casapete Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 (edited) Just heard that Aretha Franklin is the latest artist to have her classic recordings re-done with new string parts. Think she is the first artist to have this done who is still around, probably due to recent successful sales of albums by Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Only heard a couple of tracks of the Aretha stuff so far, but despite it being the RPO playing on it, I just can't understand why it seems okay to meddle with something that was pretty damn perfect all those years ago. The Elvis stuff was to me pretty dreadful too ( anybody hear 'Burning Love'? ), and although Orbison's material lends itself to the more orchestral approach, the originals were just sublime as they were. Some things just need leaving alone......rant over. Edited October 13, 2021 by casapete Update 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddy17 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Feel your pain, although I have no issue with the original artists, and appreciate some will love the re working,,my issue is all the dreadful elvis impersonators that now seem to have a new lease of life and have re done backing tracks and now think it’s ok to torture us for another ten yrs, even tho they should have given up yrs ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 (edited) The Joni Mitchel and Peter Gabriel’s new blood albums were excellent. Edited November 30, 2017 by ambient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Sometimes it works (imo). Joni Mitchell revisited 'Both Sides Now'. The arrangements from 'Vince Mendoza' are outstanding. But then again, he is top draw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 3 hours ago, lowdown said: Sometimes it works... Good gracious, indeed it does. Enormous, simply enormous. Merci, Ms Mitchell; yet another masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Rearranging pieces for strings like the Joni/Mendoza thing is totally different to adding strings to an existing recording. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 (edited) Yeah, or course. But, it was billed as “vintage vocals paired with new arrangements from the RPO” The duo of Patrick & Reedman talking through the production and arrangements. Edited November 30, 2017 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 The “ Lush New Arrangements” “Watch the new video for the Aretha Franklin and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra version of “Respect,” which shows some gorgeous archive footage of the Queen of Soul performing live, along with the orchestra adding lush new arrangements at Abbey Road Studios in London. The track is included on A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, out November 10.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyP Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I'm not sure what to make of the Aretha song. The new orchestral backing was not too intrusive so the first lady of soul's voice was loud and clear. I well remember, as a teenager at school, hearing Aretha sing "I Ain't Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You". It was played on Radio Caroline (North) while I was waiting to go in for school dinners! I fell in love with her voice and songs right there and then and I don't think you can improve on perfection (that's Aretha as perfection not the school dinners!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Not as awful as I expected but still entirely unnecessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Classic rock & pop tunage + orchestral re-arrangements = goddam' , firkin awful. Heard some of the Elvis stuff..mamma mia and ay caramba!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 17 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said: Classic rock & pop tunage + orchestral re-arrangements = goddam' , firkin awful. Heard some of the Elvis stuff..mamma mia and ay caramba!!! Now, now, don't go sitting on the fence like that, you shrinking violet. Tell us what you really think; don't hold back. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said: Classic rock & pop tunage + orchestral re-arrangements = goddam' , firkin awful. Heard some of the Elvis stuff..mamma mia and ay caramba!!! As you've probably gathered, me too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yank Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Some people just can't leave well enough alone. Who wakes up some morning and sez "Hey, I could make Aretha sound better'? If this were Singapore, I'd cane him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 And the madness continues, this time with The Beach Boys. Clips of Brian and some of the band on YouTube saying how wonderful this is etc. Radio 2 currently playing 'Fun fun fun' which is truly vomit inducing IMO. Why can't these be left as the classic recordings they are, and who the feck is buying this garbage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 33 minutes ago, casapete said: And the madness continues, this time with The Beach Boys. Clips of Brian and some of the band on YouTube saying how wonderful this is etc. Radio 2 currently playing 'Fun fun fun' which is truly vomit inducing IMO. Why can't these be left as the classic recordings they are, and who the feck is buying this garbage? OMG that’s rotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 God only knows... Why!? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 They're just music for Gawds sake - you don't have to like them (or approve)! Personally I don't give a rats derrière what they do, as long as the originals are still around..........(original is not always best)..........I notice that the Aretha has been delisted (no surprise there) 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graulges Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 (edited) Whoever wrote the orchestral part to Sloop John B Had no idea what the original music was about. It's totally unsympathetic to the original Edited June 13, 2018 by Graulges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graulges Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 I just played the beachboys track for my wife and she said it sounded like bad karaoke using an orchestra instead of a voice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 And still it goes on - this time with Buddy Holly and the RPO. https://buddyholly.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 I really can't stand this kind of carry on. Mind blowingly unnecessary. They all seem to follow a pattern - simply ruin a track with meaningless orchestral flourishes where they detect there should be an accent. Taking old rock and roll, it's doing to it exactly what rock and roll wasn't! To me, it's like taking the Mona Lisa and drawing a dirty great 'tache on it, or worse! 🧔 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 1 hour ago, spongebob said: They all seem to follow a pattern - simply ruin a track with meaningless orchestral flourishes where they detect there should be an accent. That's exactly why I can't stand it! 1 hour ago, spongebob said: Taking old rock and roll, it's doing to it exactly what rock and roll wasn't! Nail on head. 1 hour ago, spongebob said: To me, it's like taking the Mona Lisa and drawing a dirty great 'tache on it, or worse! Can you think of any other art form where this would be deemed acceptable?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Why is this an issue..? Over decades, popular tunes have been re-worked, often as 'lift musack'. It does nothing, as far as I can see, to degrade the originals, and if one doesn't want to buy the stuff... Just refrain, no..? There must be a market somewhere for it, so it pleases someone. What does it take away..? Not my cuppa, certainly (but I'm not an unconditional of BH either...). How many 'jazzed up' versions of 'Yesterday' are there, or 'Eleanor Rigby'..? Is no re-working ever allowed..? What about the synth versions of Bach..? No good either..? More is more, isn't it, and adds to the world's music, whilst removing nothing. What's the beef..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 29 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: Why is this an issue..? Over decades, popular tunes have been re-worked, often as 'lift musack'. It does nothing, as far as I can see, to degrade the originals, and if one doesn't want to buy the stuff... Just refrain, no..? There must be a market somewhere for it, so it pleases someone. What does it take away..? Not my cuppa, certainly (but I'm not an unconditional of BH either...). How many 'jazzed up' versions of 'Yesterday' are there, or 'Eleanor Rigby'..? Is no re-working ever allowed..? What about the synth versions of Bach..? No good either..? More is more, isn't it, and adds to the world's music, whilst removing nothing. What's the beef..? We're not talking about doing covers here, or taking the tunes and redoing them in a different style. This is using the original recordings and adding things which the (usually) deceased writer / person who recorded it originally presumably has no say in what is being done. It's no doubt down to their family / manager to decide, and why wouldn't they if it's going to make them pots more money? ( As with spongebob's analogy above, would the family of say Matisse give permission for someone to take their work and redo it in the hope of selling more prints? ) Also the danger then is that over time these reworkings obscure the genius that created them and become the accepted versions, denying new listeners the pleasure of hearing them as the artist intended. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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