Where has the electric (and acoustic) violin gone in rock? And why has it disappeared?


The 70’s were a hotbed of experimental sounds and saw the violin accepted into the fray – largely, I suspect as a result of John Cale’s viola noodlings on the early Velvet Underground LPs. Jim Lea of Slade achieved a number 1 with “Cos I Luv You” with a jaunty violin lead, whilst at around the same time, Daryl Way was spicing up Curved Air’s prog-tastic offerings (note to self – no crude Sonja Kristina gags, or indeed references to Stewart Copeland’s brief sojourn as the drummer), and the very kings of glam rock, Roxy Music were rarely seen live without Eddie Jobson on the violin (“Out Of The Blue” on “Country Life” is a great example). Cockney Rebel’s Judy Teen was based around a pizzicato violin and as for ELO – well, let’s not, shall we?

It seemed that every 70’s band had a solo violin (or viola) – Caravan, UK, The Who, Zappa, King Crimson, Hawkwind – until Kevin Rowland did his Celtic nonsense in the early 80’s and then nothing. Why? Should we blame Kevin for the demise of the violin (although they were ‘fiddling’ in a folk style more than using it in a rock context), but is there another reason, perhaps?

Well, I blame the rise and subsequent dominance of the synthesiser. Suddenly, every note that needed infinite sustain was available at the tweak of a knob and the flick of a switch. It is odd really, that the violin didn’t really continue it’s journey in rock – an instrument easily learnt and widely taught in schools should really have achieved greater prominence.

Did the association with prog-rock dinosaurs stick it in a coffin as punk dawned? Did Mr Rowland carry it to the church? Did Billy Currie of Ultravox lower it into the ground on “Vienna”?

I miss it.