I have a weakness for musical acts that re-do something from their past but with a live orchestra. And I’m not talking about those bargain bin “String Quartet Tribute to Def Leppard” CDs you see going for $1 in thrift stores that nobody wants. I mean when the actual musician themselves decides that they want to revisit an album but with a full ensemble of professional musicians.

Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s the clash of so called “high culture” and “low culture”. Normally these two worlds don’t meet, so it’s the opportunity for different parts of society to explore music they might not otherwise have considered. Perhaps it’s the surprise of hearing something I’m familiar with being performed in a new and exciting way (though I suppose that would also apply to any creative cover). Perhaps it’s because the time and expense of doing this means that the musician must be serious about it, and they’re not doing it on a whim.

So I’m going to look at a few of my favourites. I’m not including bands who naturally use strings or an orchestra, so no symphonic metal here. Sorry, Sonata Arctica fans. I will allow it when artists realise that they’re going to be working with an orchestra and create something new for the occasion, so there’s no non-orchestral version in their discography. But just bringing in a cello player for a bit of warmth doesn’t count. This has to be an actual professional orchestra.

There’s a good chance the links won’t work for various licensing reasons. Sorry about that. But you can go and listen to them on Youtube or Spotify I’m sure.

VNV Nation – Resonance: Music For Orchestra Vol. 1 (with the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg)

The lack of a followup after more than a decade just makes this clunky title seem even more awkward in hindsight. VNV Nation is one of the last groups I would have expected to make an orchestral album, as their style is hard-edged electronic dance music with astounding studio production values. Trombones never seemed to enter into it.

The origins seem a little peculiar. VNV Nation did a tour back in 2012 with an orchestra, and they recorded the audio with plans to release it as an album, though apparently the recording was unusable. Undeterred however, Ronan decided to record the same songs (plus a few new ones) in a studio. No word on whether the arrangements are the same as those on tour, though a couple of the tracks are stripped down solo-piano or chamber music rather than full orchestra.

Is it any good? Ehh….I have mixed feelings. Some of the songs are absolutely astounding and bring a tear to my eye because of how good the re-arrangements are. “Teleconnect Pt. 2 (Adagio Sonoro)” and “If I Was (Allegretto Affettuoso)” especially. The musicians reveal a panache and skill in Ronan’s writing that aren’t as clear in the original studio versions for one reason or another. But then you have tracks like “Perpetual (Allegro Espressivo)” which just don’t seem to work in an orchestral arrangement. Plus the greatest negative for this album is the same for VNV Nation’s studio albums. Ronan’s singing. I don’t think he’d deny it… he’s not a great singer. And many of the vocals here seem like a demo at best. I can just imagine the engineer saying “Good work. Want to do another pass just in case? No? Sure?”. Some of the time he doesn’t even seem to be keeping time with the rest of the musicians. Perhaps he didn’t come in until after the main recording was done.

I’m also not sure why they chose “Illusion” to rework given it was practically a piano piece in the first place. And do we really need two versions of “Nova”? If they ever do a Volume 2 I’d love to hear “Arena” and “Airships” in this style.

Still, when it’s good it’s breathtaking. Give “Teleconnect Pt. 2 (Adagio Sonoro)” a try. It’s mostly instrumental 🙂

Moby – Reprise

Despite the obnoxiously pretentious album cover, Moby claims that it was Deutsche Grammophon who approached him backstage at one of his concerts with the suggestion of making an orchestral album. If you don’t like him, this isn’t going to win you over. But it’s certainly a curious idea…an artist known for making music using samplers and field recordings throwing all that away and using live musicians and vocalists? Sure, why not. If Daft Punk can do the same thing with “Random Access Memories” then why shouldn’t he?

Some of the tracks annoy me deeply, such as “The Lonely Night” (with Mark Lanegan and Kris Kristofferson). I get that emotion can be more important than technical ability, but by this point Kristofferson could barely speak and any nuance is quickly lost. “Almost Home” chose not to use Damien Jurado for some reason even though he co-wrote it.

“Everloving” however is a simply inspired opening track, and conveys the intent of the album in just three minutes. The production is astounding, with every instrument sounding clear and pristine, and when the song finally opens up at the end it’s like somebody took their hands off your ears and you can hear clearly for the first time. “Natural Blues” works well also, with both Gregory Porter and Amythyst Kiah giving much needed gravitas to the song.

Would have been nice to hear “The Perfect Life” in this style, but you can’t have everything. If I had to choose one word to describe this album it would be “Dignified”.

Deep Purple – Concerto for Group and Orchestra

Perhaps not as high profile in modern times as The Moody Blues, but I think this was better received at the time it was released. It was also done live, rather than as a pure studio album. It’s a fascinatingly put-together album….to begin with the band and the orchestra take turns performing…then they play together and seem to be fighting for dominance, and then by the end everything is integrated seamlessly together. I’m not surprised they revisited this multiple times in their career – it works really well!

Apparently Blackmore was not a fan of the idea at the time – he thought it was a gimmick which, to be fair, it was. But he also felt that the other musicians were in a whole other category for him and that it was demeaning for them to be forced to come down to his level.

I love orchestras, chamber music – unaccompanied violin is my favourite. But I respected them too much, and we just weren’t in the same calibre. I’d been playing 15 years at the time, and stuck next to some dedicated violinist who’s been playing for 50 years just to give an angle to the press – it’s insulting.

Sure, but it works. It’s incredible just how much Lord “gets” the dynamics and the interplay between the orchestra and the rock musicians, blending them seamlessly together but only when appropriate, and at other times highlighting the differences. Plenty of other bands would try something similar but Deep Purple knew what they were doing even back in the 60s.

Erasure – World Beyond

Erasure briefly dabbled with an orchestra way back in 1989 for their remix album “The Two Ring Circus”. That featured three of their song re-recorded with an orchestra courtesy of arranger Andrew Poppy. I remember thinking at the time that they were really interesting, and it was a shame they never tried anything similar again.

Until 2017, almost 30 years later. But rather than dig into their back catalogue, they instead chose to solely use songs from their recent album “World Be Gone”. In hindsight, despite my initial disappointment it kind of made sense. The album is rather downbeat compared to their usual offerings, with only the opener “Love You to the Sky” and closer “Just a Little Love” carrying any kind of optimism or “danceability”. The slower, ballad nature meant the songs worked well in a sedate orchestral style, allowing Bell’s lyrics to shine.

Now, Erasure is my favourite band and has been for a long time….and I admit that Bell’s lyrics aren’t the highlight of their songs. Sure he can turn a phrase and you can certainly sympathise with the characters…but compared to Neil Tennant (and people do compare) he’s not nearly as erudite. This album however is one of the exceptions. Unusually, for Erasure it’s actually topical rather than vague or generic like most of their songs. Have you noticed that almost every single one of their songs is entirely gender-neutral? The lyrics here are about tolerance and understanding in an age of suspicion and prejudice. Erasure’s lyrics are generally fairly universal and timeless, but given this was written in 2017 you have to believe they were written in response to current events.

Bell doesn’t use his usual vocal gymnastics here with his trademark falsetto, preferring a more direct earnest approach, and it works. I actually listen to this remix album (Which I suppose it is?) more than the original.

OMD – Electricity: OMD with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

I suppose this was inevitable. Their early work didn’t hint at anything so grand, but by the time of “Pandora’s Box” and “Talking Loud and Clear” it was obvious they had higher goals in mind.

The songs are carefully chosen – not everything in their catalogue would work well in this style…although a couple of hits like “Electricity” and “Enola Gay” were inevitable even though they’re rather clunky and forced they couldn’t get away without playing them. McCluskey’s voice isn’t as strong as it used to be, but he wisely shies away from trying to hit the high notes or hold the note for as long as he does on the studio versions. This is a good decision as it gives the orchestra space to shine without him attempting to shout over them.

Tracks like “Souvenir” and “Maid of Orleans” work wonderfully in these new arrangements…in fact I suspect out of all their albums “Architecture and Morality” is the one that was most symphonic in it’s composition. Sadly when they played the album in it’s entirety a few years earlier they didn’t do it with an orchestra. Missed opportunity.

I do wish McCluskey would stop trying to dance. He has something of a reputation for it and it doesn’t look like he’ll stop any time soon…he even jokes about it during the show. Worth it just for the orchestral version of “Walking on the Milky Way”. Though it’s a shame the Energy Suite was shoved to a separate disc on the home video release.

Chris Hülsbeck – Symphonic Shades

Back in the early internet days I actually spoke to Chippie a few times. What an honour that was. When most video game soundtracks of the late 80s/early 90s were simple repeating phrases, he was writing full arrangements with verses, middle 8s, bridges and choruses. Even when a level might only take 30 seconds to complete he’d still have written a 5 minute piece to accompany it. This is a guy who puts far more effort in than most of his peers.

Sorry, but I just don’t like the Super Mario Bros soundtrack. I think it’s boring and repetitive.

Anyway, one of Hülsbeck’s dreams back around the millennium was that one day he would have his work performed by a full orchestra. He stressed that it had to be 100+ musicians or it wouldn’t count. Sure, why not. Dream big. It seemed rather unlikely at the time given Factor Five hadn’t done much in the previous few years besides a handful of Star Wars games, but who knows?

In 2008 he got his wish. I suspect this is because of the recent success of the “Symphonic Game Music Concert” concerts which ran annually from 2003 to 2007. His music featured heavily…perhaps because his pieces transcribed well to live orchestral arrangements. Eventually the decision was made to give him his own concert, which was recorded as the album “Symphonic Shades”. It was also the first video game concert in history to be broadcast live on national radio…which is awesome.

So enough about the history. Is it any good?

YES

It’s very experimental in style, moving between many different genres such as jazz, big band and symphonic, but most of the pieces are quickly recognisable and a testament to Hülsbeck’s skill in crafting memorable melodies and weaving strands in and out of each other as the pieces develop. I do prefer the original versions of most of the tracks, but it’s still fascinating to hear. And he’s on Bandcamp if you want to check out the originals. I highly recommend his “Turrican Soundtrack Anthology” series which recreate the original game soundtracks on more modern equipment, augmented by live instruments.

Good for you, Chippie. I’m glad you got your wish.

Marc Almond – Tenement Symphony

Strangely, Almond wasn’t really a fan of this album, saying it “didn’t reflect the direction” that his music was going in at the time, but did acknowledge that he was pleased to have the opportunity to work with Trevor Horn. I never really understood that. After Soft Cell collapsed Almond reinvented himself as a sort of flamboyant bad-boy crooner which sort of makes sense as he’s always had a terrific voice even if he is no Scott Walker. His first few albums could perhaps be described as “sophisti-pop” though I’m not sure that term was in use back in the early 80s. Regardless, a (half-) album with Trevor Horn, a small chamber orchestra and a choir makes just about as much sense as anything else.

Making it a half-album was probably a good idea. It allowed Horn to try out a few things without risking the chance of alienating Almond’s fan base. It’s a shame Almond chose not to continue in this direction, though Horn is a notorious perfectionist so he might have only ended up releasing an album every few years. Still, 21 minutes and 3 hit singles isn’t a bad experiment, especially when two of them are brilliant covers of “Jacky” and “The Days of Pearly Spencer”.

Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed

Every time I go back to this album I’m surprised by just how downbeat and miserable it is. This is not a happy experience. Except for a couple of high points almost the entire thing is in minor keys and drenched in melancholy. But that’s alright. Steven Wilson once said that sometimes the saddest music is the most beautiful. But then again, a character on Doctor Who once said that “Sad [is] happy for deep people” which I don’t really agree with. Being unhappy doesn’t make you a more complex, meaningful person.

The narration which book-ends the album gives it a certain gravitas, though I’m not certain what tone they were going for. Was it meant to be mournful, or just an objective look at a typical person’s day? This was the first album they did with Justin Hayward and since it eventually lead to him guesting on Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds and “Forever Autumn”, I’m glad it exists. But it works just fine as a standalone piece of music. I can only imagine how strange this must have been in 1967, people buying it expecting another “Go Now” and getting…this.

Paddy McAloon – I Trawl the Megahertz

Technically a McAloon solo album but in recent years it’s been considered part of the Prefab Sprout discography even though no other members of the band appear on it. Pop music this is not. Written when McAloon was recovering from a serious injury, he developed almost the entire thing in MIDI on his Atari ST and then handed it over to David McGuinness for orchestration.

Much is made about the title track, with most reviews containing the word “poignant”. And it certainly is. Though the origins of the words seem to vary slightly depending on who’s telling the story, it’s certainly a very detached look at a relationship that is clearly falling apart. Most of the rest of the album is instrumental, though the first track takes up almost half the runtime so it’s easy to see why it dominates the discussion.

It’s certainly an odd album as it sounds nothing like anything else in the Prefab Sprout discography, though it’s arguably the most interesting thing they ever did. Give it a try, but don’t expect anything like “When Love Breaks Down”

No

Sorry, I can’t stand Metallica’s “S&M”. I’m sure you think it’s great, but to me it just sounds like the orchestra and band are constantly fighting each other to be in control. It’s not clear who exactly is leading, and the whole thing just sounds messy and unpleasant to me.

“Concrete” by Pet Shop Boys doesn’t really count either, as barring a couple of exceptions, even though they performed with a live orchestra, they only did songs that already had an orchestra on the studio versions. So…very little reworking.

“Swing When You’re Winning” by Robbie Williams….we’re not going to talk about. I was young. I didn’t know any better.

An honourable mention goes to Philip Glass’ reworkings of David Bowie’s “Low” and “Heroes” albums. Since they were performed and recorded without the involvement of the original artist, they break my rules. However, they are great, especially the reinterpretation of “Neuköln” as an intense, paranoid drama. And I love it.

So what have we learned from this? Not much. I don’t think any of these albums are going to win you over if you’re not already a fan of the artist, but if you’re curious, they might be worth a listen.

Cover image taken from VNV Nation Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/VNVNATIONFanbase/posts/10165709989749097/