Your favorite string arrangements in pop or rock songs - any era

The Billy Strange arrangements on "Nancy & Lee".

 

Wichita Lineman, arranged by Al De Lory.

 

Papa was a rolling stone (long version), Paul Riser.

 

Ramatam, The Land / Rainy Sunday Evening:

 

One of my favorite finds ever, on a beat thrift shop LP, glad Collectibles reissued this album as an expanded GH package. here Thom Bell demonstrates his mastery of the full orchestra.

 

I have a couple... 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' by Madonna is one of them.

 

Paul Buckmaster's work on Elton John's records - especially Madman Across The Water. The arrangements are revolutionary.

 

I really like Buckmaster's arrangemets on Elton's debut - especially "Sixty years on" and "Take me to the pilot"

 

I always loved the intro to Jim Reeves' Welcome to my world. .....other intros are available!

 

Medication time, music lovers!

 

"It's too late to stop now". The Caledonia Soul Orchestra thrills throughout.

 

Al Green - "Hangin' On" (strings arranged by James Mitchell)

 

This one is a great headphone trip as well:

 

Lot's of sliding of fingers up and down the necks on this one. The instrumental break at 2:03 is downright spooky:

 

I've got 2 off the top of my head...

 

and this one

 

Just strings here, but... that opening cello!
Mmmmm....gets me right in the mood!

 

Jonathan King, Everyone's Gone to the Moon:

 

Morning: Dusty Springfield

 

Rush- The Garden
UFO - Love to Love

 

one of the great Beatles-Martin influenced classical flavored arrangements of the Sixties, string section, quartet and harpsichord are irresistibly clever and supportive of the country rock Nesmith song.

 

Nirvana- Dumb (MTV Unplugged).

 

I never really understood what strings could do (in terms of adding mood to a song) until I heard Scott Walker's first four albums. Be warned though, they should be played loud, especially tracks such as "Angels Of Ashes" and "On Your Own Again", which are both from SCOTT 4. I've you've never heard them, I envy you. Then there's the lovely work on the Jethro Tull song "Reasons For Waiting" from the STAND UP album. Almost makes me wish I knew about orchestration, so I could understand what is being done - however, that may impinge on the feeling I get when I hear these beautiful pieces of string writing, which, although they are supporting the main vocal performance, remain the thing that I love about the tracks. The way that strings can be used to float on top of an arrangement, to prick at the edges of a vocal using pizzicato, to slice through a passage, to swoop up and down dramatically - it's just fantastic.