Customer Reviews

Beatles: Music Of

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I was interested in this album because as a violinist, the richness of a full orchestra playing music is almost always preferable to a handful of musicians. Being a fan of the Beatles, I was intrigued by the concept of hearing some of their music orchestrated. After browsing the available options at Amazon, I decided to opt for this collection as it seemed the most comprehensive, and the price wasn't too bad either.

What I got wasn't all that I had expected or hoped it would be, but it would be misleading to say that this album is a waste. The orchestra isn't the best, and some of the arrangements are--well, lackluster. The most disappointing aspect to me is that the majority of the songs are still accompanied by an electric bass line. This screams to me of laziness and lends many of the tracks this flaw is found in a certain level of cheesiness that gets on one's nerves. That said, many of the versions of their earlier compositions--pre-Rubber Soul--give the songs an added weight and texture that they did not possess originally; these are the most pleasing to my ear.

As much as you get out of the 3 discs, there are a few tracks that, to my disappointment, were not included in this album, "Norwegian Wood" being one of them. Luckily, I found the album "Beatles for Strings" on Amazon by the same orchestra. Unluckily, being by the same group, the songs are of no higher quality than those found on this set.

I have some reservations about recommending this item. It does have several well-done tracks. However, there is a level of "cheese" found on much of this set that the Beatles' originals never had, and that is a definite negative. Furthermore, the omission of several of the pieces that would seem to be best suited to such an orchestral treatment from this set--while they can be found elsewhere--is another flaw, requiring you to pay more.

This is the most comprehensive of the orchestrated compilations, but it has a few major issues.

this is the music of the beatles played by some symphony no-one's ever heard of, pretty ho hum, not bad but not good. if you have a desire to hear the songs of the beatles symphonically you might as well pick this up, its not a bad price for a 3 cd set

as a lifelong Beatle fan i've reached the point where i'm seeking fresh ways to listen to them. i still play the Beatles canon on my iPod about once a week, but i wanted to enjoy the songs even more often. which led me to seek out interesting Beatle cover versions & also instrumentals.

whether they're cover versions, my favorite ones are ones that capture a Beatle spirit & yet are creative, just like the Beatles themselves. Mojo magazine has for the past 5 years have annually put out interesting tribute cds revisiting a single album.

for instrumentals my favorite are the 3 volumes of Beatles Baroque by Les Boreades, but the 3 cds here are also interesting interpretations. the arrangements here though solidly orchestral are creative & various tracks have varied surprise instruments so the orchestrations are not all the same.

the Les Boreades cds have more good wild variations, but the songs here have enough variations to keep this set interesting & is a good additional to any instrumental Beatle collection.

As always, read the fine print. This is "The Music of the Beatles: Performed by the RRSO Symphony Orchestra." It is instrumental with no vocals, and it is not the Beatles.

Now, that said, this is good music, especially for background, and it's a good collection of 36 songs on 3 CDs. The music is uplifting and invigorating, and the kind of music that, if playing in a shop or a cafe, I would ask what it was and where I could buy it.

But it's probably not the kind of music you would want to just sit and listen to. Background is the key with this one. And if you are just in the mood for some Beatles, this might not be your answer. When it comes to the Beatles, there is no substitute!