Progrock bands using violin?
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=57714
Printed Date: June 27 2025 at 16:21
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Topic: Progrock bands using violin?
Posted By: RunawayBoy
Subject: Progrock bands using violin?
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 16:13
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Does anyone have suggestions of prog bands who uses violin(s) in their music?
RunawayBoy  ------------- Hey Stan, come see what your old man made |
Replies:
Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 16:16
KBB 
------------- Bigger on the inside. |
Posted By: moe_blunts
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 16:54
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Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Estradasphere Comus ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/moe_blunts/?chartstyle=minimalDarkRecent"> 
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Posted By: Diaby
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 16:56
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Gazpacho
Spirogyra ------------- yeah |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 17:11
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Some obvious ones:
Gentle Giant King Crimson Slightly less obvious: Magma (Live/Hhai features awesome violin work) Cheer-Accident (Their latest album has some beautiful violin moments, particularly the final section of Blue Cheadle... utterly spine-tingling).
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Posted By: rosenbach
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 17:28
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These prog groups came to my mind:
Darryl Way's Wolf (Canis Lupus is a great album!) Esperanto Arti e Mestieri Mauro Pagani's first solo work Quella vecchia locanda Sagrado Coracao da terra |
Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 17:36
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UK UKZ |
Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 17:47
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Van Der Graaf |
Posted By: DamoXt7942
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:07
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I recommend you two Japanese progressive rock bands with a strongly avantgarde violinist. Twin Tail ROVO Yuji Katsui, the violinist, is a key person and a soundmaster of both bands. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/damoxt7942" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: MFP
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:12
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Bubu
This is the fourth time I mentioned them this week!!! |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:31
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Indukti Kayo Dot Tarter Lamb ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:38
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Dixie Dregs Kansas Why am I getting the feeling this thread's been done before? ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:41
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^seconded on those choices. Also Zappa has some, like in Hot Rats, or Bongo's Fury.. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:44
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Jean-Luc Ponty Mahavishnu Orchestra You might enjoy these search results by the way: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/search_results_posts.asp?SearchID=20090505184431&KW=Violin - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/search_results_posts.asp?SearchID=20090505184431&KW=Violin ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:50
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I'll second the vote for Gazopacho, the violin work on Night in particular is beautifully haunting. In addition, Moongarden uses a good amount of violin on "Songs from the Lighthouse", the song "Flesh" features a two minute violin solo in the vein of Night. ------------- -------someone please tell him to delete this line, he looks like a noob------- I don't have an unnatural obsession with Disney Princesses, I have a fourteen year old daughter and coping mechanisms. |
Posted By: J-Man
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 18:55
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UK, Dixie Dregs, VDGG, King Crimson, and countless other ones.
------------- 
Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 19:00
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ART ZOYD |
Posted By: Cesar Inca
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 20:11
| Check ÜNDER LINDEN from Argentina at http://www.myspace.com/nderlinden - http://www.myspace.com/nderlinden - great symphonic prog with violin. Kind regards. |
Posted By: Pekka
Date Posted: May 05 2009 at 23:41
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Uzva has some violin here and there. I miss seeing them live, I guess they're taking a break now and hopefully writing new material. ------------- http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=42652" rel="nofollow - It's on PA! 
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Posted By: RunawayBoy
Date Posted: May 06 2009 at 13:41
wow, thanks for all the replies. Haven't heard about most of the bands mentioned here  ------------- Hey Stan, come see what your old man made |
Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: May 06 2009 at 14:19
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You all fail because no-one has mentioned Mahavishnu Orchestra the very FIRST band that springs to mind when anyone says violin.
------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: Cesar Inca
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:11
I thought it was KANSAS, but MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA is also a prioritized name in the list of art rock and jazz bands including violin.
Both bands rule and were splendid when at top of their game (which happened many times).
Kind regards.
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The Pessimist wrote:Posted By: Cesar Inca
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:13
One of the best Japanese prog bands ever... and it's not from the 70s. KBB creates a solid mixture of jazz-rock, symphonic and psychedelic with a strong presence of violin.
Also from japan, POCHAKAITE MALKO delivers a tight refurbishment of old fashioned Zeuhl. The violin player is the same for both bands... and he's an absolute genius, no doubt. (Warning: their first album didn't feature violin.)
And let's not forget OUTER LIMITS, which started as a weird eclectic neo-prog outfit and currently ended as simply weird eclectic. Yet another awesome prog band with featured violin from Japan. You cannot lose with any of these bands - purchase their material as soon as possible.
Kind regards.
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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:27
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Quella Vecchia Locanda. Check out their second album for classical music flavored prog with lotsa violin. ------------- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sQD8uhpWXCw" rel="nofollow - It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...Road Rage Edition |
Posted By: TGM: Orb
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:34
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Van Der Graaf (without the Generator) put out a couple of gems, The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome and the live Vital (much edgier, admittedly, but it's also got a cellist) with the excellent Graham Smith. Hammill's solo career features him and later Stuart Gordon, who's also extremely talented. On the 'bands that deserve more mentions' side, Amon Duul II are pretty well known, but Chris Karrer's very spacey violin work hardly mentioned. Hawkwind also have a pretty good violinist for albums like Hall Of The Mountain Grill. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:50
| There was a database kept by Mr. Dick Heath somewhere around the forums, with all the violin bands. Now, where exactly is it... |
Posted By: Kim?
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:54
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Some post-rock bands, such as Yndi Halda, A Silver Mt. Zion, Godspeed You! Black Emperor etc, feature very beautiful violin parts. Also, Univers Zero Miasma & The Carousel of Headless Horses
Tenhi
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Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 16:55
| 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 |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 17:11
You failed to see my mention of MO in my second post.   ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 17:15
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Hawkwind (Simon House) and High Tide, (also Simon House) -------------  |
Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 17:16
 ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: Cesar Inca
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 19:51
| Is she the violinist in KAYO DOT? |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 20:27
You fail because you clearly can't read and somehow manage to be on a message board
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 20:33
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^ little hard on the Beav there?
------------- -------someone please tell him to delete this line, he looks like a noob------- I don't have an unnatural obsession with Disney Princesses, I have a fourteen year old daughter and coping mechanisms. |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: May 07 2009 at 21:33
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Well the obvious ones have been already mentioned, curiously i have just listened to a Jean-Luc Ponty live album, he is an amazing violin player!
From my country, there is a great band that uses violin: Saena ------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |
Posted By: SergiUriah
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 01:55
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I believe one band that used to use violins (appart of several instruments):
GRYPHON
P.S.: Thatīs your collection, SlartiBartfast???  ------------- http://img229.imageshack.us/i/bonfirma.jpg/"> 
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Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 03:18
yes she is and i have a picture with her. HAH. suck it world.  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: The Hemulen
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 03:37
| Now that it's been added to the archives, I'd better mention this obscure French album which features some top-notch violin work from Didier Lockwood: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=23130 - http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=23130 |
Posted By: RunawayBoy
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 10:36
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So far, Wolf is exactly what I've been looking for. ------------- Hey Stan, come see what your old man made |
Posted By: rosenbach
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:19
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:42
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Pavlov's Dog
UK ------------- 
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Posted By: IGNEO1991
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:45
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UNIVERS ZERO
this group is a bit avant garde, but good!
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Posted By: StyLaZyn
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:53
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Rush used the violin player, Ben Mink, from the band FM for their song 'Losing It'. ------------- 
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Posted By: Tuzvihar
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:54
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Not mentioned so far: High Tide Skaldowie (the solo on Krywań, Krywań!) ------------- "Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent." Charles Bukowski |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 15:55
------------- 
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Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: May 08 2009 at 16:01
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For those who like some metal in their prog (or rather the other way around) : PHLEBOTOMIZED
UNEXPECT ------------- "Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood) |
Posted By: RunawayBoy
Date Posted: May 11 2009 at 11:23
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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 |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: May 11 2009 at 13:21
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http://progfreak.com/home/charts.xhtml?y=*any&ps=prog&tags=violin - http://progfreak.com/home/charts.xhtml?y=*any&ps=prog&tags=violin |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 11 2009 at 15:00
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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! ...
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Posted By: SoundscapeMN
Date Posted: May 11 2009 at 22:46
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Kiss Kiss Clann Zu Murder By Death ------------- http://rateyourmusic.com/SoundscapeMN/"> 
http://last.fm/user/SoundscapeMN http://allmediareviews.blogspot.com |
Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 06:29
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  ------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: cesar polo
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 12:22
| Check CURVED AIR and UK, very interesting bands |
Posted By: mrgd
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 19:29
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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 |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 20:22
It all started when I was eight..
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Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 20:33
Go on, this chair is definitely comfortable enough. ------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: May 12 2009 at 23:14
| the flock |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 12:23
| Electric Light Orchestra have violins |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 12:31
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<<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. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 13:38
I thank you for not failing to acknowledge I beat you to mentioning MO. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 14:31
I'll race you next time See who beats who THEN ------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: May 15 2009 at 11:06
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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... |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 15 2009 at 13:45
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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.
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Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: May 16 2009 at 01:26
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It may have been mentioned already, but it's good enough to say it twice: KAYO DOT! ------------- 
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date 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. |
Posted By: el dingo
Date Posted: May 16 2009 at 06:35
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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. |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: May 16 2009 at 08:19
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). |