Thursday, August 7, 2008

Breaking the Mold

Since Jim's week was like 2 weeks ago and we didn't get the topic up in time, here it is.

"I'd like to hear everyone's top 5 list of songs where the 'arrangement' breaks the mold. By that I mean to say that the style is modern (rock or whatever) but the band includes at least one permanent member that plays something other than Guitar/Bass/Drums/Vocals. Horn sections? Violins? Harpsichord? Australian bagpipe-mellophones? The weirder, the better. The more members, the better. But remember, it has to be something that might have made top-40.

Rap groups with samples don't count. Country music with a fiddle doesn't count. Classical music doesn't count. Okay? Okay!" --Jim

4 comments:

ArcoJedi said...

It is certainly a well known fact that the Australian bagpipe-mellophone is one of the hardest musical instruments in the world to play. It is second perhaps only to the Oboe-Suza-Mellophone, which is 40 feet long and you blow in both ends (at the same time).

fritz said...

Hate to pick nits, but top 40 ain't exactly breaking the mold. Boo hiss on the top 40!

ArcoJedi said...

Well, it doesn't have to be top 40. I just wanted to avoid "classical" or "world / ethnic" music --which I do enjoy on occasion. But what I was looking for here were modern groups that mixed in instruments that were not going to be found in the traditional foursome; Guitar/Bass/Drums/Vocals.

*James Brown? Yeah, he always traveled with a bitchin' horn section backing him up.
*Dave Mathews Band? Sax and Strings!
*Chicago? Yep, as long as the horn section is prominent.
*Earth, Wind & Fire? Yep.
*The Urge? Again, horn section!
*Nine Inch Nails? Yes.
*Tori Amos? Yes.
*UB40? Yes.

This should be enough hints, I hope. So go crazy!

*Rap groups with samples? Nope.
*Rap groups with a live digeridoo player, two kazoos and a tuba? Now you're talking!

*Country band with fiddle? Nope, sorry.
*Country band with marching band? Yes, please.

*Classical Music? Nope.
*Metallica playing their music with the San Francisco symphony orchestra? Perfect!

This is all really part of my master plan to prove that band geeks rock too.

fritz said...

Got it. I actually love this topic . . . and band geeks. Good choice!