Strings of life

[baboon2004]

Was just listening to 'Our World (Our Music)' by M.A.N.D.Y. on the Get Physical label compilation - what beautiful strings, if highly reminiscent (to these ears at least) of the divine 'Right On' by Silicone Soul. So, got me round to thinking of other songs in which string arrangements, real or synthetic, are used to such rousing effect (outside disco and soul, perhaps?). Five off the top of my head:

Aim - Girl Who Fell Through The Ice
Francoiz Breut - Si Tu Disais
Serge Gainsbourg - Ah! Melody
Lee & Nancy - Some Velvet Morning
Scott Walker - Lights of Cincinnati

Will come back with more, but please give me your suggestions....

 

[Diggedy Derek]

Who's that guy who does a lot of the string arrangement's on Dave Godin's deep soul compilations? On tunes like Lights Out. Those deep soul string arrangements are my favourite of all time, no contest.

 

[nick.K]

top of my list is 'Glenn Campbell - Wichita Lineman'.
But I'm pushed to think of any more, there's too many - Beach Boys (circa pet sounds), John Cale, so much prog and 70s AOR ('ELO - so fine'), easy-listening (esquivel), cinematic (barry adamson), fusion (marhavisnu orchestra, haha), not forgetting Stax, Motown and a hundred classic hip hop samples. the list is endless. Classical music used to do it for me but I've since been seduced by the naff strings of synth-pop.

 

[vache]

I would add the Gamble and Huff productions on Philadelphia International; "The Love I Lost" and other tracks. There wouldn't be swooning strings and disco without them.

 

[Diggedy Derek]

Gary Sherman, that's the deep soul strings arranger I was thinking of. On Lights Out (a track about the Vietnam war), the anguished high note in the chorus ("Lights out, lights out babyyyyyyyyyyy") is doubled with a soaring string note, and when the voice finally gives out the strings hold the note for a second before finally also dropping away. It echoes the grief.

 

[Woebot]

the string quartet on the andrew hill unreleased blue note "one for one" record. thats an absolutely lovely record if you havent heard it.

 

[Woebot]

incidentally has anyone heard that outrageously camp remake of maydays "strings of live" with full-on diva histronics all over it?

 

[sufi]

o derrick

incidentally has anyone heard that outrageously camp remake of maydays "strings of live" with full-on diva histronics all over it?

me & buddha heard it out at fujiyama only last night i think - like the cheesy 2004 remix?
& remarked on how the mighty tumble

 

[Manuel]

The strings on the Tindersticks' songs are always ace, in my opinion...

 

[mms]

incidentally has anyone heard that outrageously camp remake of maydays "strings of live" with full-on diva histronics all over it?

saw a video on mtv for it.
the strings are more uplifting and all that, and the video looks like a copy of heat magazine thats come alive.
he must have said yes to that, i feel sorry for him, if this is what his talk and vision amount to?
He must have been lying in the first place maybe. I fear he probably plays it out too.

 

[robin]

god that strings of life cover is really really bad...
i love strings in pop songs though
off the top of my head,some of my favourites at the moment

a change is gonna come-sam cooke
bjork-all is full of love
ghostface-holla (strings actually from the delfonics but i think they sound infinitely better with ghostface screaming over them)
silverside-autechre

 

[baboon2004]

heard the strings remix myself at a club on NYE - until I read about it here, I'd just presumed the DJ was fucking around with a classic, and was rather annoyed. The truth is far worse...

 

[Jay Vee]

I'm trying hard not to imagine what that SOL remake must sound like. How sad.

After having watched Jacques Demy's Donkey Skin last night and being knocked about by its Michel Legrand sdtrk I have to say France - and Spain - in the late-60s to mid-70's had the "rousing/swoony/gorgeous strings in Pop" thing down to an art. Search: Legrand, Colombier, Hawkshaw, Gainsbourg's "Manon", La Horse and Cannabis sdtrks, Joan Manuel Serrat's (and most Spanish pop of the period) early to mid-70's albums. The Serrat albums are especially good at showcasing these dynamic, cinematic string and brass arrangements that hint equally at Legrand and Gil Evans. This is a sound I love.

 

[anhhh]

being from spain it wonders me when i discover that the people of acid mothers temple liked that "mediterranean pop". one of them was wearing a maria del mar bonet t-shirt. they also liked jaume sisa (which remembered one song of him "le septe cel" (the seventh heaven) with a wonderfull string section). anyway, the orchestral arrangements were an impossition of the record label (in most of the cases). probably serrat would prefer in that time to play a mix of jazz rock. i was going to say something about lole & manuel an strange psychedelic-flamenco duo, but the strings werent that great.

 

[ladyboygrimsby]

curtis

Was just listening to 'Our World (Our Music)' by M.A.N.D.Y. on the Get Physical label compilation - what beautiful strings, if highly reminiscent (to these ears at least) of the divine 'Right On' by Silicone Soul. So, got me round to thinking of other songs in which string arrangements, real or synthetic, are used to such rousing effect (outside disco and soul, perhaps?). Five off the top of my head:

Aim - Girl Who Fell Through The Ice
Francoiz Breut - Si Tu Disais
Serge Gainsbourg - Ah! Melody
Lee & Nancy - Some Velvet Morning
Scott Walker - Lights of Cincinnati

Will come back with more, but please give me your suggestions....

Hello there. Sometime listener, first time caller.

If you like Silicone Soul, might I point you in the direction of Right On Through the Darkness by Curtis Mayfield, the original scene of the crime? It's on Back To The World. It has those lovely strings all on their tod for the final one and a half minute of the song. Sublime.

And while I'm at it, maybe you should check out some more Curtis-related stuff, too, like Patti Jo's Aint No Love Lost and Make Me Believe In You. Both splendiferous. And every album he made up to and including the late 70s slightly dodgy disco output.

 

[arcaNa]

Serge Gainsbourg - Ah! Melody

agreed...from that same album, the fifth track- "L'hotel Particulier", in the last minutes of the track where the stings swell up and builds and builds into a crescendo/wall-of sound all swirling and growing, it never fails to move me... one of my favourite musical moments ever...

-and the guy who orchestrated that record for Serge, also did the La Planete Sauvage soundtrack, which is equally breathtaking re:strings/orchestration...!

 

[Grievous Angel]

The Strings of Life re-rub is great.

It's by Si Haggis of UKD who runs the fantastic Whistlebump party and is a lovely man.

 

[ladyboygrimsby]

The Strings of Life re-rub is great.

It's by Si Haggis of UKD who runs the fantastic Whistlebump party and is a lovely man.

It sounds like Les Dawson's playing the piano, though, unfortunately (no disputes about Mr Haggis, mind).

 

[Grievous Angel]

Oh, another great string-driven thing:

Heaven 17 -- THE BEST KEPT SECRET -- standout come-down track from the underrated How Men Are LP. Glorious, subtle, emotional...

 

[egg]

white christmas... surely? the kind of arrangement to bring tears to the eyes of people trying to compose string arrangements.