Latest News: From The Vault

December 07, 2012

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From the Vault: Michael Jackson

December 07, 2012By 15

Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, turned 30 last Friday. If you’re familiar with the release (and really, who isn’t?), you know it’s chock-full of some of the biggest hits of all time. But Michael Jackson has always been a hit machine — before and after this classic record. VSQ Performs the Hits of Michael Jackson pays tribute to the King of Pop. It features striking string renditions of 12 of Jackson’s biggest songs, including four smashes from Thriller, such as the title track, “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “P.Y.T.”

Check out VSQ Performs the Hits of Michael Jackson now!

Don't forget to shop our VSQ Holiday Sale this weekend! Get 25% off all physical CDs until midnight Sunday.

Start saving now!

November 09, 2012

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From the Vault: Queens and the Stones (and Dave Grohl)

November 09, 2012By 15

Looks like Dave Grohl won't just be twiddling his thumbs while Foo Fighters is on hiatus. Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme announced Tuesday on BBC Radio 1 that his musical soul mate and buddy Dave Grohl will be picking up his drum sticks and joining the band to record on QOTSA’s upcoming album. There's no official release date for the record as of late, but it's expected to drop sometime next year. This isn't the first time Grohl has teamed up with Homme, though. In 2002, Grohl manned the drums for their breakout release Songs for the Deaf and later in 2009, the pair joined forces to form Them Crooked Vultures, recruiting John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin to fill out the supergroup's roster. So it goes without saying that the duo are able to produce some pretty remarkable tunes together. During the BBC Radio 1 interview, Homme affirmed saying, "[Grohl] and I have this wonderful musical relationship which we don't have with other people. It's a very cool and comfortable position." It's rumored that Dave might even accompany Queens of the Stone Age on tour to promote the release, but like we said rumored. We'll keep our fingers crossed for now.

While we patiently await more news from the QOTSA crew, join us in taking these VSQ tributes to Queens of the Stone Age out for a spin:

November 02, 2012

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From the Vault: Green Day

November 02, 2012By 15

Earlier this week, pop-punk trio Green Day released the official music video for "The Forgotten," the band's contribution to the final Twilight saga soundtrack, which hits stores November 13th. The nostalgic and heartfelt power ballad incorporates swelling strings (which we, of course, love) and tender, soaring vocals, courtesy of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The ethereal and melancholy tone of the song is even reminiscent of the group's monumental hit "Wake Me Up When September Ends." The video features scratchy, analog-styled footage of the band layered between scenes of Bella, Edward and company pulled from the upcoming film, which gives viewers a sneak peek into the highly anticipated end of the treasured series. Watch the video for "The Forgotten" below:

Green Day's second installment to their ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy, ¡Dos! hits shelves November 9th while the final installment of the Twilight film series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 hits theaters November 16th.

And psst . . . we have a final installment headed your way too. Stay tuned Twihards!

In the meantime, check out our string tribute to Green Day's rock opera American Idiot

Available now at VSQ's online shop, iTunes and Amazon

October 26, 2012

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From the Vault: Depeche Mode

October 26, 2012By 15

The trio held a press conference this past Tuesday in Paris to confirm the highly anticipated release of their 13th studio album (coming Spring of 2013) and announce their world tour, which is scheduled to kick off May 7th, 2013. They plan to hit the road for a three month run in Europe before making their way across the Atlantic to North America. You can check out the scheduled dates (so far) here.Legendary synth-pop gods, Depeche Mode, are breaking the silence.

During the press conference, DM also debuted a brand new, untitled track accompanied by a collage of footage from the recording studio. You can watch the video below:

A celebration is in order, don't you think? Join us in celebrating this announcement by checking out our string tribute to Depeche Mode, which features fan favorites "Personal Jesus," "People are People" and "Enjoy The Silence."

Available at VSQ's Online Shop, iTunes and Amazon

October 19, 2012

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From The Vault Friday: Jason Mraz

October 19, 2012By 15

Around this time a decade ago, Jason Mraz was celebrating the release of his energetic and spirited debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which had its official 10 year anniversary this past Monday, October 15th. The record includes fan favorites "You and I Both," "Curbside Prophet," and, of course, the landmark hit that helped rocket (no pun intended) Mraz onto the Billboard charts and marked his place as a pop troubadour: "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)." Mraz wrote the breezy, upbeat tune after learning that one of his closest friends had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Upon hearing the news, Mraz recalled, "It was just such a surprise, you know? Like, we grew up together, we drank the same water, everything we did was identical, so why do I have a record deal and why is he in the hospital? That was kind of the initial feeling, but we spoke every day and he was like, 'Dude, don't sweat it, you know? I'm just going to go into the hospital, get this done, no big deal.' And he did." The chorus of the song soars as Mraz proclaims "I won't worry my life away . . ." which is a pretty powerful mantra and, perhaps more importantly, a salute to just how effective positive thinking can be. Not only did the song experience explosive success, but Mraz's good friend, who continued to battle the cancer, eventually went into remission.

If you're a fan of Jason Mraz, or just need a few hopeful tunes to brighten your Friday, join us in congratulating our bare-footed friend by spinning Vitamin String Quartet's renditions of his biggest hits:

Available now at iTunes and Amazon

October 12, 2012

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From the Vault: David Bowie

October 12, 2012By 21

October 14th will be a big day for David Bowie fans all round the world.

It will mark the 35th anniversary of one of Bowie's most classic albums, Heroes. The album was one of three albums Bowie conceptualized around Berlin and the second of the infamous Brian Eno/David Bowie trilogy. Not only have critics highly praised the record to be one of his best, but Beatles member John Lennon also considered the it to be the influence for his solo album Double Fantasy and is quoted saying that his ambition was "to do something as good as Heroes."

The famous title track about two lovers meeting at the Berlin Wall — the "wall of shame" — remains an epic rock anthem to this day. "Heroes" has been covered by numerous artists including Peter Gabriel, The Wallflowers and also made it into a pop-rock medley in Baz Luhrmann's film Moulin Rouge. The song will also be featured on the forthcoming soundtrack for movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

If David Bowie is one of your heroes, celebrate this milestone by checking out our string quartet tribute to Bowie, which features' "Heroes" as well as other hits like "Ashes to Ashes," "Changes" and "Space Oddity."

October 05, 2012

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From the Vault: The Beatles

October 05, 2012By 15

50 years ago today in 1962, The Beatles' very first single, "Love Me Do," was released in the U.K. The soulful and bluesy tune was penned by Paul McCartney (with John Lennon later contributing the eight bar middle section) in 1958 when he was just 16. It wasn't always certain that "Love Me Do" would be the groups first single, however. Producer George Martin had initially planned to have the boys record a tune called "How Do You Do It?" but they insisted on using their own material. Martin was able to sway the boys decision on one thing, though, and that was which song would be released as their first single. The boys thought "P.S. I Love You" would make a stronger single and nominated it as their choice, but Martin held firm to his selection of "Love Me Do" and so it was. The song only reached 17 on the British pop charts but marked the beginning of what would become Beatlemania and the starting point of the a new movement of music that changed a generation. A few months later, The Beatles returned to Abbey Road to record a song John Lennon had written called "Please Please Me." After laying down the track, Martin congratulated the boys saying "You've just made your first number-one hit.” He was right. And the rest is history. Stream VSQ's string rendition of "Love Me Do" below:

Check out both VSQ tributes to The Beatles:

Available at iTunes and Amazon

September 28, 2012

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From The Vault Friday: Stone Temple Pilots

September 28, 2012By 23

September 29th is a big day for Stone Temple Pilots.

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of STP's multi-platinum, debut release Core. The breakout album hit #3 on the Billboard charts promptly after hitting shelves and is still regarded as the group's strongest release to date.

To commemorate Core's two-decade legacy, the band hit the road on a 20-date tour across the U.S. this summer, playing Core in it's entirety at each show. Yeah, that means fan favorites like "Creep" and "Where The River Goes" were dusted off to rocket attendees off into nostalgic oblivion. The tour ended this past Sunday at the Aftershock Music Festival in Sacramento, CA.

Continue celebrating the band's milestone by checking out our tribute to Stone Temple Pilots that features Core classics, including "Plush," "Sex Type Thing" and "Wicked Garden."

Available on iTunes now!

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