Draghi; Blow: Odes to Saint Cecilia

Advantages: A great diversity of famous works
Disadvantages: Not everything is perfect

...SAINT-SAËNS: Finale from Symphony no.3 in C minor, op.78 "Organ" This collection therefore represent some of the best known pieces of music from the Baroque era to the 20th Century, all predominately orchestral. Most of the recordings are very good, although there are a few rather poor ones as well. The slowing down in the "Ride of the Valkyries" takes much power away from the piece, Beethoven's Fifth is painfully slow and measured instead of being faster and more powerful, the "1812 Overture" lacks punch (with the cannons probably digitally added) and the "Ode to Joy" is nothing but a 30 second snippet. However the choral pieces are mostly fantastic (the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem is nothing short but mind-blowing, as is the Mozart alternative, Holst's "Mars" is one of the best I've heard, the performance of Placido Domingo in "Nessun... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: They got away with it
Disadvantages: it's cheesy chart crap

...When a blatantly assembled pop band can get away with covering a song about being a heroin addict and get it to number one you have got to admire the sheer genius behind it. Don't think for one moment that the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had nothing to do with this. The All Saints version has a guitar riff sampled straight from the original and when someone wants to sample a piece of one of your songs the band have to give permission and get paid a huge wedge of cash for the sample. RHCP have made a lot of money out of this cover which kind of blows away any credability they had. I don't like this song but whoever wrote the arrangement for it is unbelievably good at what they do. The whole point of this cover was to get some attention by pissing people off and make a lot of money, both of which it did in style. It's a good tune done very... Read review

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Advantages: CHILLED OUT
Disadvantages: NONE

...WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF THE SUGABABES BEING AS YOUNG AS THEY ARE I THOUGHT GREAT THEY WILL BE ANOTHER BRITNEY SPEARS CLONE OR ANOTHER CHEESY POP GROUP BUT HOW WRONG I WAS! THIS ALBUM IS FANTASTIC. THE SOUNDS FROM THE GALS ARE MELLOW CHILLED RELAXED AND CALMING IF I HAD TO COMPARE THEIR MUSIC TO OTHERS I WOULD SAY THEY WERE AN ORIGNAL VERSION OF THE ALL SAINTS BUT MUCH YOUGER AND MUCH FRESHER. THEIR FIRST SINGLE OVERLOAD REALLY DID BLOW ME AWAY HOW SUCH YOUNG GALS COULD PRODUCE SUCH GOOD MUSIC IS BEYOND ME BUT THEY HAVE MANAGED IT AND THEY HAVE SUPRISINGLY MANAGED IT WITHOUT BEING CHEESY OR TOO MANUFACTURED AND I THINK THEY ARE GREAT ROLE MODELS AS THEY SEEM SO SOPHISTICATED AND DOWN TO EARTH. THEIR OTHER SINGLES NEW YEAR AND RUN FOR COVER ARE ALSO GREAT TRACKS AND ARE ALL GOOD EXAMPLES OF WHAT THIS ALBUM IS ALL ABOUT.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful