Customer Reviews

Freaks And Geeks: Original Soundtrack And Score

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I basically bought this album because I love "Freaks & Geeks." And as much as I appreciate having Mr. Rosso singing Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" and Millie and Nick harmonizing on "Jesus Is Just Alright" on an album, I can only rate this album as good rather than great. As a soundtrack, this album works pretty well in capturing the spirit of the show: its humor, sensitivity and intelligence. However, I get bogged down in the score, which I think sounds a little too much like a television score, and wish that more of the '70s and '80s songs had been incorporated.

Best "dramedy" I've ever seen on TV to be sure. But while the CD is decent, I wish it had included much more music from some of the serie's most incredible scenes. (I know its all due to "licensing rights", but they managed to secure all the songs for the DVD, so what happened here?) My fave "missing from the soundtrack" songs:
1. RIPPLE - Grateful Dead. I'm not a Deadhead by any means, but this was the last song on the last episode, and tied up the whole series on a poignant note.
2. ROSALINDA'S EYES - Played when the 'geeks' were shooting bottle rockets with their new gorgeous female friend. A rarely heard jazzy number from Joel. They chose to use that song over any of his "big hits". But sadly, it didn't make the CD.
3. TOM SAWYER -Rush. Yeah, 2 Rush songs would be pushing it, but if it were a double-disc...
4. NO Van Halen? The show was chock-full of VH tunes, but I guess they couldn't use any on the soundtrack?
5. KING TUT - Steve Martin. That scene was great where Samn, Neal & Bill started fighting each other.
6. LOVIN'TOUCHIN'SQUEEZIN' - Journey. Like most of the above songs, F&G made me appreciate a lot of music that I never really was into. Journey, Rush or Styx would normally NOT be the music I listen to. (I'm 32 so I grew up on them and wasn't that impressed.) But when used in the proper context, songs can become more meaningful.
Some dialogue from the show would've been welcome on this too. Like an occasional Joe Flaherty rant. Or Cynical Ken interludes. Or Rosso lecturing. Or the geeks talking about Three's Company or Dallas, etc.
So overall, I'm glad this CD came out, its just that (unlike the DVD which is beautifully over-the-top in content, this just didn't feel 'complete'. So any fans of the show should be cautious, cuz unlike the DVDs, the soundtrack isn't all-inclusive. But I wasn't expecting it to come out anyway, so I shouldn't complain...its just that it coulda been so much more!
(I AM very glad they included "The Groove Line" tho'!)

This is a good soundtrack to a great show. It includes the hits from the show that you expect, such as Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" and Rush's "The Spirit of Radio". There is also a really good current song called "Dumb as a Crayon" by a band called The Leaving Trains. Also included is the guidance counselor doing a hilarious version of "I'm Eighteen" as well as "Up On Cripple Creek". But what kept me from really liking this CD are the instrumental songs in between the hits. It was all TV score written and performed by the same guy. Not that the music was bad, but it ruins the flow of the CD.

A very important component to the quality of the Freaks and Geeks program was how they incorporated the music. Music used correctly with film is so powerful. This comes from the CD liner notes...

"Think about the scene where Bill Haverchuck comes home in lonely latchkey style and finds solace watching Garry Shandling on Dinah! We don't hear Shandling, instead we hear The Who's "I'm One"...the perfect statement of Bill's isolation and wounded pride. "No Language in Our Lungs" from XTC offers the perfect musical background for being picked last in gym class. And who better than Joe Jackson, a still undervalued skinny-tie rock god, to play as Sam Weir tries to "Look Sharp!" in his Parisian nightsuit?"

Lastly, the liner notes list Mr. Rosso's (guidance) musical notations for each song. Pretty funny stuff such as "And maybe next time Joan Jett is counting off those first rockin' eight beats, she'll go the extra two and after counting to ten, realize she's not that angry after all!"

A nice plus would have been some classic dialogue from the show, but no such luck.

Freaks & Geeks represents a timeless exploration into...

Oh, what the heck am I saying?! This show was flat-out funny, extremely touching and packed with some of the generation's best tunes. But even the show's creators have said that the best part of the series is each song woven into the show's intricate patchwork of natural hilarity - making this, my friends, one of the most rewarding soundtracks around.

Older listeners may recall their own experiences with songs like "Look Sharp!", "Come Sail Away" and "The Spirit of Radio."

But younger ones like myself will forever remember the tunes as they relate to the painfully awkward experiences of Sam and Lindsay Weir - debuting the Perisian nightsuit, suffering that first dance and reluctantly dropping more dry ice in the bucket.

(Or, if you've caught the deleted scenes, "Come Sail Away" may remind you of something completely different!)

Original score numbers by Michael Andrews tie all tracks together in an audible representation of all 18 episodes. And not only does this CD have a whopping 25 tracks, but the last four riff straight off the show! For those of us who finished the season and wanted more, THIS is what we wanted.

Freaks & Geeks will live on forever because of its fans, who defy cancellation to support the immensely talented creators and cast. If you enjoyed the stellar acting of John Daley - the show's young "Sam Weir," who today stars in FOX's "Kitchen Confidential" - we'd love to see you in our Yahoo! Groups discussion club, Fans of Daley.

Nothing is off-limits, including this amazing soundtrack. Just one listen merits a completely different series-watching experience.

Classic music helped make the series what it is. I highly recommend you don't own one without the other.

Freaks and Geeks was perhaps one of the best shows of its time. Too bad Fox never gave it a chance to shine and cancelled it after only one season. It lives on in DVD form and now the geniuses that are creator Paul Fieg and executive producer Judd Apatow will be even more appreciated since the release of this compilation of songs used in the show as well as some original score music. The use of Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" as the opening theme for the show (as the Freaks and Geeks got their yearbook photos taken) set the tone for the entire series. Reputations are precious things in high school, and that's what we are reminded of by this song. The songs bring back great memories from the show as well. From Sam and Cindy dancing to Styx' "Come Sail Away"; to Bill being picked last in PE while XTC's "No Language in Our Lungs" plays in the background; to Nick and Millie singing the Doobie Brother's "Jesus is Just Alright" at Lindsay's kegger. The original score work by Michael Andrews is outta' this world as well. It set the tone and mood in many a memorable scene. This is a great album that I will cherish along with my Freaks DVDs,

Of course, they couldn't fit the entire 100 songs played in the show, but the ones they selected were great! Especially when the actors sang, 'Lady L' and 'Jesus is Just Alright' and 'I'm Eighteen' were awesome!

The nostalgia factor for me is huge. I love the show. I love the music. Enough said.

Love the series, love the soundtrack. Cute pieces from the actual show, not just a compilation of pop songs that were used. Oh, and it has the Lady L song!!

What can i say. Freaks and geeks is one of the best tv shows ever made! i cant belive they canceled if after one series they were crazy!. well this soundtrack is awesome i recomend it!