Classical Ruination

Introduction

This was getting a few reads on Seven Days In and I thought I could turn it into a sort of playlist of modernish songs and the classical pieces that they were lifted from. I will start with the Apollo 100 take on Bach's "Jesu Joy Of Man's Desire" simply retitled "Joy" but it is a favourite piece of mine, but this does give you the opportunity to compare.

I have split the original post to include the music and possibly make it a little easier to read

Apollo 100 - "Joy" from 1972

Bach - "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desire" from a bit further back

Classical Ruination I

I said this year I wouldn't post as much, last year it was over a post a day, but this is post 188 so that is still an average of a post every two days, although some gaps between postings have been bigger than that, and obviously this is a post straight after yesterdays post.

I've listened to a cheapo compilation called "Rock Instrumental Classics: Volume 3 - The Seventies" which barring Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein", Electric Light Orchestra's "Daybreaker" and "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros is made up of funk and pop. There is "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter (and yes Paul Gadd, is an evil, vile person quite rightly behind bars, but should that stop us from appreciating the work of the rest of the band and his cowriter Mike Leander?) which it compares to "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac, in that, there's no real tune just a relentless sound with primaeval calls and is still, in my opinion, and impressive pop record, but I hope Gadd's royalties have been sequestered to help the sort of people the vile man abused.

Deodato - "Also Sprach Zarathustra(2001) from 1974

Strauss - "Also Sprach Zarathustra" from 1896

This was featured in the Stanley Kubrick film 2001

Classical Ruination II

Anyway, the songs on the album are "Joy" by Apollo 100 a take on "Jesu Joy of Man's Desire", one of my favourite Bach pieces, "Also Sprach Zarathustra(2001)" a jazz take on the Strauss piece by Deodato, and "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy, all of which are more than enjoyable, especially the Deodato one. That's three classical lifts on one single disc compilation.

Walter Murphy - "A Fifth Of Beethoven" from "Saturday Night Fever" 1976

Beethoven - "Fifth Symphony Overture" 1808

Manfred Mann's Earthband - "Joybringer" from "Solar Fire" 1973

Gustav Holst - "Jupiter" from "The Planets Suite" 1917

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "Hoedown" from "Trilogy" 1972

Aaron Copland - "Hoedown" from the ballet "Rodeo" 1942

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "The Great Gates Of Kiev" From Pictures At An Exhibition" 1971

Modest Mussorgsky - "The Great Gates Of Kiev" From Pictures At An Exhibition" 1971

Manfred Mann's Earthband got permission from Gustav Holst's estate to use the composer's theme from "Jupiter" in "The Planets" suite in their single "Joybringer". Keith Emerson with The Nice and Emerson Lake and Palmer plundered the classics impressively over the years, with Mussorgsky and Copland featuring highly in the band's repertoire.

Lots of pop songs left classical themes and melodies, Pachelbel's "Canon" reappearing so many times in the charts in various guises.

I've hardly scratched the surface of this, but will leave it here for now.

The Farm - "All Together Now" from "Spartacus 30" 1990

Inspired by the Christmas Day football match in No Man's Land during the First World War, All Together Now was the Farm's biggest UK single hitting number 4 in December 1990. It also reached the top 20 in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany (where it made number 5).

Watch out for a cameo from fellow Liverpool legend Pete Wylie (he also sings backing vocals on the track) at the end of the video.

The video has been remastered to HD to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this iconic record. Its parent album Spartacus has reached the same milestone and we are marking the occasion with a new expanded digital version of the LP entitled "Spartacus 30".

Pachelbel - "Canon In D Major"

Concluding Classical Ruination

I hope you have enjoyed these pieces, I do like them all and I hope you do too. This is the CD that inspired this piece.