Favorite arrangements?

[Silver Sonya]

We all know that a great arrangement yields a great mix. Conversely, a clumsy arrangement almost always produces a terrible mix.

So, that being said, what are your favorite recorded song arrangements? List two or three.

I'll start with three off the top of my head.

Jeff Buckley "Everybody Here Wants You." Clean, elegant, slippery, sexy, spare and heavy in an unforced way. Nothing gets in the way of Jeff's soaring vocal. The song sounds like a Prince slow-jam. This is as it should be. This record was released posthumously and was apparently sparsely decorated because Jeff was not happy with it. He was obviously a perfectionist. I wish Jeff was alive, but I'm glad that this take saw release, 'cause it's brillaint.

Lauryn Hill "The Lost Ones." Superdope, smart, rhythmically inventive guitar playing weaving and bobbing in between tough, lurching MPC-style beats and deep-pocket turntablism. (I know this record has a lot of controversy surrounding its production and crediting --- I believe Hill was sued by her collaborators ultimately --- so I don't really know who is responsible for what. But whoever it is is a genius.)

The Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows." I refuse to believe those aren't actual seagulls...

- c

[andyspiller]

Lyle Lovett - "Church" - What can be done with 2 chords
Peter Gabriel "Red Rain" - amazing how many different textures there are there especially noticeable on the vinyl
Robbie Robertson - "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" - Outstanding feel and sound palette

[Silver Sonya]

Originally Posted by andyspiller

Lyle Lovett - "Church" - What can be done with 2 chords
Peter Gabriel "Red Rain" - amazing how many different textures there are there especially noticeable on the vinyl
Robbie Robertson - "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" - Outstanding feel and sound palette

I love "Red Rain" and I think Joshua Judges Ruth is a masterpiece. So I second those choices. Not familiar with the Robbie Robertson song.

[Drumsound]

I consider "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as the perfect production, greatly because of the arrangement.

[u b k]

Seal - Crazy

Phoenix - Love for Granted

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

Massive Attack - Inertia Creeps


gregoire
del
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[Watersound]

Anything Beatles...Ok 3:

1. Something
2. The Long and Winding Road
3. Because

[bexarametric]

Radiohead - Paranoid Android
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Tool - Lateralus
Tool - Wings For Marie Pt 1 & 2

[Fretbored]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

I love "Red Rain" and I think Joshua Judges Ruth is a masterpiece. So I second those choices. Not familiar with the Robbie Robertson song.

thumbsup Family Reserve...I can't possibly make myself think that direction when I write. Those songs arrange themselves.

[HEADROOM]

Beatles..too much to mention...
I agree on the crazy river, and Space odd.

Shawn Colvin:The Facts about Jimmy
Kevin Ayers: Song from the bottom of a well

Some examples of a song that is still great although the arranger did a great job trying to ruin it:
Neil Young:A man needs a maid(Jack Nitsche)
Beatles:Long and winding road(Phil Spector......convicted already?)

[poncival]

ABBA: Dancing Queen (NOTE: not to be confused with MUSIC KING)

[doorknocker]

- Led Zeppelin 'Kashmir'

-Stones 'Sympathy for the devil' and 'Gimme Shelter'

- Anything Nelson Riddle did with Frank Sinatra, 'Angel Eyes' and 'Mood Indigo' are two great examples

- Jeff Buckley 'Last Goodbye'

- Any song on Steely Dan's 'Aja'

- Muddy Waters ' I just want to make love to you'

- Beatles 'I am the Walrus' (The mailman just delivered my copy of the 'Complete Beatles Scores' this morning'!!!)

[chrispick]

Man, there are a million, but here are a few quick favorites...

My Old School - Steely Dan ("California...tumbles into the sea...")
ABC - Jackson 5
Every Breath You Take - The Police (simple, brilliant)
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Work It - Missy Elliot
SOS - ABBA
I Wish - Stevie Wonder

Oh, I give, Like I said, there are a million.

[Silver Sonya]

On the famous-for-being-minimal tip:

Miles Davis "So What"
Prince "Kiss"
Elvis Costello "Watching The Detectives"
A Tribe Called Quest "Excursions"

to that list, I'm gonna add a "stupid" song that is actually genius in its rhythmic construction:
AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long"

You just laughed out loud, but listen to it again and tell me I'm wrong...



- c

[MartianRec]

If there was a course taught on instrument arrangement; I don't think you need to look any further than the Rolling Stones... say 60's early 70's.

- Ruby Tuesday

- Angie

- Satisfaction

[drBill]

Rosanna - Toto. Jerry Hey won a grammy for that arrangement, and it's a killer one for sure.

I agree on the Seal. Really anything he's done. Trevor Horn is a pure genius arranger/producer.

Love crazy river also, and red rain!!

[Silver Sonya]

Today I'm adding Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City" to this thread.

- c

[Mr XY]

All time favorite arrangement : Sinatra - Fly me to the moon - it still blows my mind that the same guy who produced Billie Jean (another killer arrangement) also arranged this - talk about talent!

good thread!

Def Leppard's - God's of War

The Mutt Lange production combined with the Mike Shipley mix is at an all time high on this track I believe, talk about a build up.

[Pred80r]

1. Queensryche - Suite Sister Mary - Queensryche had the arrangement part of the formula down, there are several I could list here but suffice it to say that someone(s) in this band knew how to build epic songs.

2. Rush - Tom Sawyer - Real hard not to put this one on top.

3. Muse - Uprising - Finally starting to see good arrangements again, have to give them props

4. Verve - Bittersweet Symphony - They may never be this good again.

5. Pink Floyd - Pick a song off of The Wall or The Darkside of The moon, I won't argue.

For Pop arrangements though, Sir George Martin and the Beatles are hard to beat and are copied (mostly bad attempts) on a regular basis.

[doorknocker]

Here's some more:

Portishead - 'All mine' The way the Morricone-sounding guitar comes in towards the end of the song is just genius. Less is more.

Roberta Flack - 'Feel like makin' love' Hit upon this iTunes a few days ago, the way the arrangement is expressing the lyric/mood is just absolutely stunning. Light as a breeze but still plenty of rhythmic movement.

Bob Dylan - 'Tombstone Blues' (from the new Mono remaster of 'Highway 61 Revisited') Sometimes NO arrangement is the best arrangement! A bunch of studio musicians and a unleashed Mike Bloomfield trying to figure out what Dylan is doing with 2 chords. Borders on chaos in places yet feels SO right.

[smutbasket]

Big Plus-ones to "I Am the Walrus" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River"

Bowie "Heroes"

Rush "Limelight"

Tchaikovsky's Sixth, The Vienna Symphony

...and all of Mr. Furnier's "Welcome To My Nightmare"

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by smutbasket

Bowie "Heroes"

+1. Genius.

I would add 'Ashes to ashes' as well.

[Rupert Limehouse]

Just about any ABBA, e.g. Lay All Your Love On Me, Quincy produced MJ stuff, later Steely Dan. Mahler's not bad either :-)

[JCM123]

Seal - Crazy


Röyksopp - What Else Is There?

[Torea]

Pretty much everything from the Funk Brothers (for those who don't know - The Funk Brothers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

And everything from Tower of Power, but specifically You're Still a Young Man. Every time I listen to that song I hear something new peaking out from behind something else. It's incredible.

[gojefferson]

I can't say these are my real top three--that would be too hard to be sure of, but here's what comes to mind today

1. Beach Boys: Wouldn't it Be Nice

2. Serge Gainsbourg: Bonnie and Clyde

3. Kraftwek: Europe Endless

[raincityrecorder]

Reach Out (I'll Be There) by The Four Tops.

Love this song. So simple, so good.

[idylldon]

Just about anything by The Band when they were actually playing like brothers before the sibling rivalry.

Cheers,
--
Don

[synthoid]

Hency Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme".

Massive Attack's "Teardrop"

Steely Dan's "Gaucho"

Bizet's "Habanera" haha. Lots of amazing arrangements in the classical world.

-synthoid

[TheQuietWilds]

Man, really suprised nobody mentioned Sigur Ros. 'Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust' and 'Hvarf/Heim' have some of my favorite arrangement work ever. Really shockingly beautiful albums.