26 Soundtracks: Demon Knight

Yet another 90s Hard Alt Rock soundtrack, Demon Knight is of note for the inclusion of Pantera and Filters best songs. Really not much else to say  other than if you are looking for another document of the era this one is worth rescuing from the dollar bin.

1. "Cemetery Gates" - 5:47 (Pantera)

2. "Tonight We Murder" - 3:56 (Ministry)

3. "My Misery" - 4:28 (Machine Head)

4. "Diadems" - 4:17 (Megadeth)

5. "Instant Larry" - 4:06 (Melvins)

6. "Fall Guy" - 3:53 (Rollins Band)

7. "Beaten" - 3:10 (Biohazard)

8. "Polícia" - 1:46 (Sepultura)

9. "Hey Man, Nice Shot" - 5:20 (Filter)

10. "1-800 Suicide" - 4:17 (Gravediggaz)

26 Soundtracks: The Crow

Aside from Singles, no soundtrack in the early 90s showcased hard rock, metal and alternative music better than The Crow. Finding music to fill out the apocalyptic vision of the motor city in it’s post job creator downfall was a challenge that met by bringing in the harder edge of the burgeoning Alternative music scene.

Mixing cover tunes and originals the sounds present vary from heavy to sweet, primitive to refined. In many ways the soundtrack is a Rosetta stone of the music of the era, with Stone Temple Pilots (with the Big Empty being a hit track of time), and Rage Against the Machine adding their heavy anger and groove to the mix and of course you couldn’t have a dark soundtrack of the time without the Nine Inch Nails.

  I had almost forgotten about Jane Siberry and her angelic anthem for the film that closes out the sound track, It Can’t Rain All The Time.  It’s a haunting number that I am sure will send those of us who once lived with this soundtrack back to a moment, to a place where someone was saying that all this darkness will end sometime and some place.

1. "Burn" - The Cure (Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Boris Williams, Perry Bamonte) – 6:39

2.    "Golgotha Tenement Blues" - Machines of Loving Grace (Scott Benzel, Mike Fisher, Stuart Kupers, Brad Kemp) – 4:01

3.    "Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots (Dean DeLeo, Scott Weiland) – 4:56

4.    "Dead Souls" - Nine Inch Nails (Joy Division) – 4:54

5.    "Darkness" - Rage Against the Machine (Rage Against the Machine) – 3:41

6.    "Color Me Once" - Violent Femmes (Gordon Gano, Brian Ritchie) – 4:09

7.    "Ghostrider" - Rollins Band (Suicide)(Martin Rev, Alan Vega) – 5:45

8.    "Milktoast" (also known as "Milquetoast") - Helmet (Page Nye Hamilton) – 3:59

9.    "The Badge" - Pantera (Poison Idea) – 3:54*

10. "Slip Slide Melting" - For Love Not Lisa (For Love Not Lisa) – 5:47

11. "After the Flesh" - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (Buzz McCoy, Groovie Mann) – 2:59

12. "Snakedriver" - The Jesus and Mary Chain (William Reid, Jim Reid) – 3:41

13. "Time Baby III" - Medicine (Jim Goodall, Brad Laner, Jim Putnam, Ed Ruscha, Beth Thompson) – 3:52

14. "It Can't Rain All the Time" - Jane Siberry (Graeme Revell, Jane Siberry) – 5:34

Edited to try and fix the formatting issues... 11/17/2011
Also I urge readers to check out these TIG posts on Movie Soundtracks I Can't Live Without, Part I and The Sequel

26 Soundtracks: Return of the Living Dead Pt. 1

The Return of the Living Dead Original Soundtrack

I can’t really say how many times I have written about this soundtrack. It changed my life, or maybe it’s more that I allowed it to change my life. It was the catalyst for something in my life, A move away from rock and roll and pop tunes that extolled love with all of it’s complex highs and lows had left me low. It was in a moment of transition when things hadn’t been working out for me that I found the album on cassette and took it home to open a new chapter in my life.

The album came out at the same time as a new chapter was occurring in the underground music world. The bands represented on the soundtrack; The Cramps, The Damned, The Tallboys, The Flesheater, T.S.O.L., The Jet Black Berries and 45 Grave were all going though their own changes, reflecting differing moments in the scenes they belonged to both on the macro scale and the micro scale. Over all, Punk Rock had made it to its second wave. The early days of art rock and weird kids making a noise had given way to the Hard Core, loud, fast and out of control sound of stripped down Rawk.

 The Cramps and The Tall Boys (an off shoot of The Meteors) were moving from their Psychobilly beginnings towards a sound that we now think of as Garage Punk. 45 Grave and TSOL were moving from their Deathpunk phases into a sound that was more hair metal with 45 Grave going more and more Goth as time went on. The Damned were also on the Goth train with their Punk Rawk sound getting more and more pop and smooth. The Flesheaters were headed towards becoming The Divine Horsemen and The Jet Black Berries has moved from their Dark Psych New Math days to a cowpunk sound.  Most of the bands were headed for their last days of their initial run as they entered their final phases. Interestingly, all of these changes reflected new influences and refined musical skills, and even some maturity and growth as songwriters.

The Film famously is about the adventures of a group of punk who encounter the living dead while hanging out in a graveyard. It’s not that far fetched to think that the soundtrack would feature punk bands, and it’s just lucky that Enigma records was able to provide the soundtrack. Rather than getting some limp major label form of punk some true greats of the horror punk landscape were included along with some of the outliers.  It’s a special soundtrack to me, and one that I hope people keep on discovering and listening to.

26 Soundtracks: Fast Track To Nowhere OST

Along with remaking the AIP films of the 50s and 60s, the Rebel Highway also included remakes of the music of the era. Roadracers featured Charlie Sexton’s cover of Race with the Devil and Girls in Prison featured the Jody Reynolds classic Endless Sleep as coved by Concrete Blonde and the music fits well with the films. As stand alone tracks they are a mixed bag, like any covers album. There are some standouts, Concrete Blonde has long been a favorite of mine, and I have developed a fondness for the Meat Puppets and their House of Blue Lights. I think over all it’s a solid album, that if you find it isn’t going to cost all that much and if you like these songs or bands you should enjoy.

Going back to my comments about the rebel highway series needing a reissue on DVD (wide screen if possible) or on Bluray, If I was going to do a boxset I think that I would add copy of the soundtrack, and if not a special feature on the music, at least a directory of all the songs used in the films.

C'mon Everybody by Iggy Pop

The House Of Blue Lights by Meat Puppets

Lights Out by  Los Lobos    

Endless Sleep by Concrete Blonde

Let The Good Times Roll by Neville Brothers

I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday by Sheryl Crow

Gene Vincent’s Race With The Devil by Charlie Sexton

I'm Walkin' by Blues Traveler    

Evil by The Wild Colonials    

Stroll by The Smithereens    

The Girl Can't Help It by Babes In Toyland    

26 Soundtracks: Dudes

            The soundtrack to Dudes, more than any other album (save one, and I am going to get to that one soon) has informed my musical taste. With it’s mix of Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Punk, Alt Country, and Alternative music it not only fits the film, it’s like a sample of not only what Rock and mainstream music and underground music was going to become in the 1990s, it’s a snapshot of Rock N Roll in transition.

            Not only were the pieces of the decade to come in rock in motion and evolving when the film was made in 1987, but so were many of the bands. You have first and foremost Janes Addiction and Megadeth two band who would go to become major acts in the early 90s. Here Janes gives what I have always thought was their best song, the energetic and frenetic Mountain Song, and Megadeth provides a revved up cover of the classic These Boots are Made for Walking.

            The rest of the album runs the gambit of the genres that I have already listed. Looking back I can see that this album was in many ways a Rosetta stone for the soundtrack of my life. It lead me to the vast majority of what I listen to today. Megadeath and WASP lead me to metal and hard rock. The Vandals and the Little Kings to punk, and Legal Weapon to Alt Country. Now I know that there is more than a little nostalgia in my love of the soundtrack, but I think one of the reasons that I keep coming back to the film, the album and several of the songs is that I just hope people will discover them.

26 Films: Dudes

I am delaying the Dudes VHS and Soundtrack posts until next week, you can read my early write up of the film HERE

26 Soundtracks: Escape from LA

            Released in 1996, Escape from LA along with films like the Crow and Demon Knight (both of which have soundtracks that I am going to cover in the next couple of months) had notable hardrock / Alternative Rock soundtracks.  Most of the songs were just sort of there, the only one of these that I think really has stayed with me is the White Zombie track The One…. Oh and the Clutch song, Escape From The Prison Planet, is one of their best.

I think it’s interesting to note the amount of music that was on the pop industrial side, Stabbing Westward, White Zombie, Tool and Gravity Kills all were mixing rock, pop and industrial sounds. Ministry of course is one of the pillars that Industrial was built on. For those who don’t know, industrial is a form of hard rock that includes sounds made by machines. Sometimes it’s revving motors, or gridding gears, or even the sound of clanking metal. The lyrics often deal with dark themes.

Anyway, Escape from LA is a relic of an era and honestly I am not sure why I still own my copy. I think that for now I am going to hold on to it, and maybe even give it a couple of new spins.

1.              "Dawn" – Stabbing Westward

2.              "Sweat" – Tool

3.              "The One" – White Zombie

4.              "Cut Me Out" – Toadies

5.              "Pottery" – Butthole Surfers

6.              "10 Seconds Down" – Sugar Ray

7.              "Blame (L.A) Remix" - Gravity Kills

8.              "Professional Widow" – Tori Amos

9.              "Paisley" – Ministry

10.           "Fire In The Hole" – Orange 9mm

11.           "Escape From The Prison Planet" – Clutch

12.           "Et Tu Brute?" – CIV

13.           "Foot On The Gas" – Sexpod

14.           "Can't Even Breathe" - Deftones

26 soundtracks: Still Crazy

I like the soundtrack for Still Crazy (reviewed HERE) enough that I sill own it and several of the songs have stayed with me. I could go on and on with a breakdown of the soundtrack, I could talk about what I like and what falls flat. Instead I want to focus on two things, the stand out track The Flame Still Burns and the nature of songs written for soundtracks.

            The Flame Still Burns is thee song from the film. It’s the great song that the band wrote back in their heyday as a tribute to their fallen original member. It’s a great dramatic prop that is one of thee tensions between band members. It’s an epic song with a drama that rises above the din of 70s hard rock that the film evokes. Not only is it a song that can be read as a tribute t the fallen band mate, but also to the spirit of rock and the magic that happens when a performer really allows the music to open them up and expose the raw power of sound to scream to the heavens and to connect with the audience.

            I have to ask if anyone is playing that song and any of the others today. It’s a shame when great and even good bands have superior songs that are unheard these days for whatever reason. In the case of soundtrack songs, and epically ones that are part of a film and part of a band that is created just for the film, they are often even more forgotten than those of defunct bands. The nature of songs written for a soundtrack is that they are created for a film, and often there is very little investment in those songs by their creators. Often times a band is asked to write a song to go along with a film, they get a payday and have a short period of time to get it written and recorded.

            Sometimes those constraints can bring gems to the surface. It can allow bands to have the distance from the material to create something that is raw and not over thought. I can name a dozen great songs that were written for and only appear on soundtracks that have the magic that songs by the same artists that were created for their albums or live sets.  In the case of Still Crazy you have not only The Flame Still Burns, but also Dirty Town and All Over the World, which are little gems that are crying out to be rediscovered and played live.

26 Films: Still Crazy

     Sad but true, for every successful band soldiering on years later there is a history of groups that had their moment and then faded away. The early 70s hard rock outfits were especially hard hit as they often didn’t have the kind of sales to keep money in the bank and to keep a large group of stalwart fans coming out to the shows. Still Crazy follows the story of one such forgotten group, Strange Fruit, as they get the band back together and try for a do over for their last gig at a rock festival 20 years past.

     Plot wise this is getting to be well tread material as we enter the era of the Grunge revival, where we are starting to see the bands of the 90s reform and take to the road to play mainly their old material.  Still Crazy succeeds as a film in the way that it handles this material. While it is about the band, the film wisely focuses on the failed relationships that caused the break up… mostly focusing on the tensions between the bassist Les (Jimmy Nail) who has never forgiven their singer, Ray (Bill Nighy) for taking over when original front man Keith died of an OD. For his part Ray has been battling his own demons and his place in the band.  Add to this mix Keyboardist, Tony Costello (Stephen Rea), MIA guitarist Brian (Bruce Robinson), Keith’s brother and the band’s support crew, Roadie Hughie (Billy Connolly), along with Karen (Juliet Aubrey) who was once their laundry girl and now is their road manager and our cast is set…. Except for the need for a new guitarist. The band quickly recruits Luke Shand (Hans Matheson) to fill in for the missing Brian, before hitting the road for a round of live gigs in Europe.

     You can mostly guess where things go from there, it’s not Spinal Tap, but it’s maybe one of the more realistic depictions of a band on the road. What carries it in addition to a first rate soundtrack (which I will be reviewing this Thursday) are the performances. Mostly notably Bill Nighy, as the vulnerable Ray, who has one of those lives where he might seem assured and in command while on stage, but out in the world isn’t as comfortable as one would expect the frontman of a rock band to be.

     Tony and Karan have a nice relationship, played perfectly without a lot of shouting and drama and misunderstandings. I really liked their chemistry and am left wondering what happened to Juliet Aubrey, as I don’t think I have seen her in anything recently.. I’ll have to look her up.

    Re-watching the film I was stuck by how much I still enjoyed it and that the film still get’s me at the end. As you might expect many things are set right, but I dig the fact that it’s really the music on stage that causes old wounds to be healed and old tensions to be released. The film is on DVD (and it is available from Netflix), but is badly in need of re-mastering for sound and for picture, and a few extras would be nice as well. I don’t know that it’s a Criterion level film, but if someone would do that kind of restoration to it I would be more than happy to pick up a new copy.

26 soundtracks: Ed's Next Move

 I am not going to even argue that the 90s were the only time that quirky was embraced in music, but I feel like the early and mid 90s were a time where quirky worked much more than in the 20 or so years preceding the time.  I say this because Ed’s Next Move is filled with two types of music, Jazzy score and quirky pop songs.

            I honestly don’t have a lot to say about the score cues and music other than they work well in the film and work well on their own. Too many times with out the  visuals that score music is written to and for it falls flat and fails to connect. The score music for Ed’s Next Move is one of those cases where the score music can stand on it’s own and I can see that it might be ideal for around the house, playing in the car or the backyard cookout.

            The real reason that I own the soundtrack is the songs that are mostly part of the film. I noted in my review of the film that Callie Thorne plays a musician and there are a couple of scenes of her with the band, Ed’s Redeeming Qualities. ERQ had been around since the late 80s and built a small following and were covered by The Breeders on their big hit album Last Splash.  The film and the soundtrack make use of a couple of their strange off kilter story songs and includes the additional vocals of Callie Throne on the song More Bad Things… it’s fun music and while too many of those 90s quirky bands (King Missile anyone?) seem to have lost any kind of luster, the ERQ tunes still find their way onto my iPod regularly.

            The last tune of note for me on the album is the Comedians hyper literate history nerd pop opus, Tea & Sympathy. Charting the last great era of the British Empire the song is a world history lesson in 4 minutes. It’s impressive in that not only is the narrative kept, but also the pop structure of the song remains intact and never takes a backseat to the lyrics. It’s driven in a mode that never get’s too cutesy or preachy.  I haven’t looked to see if there is anything by The Comedians, but now I am curious and will have to take a look.

            Obviously this is one of my personal favorite soundtracks and I wish that like the film it had gotten more attention. It’s worth checking out for Tea & Sympathy and the ERQ tracks…. And I like the think it’s the kind of album that some outsider teen might trip over in a discount bin somewhere take it home and love it.

Film Review HERE

26 soundtracks: Tjenare Kungen

Loosely translated as ‘God Save the King ‘Tjenare Kungen[1] is one of those films that I got to see at a film festival, but hasn’t made it to home video in the states. It’s the story of young punks in Gothenberg Sweden in the early 80s who form a band and … this is about the soundtrack, which features not only the music of the fictional band, but also the kind of music that young punks would have been listening to at the time in Sweden. First off you get the UK and American New Wave and NYC punks groups like; Blondie, The Prentenders, Alphaville, The Vapors and Roxy Music. These tracks work well in the context of the film and is a reminder to the viewer that we don’t all start out listening to the underground classics of the time. We all really have to start somewhere and with some more commercial bands and songs.

     The Swedish bands include thee Swedish punk band Ebba Grön with the killer 800 Grader. The rest of the Swedish tracks are ok, but really haven’t stuck with me as songs that I listen to. The tracks credited the band which the film follows, Tjenare Kungen, were written for the film and keep to the spirit of the time and the music in the film. I espically like 1x2x3x4 by the title band, it has a kick and a power to it, which still being infectious and poppy enough.

     Of course both the soundtrack and the film have yet to have any kind of release in the States. The only reason that I even have a copy is that I have visited Sweden since seeing the film and was able to pick up at copy of the soundtrack then… which is all too bad, because I have a feeling that the film and the album would find a small but loyal following if it got even a hint of a release in the States. I recommend both the soundtrack and the film if you run across copies.

Track list:

1. Solglasögon by Docent Död

2. 1x2x3x4 by Tjenare Kungen

3. Man ska vara som ett vilddjur i år by Kai Martin & Stick    

4. More Than This by Roxy Music

5. Turning Japanese by The Vapors

6. Berlin Berlin by Happy Gigolos

7. Perfect Skin by Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

8. Bara för mycket by Tjenare Kungen

9. 800 grader by Ebba Grön

10.         Dancing With Tears In My Eyes by Ultravox

11.         Middle Of The Road by The Pretenders

12.         Livin' Thing by Elo

13.         Diamanter (är en flickas bästa vän)by Lustans Lakejer

14.         Samarin     Atentát by Tjenare Kungen    

15.         Hanging On The Telephone by Blondie

16.         The Freaks by Cortex    

17.         Dunkar Varmt by Tant Strul    

18.         Forever Young by Alphaville

---

[1] MY Swedish tells me that the direct translation is really ‘hello to the king’

26 soundtracks: Border Radio

Border Radio the first feature film from Alison Anders (Food, Gas and Lodging) the plot (from Wiki)

      … in which two musicians and a roadie who haven't been paid rob money from a club and one flees to Mexico leaving his wife and daughter behind. 

The film starts LA punk stalwarts Chris D. (of The Flesh Eaters and The Divine Horsemen) and John Doe (of X and now has a very nice solo career going)

 Along with an appearance by Dave Alvin (of the Blasters and who also has a Solo career)… so it’s should be no surprise that the music used in the film is largely drawn from the participants. I have to admit that I was already a big fan of several of the bands, and a couple of the songs used in the film.  The music is largely in that Cowpunk, dusty, C&W mode. The title track is a Balsters song as covered by Tony Kinman of The Dils and pioneering Cowpunkers Rank’n’File. The Green on Red track, Sixteen Ways, is one of those overlooked LA punk classics and I am a sucker for the Divine Horsemen, who are the third of my holy trinity of LA/ Southwest Cowpunk bands (Rank’n’File and Blood on the Saddle are the other two). The rest of the tracks didn’t really stand out to me, but fit the mood and film and sit well with the rest of the tracks. I am not sure if the record is in print, but the film has been issued on DVD by Criterion and is nicely packaged. I hope that if they are going to up grade it to Bluray (which I don’t think is really going to make it look any better) that they add a download of the soundtrack to the package. If you can find a copy of the LP and you like that rootsy, cowpunk, alt country sound I would say pick it up.

The Tonys – Border Radio

Dave Alvin – La Frontera I

The Lazy Cowgirl,– Drugs

Dave Alvin – Burning Guitar

Dave Alvin – Mi Vida Loca

Dave Alvin & John Doe – Little Honey

Divine Horsemen – Mother's Worry

Green On Red – Sixteen Ways

Dave Alvin – La Frontera II

Chris D. – Lilly White Hands

Dave Alvin – Driving To Mexico

Dave Alvin – Mi Vida Loca

26 Soundtracks: CQ

The one and only film that has so far been directed byRoman Coppola  CQ, is a fun cool film that is positioned on the edge of 1970, and neatly looks at the end of the euro pop genre films of the 60s and the more personal films that would come out of the 70s. For the sound track Coppola picked the french band Mellow to provide much of, but not all of the cool fun bright pop songs that populate the film. There is something joyous and shimmering about the tracks, and even the music cues are fun to listen to outside of the context of the film.

It's a great soundtrack and I highly recommend it as well as the film.





1. Seek You
2. Codename Dragonfly
3. Take Me Higher
4. Love On The Moon
5. Ce Soir Je Valis Boire - Claude Francois
6. 321...Zero
7. Song For The Loved One
8. In The Cave - Antonello Paliotti
9. I Love You
10. A Vision
11. Airplane
12. Rivolizione Sessantanove
13. Le Responsable - Jacques Dutronc
14. Absolutely Free
15. CQ Theme
16. Chain Reaction
17. Multithing
18. CQ Car Chase
19. Tous En Scene - Paul Piot
20. The Lost One
21. Dragonfly M36
22. Dragonfly Car Chase
23. Who Is Dragonfly?
24. The End
25. CQ Song

26 Soundtracks: In Search of....

In Search Of... was a weird, low budget TV show that was produced in the late 70s and early 80s.  One of the things that made it creepy and even scary was the music, with it's odd edgy electronic sounds. Several years ago I ran across a copy of the soundtrack on LP and snatched up a copy. Over all it's a nice LP featuring mostly the kind of music that I recalled from the show.... only the main theme has been turned into a disco-tastic funky jam, that while fun and cheesy, is no replacement for the original.

Listening to the LP again, I am stuck at the strangeness and haunting feel of the tracks. I wonder what some of these would feel like remixed or covered by bands like Nine Inch Nails or Black Moth Super Rainbow. It's worth picking up if you find it for less than a couple of bucks, other wise I would pass on it.

26 Soundtracks: The American Astronaut

The American Astronaut Original Soundtrack

The American Astronaut has to be one of the strangest, weirdest, most odd ball musicals ever committed to film. It’s a low budget Sci Fi Western with a dance contest where all the contestants are men, a. boy whose single claim to fame is that he once saw a woman’s breast, and a planet of women who need a new man. It’ s the kind of project that would only come from the mind of a equally odd ball band, The Billy Nayer Show.

Of course if you are a band making a film, you better have a killer soundtrack, and The American Astronaut Original Soundtrack delivers… for the most part. It’s filled with an assortment of tunes in various styles. There is the majistic instro Ceres Walk, the slightly funky title track and my favorite the rocking Love Smiles. While the styles of the tunes vary there is an underlying element of both rock and country in them, they are the all too rare combination of odd ball and accessible and I dig them, and hope that the cult of the Billy Nayer Show (and of their films) grow over the years.

Track List:

The American Astronaut

Shaving

Ceres Walk

Henchmen

Hey Boy

Love Smiles

Death Of A Pirate

Sandman

Ship Alarm

Jupiter Arena

A

The Baby In The Jar

Death Of Vilensky

Party

Like Nothing Ever Heard

The Silver Miners' Tale

Bodysuit

Venus Landing

Venus

Girl With The Vagina Made Of Glass

The Cloning Device

You can find all things American Astronaut and Billy Nayer Show on the net HERE.

26 Soundtracks: Control

Control OST 2007

Any films about a band is going t o be filled with songs from that band, and the bands around them. In this case the band was Joy Division, and the music is the dissonant ringing mournful post punk of youth trying to escape industrial sticks of the UK. The music is repetitive and droning, just like life in those places during the economic times of the 70s. At the same time there is an energy and intelligence hovering under the surface. With both Joy Divisions music, and that of the peers along with bands that inspired them it’s a solid collection of tunes that should appeal to anyone who is a fan or wants to check out music of that time and place.

Track List

Exit by New Order

What Goes On by The Velvet Underground

Shadowplay by The Killers

Boredom [Live at the Roxy] by The Buzzcocks

Dead Souls by Joy Division

She Was Naked by Supersister

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division

Hypnosis by New Order

Evidently Chickentown [Film Excerpt] John Cooper Clarke

2HB by Roxy Music

Transmission [Cast Recording] by Joy Division [Performed by the Cast]

Autobahn by Kraftwerk

Atmosphere by Joy Division

Warszawa by David Bowie

Get Out by New Order