Classical soul

[heikki]

Hi!

I hope this hasn't been discussed before. At least I can't remember any earlier thread on this one.
A friend of mine asked me to compile a CD-R of soul records, which are based on classical music. I remember that something was released in the 70s during the disco era, but I can't think of many.
Is it, because classical and soul are so far apart?
Can you help me in this?

Best regards
Heikki

[Kamasu_Jr]

Don't You Know - Della Reese ; A Lover's Concerto - The Toys. I've got to think further on this. You are right, classical and soul music are so far apart.

[theboyfromxtown]

Kamasu.

I checked out the Della Reese song and it seems like she did more if you check on the youtube suggestions along the side.

[Soul Sister]

Hi Heikki!
I'm not sure exactly what your asking for [[?) but here's some soul type songs done by classic standard singers and a few soul singers.
"Unchained Melody" & "For Once In My Life" ~ Jimmy Scott
"I Worry Bout You" & "When Love Is New" ~ Arthur Prysock
"I'm Falling For You" ~ Billy Eckstine & The 4 Tops [[LIve at the Apollo & studio versions).
"Face It Girl" ~ Nancy Wilson
"What A Difference A Day Makes" ~ Dinah Washington & also Little Esther Phillips
"I Hear A Symphony" ~ The Supremes
"My Heart Belongs To Only You" & a ton more songs ~ Jackie Wilson
"Come Rain or Come Shine" ~ Ray Charles also James Brown.
"Prisoner Of Love" ~ James Brown
"Fever" ~ Little Willie John also James Brown
"Ebb Tide" ~ Roy Hamilton also Lenny Welch
"I'll Never Be Free" ~ Mel Carter

Going to stop here......

Maybe standards are not what you are looking for? Do you actually mean classical as in Beetovin? Or perhaps classic soul by standard jazz & pop singers? Please explain, Heikki.

Love You!
S.S.
***

[heikki]

Dear Soul Sister!

I love you, too :-).

I and my friend actually mean classical music turned into sul mode; soul recordings that are based on classical music. One suggestion from Kamasu above, "A Lover's Concerto", is a good example. Thank you, Kamasu. [[I still have to listen to Della Reese).

There really aren't many. I don't think I can compile a full CD-R. Perhaps it's best just to point my friend to YouTube. I could, of course, add some songs produced by Thom Bell, because he used classical elements a lot in his arrangements.

Best regards
Heikki

[splanky]

Heikki,
there probably are many more, it's just that the references haven't been noted or documented the way A Lover's Concerto has. I've pondered that question many times over the years myself especially after noticing the opening string riff of The Supremes Someday
We'll Be Together came from a Shubert piece and finding out that Bernie Worrell of Funkadelic played a lot of Bach references...I'll get back to this thread later...

[Soul Sister]

Oh okay Heikki, that is a hard question indeed. Can't think of any offhand.

Sukiyaki ? No, maybe not, lol, lol.................

S.S.
***

[heikki]

Hi Splanky!
Those are worthwhile additions. I'll add "Someday" to the list. I also finally found the disco single I was thinking about in the first place in my collection: The Philarmonics - For Elise [[on Capricorn in '77).

Best regards
Heikki

[stingbeelee]

In the Motown section, there is a post that reads "Move Over Toys! Move Over Tchaikovsky! It's BRENDA & PATRICE HOLLOWAY & PATTY HUNT " and it states that the record is:
The Wooden Nickels*/SHOULD I GIVE MY LOVE TONIGHT [1965]
Adapted by Chester Pipkin from Tchaikovsky's PIANO CONCERTO IN B-FLAT MINOR.

When I went to listen to the record, the posts in YouTube had some other records listed based on classical tunes:

"Lullaby of Love" by the Poppies,
"Lover's Wonderland" by the Sugar Plums,
"If You Love Me" by the Lazy Susans,
"My Soul Concerto" by the Apollas

None of these records IMO seem to be as great as the Toys "Lovers Concerto"; but I am sure that there were others recorded right after the Toys hit the top with their record.

[144man]

I've always liked the Toys' "Attack" [based on "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy"] better than "A Lovers' Concerto".

"And That Reminds Me" by the Dolls is another one.

[soulster]

The Drifters should be in there, especially "Up On The Roof" and "There Goes My Baby". "Stand By Me" may be a good one by Ben E. King.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Didn't Jackie Wilson have a record called NIGHT that was based on a piece of classical music?

[marv2]

How about "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy?

[splanky]

I don't know how I forgot about Parliament's cover of Los Pop Tops Oh Lord Why Lord. For
years I thought it was the original til somebody pulled my coat, though I still like the cover
better. Anyway, it's based on Pachibel's Canon in D minor...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDE9QZ4YLoc

And for good measure Phil Trim's original...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0c2Ub2EbSU

[heikki]

Thank you Stingbeelee, 144man, Marv2 and Splanky. That Oh Lord, Why Lord was a revelation. I wasn't aware of that earlier. I think I can fill that CD-R up, after all.

Best regards
Heikki

[Jyqm]

"My Whole World Ended [[The Moment You Left Me)," most memorably recorded by David Ruffin, is supposedly based in part on the melody of a Felix Mendelssohn piece called "Frühlingslied" [["spring song"). Mendelssohn composed at least six pieces of music by that title, though, so I'm not sure which one was the inspiration for Fuqua & Bristol.

This is obviously the most well-known one. Is the flute intro to MWWE a distortion of that melody? My ear isn't good enough to tell.

[soulster]

How about "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy?

Maybe if it were a soul record...