It’s hard to know why these records actually get made at all. Sure, it’s marginally interesting to hear if and how some of the best rock tunes, by one of the top bands of the last two decades, work in a pseudo-classical context, but would you actually want one in the

house?

There’s twelve tracks in all, including ‘The One I Love’, ‘Stand’ and ‘Man On The Moon’. Along the way you get dodgy, stodgy and soulless versions of ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Nightswimming’ that add nothing to the songs as we know and love them. The presence of predictable aor-style drums and bass throughout only contribute to the lumbering clumsiness of it all, especially on tracks like ‘What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?’ and ‘Shiny Happy People’.

Unless you’re a terminal REM completist, avoid.