Customer Reviews

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this CD mainly because I love Andrew Lloyd Webber but don't want to spend a lot of money. However, the quality of the songs aren't that great and several are instrumental even though in more expensive versions, there are actually lyrics. This is a good CD to buy if you're just becoming interested in Andrew Lloyd Webber's works, but if you have been a fan for a long time like me, you might be disappointed.

This is one of the worst renditions of Webbers' music that I have ever opened my ears to. While no music deserves one star, this collection nears that mark at a lowly three, narrowly missing two, only because the melodies are still in tact. However the resemblance to a Casio's song bank is uncanny, thus making these works hardly worth listening to mush less purchasable.

This collection of Webber numbers is an absolute disgrace to each and every song presented here. All of the songs sound like they were recorded using an electric keyboard, and most singing numbers have been reduced to purely 'orchestral' affairs. The song that sealed my hatred of this product was their rendition of "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. This was one of the few numbers that retained the choral parts, but the man they chose for it made my ears bleed, and the song- the formerly lovely duet between the phantom and a soft piano- has been changed into a synthesized, pop-like monstrosity. Skip this collection and buy the original recordings of your favorite Webber musicals; it's well worth the extra money, especially the original cast recording of Phantom of the Opera.

This CD is absolutely the worst recording of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's music ever put together. The vocals (when there are any) are absolutely terrible, especially on "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" (the girl can't sing, and her voice has absolutely no emotion "The Music of the Night" (that guy is supposed to be the Phantom?) and "Love Changes Everything" (he sounds like a cheap Elvis impersonator). The arrangements are strange, making "Music of the Night" into some sort of pop-rock ballad and distorting many other songs terribly. Of course, when it's so obvious your "orchestra" is made mostly of synthesizers, with only a very few exceptions, I guess you have to work with what you've got! Also, the whole thing is basically in "mono", making listening to it with headphones or a good stereo system a real drag. I am a huge Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, and this is the most disgraceful rendering of his music I have ever listened to.

This is a good CD, with excellent music tuned for the mass.
If you like pop music and opera, you'll see this is a combination of the two.

....and therefore should be avoided at all costs.