* 1/2 The Hollyridge Strings, “The Best...

* 1/2 The Hollyridge Strings, “The Best of the Beatles Song Book,” Varese Sarabande. Now that the Beatles anthologies have struck platinum in the ‘90s, it’s only natural that we’ll see a flood of Beatles-related reissues. So beware. You’d think from the Hollyridge Strings name that this should be filed in stores under easy-listening, but there’s such an aggressiveness to the arrangements of such songs as “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Hard Day’s Night” that the comedy bin might be more appropriate. It’s hard to listen to the soaring strings on some tracks without actually laughing out loud at the over-the-top zest. Works best as a party brightener.

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