Rock with strings

Some pretty good recommendations here. I had to think about this one a little bit. I suppose you are referring to full orchestras rather than a few strings. "Pirates" from ELP's Works vol. 1 is great and "Gates of Delerium" from Symphonic Yes uses an orchestra well. However, IMO Alejandro Escovedo's "The Boxing Mirror" uses cellos and violins in a really interesting way to rock. Check out "Deer Head on the Wall" from that album. Escovedo uses a string quartet to complement his electric guitar and the results are very exciting live. "Roomful of Songs" is just a string quartet with no electric guitar, but is a beautiful album. As implied in the posts above, you don't want to devolve into musak elevator music. Strings can be inspirational when applied in creative ways.

Max, I agree that Boxing Mirror is a spectacular record - a top ten all-time favorite in my book. However, I don't think that the sawing cello Escovedo uses there is what the OP was referring to. Similarly, the use of a string quartet is a different "different idea". Escovedo has covered an astonishing range of expression over the course of his career and his use of strings is IMO right at the top of the rock n roll heap. However, I think that his use of strings is a very different kettle of fish than The Moody Blues or The Zombies as cited in the OP.

Thanks, just ordered Boxing Mirror.

Great sounding mix of orchestra and rock band is Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson. This one always gets a strong reaction from the local audio club!

from Wikipedia:
Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Produced by Jean-Claude Desmarty, the album was released in March 1971 through Philips Records. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot of the album involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage girl Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues. Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished album. It is also regarded one of the greatest albums of all time by a number of prominent music publications, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine having named this album the 4th greatest French rock album (out of 100).

Cheers,
Spencer

Spencer,

Just a little heads up: Boxing Mirror is IMO an incredibly powerful record, but it won't necessarily grab you on first listen. It's both very honest and direct and, at the same time, deliberately artful. Escovedo's later stuff - whether the Chuck Prophet collaboration "Real Animal" or "Street Songs" or "Big Station" may be more instantly appealing, but they're not really quite in the same league as his earlier material, IMO.

Boxing Mirror may take a few listens to get under your skin, but hang with it. It's powerful in a low-key, brooding way. The earlier Escovedo solo records like "Gravity" and "With These Hands" work similar territory in a more accessible (IMO) way. I'd usually tell people unfamiliar to Escovedo to start there before jumping into the deep end with Boxing Mirror.

BTW, Escovedo also did cow punk with both Rank and File and True Believers, as well as screaming garage rock with Buick McKane. You might also enjoy his song cycle called "By The Hand of The Father" that I find quite touching in an understated way. All of the solo records are worthwhile, even tho IMO - in the ten years since Boxing Mirror - he's never reached the level of his earlier material.

George W Bush gave him a moment when it turned out that Escovedo's song Castanets was on the presidential iPod and Springsteen made gave Escovedo another 15 minutes of fame when he covered Real Animal in concert, but I think you're starting at the top.

Bottom line: Don't necessarily expect to be blown away at first listen, but Boxing Mirror is IMO great, great stuff...given time.

Escovedo has a great Boxing Mirror era performance on Austin City Limits that uses the string section if you can find it on some kind of archive site.Like Marty said, this is a far cry from Procol Harem or the Moody Blues, but it is really powerful in its' originality. "Roomful of Songs" is much more laid back and sounds fantastic on a decent system by the way.