Rockin' the classics

Subject: Rockin' the classics
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 05:00 AM

I dropped into rock'n roll mode last Friday to do a 1950s rock'n roll gig in my local pub. I succumb to the drug two or three times a year nowadays, after many years doing it three or four nights a week in times past.

I was idly flipping through my collection of 45rpm singles and was reminded of how many tunes from the classical repertoire had been rocked up at some time or another. King of the lot (IMO) is "Piltdown Rides Again" (the William Tell Overture) by the Piltdown Men - a classic.

Then there was the wondrous "Nutrocker" (part of the Nutcracker Suite) by B. Bumble and the Stingers, alias the nucleus of the Ernie Fields Orchestra. And then "Saturday Night At The Duckpond" (Swan Lake) by the Jaguars.

All great fun - must go and luck for some more...

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 05:03 AM

... or even "look"...

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 07:15 AM

So from memory - Piltdown was on the Capitol label, Nutrocker - Top Rank, Duckpond - wasn't it The Cougars?? on the Parlaphone label.

ELO -Roll over Beethoven (Symphony No. 5)

Nero & the Gladiators did:
Entry of the Gladiators (Fucik)
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Greig)
Czardas - all on the Decca label

Jethro Tull did Bouree - Johnny Bach

Kokomo piano & orchestra - Asia Minor (Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor)

Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers - Can Can 62 (Offenbach - Orpheus in the Underworld)

Clyde Valley Stompers - Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf)


Sabre Dance - Love Sculpture (Khachaturian - Sabre Dance from Gayaneh Ballet)

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 07:17 AM

And I'm sure The Tornados did one too

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: pdq
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 10:09 AM

Emerson, Lake and Palmer covered "Nutrocker", I believe.

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: fat B****rd
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 10:36 AM

I saw Peter Jay and co. a few times on package shows in the early 60s. I believe they did 'Poet and Peasant' in about 1964. Regarding 'Nut Rocker'the record was so popular that the record company had to literally invent a band to go out and play it. That story is in Earl Palmer's book Back Beat.
I still love Love Sculpture's 'Sabre Dance'. I saw them at Cleethorpes Winter Gardens and had ringing in the ears for days.

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: GUEST,Mike Rogers
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 11:28 AM

Saturday Nite (*)At The Duckpond was indeed by the Cougars.
(*) Note crucial spelling. Sadly it had a really dreary vocal as a flipside.

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 11:32 AM

Bee Bumble and the Stingers did Greig's 'Hall of the Mountain King' from Peer Gynt.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 11:44 AM

News to me that B Bumble recorded Hall of the Mountain King???

I have 3 copies of Nero & the Gladiators' version.

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 12:58 PM

"Saturday Night At The Duckpond" was also done by the Jaguars as well as the Cougars. I have the single...

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 01:35 PM

Then there's those songs that use tunes borrowed from the classics, e.g.
"Groovy kind of Love" - from a Clementi sonatina.
"John o' Dreams" - Tchaikovsky's Pathetique (6th) Symphony
"Going Home" - Dvorak's New World (9th) symphony (and he maybe got the tune from another source).
And those that got turned into hymns - "Thine be the Glory" from "See the conquering hero", etc, etc.

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 01:46 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt8LndWXv8k

See about 8 minutes in - The Savages playing Hall of the Mountain King 47 years ago!!

Subject: RE: Rockin' the classics
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 01:52 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCZdh2KRJI

The Lancastrians play Hall of the Mountain King - but called Satan's Holiday!!