Customer Reviews

Symphonic Rock

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

 

 

I received this as a present and at first I wasn't sure if I would like it because I don't like some of the original songs, but there's something about hearing the orchestra play that makes me like all of them. Just try it out.

If you buy no other classical music, buy this collection. CD 1 (Relax) is perfect for dinner, quiet entertaining or just soft music while you're working. From "Come Away With Me", to "Whiter Shade of Pale" to "Knights in White Satin"... each piece is it's own movement - and moved you will be... Perfect for a romantic evening. CD2 is more robust, but equally entertaining. "Layla", "Livin On A Prayer", Stairway to Heaven", "Run to You" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" - you owe it to yourself to hear these licks performed by the RPO.

It really isn't rock, but it is a very pleasant presentation of popular music, rendered in creative ways by a full symphony orchestra. It sounds like the orchestra had a great time making these CD's.

Ok, this album is not for everyone, it is only for those who truly appreciate music and know how to reconize truly good sounding music. It isn't exactly what I would cruise down the road with the windows down and turned up loud - but it is superb for relaxing at home, chilling, working and not wanting some loud screaming of lyrics or talking in general to interrupt your workflow (if you are like me and don't like dead silence when working, this is PERFECT!) As a matter-in-fact I have it playing right now as I type this.....give it a shot, but only if you are a true music lover!

Once upon a time (at the end of the 70s) the London Symphony Orchestra had the idea of producing "classic" or rather orchestral versions of classic rock and pop songs. They made five essential albums from 1977 to 1984. A huge success.

Alas, the label "classic rock" or "rock classics" or "symphonic rock" is all over the place these days. It had started after the LSO's initial success: Everybody suddenly recorded similar albums which quickly deteriorated into easy listening. While the first five albums interpreted true classic songs from the Beatles or the Who or Pink Floyd or even Rock'n'Roll or some traditional songs ("House of the Rising Sun", for instance) the "new" symphonic rockers just took songs from the top of the pops of the day.

But worst of all was the dumbing down of the arrangements. It shows with this recording here. These are just instrumentals, faithful replays of the original songs, same rythm, same sound (complete with synthesizers), even same length. It's just plainly boring and most of the time much worse than the original pop songs.

And it's not what the original idea was all about: to discover the symphonic quality of modern pieces - how would the classical composers have dealt with the same musical material? In the first LSO arrangements were hints of Ravel and Gershwin and Elgar and Holst, even some avantgarde techniques. Ever compared the Boomtown Rats' "I don't like mondays" with the wonderful and disturbing 10-minute-monster the LSO made of it? Or heard the all-strings-version of "Whole lotta love"? Or the Bolero-version of "You really got me"?

And then everybody, including the LSO, started to make some sort of James Last meets Lloyd Webber. The temptation to make a quick buck was just to much, I guess. So skip this one, look for the true classic Classic Rock. They are not hard to find.

This is a good CD for background music for just hanging around or having a party of any sort.

It's not extremely interesting music, but nice background, relaxing and pleasant with full orchestra. Not a bad buy at all!

The album was everything I expected from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Great easy listening and perfect for baby boomer dinner parties.

amazing versions of [ stairway to heaven ] and [ bat out of hell ] and [ nights in white satin ] overall i am very pleased with this purchase.

I was a bit disappointed with this CD. There are some songs on this playlist that should have blown away the listener but that was not the case. The music, at best, is background music, certainly nothing to savor and play and play again. If anything, this CD makes one listen to the true classics of Beethoven, Dvorak, Vivaldi, Mozart and others.