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Today we will hear from these artists demonstrating SYMPHONIC ROCK:
1 The Moody Blues and Days of Future Passed with the London Festival Orchestra
2 Rick Wakeman’s rendition of “Cans and Brahms” the group Yes
3 “Your Time is Gonna Come” Led Zepplin
4 “I’m Free”, from Tommy, as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chambre Choir with Roger Daltry
5 “Cleetus Awreetus- AwrightUs” Frank Zappa, and Grand Wazoo featuring a cast of characters…From the Grand Wazoo album
6 “I Remember Me”, From the Like Children (Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman) album
M1 “The Day Begins” From the “Days of Future Passed” album, the Moody Blues, with the London Festival Orchestra, conducted by Peter Knight.
This song is side one track one of the vinyl LP. This album paints the picture of everyman’s day, starting with The Day Begins, Dawn, The Morning, Lunch break, the Afternoon, Evening and the Night. One day of a man’s life, on 7 tracks, on vinyl LP ! The seven tracks on Days of Future Passed spawned two hit singles: “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin” which hit No. 2… five years after the LP’s original release!.
The lyrics from Days of Future Passed are true to the band’s name, moody and blue …such as this: “Cold hearted orb that rules the night, removes the colours from our sight, red is grey and yellow white. But we decide which is right. And which is an illusion?”
One description of this fusion of pop and poetry and the classics is taken from album’s liner notes, written by Hugh Mendl, the executive producer… he writes …Moody Blues is “extending the range of pop music… and has found a point where it becomes one with the classics”…
“Days of Future Passed” was Produced in 1967 by Decca Record Company Ltd., using the then-state of the art DERAM sound system. The DERAM or so-called DERAMIC Sound System was an early stereo “all round sound” technique, that allowed more space between instruments. How was this achieved? This capability came from the use of, not just one four-track recording machine, but TWO four-track recording machines. Imagine – eight discrete recorded tracks. Before this, stereo was recorded from one four-track tape recorder. The doubling of recorded tracks provided the ability to put more sound “space” or “spacial realism” between performers on up to 8 recorded tracks, creating more of a soundscape when played on a “stereo”, high fidelity sound system, and when you placed yourself between the two speakers. This was 1967 — the early days of consumer audio. If you had “good” component stereo system, you must have been an audiophile, as those early component systems were very expensive indeed! A good component system included a stereo amplifier, stereo preamp, the reel-to-reel tape deck, a “good” LP turntable, tonearm, massive speakers too…
This album credits the orchestral parts to “Redwave/Knight”. Well, “Knight” was conductor Peter Knight, while “Redwave” was an imaginary name representing the Moody Blues themselves. Knight built the orchestral parts around themes written by Hayward, Thomas, Pinder & Lodge, the Moody Blues.
M2 Full: Cans and Brahms YES and their 1972 album “Fragile”, Atlantic Recording Corp, . This is an extract from Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor 3rd movement. A solo Rick Wakeman adaptation, on electric piano, grand piano, organ, electric harpsichord, and synthesizer. Rick Wakeman’s modern instruments replace those traditional ones used in the Brahms Symphony No. 4, —the strings, woodwind, brass, reeds, and contra bassoon, when the symphony was completed, in 1885. Some 87 years later, Rick Wakeman arranged this rendition. Even now… 126 years later….the 3rd is a catchy musical movement with left and right-hand parts for keyboard.
M3 “Your Time Is Gonna Come” by Led Zeppelin, released on their 1969 debut album, titled “Led Zeppelin”. Jimmy Page played a Fender 10-string steel guitar. Bassist John Paul Jones played a church-style organ, using a pedal to generate the bass. Jimmy Page told Guitar Player magazine: “I had never played steel before, but I just picked it up for this recording”. Robert Plant is the vocal. So what do we have. A church organ with the quirky tune of church pipes, Jimmy Page on an out-of-tune 12-string guitar, and Robert Plant on vocals. What a mix !
M4 The song “I’m Free” from the rock opera Tommy, as written by Pete Townshend and The Who, as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chambre Choir, David Measham conductor. And guest soloist on the song “I’m Free”, Roger Daltry. This 2-LP set was beautifully produced. Ode Records, distributed by A&M Records. Lou Reizner production. “I’m Free” tells of Tommy’s vision to spiritually enlighten others due to his miraculous cure, he becomes ‘evangelist’, his sermons bringing forth the multitudes at Tommy’s Holiday Camp. . “I’m Free, and I’m waiting for you to follow me”. This London Symphony Orchestra version of Tommy is based on the Who album “Tommy”, released three years earlier, in 1969, Polydor / Decca
M5 Cleetus Awreetus- AwrightUs From the Grand Wazoo album, Frank Zappa. 1972 Warner Bros Records
This invention for small orchestra was composed and Arranged Frank Zappa. Ernie Watts and Mike Altshul on woodwinds. Sal Marquez and Ken Shroyer on brass. George Duke on KB. Vocals George Duke and Frank Zappa .Guitar Frank Zappa. Bass Erroneous. Drums Aynsley Dunbar
M6 I Remember Me From the Like Children album. Jerry Goodman on violin and viola and acoustric guitar. Jan Hammer on piano and moog synthesizer. There is no drum track. Composed by Jan Hammer. 1974 Nemperor Records