REVIEW: Various Artists, SLC Punk Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Joann D. Ball
Movie soundtracks can be hit-or-miss, sometimes filled with everything except the songs from the movie that you wanted to hear again. But that's definitely NOT the case with two new releases on Hollywood Records, the SLC Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and The Other Sister Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Both showcase fitting song selections in perfect order, with the former soundtrack coming across like a cool college radio show circa the mid-1980s and the latter sounding like a warm, feel good Adult Contemporary collection.
Hollywood Records' own Detroit upstarts The Suicide Machines get SLC Punk off to a rousing start with a ska-punk cover of the country classic "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden." Then the punk classics start rolling as if part of an underground radio playlist. There's the pure energy of Exploited's "Sex & Violence" and Fear's "I Love Livin' In The City, and the raw power of punk godfather Iggy Pop on the Stooges's seminal "1969." "Too Hot" by The Specials provides a brief ska break, before the punk history lesson continues with CBGB's scenesters the Ramones' ("Cretin Hop") and Blondie, an old skool band currently riding an incredible popularity wave. Blondie's punk pop hit "Dreaming" seques perfectly into "Kiss Me Deadly" by Billy Idol's first band Generation X, and is followed by the Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll." An interesting point of departure is the trip-hop cut "Gasoline Rain" by Moondogg, but it actually provides an even greater sense of just how groundbreaking punk was and how it continues to influence new forms of music. Several songs later, the Dead Kennedys' "Kill the Poor" brings the 14-track release to a fitting close, capturing both the primacy of punk and the social welfare policies of the Reagan era at the same time.
The Other Sister, more mainstream in appeal and less aggressive in tone, features lead singles "Loving You Is All I Know" by The Pretenders and "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden. On the former, Chrissie Hynde lends her unmistakable vocals to a Diane Warren composition. A power ballad of near "Armegeddon" proportions, it similarly emphasizes the passionate voice of the lead singer while burying the band's signature guitar sound under elaborate orchestrations. Australian chart-toppers Savage Garden wrote "The Animal Song" especially for the romantic comedy, and the song's catchy chorus and upbeat tempo reflects the film's "love conquers all" message.
The 11-track release also features top selling artists Joan Osborne, whose previously-unreleased version of the Etta James classic "At Last" is a real treat, Paula Cole on the radio hit "Me" and Hollywood Records' breakthrough artists Fastball on "She Comes Round.'" "Follow If You Lead" by their label mate Idina Menzel should find a well deserved audience and "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss suggests yet another country crossover waiting to happen. Juliet Lewis' recording debut and a selection from Rachel Portman's original score close out the soundtrack.
SLC Punk and The Other Sister are so strong as records that they could exist independently of the films to which they are attached. In this case, the soundtracks are crucial vehicles for the movies rather than the typical "see-then-hear" arrangement. SLC Punk, a comedy which chronicles the experiences of a pair of punks in staid Salt Lake City during the early 1980s, opens nationwide on April 16th. The Other Sister, an uplifting comedy about a slightly mentally challenged woman's desire to live and love on her own terms, is currently playing in America. SLC Punk Motion Picture Soundtrack TRACK LISTING [artist in brackets]: I Never Promised You A Rose Garden [The Suicide Machines], Sex & Violence [Exploited], I Love Livin' In The City [Fear], Beat My Guest [Adam & The Ants], 1969 [Stooges], Too Hot [The Specials], Cretin Hop [The Ramones], Dreaming [Blondie], Kiss Me Deadly [Generation X], Rock and Roll [Velvet Underground], Gasoline Rain [Moondogg], Mirror [Fifi], Ameoba [Adolescents], Kill The Poor [Dead Kennedys] The Other Sister Motion Picture Soundtrack TRACK LISTING [artist in brackets]: The Animal Song [Savage Garden], Loving You Is All I Know [The Pretenders], When You Say Nothing At All [Alison Krauss], Mrs. Robinson [Lemonheads], She Comes 'Round [Fastball], Me [Paula Cole], I'm Free [The Soup Dragons], Follow If You Lead [Idina Menzel], At Last [Joan Osborne], Come Rain Or Shine [Juliet Lewis], Carla & Danny's Theme [Rachel Portman]
