Hey kids, remember the glory days of movie soundtrack albums? I do. Of course, you’ll probably think I’m a psycho if I admit to having at one point not only owned but enjoyed the Godzilla soundtrack, yet I’ll happily counter that with the fact that both Dirty Dancing and its mambo-laden (guh-gung!) followup More Dirty Dancing are on my iPod, as are both volumes of the music from Grosse Pointe Blank, and the Twister soundtrack… Oh, I just went back to being a psycho again, didn’t I.
Anyway. My point here is that it seems, of late, that the songs officially designated as accompaniment to the blockbuster films of the day have not been as exciting as they once were. Whether that’s because everyone can just download the good stuff off iTunes and leave the bad Wallflowers covers behind in the discount bin or whatever has yet to be scientifically determined, but there is, on the horizon, some good news for soundtrack lovers: The Spider-Man 3 CD, featuring new tracks from the biggest names in indiedom, and Chubby Checker, will be released May 1. I’ll dissect its worldwide implications — and give away a VALUABLE PRIZE — after the jump!
Look, I can’t tell you anything about the origins of that creepy, almost X-Philian black oil creeping onto Spidey’s suit in the trailers, but I can tell you that his over-developed dark side has at last led our hero to something resembling good taste: Snow Patrol, the Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, the Walkmen, the Flaming Lips, Rogue Wave, and Jet all make appearances on the new album, and those are just the bands I’m sure you’ve heard of. It’s a cred-tastic array of artists, and it begs a number of questions, not least of which is, Why did they wait this long to hire a decent music supervisor?
I mean, let’s go back through history: Spidey 1’s 2002 soundtrack was anchored by a very good albeit annoyingly insistent Chad Kroeger song, then meandered through the "punk" wasteland of Sum 41 and Alien Ant Farm before landing on still-slightly-under-the-radar-at-least-for-mall-shoppers bands like the Strokes and the Hives, made a woeful dip into Pete Yorn, and then filled the end up with Danny Elfman score stuff.
2004’s Spidey 2 was, if possible, even more unfortunate, because it assumed (incorrectly) that the same people who want to listen to Train, Hoobastank, and Yellowcard also want to listen to Taking Back Sunday, Midtown, and Dashboard Confessional, and vice versa. Trust me: When Maroon 5 is the winningest band in your lineup, there is something very wrong. Plus, it, too, filled the end up with Danny Elfman score stuff.
(NOTE: I am not complaining about Danny Elfman. On the long list of soundtracks I’ve owned, the Batman score certainly makes top 5. I used to have a long-play cassette where I dubbed Batman onto Side A and John Williams’ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom score onto Side B, and I used to listen to it every night to get to sleep. And now you have way more information than I ever meant to disclose, so cut me some slack, haters.)
But hey! It’s a new day and a new Spidey, and this one has been reading NME! You should know this album is worth the purchase price for the Flaming Lips’ epic-yet-sweet "The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love" alone, that the Killers song sucks way less than their second album, and that as usual I will strongly advocate for the simple sunny pleasures of my friends the Rogue Wavers. Furthermore, the record contains no Danny Elfman filler, choosing instead to save that final slot for the Oohlas, who may have only sold like 9 records but hey, the kids on MySpace love ‘em. Even the weaker/more obscure bands have their own merits: If you hold your ears and squint, Black Mountain could be My Morning Jacket; Coconut Records features Jason Schwartzman and backing vocals from a certain spider-smitten faux-redhead herself; and I don’t know who these Sounds Under Radio folk are trying to fool, but that is a big-time rock ‘n’ roll band masquerading as some unsigned indie-emo whatsits.
So what do you think, PopWatchers? Can this high-quality soundtrack save its beloved genre from almost-certain future death? Did these bands sign on because they love the Spider-Man franchise so much or because anything that’s going to clear $100 million on its first day ain’t a bad thing to be associated with? Do you think the recent announcement that they’re going to release an indie version of the Now! comps was in any way influenced by this excitement-generating track listing?
And could someone please confess a love of movie soundtracks that is more pathetic than my Batman/Indy obsession? Most embarrassing admission wins a copy of the long-out-of-print Hope Floats original soundtrack, featuring 6 bonus tracks!
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I am not sure this is embarassing but quite odd for sure and that is that my personal favorite, hands-down, best soundtrack around is that of Meet the Deedles, a horrenoudsly bad Disney movie from the late 90s featuring Paul Walker. However, the soundtrack features in their prime ska/punk acts like Hepcat, Dance Hall Crashers, Save Ferris, Goldfinger and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Add to that the fact that most of the tracks are new songs, and not the standard soundtrack throwaway, and I still listen to it all the time. I tell people this and they just say, “What the crap film are you talking about?”
Whitney – I am a soundtrack lover as well – and a big part of that is because I’m also a big fan of cover songs. Most soundtracks these days now include a reinterpretation of a song that I *kinda* know but haven’t heard in years. I like rediscovering music from the past. This includes cheesy teen soundtracks (from sleeper hits like 10 Things I Hate About You to huh? choices like The New Guy) as a result.
Or, I might have an obsession with finding EVERY SINGLE SONG by a particular artist (how else to explain purchasing the Point Break soundtrack for a blah Sheryl Crow track?).
Don’t be embarassed; the “Twister” soundtrack is totally awesome.
I probably take the cake for soundtrack loserdom. I’m probably the first person in history to be moved to TEARS every time I listen to the Hellboy Soundtrack, which, btw I spent an entire week in New York City hunting down at various record stores. To make matters worse, I am a regular poster at adtunes.com (an amazing tool, praise the creators) requesting the names of tracks that I’ve heard in movie trailers so I can download them and relive them over and over in each dramatic, gut-wrenching note *sigh* Don’t tell my boyfriend. He already thinks I’m wierd for knowing every word to “Face To Face” by Siouxsie And The Banshees from Batman Returns, the best film of the original Batman series. Oh, and the Love Actually soundtrack is my guilt pleasure. Now you have enough dirt on me to last a lifetime
Empire Record, Dazed and Confused, City of Angels, Boomerang, Aladdin, The Bodyguard, Bed of Roses-At least some of these soundtracks from my collection have to make you feel better!
I have the “A Night at the Roxbury” soundtrack…and I’m not afraid to use it (and openly enjoy it) whenever I’m in my car.
I have the “A Night at the Roxbury” soundtrack…and I’m not afraid to use it (and openly enjoy it) whenever I’m in my car.
I must say that I much prefer the Twister score soundtrack over the “music from” album, though I of course have both. I have been soundtrack obsessed since I bought my first soundtrack, Independence Day. I have dozens and dozens from all genres. There’s no shame in celebrating one of the best parts of movies. Besides, anyone who doesn’t get all choked up by the music from The Natural clearly doesn’t have a soul.
I must say that I much prefer the Twister score soundtrack over the “music from” album, though I of course have both. I have been soundtrack obsessed since I bought my first soundtrack, Independence Day. I have dozens and dozens from all genres. There’s no shame in celebrating one of the best parts of movies. Besides, anyone who doesn’t get all choked up by the music from The Natural clearly doesn’t have a soul.
I have Godzilla. I have the original and more Dirty Dancing. I have the one from the James van der Beek football movie. I almost killed my Batman Forever CD from replaying Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” Among the playlists on my iPod:
-Movie scores
-Movie trailer music
-Disney scores
-Disney songs
-Musicals
I’m drowning in my own shame.
Ferris ! – i’m pretty sure everything used in the film was actual scientifically proven gold dust. and yet THERE WAS NO LP – this is one of the last century’s great crimes.
More embarrassing? How about making tapes of the Star Wars soundtracks so that they’d be in exactly the same order as the music in the films? Oh yeah, I’m cool…
When I was 12 I bought the Home Alone 3 soundtrack because I thought it contained the Chumbawamba song “Tubthumping” which was featured on the trailer. Alas, it did not. Worst. Soundtrack. EVER.
Okay I confess I bought the Top Gun soundtrack and wore out the record, then wore out the tape version.
The best soundtrack I ever bought was for Queen of the Damned. The movie was awful but the soundtrack was wicked.
I have the Miss Congeniality soundtrack…can you say Shatner-ized?
And I love it.
The Home Alone soundtrack is greatness for both the holiday season and a random day in July. No embarrassment required.
Um, I bought the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack for that Jennifer Love Hewitt song. Not only did I purchase a soundtrack to a sequel…I did it for an actress pretending to be a singer. Whatevs, I still like that song.
I’ll see your Godzilla/Indy combo and raise you the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack, featuring some really lame rapping, two songs by Bobby Brown and an unfortunate attempt by James “JT” Taylor to make himself hip.
(Is that good enough, or do I need to bring up “The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney”? Because I really don’t want to have to do that.)
The first tape I ever bought was the soundtrack to Free Willy. It has one Michael Jackson song, and the rest are all bad, or instrumental. I wore the tape out.
Did I then buy the tape to Free Willy 2? Yes. Yes I did.
Don’t feel bad. That Batman score is brilliant. Here’s something more embarrassing: I own the soundtrack to EVERY Batman movie, even FOREVER and AND ROBIN. Honestly though, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”, “Kiss From a Rose”, and “Foolish Games” made them worth buying. I do love soundtracks. My favorite is probably Evita, but I also really like the soundtracks for Mulholland Drive, the first two Batman movies, Beetlejuice, Cruel Intentions, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’m a big Elfman fan, if you couldn’t tell.
Also, I forgot to mention that I love the song “Batdance” (from Prince’s Batman soundtrack), despite the universal disdain for it.
I already have the Hope Floats soundtrack, but I think Ceballos wins hands down anyway. Drive Me Crazy and Never Been Kissed are both actually pretty good, but I’m not sure what possesed me to buy the Killing Zoe soundtrack. Romeo Must Die and Save the Last Dance were on repeat for an entire summer. Sliding Doors is still one of my all-time favorites. I think I got The Full Monty just for You Can Leave Your Hat On. Sad.
The Romeo + Juliet soundtrack was in my cd player just about every single day in 7th grade. Such a great album. Lovefool? You and Me Song? Everclear? All of it, gold.
I am addicted to movie scores. Right now I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod called Soundtracks 2 that includes Superman Returns, The Illusionist, Pride & Prejudice, Home Alone, Dances with Wolves, Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias and The Abyss…how’s that for an eclectic mix? Most embarassing–buying the cassette tape (!) for Made in Heaven, that weird movie starring Timothy Hutton that also features Debra Winger dressed up like a man.
i’m liking your writing more and more whitney. consider me a converted hater. as for embarassing soundtrack admission, i played the crap out of my Beetlejuice Soundtrack tape. Yeah there was Danny Elfman on it too, but I just FFd to the Jump In Line (Shake, Shake Senora) by Harry Belafonte.
Movie soundtracks are such a guilty pleasure. The Clueless & Empire Records soundtracks are my favorites. I also have ones from Rush Hour, Scream, & Can’t Hardly Wait. Who doesn’t love Run DMC’s “Tricky”?!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 movie) MC Hammer anyone? I think there has to be a recording somewhere where I sing along to these songs. Yikes.
oh and it is SO UNFAIR that they took the Garth Brooks song out of the newly reissued ‘Hope Floats’ Soundtrack. Did they really need to make room for the Dave Grusin main title???
In terms of embarassing soundtracks… my collection is pretty astounding. First was “Speed 2″, with standout tracks from UB40 and Mark Morrison (yes, of “Return of the Mack” fame). Also in the collection: the Pokemon soundtrack (back in my teeny-bopper days) and the Light It Up soundtrack (bought solely because Nsync sang on it). Those three may take the cake- especially since I listened to the Speed 2 soundtrack everyday for months. Oh the spoils of youth!
I think there should be a special post of Tarantino soundtrack – I just bought the Death Proof soundtrack.
While I’m not embarassed by it, but I loved the Batman album. Of course, I love Prince AND Kim Basinger.