Best pop string arrangements?

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What are some of your favorite orchestral (stringed instruments, no woodwind or brass ensembles) arrangements in a pop song? What are some of the more unusual/innovative ones?

― Melissa W, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Some stuff on Stereolab's 'Music for the Amorphous Body Center' is brilliant. Does 'Kashmir' count? Some stuff on Astrud Gilberto's 'The Shadow of Your Smile' and 'The Astrud Gilberto Album' is very nice. The end of Rolling Stones 'Sway' has a great string arrangement against which Keef throws some brilliant riffs. And...erm...some E.L.O.'s records. There's a essential one that I keep forgetting, but I'll probably be back with it in a minute.

― Omar, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

John Cale - title track of "Paris 1919" - absolutely gorgeous. Now there's a record which creates a world.

And, dammit, though the songwriting and lyrics haven't aged well (.e. wren't born well), the Nyman-biting arrangements on the Divine Comedy's "Promenade" still set my pulse going.

― Tom, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Joga by Bjork, from Homogenic.

Paul Buckmaster does good work, mainly by making Elton John listenable. Check out Take Me To The Pilot, Madman Across The Water, Burn Down The Mission, anything off the first few albums really. He also arranged Space Oddity.

― John Davey, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Black Sabbath, "Spiral Architect"
Alice Cooper, "Halo of Flies","Unfinished Sweet","Luney Tune"
Jane's Addiction, "Then She Did"
Anything by Silver Convention

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i remember: Tindersticks 'I know that loving'. And all the arrangements on Ritual de lo Habitual.

― Omar, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's a John Lurie record I sort of half remember, on otherwise mostly dud Belgian label Made to Measure, with a very astringently beautiful piece called "For Albert Ayler", which is all strings (no sax = hooray) (just funning saxfans)

Is John Lurie "pop"?

ELO were great, obviously, concept to product, soup to nuts. But didn't Wizzard do an all-brass rock record? I remember the pic of the sleeve from the NME book of rock.

(ps In ref. to dye or not to dye, didja see Roy Wood on the Jamie Theakston popquiz?)

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I back up Black Sabbath's "Spiral Architecht", which I was just listening to the other night as it happens.

Probably pushing it a bit, but I'd also go for Bowie's "Space Oddity" - Mellotron violin trio, played by Rick Wakeman, don't you know.

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

perhaps I should have looked up "Architect" in the dictionary before posting the above.

(blushes)

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I lik ethe strings on "God Only KNows" and almost every high Llamas record, and on "My October Symphony" by Pet Shop Boys and "Eleanor Rigby" too.

― Mike Hanley, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Since I asked the question...

An incomplete, off the top of my head list:

Bjork - Joga, Isobel, You've Been Flirting Again, Possibly Maybe, Bachelorette
Tindersticks - Don't Look Down
Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely, Dollars & Cents, Pyramid Song
Lisa Germano - ...a psychopath
The Beatles - I Am the Walrus, Eleanor Rigby
PJ Harvey - Man-Sized Sextet
Portishead - Roads

You know, if I could, I think I'd just make lists all the time...oh wait, I actually do make lists all the time. Looking at this, I know there's so much missing.

― Melissa W, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

1) The version of 'Baby' by Gal Costa that's on the Tropicalia comp that came out last year. It's difficult to believe they were recorded over 30 years ago.

2) The title track of Frank Sinatra's 'Where are You?' lp - his first in stereo, as far as I know. Immensely lush, remind me of The Blue Nile, for some reason.

3) While the stripped-back songs on 'Pink Moon' have their charm, it's the strings on Nick Drake records that really grab me. I'm not sure I've ever heard anything quite like them (and, while I'm here, a pox on the house of those Ben and Jason-types, who used the same arranger in an attempt to add grace and gravitas to their own nu-acoustica mewlings).

― stevie t, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Let me get specific, Tarden. "Get Up And Boogie". A masterpiece.

I still have a soft spot for the string arrangements used by Stereolab in the _Emperor Tomato Ketchup_ era, which I think came from the same source as the already-mentioned High Llamas.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Unfortunately, Norman F has reminded me: I went through a slightly strange/strained phase of ONLY being a fan of "difficult" prog-rock groups if they had an electric violin (or better, viola) player. VU, VGG, Doctors of Madness (whatever happened to Mr Urban Blitz?), Curved Air, Pavlov's Dog, Bethnal... Sadly I seem to have divested myself of everything I acquired during this phase (excl.VU, obviously, and PD's _At the Sound of the Bell_, whose singer — name escapes me momentarily — will go into the scream thread, when I remember it: makes Geddy Lee sound like Julie London).

(Norman: Henry Cow's Tim Hodgkinson plays saxes NOW, so I imagine he did then too... Have to look this up too, or worse, play an HC CD. Bah.)

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"difficult" prog-rock groups...Bethnal (mark s)

Not a description I recognize.

― David, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wow, there are some missing that I would have thought would have topped lists:

Back To Life - Soul II Soul
Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
That one song on _Viva Hate_ who's title I can't remember about talking someon eout of suicide.

Then, there are my particular picks:

How Beautiful You Are... - The Cure
Catch - The Cure
Purple Haze - Kronos Quartet
Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And as David and myself know, Curved Air's Francis Monkman wound up a profoundly mundane library music hack.

Of course, the electric violin is (and he's off!) probably the *only* instrument in revenge for which the Daily Telegraph has ever declared anyone dead.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Francis Monkman, yes! Sky!! I forgot Sky!! And Asia!!! Incidentally, Eddie Jobson's themetune to Nash Bridges is ace.

re: Bethnal. I believe that I wrongly hoped that those quoteclaws round the word "difficult" could take the strain of the necessary last-name-in-list joke, David.

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark s sez: I went through a slightly strange/strained phase of ONLY being a fan of "difficult" prog-rock groups if they had an electric violin (or better, viola) player.

Were you into High Tide, then :) One of my favourites - "Death warmed Up" sounds like some EVOL hybrid of Fairport Convention & Black Sabbath!

and PD's _At the Sound of the Bell_, whose singer — name escapes me momentarily — will go into the scream thread, when I remember it: makes Geddy Lee sound like Julie London).

That's David Surkamp, I believe, Who always sounded to me like Geddy Lee on LP, but played @ 45rpm - whilst Geddy Lee always sounded like Jon Anderson on LP, played @45!

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark - that singer from Pavlov's Dog was David Surkamp.
Jigsaw, 'Sky High'

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

High Tide: I'm into them now! Are they on Napster (not that I can *do* Napster yet mumble mumble fiddles with dentures)?

David Surkamp = Jon Anderson on 45 x 45 = 2025!! My all-time favourite speed!!

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Instant cred destroyer - It's A Beautiful Day, "White Bird". The law of diminishing returns kicked in when they went on to become Pablo Cruise.

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Remember the ITV Teletext adverts of 1984? Probably not, but writing the music for those ads was Francis Monkman's day job by then.

So can I take it that "Bethnal" is an imaginary band, Mark?

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Some of my faves are by the Biddu Orchestra, who did these amazing orchestral disco records. Oh, there's brass somewhere in there too, but who cares? It sounds amazing. Also Big Louise by Scott Walker - the strings on the bit that goes "she fills the bags 'neath her eyes with the moonbeams/And cries 'cos the world's passed her by" never fail to get me. The lyrics sound a bit shit when you write them down like that though don't they?

― Steve.n., Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ROBIN Yes, the strings on Cyble's Reverie are to die for, as are they on SLow Fast Hazel. SO lively , yet poigniant. OH, I forgot to mention the strings on Elvis COstellos "Town Cryer".

― Mike Hanley, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, Bethnal were a real band. I have an old Hawkwind tour programme ("Quark, Strangeness & Charm" tour) where they were the support band. IIRC, all that was mentioned in the programme was that they used electric violin, and one of them was anglo-greek. I have no idea what Bethnal sounded like - I'd probably pick one of their rekords up out of curiosity, if I ever saw one.

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

these aren't "pop" or "string arrangements" but neither were about the last 10 examples cited so, some more rock violin hi-lites if you want 'em - Bo Diddley's "Clock strikes 12", Eric Burdon + the Animals doing "When I was young" , Hawkwind w/ Simon House (same dude was in High Tide), Slade (can't actually remember what songs had violin but i bet they were good ones) , Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" , Roxy Music circa their live album. if someone had just asked me cold if i thought solo violin was was a worthwhile rock instrument i'd've gone Fuck no, but i 'm coming up w/ way more good ones than bad ones.......

― duane zarakov, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

these aren't "pop" or "string arrangements" but neither were about the last 10 examples cited so, some more rock violin hi-lites if you want 'em - Bo Diddley's "Clock strikes 12", Eric Burdon + the Animals doing "When I was young" , Hawkwind w/ Simon House (same dude was in High Tide), Slade (can't actually remember what songs had violin but i bet they were good ones) , Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" , Roxy Music circa their live album. if someone had just asked me cold if i thought solo violin had historically been a worthwhile rock instrument i'd've gone Fuck no, but i 'm coming up w/ way more good ones than bad ones.......

― duane zarakov, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmmm , Deja vu...

― Mike Hanley, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Another electric violin rock highlight - "Music In A Doll's House" by Family. This is one of the great lost/obscure rekords IMO. weird, genre busting, and VERY psychedelic. A must-have!

x0x0

― norman fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bethnal: the violin player/singer *was* the Anglo-Greek, George [forgotten], and they were outspoken Who-obsessives. They stomped for not being correctly punk, I think pretty much in a general sideswipe anti-Jam backlash. The end-of-list joke, Robin, was just that, as prog went, the only difficulty with Bethnal was that they *weren't* prog. A-ha-ha-ha.

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I used to work with a geezer who was EXCESSIVELY fond of the horrible, horrible fusion violin sound of Mr.Jean-Luc Ponty, a one-time Zappa acolyte. Ponty even turned up on some of the later Mahavishnu Orchestra albs, a marriage truly made in hell (and I say this as someone who *likes* 'Inner Mounting Flame'.)

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh oh oh: SHAKTI!! I *still* like Shakti, every single LP, despite presence of the ludicrous J.Mc.

Guess I'm just a string-driven-thing.

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Strings are useful things when done the right way, oh yes.

Some good choices offered up already -- Dan made some sharp calls -- but I'll also add Tony Visconti's production with T. Rex, Mick Ronson's arrangements on _Ziggy Stardust_, just about any time Marc Almond has used a string section and, in my ringer nomination, Menswear's "The One." Killer arrangement, matches the bite of the song excellently.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Swear to god Ned, one more reference to Menswe@r and you will have to go...

My favorite string arrangements? Anything involving Scott Walker (duh).

― Nicole, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know to be honest I prefer fake strings, like Farfisa and moog strings. Like in Space Oddity and Love Will Tear US Apart.

― Mike Hanley, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

George Csapo, if I remember correctly. They actually got as far as two albums, so they must have sold a few somewhere. They did a note- for-note (or so it seemed at the time) copy of "Baba O'Riley" (obviously selected because it features a violin solo). They tried, sort of, to hitch a ride on the Punk bandwagon, but really they were just clumping 70's rock - 'powerpop' at a pinch. Not really in the same ballpark as the Jam, who were 60's obsessives and thus more attuned to the anti-70's sentiments of punk.

― David, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cheers to Mark and David for filling me in on Bethnal. I still have much to learn :).

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

These are the lovliest arrangements I know:

Big Star "Stroke It Noel" Love "Old Man" Left Bank "Pretty Ballerina"

― swelle, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pet Shop Boys - It Couldn't Happen Here Depeche Mode - One Caress Beatles - Glass Onion Beatles - I Am The Walrus Electronic - Getting Away With It

― Nik, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Where oh where did my carriage returns go?

― Nik, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I idly note that even I didn't include the @ symbol this time.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

When I hear the strings on "Sly" (l'attaque massif) I get all kissy.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

swelle, great calls on 'Stroke It Noel' and the Left Banke. another one of my favorites is 'Rattlesnakes'.

― youn, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethovan" is brilliant.

― Mark, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Leonard Cohen's 'Avalanche' is quite magnificent -- the strings are as dark and haunting as the rest of the song.

― Johnathan, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Banke have a number of great string arrangements. Desiree is a standout. Also, Craig David's "Fill Me In" came on the radio recently, and I remember being surprised by how nice the strings were, which I hadn't noticed the first time round. Also, Lou Reed's "Street Hassle" has magnificent strings. The simple figure and druggie narrative are everything that Bittersweet Symphony should have been.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can't believe I forgot to mention "One Caress", particularly since I've been singing it for the past WEEK.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Can I be really hilarious and mention a popular spanish stringed instrument named the 'guitar'? no, I can't... anyway, Sigur Ros' last album, and I tend to loathe neo-classicism. there are thousands of these records,... the beat/string thing on 'Homogenic' was pretty fabulous, but I don't have a record collection by me to check through right now. Still, usually the use of strings on a record lately is entirely repulsive, they tend to be embellish the average rather than form any integral part of the record.

― matthew james, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

November Rain...

― JM, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

On the highlamas album Gideaon Gaye there some ODD STRINGS!!

― Mike Hanley, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mike Hanley: "My October Symphony" by Pet Shop Boys

JM: November Rain...

Has it been mentioned that the one supposedly inspired the other?

― Nik, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

1,000 Umbrellas - XTC

― John Davey, Friday, 1 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah, how could I have forgotten? Specifically, the segue between "Ballet For A Rainy Day" and the above.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 1 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

i would like to say that the strings on nick drake "river man" are quite lovely

― Ron, Saturday, 29 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kylie Minogue - "Confide In Me". Eastern strings bonanza! Goes head to head with Holly Valance's "Kiss Kiss" much better than the superior but ill-suited "Love At First Sight" does. (what happened to over-the-top pop epics like this? Are there any contemporary ones I'm not thinking of?)

Spiritualized - "Spread Your Wings". Spiritualized do this brilliantly all the time, but I thought I'd nominate this underrated moment. (and if there was a flute section I'd nominate "The Slide Song")

Faze Acton - "Moving Cities". Is this "Reich-House"? Far and away the best thing this duo have ever done or will ever do.

Tori Amos - "Marianne", which is just one good example of the very effective trick Tori used all over her third album: choosing one thing (in this case lovely, somehow warmly sympathetic strings) to complement the piano'n'voice.

Everything But The Girl - "Walking Wounded". Spring Heel Jack were the masters of jungle + strings, but this track was simultaneously their most delicate and most pop-like deployment.

The Avalanches - "Electricity".

Paradise Motel - "Watch Illuminum", "Four Degrees", "Daniel", "Derwent River Star", "Dead Beats". Of all the bands that jumped on the indie + strings bandwagon, Paradise Motel went the furthest and often to the darkest places. Strings that could rupture continents, and then blanket them in snow.

McAlmont & Butler - "Yes". Just in case anyone thought of mentioning the Manic Street Preachers, I thought I'd render their inclusion obsolete.

Missy Elliot - "All 'n My Grill" and the second half of "You Don't Know".

Bjork - "Come To Me". Most romantic strings in pop ever?

Genteel 2-step garage with pizzacato runs, the classic among which was, is, and will be MJ Cole's "Crazy Love", but reintroduced onto the streets via The Architechs' "Bodygroove".

― Tim, Sunday, 30 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tim, I've really been wanting to hear Paradise Motel. Think you could help me out?

― Melissa W, Sunday, 30 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

seven months pass...

Gotta go with November Rain by GNR, a good second choice would be Silent Lucidity by Queensryche. Although, I have a feeling that both bands would kick the hell out of you in an alley if you called them "pop".

― Davey, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 05:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, since the thread has been revived, I'm surprised looking back over 50+ posts that no one has mentioned Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop til You Get Enough" (with Ben Wright's brilliant string arrangements).

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 05:24 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, those Queensryche guys are real scary.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 05:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Glen Campbell, 'Wichita Lineman', arranged by Jimmy Webb
Paul Simon, 'The Late Great Johnny Ace', arranged by Phillip Glass

oh, and Smashing Pumpkins, 'Tonight, Tonight'.

― derrick, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 09:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Van Dyke Parks, The Balanescu Quartet, and Jack Nitzsche to thread!

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 12:53 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah the balanescu quartet did a few great kraftwerk covers,the model was particularly good
other than that,i really like scott walker,bjork and tindersticks,but they've all been mentioned...
also great are the strings on speedy j-patterns (remix)
the dirty three in general
loads more that i can't think of right now...

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:41 (twenty-three years ago)

also,reunited by the wu tang
(just one violin,but its great)

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Jean-Claude Vannier's arrangements on Gainsbourg's Melody Nelson and Jane Birkin's Di Doo Dah get my vote.

― Lord Marmite (Lord Marmite), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Bambi and Dominique from the second GusGus album are both kudosworthy: spring-balmy-lunchtime-breezy-bliss and icefingers-down-spine respectively.

― alexfack (alexfack), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 14:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm gonna go with Tom's early-on post of Paris 1919. Can't think of anything that approaches it.. (turn the bass up when you listen to it.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Archer Prewitt - Final Season

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:04 (twenty-three years ago)

heh, no one's mentioned Voltaire yet. there were some truly brilliant, gorgeous strings on his first two albums, The Devil's Bris and Almost Human. although not every song was good, the strings were almost always breathtaking.

there's also that weird techno-y version of Tartini's "Devil's Trill" that Vanessa Mae did for a Siemens commercial...

― janni (janni), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Almost any David Axelrod track

― Oops (Oops), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Did no one mention Melody Nelson or did I just read through that too fast?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 22:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, I love Final Season.

I'll add Sam Prekop's Showrooms and Don't Bother to the list.

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 06:00 (twenty-three years ago)

six years pass...

Paradise Motel - "Watch Illuminum" <-------- OTM

"Only Skin," "Emily," "Cosmia" / Joanna Newsom
"Nude" / Radiohead
"I Will Survive" / Gloria Gaynor
"Venus as a Boy" / Björk
"Toxic" / Britney Spears
"My Autumn's Done Come" / Lee Hazlewood
"I Feel Love" / Donna Summer
"Salt" / Mugison
"La Ritournelle" / Sebastien Tellier
"Cue," "Farmer in the City," "Boy Child," "The Electrician," "Big Louise" / Scott Walker
"Black Horses" / the Durutti Column
"Taphead" / Talk Talk
"A Day In The Life" / The Beatles
"The Pooka Sings" / Final Fantasy
"Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" / Michael Jackson
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" / Randy Newman

― Turangalila, Friday, 10 July 2009 00:32 (sixteen years ago)

"Frozen" / Madonna

― Turangalila, Friday, 10 July 2009 00:39 (sixteen years ago)

I'm a sucker for sweeping, building masses of strings or deep, ominous bass-and-cello drones.

Rolling Stones - "Moonlight Mile" (more Paul Buckmaster)
Kate Bush - "Reaching Out" (Michael Nyman)
R.E.M. - "Texarkana," plus all the John Paul Jones arrangements on Automatic for the People, especially "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight."
The Beatles - "Within You, Without You" and "A Day in the Life" (George Martin). Also the already-mentioned "Eleanor Rigby," which I took for granted for years until the strings-only version on Anthology made me hear it with fresh ears.
Most of the string arrangements on the Nick Drake albums, particularly "Hazey Jane I" and "Cello Song."
Tindersticks - "My Oblivion"
XTC - "Green Man"
This Mortal Coil - "Velvet Belly" (which I think is an excerpt from the string track of another song on the album)
Electric Light Orchestra - The build at the end of "Mister Kingdom"
Paul McCartney - "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" and "Beware My Love"
The Who - "Love Is Coming Down"

If they were real strings instead of the Mellotron, I'd add: Led Zepellin - "The Rain Song." "Kashmir" sounds perfectly otherworldly to me with the Mellotron strings, but "Rain" cries out for real strings.

The problem I have with Paul Simon's "The Late Great Johnny Ace" is that, beautifully sad as they are, the Philip Glass strings are only a coda, not part of the song. Not counting Songs from Liquid Days (which I don't think is very successful), the only actual Glass arrangement on a pop song I can think of is Suzanne Vega's "Fifty Fifty Chance."

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 10 July 2009 03:19 (sixteen years ago)

My favourite lately is Van Dyke Parks' arrangement on "He Needs Me" from the Popeye soundtrack. Shelley Duvall sings it, Nilsson wrote it, VDP bears it aloft.

― Tourtiere (Owen Pallett), Friday, 10 July 2009 20:36 (sixteen years ago)

We need an actual *list* from you, Owen! I'd be v. interested in your picks.

― Turangalila, Friday, 10 July 2009 22:03 (sixteen years ago)

"Budapest" / Poni Hoax (feat. Olga Kouklaki)

― Turangalila, Friday, 10 July 2009 22:58 (sixteen years ago)

"It's Time" / Mara Carlyle

― Turangalila, Friday, 10 July 2009 23:02 (sixteen years ago)

actually,

"Alone in the Country Heart"/George(Manchester duo, not the shitty Aussie band)

Possibly my favorite string laden climax *evah*. You should check them out, Owen.

― Turangalila, Saturday, 11 July 2009 00:02 (sixteen years ago)

The Left Banke — "Pretty Ballerina"

― naus, Saturday, 11 July 2009 03:38 (sixteen years ago)

The way Todd Rundgren used strings on various tracks on ABC's "Lexicion Of Love" album was pretty impressive.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 11 July 2009 10:00 (sixteen years ago)

Todd Rundgren worked on Lexicon of Love???

― dan selzer, Saturday, 11 July 2009 12:14 (sixteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaSKICzeTaE

FTW

― Monty Panesar's Failing Circuits (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 11 July 2009 12:15 (sixteen years ago)

Sorry, I don't know how to embed. Here's a link to Shelley Duvall "He Needs Me".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RszezFyIRQc

The thing that happens at 1:25 is post-"Song Cycle" VDP at his best. It sounds like B&W ---> Technicolour.

― Tourtiere (Owen Pallett), Saturday, 11 July 2009 16:27 (sixteen years ago)

Oh! Embedding just happens. That's nice.

― Tourtiere (Owen Pallett), Saturday, 11 July 2009 16:28 (sixteen years ago)

Todd Rundgren worked on Lexicon of Love???

Oops my bad. I mean Trevor Horn, of course.

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 12 July 2009 00:05 (sixteen years ago)

"Den Her Sang Handler Om At Få Det Bedste Ud Af Det" / Under Byen

― Turangalila, Sunday, 12 July 2009 07:13 (sixteen years ago)

Caetano Veloso, "Maria Bethania" and Domingo album with Gal Costa.

― Dan Majerle and the Wailers (Whitey on the Moon), Monday, 13 July 2009 02:37 (sixteen years ago)

Forever Changes has some gorgeous string arrangements, particularly "You Set The Scene".

― henry s, Monday, 13 July 2009 20:55 (sixteen years ago)

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