Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones

Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones Marriages of rock and classical music have never been fruitful, but that doesn't deter folks from trying to perform a shotgun wedding now and then. In the case of Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones, the man holding the gun is Stones producer/engineer Chris Kimsey, who hired the London Symphony Orchestra to record some of the Stones' most durable songs. The resulting album is as misguided and anomalous as you might expect. "Sympathy for the Devil" recast as a mini-opera? "Dandelion" sung by a kid-school choir? Some big-name rockers sing as well — Marianne Faithfull on "Ruby Tuesday," INXS' Michael Hutchence on "Under My Thumb," and old Mick himself, remaking "Angie." But even they can't make this album of arty elevator music count for much more than a pretentious novelty. C-