Search - Various Artists :: Bossa n' Stones, Vols. 1-2

Exile On Lame St.

Komsedrol | Los Angeles | 06/02/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I adore the Stones; and I love bossa nova. I also love marzipan and Thai food, but that doesn't mean that they should be combined.



Let me get right to the point (you can even skip the rest of this review): this compilation is criminally awful. Not only are these perhaps the worst Stones covers I've heard, they on their own merit aren't good songs. They're cheesy, glossy, cynical, soulless, and so blandly professional as to be instantly forgotten. Yet it is as cover songs that they fail on a spectacular level. Sure, the Stones wrote some awful, maudlin or cutesy tunes (Dandelion, Angie), but they are first and foremost a c*ck-rock band. The Stones (at least the prime Stones stuff) were about sex, debauchery, menace, and perversion, and that's what made, and makes, them fun to listen to. Bossa nova, as much as I do like it, is not about sex, or debauchery, or menace, or perversion (mind you my Portuguese isn't very good). Why leech out the very thing that makes the Stones great in the first place?





This collection manages to completely defang--nay, emasculate is the better word--the Stones. Maybe you're the guy who says, "You know, I would love Sympathy For Devil if it were less Satan-y, maybe a little more, I don't know, non-threatening." Or perhaps, "As I woman, I thought 'Under My Thumb' was very misogynist. But then I heard it with strings and a flute and I realized how perfect it would be for my upcoming fund-raising party for my child's preschool."



If that's you, I wish you hours of smooth listening with this compilation. If you, however, are the kind of person who prefers his Stones with some b*lls, as opposed to an order of spinach and artichoke dip, I suggest you pass this one up.



One further piece of advice: if any current or prospective romantic partner gives you one of these songs on a mix, do yourself a favor and run for your life.



Thank you."

Love it!

stinkdyr | Boston | 12/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great renditions of Stones tunes in Bossa Nova style. These songs really come off well in this style since it is so different from the original style. This is in contrast to the Bossa Marley songs which are not so diff from the original downbeat reggae style, so I suggest avoiding the Marley collection. Just stick with the Stones!"