Customer Reviews

City Of Angels: Music From The Motion Picture

5 star:		(187)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Soundtracks traditionally mix styles of music and the end result may be unusual. This soundtrack has such a mixture from blues to the mellow style of Gabriel Yared and there is much of this music that is excellent, but the incongruity of styles can also yield some rather bizarre transitions from one song to the next.

U2 opens the CD with the mellow ballad "If God Will Send His Angels." This quality song has a pop beat with Bono's typically excellent vocals requiring this song to be played loudly to hear the words well. U2 is eclipsed by one of Alanis Morissette's best songs, "Uninvited." The stark contrast of her voice with the piano and percussion at the beginning of the song contrasts again with the power of her voice and the instruments as they rocket from the quiet take off into a high-power ascent. Few singers could have vocalized this song as does Alanis Morissette.

Jimi Hendrix is up next with the bluesy "Red House." For those who like Hendrix you will find this song to be representative of his style. For those who do not like Hendrix, you may want to pass this song by. The Paula Cole song "Feelin' Love" follows with another change of pace. The song has a blues flavor, though very different from the style of Hendrix or the following John Lee Hooker song, "Mama, You Got a Daughter." While all three songs have a basis in blues, the style and pace of all three are very different, as well as the music that supports them.

Sarah McLachlan's aerie and haunting vocals on "Angel" keep in tune with the theme of the movie. Sarah has a vocal style that is as unique in its own way as Alanis Morissette. The pace then picks up with "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. This oft-played radio song was a huge hit for the Goo Goo Dolls and secured their commercial success. This song also has soaring vocals and powerful instrumental moments that provide the emotional power of this ear-pleasing song.

Peter Gabriel once provided the progressive drive for Genesis. His song "I Grieve" has unique moments of new age-flavored progressive rock. I can believe that this melancholy song will be played at wakes and memorial services for years to come. However, watch out for the change in tempo at five minutes into the song as the style changes as well. Peter Gabriel fans will appreciate this class and style of this song.

I was unfamiliar with Jude prior to listening to "I Know," but I am very impressed with this song. The style is mellow and poignant. The vocals echo within my soul and appeal to my ears and emotions, signs of a well-crafted song.

The last vocal on the CD is Eric Clapton's "Further on Up the Road," another blues-flavored selection. This seven minute selection retains a strong club-played blues style. It is the length of this selection that allows you to imagine you are in a jazz club listening to Clapton play. All you need to do is turn the lights down, turn the music up, and pour yourself a cold one.

The last four selections on the CD are instrumentals by Gabriel Yared that provide the background music in various places in the movie. Yared's music can be as melancholy as the theme of the movie and some of the other music on this CD, as in "An Angel Falls." Yared also provides music that is more introspective and upbeat in "The Unfeeling Kiss." Yared's music takes on a more ethereal and haunting in "Spreading Wings." The final selection, "City of Angels," has elements of the previous songs and can give you a feeling of ambiguity that matches well with the powerful end to the movie.

I usually avoid soundtracks because they sound too much like, oh, a soundtrack. However, while there are a couple of selections that I tend to pass over because I am not a fan of hard-core blues, there is a lot on this album that I find enjoyable and excellent. I was fortunate not to have seen and thus be influenced by the movie that inspired this movie, so I found this movie and the soundtrack to be artistic and awe-inspiring in places. The theme and the execution of the movie appeared to me to be the visual equivalent of progressive rock. Given the nature of the subject, the often soaring and bombastic vocals in instruments were a perfect fit; airy, ethereal and powerful music for a similar subject. I suspect that fans of pop music will skip over the more challenging music on this CD, and fans of blues will skip over the pop and instrumentals, if either purchase the album at all. However, this soundtrack is an excellent opportunity to sample and appreciate a very broad selection of quality music. I recommend this CD for those who enjoy good music regardless of the style.

If you like variety in your music, buy this CD. I especially love the songs by Alanis Morisette, Sarah MacLachlan, Peter Gabriel, and the Goo Goo Dolls. I really love the instrumental pieces by Gabriel Yared at the end of the CD. They are soul-stirring in their emotional intensity.

This soundtrack is so true to the story of the film , it also stands alone as a masterpiece as a sort of concept CD. Anyway the lowdown: Sarah Maclachlan's `Angel' and Alanis Morissettes `Uninvited' give virtuoso performances. It's a consistent CD every track is either cool, rocking, or melancholy. The last 4 tracks are my fave by Gabriel Yared who won an Oscar for his score on `The English Patient' he also scored the music for `Betty Blue' Message in A Bottle' and `The Lover' , The 14th track ( City OF Angels ) is so emotive climaxing in a crescendo of Angels screaming in a mass falsetto of heartbreak and lament.
There is nothing to compare it to with exception to ` Passion / The Last Temptation Of Christ'.
I recommend this to anyone as its musical variation , lyrical consistency , and EFFECT is timeless , buy it today and I can guarantee you will be buying some of the other stuff from the compilation of artists who appear on this soundtrack.

Someone once said of Angels that the beat in your heart is the flapping of Angels wings , guarding us from pain , when our hearts break they take our soul to God who reincarnates it in to a new host so we have a new chance of finding truelove.

The soundtrack from this memorable movie contains some really great songs. First, I mention Alanis Morissette, one of my favorite singers, and her song "Uninvited", which was released before her second CD (Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) and had everyone clamoring for it. I love this song for its musical simplicy and unique lyrics, and it is the number one reason I bought the soundtrack, because this song is not any of Alanis's other CDs. But there are a few other gems on this album, such as the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris", another popular radio hit, Jimi Hendrix's classic "Red House", U2's "If God Will Send His Angels", Sarah McLaughlin's "Angel", and Paula Cole's "Feeling Love". I think that each song is a good representation of the movie's theme, and it is worth buying because it is one of those albums I think people will listen to and love, then put away for awhile, and later dig it up again as an old treasure they're glad they remembered.

Man this sound track is kicking. Its like one of the best I have ever heard. Like I dig that song "uninvited"by alanis morrisette.Man she has a different voice which make it cool like with like rock band. Really its a good sound track and the movie is good. I was crying in the end. Thats my favourite movie.

Yes, I will be willing to go as far as say this is the best soundtrack EVER. It includes songs that aare perfectly amazing. I love Alanis Morissette, Goo Goo Dolls, Sarah McLachlan, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton, and lucky for me, they all appear on one CD. The previously unreleased "Uninvited" is for sure some of Alanis Morissette's best work (being a HUGE Alanis fan) and my favorite song on the soundtrack. John Lee Hooker's "Mamam You Got a Daughter" is a very original blues song that is fun to listen to and sing with. Sarah McLachlan and Goo Goo Dolls both have songs that surpass all others that I've ever hears. And Gabriel Yared's instrumentals are perfect for the CD. Above all I don't think that anything is better than this soundtrack. A wonderful variety of music.

This music reflects the contents of the movie as nothing else can! The best album to go with a movie up to now. If you actually listen to the lirics (Goo Goo dolls and Peter Gabriel and even Sarah McLachlan) you start to grasp the idea that you just can't take life for granted! And about shooting Alanis and others, ? Buy this and take it with you on long drives! Start thinking!

This is not only my favorite soundtrack, but one of my favorite CDs! It is such a great mix of music--from classic blues by Hooker and Clapton to alternative tunes from U2 and Alanis. The original score instrumentals from the movie are also quite nice-very light and relaxing. If you loved the movie, then you will love this CD no questions asked. Even if you have not seen the movie or did not care for it, I recommend the CD because it is such an unique and enjoyable compilation. I love to put this CD on and just kick back (it is also the perfect CD to listen to when stuck inside on a rainy day). Just FYI: In addition to the artists mentioned above, songs from Jimmy Hendrix, Paula Cole, the GooGoo Dolls, Peter Gabriel, and Sarah McLachlan also appear.

First of all I loved this movie. When I heard Sarah McLachlan's song "Angel", I knew I was buying the soundtrack. I love the entire CD. My least favorites are John Lee Hooker's and Eric Clapton's songs; however, with the Great Jimi Hendrix on there, he makes them fit in. I do agree with another reviewer about Eric Clapton, his song should have been "Tears in Heaven!"

My favorites are: "Angel", "Feeling Love", all of Gabriel Yared's 4 songs at the end, "Uninvited", "Iris", "If God will send His angels"...each and every song on the CD is awe inspiring! I think some of these artists must have experienced OBE'S and/or NDE'S (out of body and/or near death experiences) because they have taken their music to a higher level than most.

I have to admit I think the CD would be better without JL Hooker's track, and replacing Eric Clapton's track with "Tears in Heaven." I would really like to give it 4 1/2 stars but since I can't I will round up to 5.

Every once in a while, a truly amazing soundtrack comes along and shakes up the long-held notion that most soundtracks feature one good track followed by some tunes no one has ever heard of. In 1998, the film "City of Angels" was released and made great strides on the charts with two hit singles and an album full of tremendous songs.

There's a definite pattern to the tunes on this record. They are full of angst, passion, and longing. This is not a happy-go-lucky film, and the music reflects that. U2's pleading `If God Will Send His Angels' reflects the agony of human weakness, while Peter Gabriel's `I Grieve' is tragically heart-wrenching. Jude's `I Know' tries to persuade us to open up to others, and Gabriel Yared's score is both soaring and passionate.

Then there are, of course, the two songs that had us all glued to our radio stations. Alanis Morissette, following up on the success of her debut "Jagged Little Pill", proves on the melodic `Uninvited' that she can do more than scream insults backed by hard rock. The song is beautifully tragic, delicate yet powerful. Like all of her pieces, its lyrics are brutally honest, and its orchestral background makes this one seem more truthful than most of her material.

The other song that made its mark on radio stations everywhere was `Iris', performed by the previously unknown Goo Goo Dolls. An acoustic masterpiece in vein of something U2 would produce, the enigmatic tune is both heart-felt and depressing. There's a sense of longing here that lacks in most mainstream music, but comes across beautifully with its poetical lyrics and simple yet effective melody.

Six years after its initial release, "City of Angels" remains one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, in a league with "Top Gun" and "The Bodyguard". Why? It combines tremendous music with soulful voices. Both `Uninvited' and `Iris' are mainstays on most radio stations, and the other songs featured have stood up to the test of time as well.