Customer Reviews

The String Quartet Tribute to R.E.M.

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

 

 

As a musician and musicology student, I am very familar with both the "classical" world of music, and the popular world of music, and I have to say that perhaps string quartet versions of R.E.M. might be interesting, but you need a creative and enterprising quartet (such as Kronos Quartet, etc.) to do this. This CD is greatly disappointing because the transcriptions are simplistic and lacking imagination. String quartet recordings can be very exciting, but not here!

Wow, I just bought this CD and I was surprised to see how poorly reviewed it was. Actually, that is the primary reason for my participation in this review... to offer a positive and encouraging reason to purchase this compact disc. I found the music to be refreshing and beautiful and, despite what other reviews have said, found the musicians to be quite talented. It's a good CD to relax to, have a dinner party to, et cetera. It's not REM, don't expect to hear REM. It is, however, a string quartet who brings a refreshing twist to most of REM's popular songs.

This recording may only be very exciting to the rabid REM fan or collector, but if that's what you are then this is a must have. It includes all of the REM staples as might be expected (Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts, and Shiny Happy People), but also has surprising choices such as Superman, Catapult, and Crush With Eyeliner. The only point which I feel wasn't absolutely astounding is the string rendition of ...End Of The World..., this song just doesn't come off quite right without Stipe's lyrics. But this record is definetely recommended by this die-hard fan.

This was a good idea but a 4-string quartet just doesn't sound right doing R.E.M. Note, it's not an orchestra and it sounds choppy.

Just listen to the previews first, I didn't.

No, I'm not making this up. Somebody actually produced this recording. Actually, two people produced it. Nearly two string quartets were assembled to play on it. (I say "nearly," because most of the tracks were played by a trio, who apparently used overdubbing to inflate themselves into a quartet.) I'm not sure that any string quartet could have made this music seem appropriate or entertaining: these folks certainly were not up to the task. The end result is so banal and boring that it does not even work as a novelty record that might be fun to play at parties. Unbelievable...

A disgrace to both REM and the work of good quartets. The idea is enticing, but the quartet's execution is awful. Truly terrible. Dull. Choppy. Uninteresting. Same. I'd say boring, but I can't stand to listen to it long enough to get bored. It's so bad I was compelled to log onto this website just to see if I could get my money back. I see the quartet doesn't even have a name -- I can understand why. It's advertised as just "The String Quartet Tribute to R.E.M." and it lists the players. Maybe someone else could do better, but I doubt it, as the arrangements are bad too. Sorry to say it, but this CD is truly awful!

This is one of those albums I wish I hadn't paid for. It's an interesting curiosity for the REM fan, but I find it nearly un-listenable. The arrangements simply destroy most of the REM sound. My advice: pass this one by, and pick up the disc from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.