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