock" .... 50 years from now an electric guitar will hold similar posts to a violin ...
I can not tell you right off the bat the good, the bad and the ugly for jazz violin .... Ponty is hardly jazz in my ears, and the same for Rivera.
Zappa is listed here, because he is a composer that is second to very few ... and he knows how to compose with one hundred instruments and you find a lot of violins, sometimes doing fun things and different things all over his music ... and it is fascinating and crazy at the same time. Were he a New Yorker he would be way bigger ... but because he is from Southern California he is not a "master".
Shankar is a Hindu that plays violin within the context of a lot of diffent musics, jazz included best known for his bit with Bruce Springsteen ... what key you playing? ... you no worry Bruce ... you just play and I join in! ...
Edited by moshkito - May 11 2009 at 15:21
|
|
Mr ProgFreak
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 08 2008
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 5195
|
Posted: May 11 2009 at 13:21 |
|
|
|
RunawayBoy
Forum Newbie
Joined: February 22 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 26
|
Posted: May 11 2009 at 11:23 |
|
Pavlov's Dog was nice :) I now remember my dad recommending this band when I was home for Christmas
|
|
Hey Stan, come see what your old man made
|
|
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Progrock bands using violin?
