Jon Lewis wrote:

>Conversely, rock songs with orchestral accompaniment, or use of "rock
>style" in a classical composition, is a recipe for annoyance.

I am afraid this is what the Metallica-SFO collaboration sounds like, at
least to my ears.  Mind you, I used to be a huge Metallica fan.  I have
been less than impressed with the band's output over the last four or five
years.  But when I heard the first three tracks of "S+M" on an L.A.  rock
station the weekend before the CD hit the stores, I was simply stunned.
"Annoyance" may be the most charitable description.  "Abominable" is more
like it.  It is jaw-droppingly awful.

I blame Michael Kamen, whose arrangements here lack imagination, and the
engineer, whoever he is, for such a lousy mix.  (Actually, that may be a
blessing in disguise, especially when the band drowns out the strings.)

By the way, the in-store promotional material treats the thing as a kind of
bad joke.  The copy says:  "Did you hear the one about the heavy metal band
that played with the orchestra?" Or words to that effect.  Listen to the
punchline for yourself, if you like.  It made me wince.  Perhaps others
will hear differently.

Regards,
Bob Chen
Los Angeles, CA