Customer Reviews

Fans

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I remember living in San Diego and listening to the very popular pop rock/punk station 91X, when I heard McLaren's "Madam Butterfly" for the first time, almost 20 years ago. This beautiful 1st track song has haunted me ever since and ultimately remained a favorite. All of the tracks creatively fuse opera with pop music melodically. For anyone who is familiar with opera or not, McLaren offers a pleasurable listening lesson on this CD and is a must for eclectic 80's music connoisseurs. This CD proved to be very valuable in a Music couse taken today, in comparison of classical and modern composers. McLaren deserves 5 stars for "Fans."

I love this disc. I bought Fans on vinyl 16 years ago and still play it today. It mixes popular opera and electronic music effortlessly, complementing rather than interfering with the integrity of the original works. A precursor to Moby's `Play', the pure vocal placed in a modern setting, only more lush and seductive.

The album has two louder, rockier songs that annoyingly sit in the middle of the other more trancelike pieces, for this reason I deducted a star. All songs are gems, when I buy the CD I'll reprogram the play list and give it five stars.

Unless you find opera offensive, you will like this CD. The album sits comfortably with Beck, Moby, and Gorecki as neighbors.

This is the only CD I've ever purchased for a single song. And I consider myself well compensated.

The lead track, Madam Butterfly (Un Bel Di Vedremo), is the kind of tune I can listen to anywhere, anytime. McLaren sets Puccini's operatic arrangement against the stumbling introduction of a self-admitted bounder and the faithful boastings of his concubine, a woman with whom he will never settle. This is the only pop song that absolutely breaks by heart. "Softly kissing my eyelashes. Call me fool, call me stupid. My white honky's here to stay." She is twice his equal. And it comes from the producer of the Sex Pistols. Experience perhaps.

Worth it.

After seeing the video for Madame Butterfly on MuchMusic in the 80's, I purchased the cassette. Malcolm McLaren's unique style of music blended with Puccini makes for Madame Butterfly being a hauntingly beautiful piece of work. I enjoyed the entire cassette and look forward to finally having it on CD.

When I originally brought this album on cassette in 1985 it influences my musical taste forever. Original, entertaining, solid production and well ahead of smash ups or other blendings of musical genres you hear today 25 years later. His influence is a blueprint on most pop/punk/rb today.

I first heard Malcolm McLaren back in the mid 1970's while in high school, his influence extends to the present day. Later in my misspent youth I came across Malcolm at the club called Danceteria in NYC. More than engaging in real life-McLaren was quite the bon vivant. Although now departed the Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren's influence will live on forever.

Thank you Malcolm for giving me much to think about on this day.

This album(and i mean vinyl...when I bought it in 1984 )was a COMPLETE breakthrough as far as the operettas and arias put in front of me .....this album tells the story of each and evey aria .....as an earley teen...this body of work enabled me as an adult to be able to attend and understand AND have a better overall appreciation of Puccini's work....he is my fave....still love them all...I completly recommend this C.D. ....pass it on to anybody who thinks that they don't like the opera!!!

I was looking for double CD 'Paris' (where I lived for 3 yrs, btw) and I noticed it could be sent together with "Fans". I am so happy I decided to buy both even without reading the reviews. This is my favourite rock-classical style. For me it is the record of the year (so far). If You like this kind of music take a closer look at Nigel Kennedy in general and Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke Group in particular.

i first heard this album in about 1994 and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with it. i am a lover of italian opera and McLaren's interpretion mixing the purity of the opera with some complimentary hip-hop was GENIUS. he didn't cross any lines or anything. my particular favourites are from "madame butterfly"...my favourite opera of forever! i highly reccommend that you purchase this classic.

I never thought I would like opera, but I LOVE this CD! The opera piece is the most beautiful music I've ever heard. I listened to it while on the beach in Italy and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It is a great mix of pop, broadway and opera.