Beethoven's Last Night

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's first two recordings, a pair of late-'90s Christmas albums, hinted that some day TSO might evolve into a latter-day ELO or even an ELP. Instead, this overwrought concept album shares more common ground with ALW (Andrew Lloyd Webber) or Meat Loaf. TSO, in fact, aims to retrace a path once traveled by producer Jim Steinman, the mastermind behind the theatrical, over-the-top rock opuses that briefly transformed Mr. Loaf and Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse of the Heart") into mass-audience favorites. TSO ringmaster Paul O'Neill (once a guitarist in Broadway productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair) here ditches the holiday themes and instead scores a simple-minded fairy tale (whose text spans a 32-page CD booklet) that involves Beethoven's soul, the devil, and an imaginary Symphony No. 10. Too often, the music is the servant of the project's thin plot, and the rock-classical instrumental bravura that initially attracted public attention to TSO (at times, the group sounds like a symphonic Boston) is obscured by overheated vocal rantings. Meanwhile, the guitar-driven rendering of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony ("Requiem") is mundane. Yet, one vocal track, "After the Fall" with singer Patti Russo, jumps off the record as a Tyler-esque knockout, raging with emotion and melodic luster. It doesn't save the album, but it helps. --Terry Wood more

Price Range:$9.99 to $14.99 | 4 stores
Product Rating:

99 Reviews
Info:
Set Price Alert Save to Wish List
Tags:
Audio CD, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Amazon, Tower.com, Buy.com, Best Buy

ComparePrices

title,desc	merchant	price	seeit
Smarter Choice Beethoven's Last Night Beethoven's Last Night	Buy.com 23,982 reviews *smarter certified	$13.98 Coupon 1 coupon available Code: Detail: Take $5 OFF the purchase of $100 or more at Buy.com Expires:Nov-30-2009 Restriction:New Customers Only. Coupons are not valid on Marketplace items	See it
Beethoven's Last Night Trans-Siberian Orchestra's first two recordings, a pair of late-'90s Christmas albums, hinted that some day TSO might...	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$11.99 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
Beethoven's Last Night Track Listing: 1. Overture, 2. Midnight, 3. Fate, 4. What Good This Deafness, 5. Mephistopheles, 6. What Is Eternal,...	Best Buy 14,835 reviews *smarter certified	$14.99	See it
Beethoven's Last Night	Tower.com 94 reviews	$9.99 Coupon 1 coupon available Code: Detail: FREE standard delivery when you purchase over $25.00 at Tower.com. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Unknow	See it

*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).

Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here

MoreStores

Write a review

ProductReviews86/100 (99 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-02-2008; Don't waste your time or money; Largely vocal and not too good at that. I was hoping for more instramental and was hugely disappointed. Guess I should have read t he Amazon review first. Love some of their Chrismas music but hate the vocal.; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-17-2008; Dare you not to cry:; This experience is like a broadway show without people. The first time through I lost a little in listening and following the booklet at the same time. BUT, the second time I listened, ALL of the beauty and meaning hit me full force....; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-30-2008; Great sound!; This is one of my favorite CDs. The combination of rock and classical music is amazing! Most of the vocalists have great voices and do a great job also.One of the only problems with this CD is with the keyboards. The keyboardist does...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-23-2008; Patti Russo rocks!; I bought this cd solely for Patti Russo's tracks. The writing could have been better, but her voice goes a long way in pulling off the lyrics. I rarely listen to the other songs--only Patti's, but I consider the cd worth the money.; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-17-2008; Dare you not to cry:; This experience is like a broadway show without people. The first time through I lost a little in listening and following the booklet at the same time. BUT, the second time I listened, ALL of the beauty and meaning hit me full force....; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-23-2008; Patti Russo rocks!; I bought this cd solely for Patti Russo's tracks. The writing could have been better, but her voice goes a long way in pulling off the lyrics. I rarely listen to the other songs--only Patti's, but I consider the cd worth the money.; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-02-2008; Don't waste your time or money; Largely vocal and not too good at that. I was hoping for more instramental and was hugely disappointed. Guess I should have read t he Amazon review first. Love some of their Chrismas music but hate the vocal.; read full review | report as inappropriate