The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Prog Rock Classics is an album of fully orchestrated renditions of progressive rock masterpieces by the likes of Pink Floyd, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Focus, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Genesis and Rush. A stellar group of rock virtuosos (some prog rockers, others not so prog) join the orchestra for this interesting 10-song collection is an interesting collection to say the least.
It opens with “ELP Suite: Tarkus / From The Beginning / Tarkus (Reprise).” I love when anyone takes a stab at this trio’s canon — the fast running strings, those call-to-action horns, and woodsy percussion sounds really get your feet tapping. Then it all crashes into various violins on the main melody of “From The Beginning” with backing vibes and conga. There is some nice fretless bass work and rolling drums before we are back into “Tarkus,” with those horns wailing out over the main opening melody. The full orchestra with lots of horns lifts Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” which features Alan Parsons Project guitarist Ian Bairnson’s brilliant take on David Gilmour’s climatic lead.
King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” with Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison and Guthrie Govan fares better. Beyond the up-front drumming from Harrison and Govan’s soft electric guitar, what I really like about this reimagining is truly opened up, interpreted for the orchestra and the rock players to create a strong mix of both. Even when the piece moves far afield from the original, everything works out nicely. “Think Of Me With Kindness” features former Yes and Moody Blues’ keyboardist Patrick Moraz. It’s a slight piece, though a great solo spot for Moraz. I just wish his piano sounded better on this Gentle Giant cover as it gets buried in overly loud orchestra strings. “Roundabout” has a fun 70s vibe and we get Three Dog Night’s Jimmy Greenspoon pumping out some organ on one of the last recordings he made.
Rush’s “Red Barchetta” has Iron Maiden’s guitarist Adrian Smith wailing over strings and the main melody. The softer moments work best — those distinctive opening harmonics and the simple piano relating to the melody — but the jamming gets lost. When Smith opens up, it is not even germane to the original tune, not even close to the same feeling. As much as I love the original tunes, there’s really only about a third of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Prog Rock Classics worth listening to. The rest of it is really a matter of taste with regards to how much you like your prog orchestrated, deconstructed and decimated.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
