Glee: The Music, Volume 1 [Soundtrack]

Glee Cast | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 3, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B002NJ8X9G
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,533 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #83 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > General

Editorial Reviews

Relive your favorite Glee moments with original cast recordings. 17 tracks including "Don't Stop Believin", "Somebody to Love" and "Take a Bow."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 146 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This soundtrack is GREAT, not your typical covers album... November 7, 2009

By Larry Davis

Format:Audio CD

All in all, this CD confounds expectations with it's contradictory flair, as does the show...it should be THE uncoolest thing out there...a glee club performing songs by uncool people like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Broadway tunes, hiphop/R&B, and more...

But it's COOL!!!

The way the songs are rearranged and reimagined, the kids (and teacher, etc) can all really sing, the context is about underdogs, the writing is sharp as a knife, and you care about the characters...it's an unexpected, exciting, odd, and brilliant treat. The real surprise is how well the songs and performances hold up as a CD, outside of the show...and yes, get the Target edition for 3 great bonus tracks...I met the kids too, and they're all really nice, good kids...but the main 2 girls (Lea Michele who plays Rachel, and Dianna Agron who plays Quinn) are stunningly (as they say in the UK) "fit" in person. Here's the breakdown of the CD:

1- "Don't Stop Believin'" (Rachel & Finn, the Journey song from 1981, nice arrangement with the accappella opening...it works!!)

2- "Can't Fight This Feeling" (Finn, the REO Speedwagon #1 ballad from 1984, it's given a fresh acoustic guitar treatment and imperfect but tender reading that gives it new life)

3- "Gold Digger" (Will and featuring Mercedes, the Kanye West(?!) song that's sorta like the teacher trying to be "hip" and "up-to-date", but it actually works and is as good as the original...Amber Riley's booming Martha Wash-like vocals add flavour)

4- "Take A Bow" (Rachel, the Rihanna song which works in context of the show and this CD, and Lea sings it with real emotion...I like it better than the original!!)

5- "Bust Your Windows" (Mercedes, the Jazmine Sullivan song which works perfectly with Amber's booming soul vocals, which are on par with Jennifer Hudson & Martha Wash...I like it as much as the original)

6- "Taking Chances" (Rachel, the Platinum Weird song...you're like WHO?? PW was a fictional band with Eurythmic Dave Stewart, but the vocals were by Kara DioGuardi...yep, the American Idol judge...and those 2 wrote this song...their album was almost "released" in 1974 but got shelved, and that actually came out in 2006...they also did a "new" 2006 album, which DID get shelved but got packaged at the last minute with ONLY BestBuy's edition..."Taking Chances" is on that BestBuy CD only...this project was botched basically, and Kara & Dave gave this song to Celine Dion for her album of the same name from 2007/2008...Celine is now only known for this song, not Kara...the original KILLS, Celine's not as great and an identical arrangement...LEA's version here is BETTER than Celine's and as great as the PW version...similar arrangement too...I guess best not to change it at all.)

7- "Alone" (Will & April, the Steinberg/Kelly song that was a huge #1 hit cover for Heart in 1987...Heart's version is iconic, and it's never been a duet before, but it works...this blows all attempts on Idol...except for Alison Iraheta's career-making take...Kristen blows the roof off while Matt is ample support...the guitars are rawer here than on Heart's version...love it)

8- "Maybe This Time" (Rachel & April...the "Cabaret" song, in an iconic spot on "Glee", works excellently here...GREAT vocal dual by Kris & Lea and I love the jazzy arrangement)

9- "Somebody To Love" (Rachel, Finn, Mercedes & Artie...yep, the Queen song, and the cast's take is as great, or better, than George Michael's take...it comes mighty close, believe it or not, to Queen's original)

10- "Hate On Me" (Mercedes, the R&B/hiphop song, TI?!?, not sure, I don't follow mainstream hiphop/R&B really, but it's a decent track, better than the original, as I'd rather listen to this than seek out the original, and that's rare)

11- "No Air" (Rachel & Finn, a hit as a Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown duet, and it's as good as their version...JS/CB didn't write the song, so it was easy for Lea & Cory to match)

12- "You Keep Me Hangin On" (Quinn, the #1 hit Supremes classic, and Dianna pulls it off!!! The arrangement is close to the Supremes original, not Kim Wilde's 1987 #1 cover, but Dianna brings an innocence to her take, which meshes well with the lyrical defiance of the song...it works both in the cheerleader scene on the show and as a track on the CD...not easy...and I LOVE Lady Di's vocals...many think they're weak, but I disagree...I find her vocals charming)

13- "Keep Holding On" (Rachel & Finn, the Avril Lavigne power-ballad which works better on this CD and on the show than in Av's repertoire, I think)

14- "Bust A Move" (Will, see "Gold Digger", but his take on Young MC's memorable late 80s pop/rap classic works better than Kanye, as it showcases Matt's personality better, and the musical track is still just as fun, with the Glee-sters adding fun "you want It, you got it"...girls...and "Bust A Move!!"...guys...)

15- "Sweet Caroline" (Puck, the #1 Neil Diamond standard...on an unrelated note, this tribute to Caroline Kennedy and the Turtles' "Happy Together" are similar songs and the Glee-sters should do that song too...Mark does an AWESOMELY great take on this song, adding fresh energy to his great voice...he's like Neil Diamond mixed with Robbie Williams really...and I'm THRILLED the Glee-sters didn't add the annoying horn-line imitation "ba ba ba" on the chorus that they did on the show and fans of this song always do...but my one complaint is that this version is TOO SHORT!!!! It should have been 2 minutes longer...sorry, 1:58 is too short, it's inexcusable...I should loop it or something)

16- "Dancing With Myself" (Artie, the Billy Idol/Generation X new wave/punk classic, reimagined as a finger-snapping acoustic jazzy shuffler, and it really works...I at first found it annoying, but it was the biggest grower for me on the whole CD...go "Wheels"!!)

17- "Defying Gravity" (Kurt & Rachel, the song from "Wicked", sung originally solo by Long Islander Idina Menzel, and it IS a beautiful song, love it, and I was curious if Lea's vocals would be just as magical, and they are...predictably...if not more so, but the REAL surprise is Chris' BEAUTIFUL falsetto on this duet...like goosebump-worthy...he's worthy of complete adulation...I asked him at the signing when he will get his own song on the show, he said next week...this is the one, and people will be blown away, seriously...again, my one complaint is that the song's a bit too short...2:21, should have been a minute and a half longer)

TARGET BONUS TRACKS:
18- "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Will, the Color Me Badd song freom 1992...here is the ACAFELLAS version, and it's actually pretty cool on record...I never thought I'd love ANY take on this song, but this version's pretty sweet and cool...an achievement)

19- "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Emma, the one track sung by fave Jayma Mays, and she has an utterly sweet voice, not unlike Julie Andrews, and the song fits her like that wedding dress, but the track is, again, way too short...a minute and a half, are you kidding?? 1-2 more minutes please...I'm not into these too-short tracks)

20- "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (Will, the real surprise of the CD...this song hasn't been performed on the show yet, and I had no clue that Matt would be doing this utterly sweet take on this John Denver classic...the guy is better at doing these types of songs than silly rap numbers...being he arranged this himself, I wonder if he's also a songwriter and has put out records before...cuz he has talent...and if you listen to the lyrics, you wonder how it will play out in the show...if it's geared towards his sham of a wife or towards Emma...we shall see...but these 3 bonus tracks are reason enough to buy Target's edition)

The show "Glee" is brilliantly realized and original, this CD is so good and fun and stands apart from the show as a CD itself, which is quite rare, the singing is great, the arrangements are cool and creative, and it makes me anticipate more music and CDs to come...boxsets perhaps???

Maybe I am a "Gleek"!!!

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars get it at target, it comes with 3 extra tracks.... November 3, 2009

By Bumpy

Format:Audio CD

i dont watch the show at all, i found out about these songs after my friend played them for me, and i thought they were pretty good, its a different take on some good songs. like i stated in the title of my review, get it at target cause it comes with 3 bonus songs, which are i wanna sex you up, i could have danced all night, and leaving on a jet plane. since i dont watch the show at all, i dont know or care about what songs are missing really, i will say this, i will get the next volume in december though. i thought gold digger was pretty nifty. what they need to do next is sing some iron maiden, or some black sabbath, now that would be pretty cool. since i like all kinds of music and all, im sure they will sing a heavy metal song or two sometime down the road.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good souvenir of the show, but ultimately limited by lack of visuals November 7, 2009

By David Pearlman TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

With the TV show Glee, from which this soundtrack has been extracted, we are likely witnessing the nascent stages of a phenomenon. The cheeky mix of drama, soap, humor and a bit of pathos mixed with often striking music videos seems to be gaining momentum each week...and rightly so, I say.

Those who've watched the show will no doubt be familiar with all the songs on this soundtrack (save for, perhaps, the last two, which will appear in an episode still forthcoming at the time of the soundtrack release). Many of these songs have been the basis of strikingly good video presentations.

But how well do they hold up on their own, without the visuals?

The answer is: A very mixed bag. Listening to these full length studio versions (mostly the same as those used in the TV show but extended, although sometimes with mix differences), one finds that some songs are just too faithful to the originals. This isn't necessarily a problem in the show, but when you lose, for example, the cheerleader dances for "You Keep Me Hangin' On", this carbon (but ultimately inferior) copy of the Supremes original has a "what's the point" character to it. The same holds for a few other songs that are entirely too faithful to the original arrangement, such as "Can't Fight This Feeling" (originally by REO Speedwagon). Even "Somebody to Love", which is a flat out showstopper in the show, comes off a bit redundant (compared to the Queen original) on record.

The songs that survive best are those that are either substantively rearranged or else just much better sung than the originals. The glee club-ized duet arragnement for Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" reinvents the song and truly owns it. The remake of Rianna's Take a Bow doesn't play much with the arrangement, but it's nice to hear an actual in-tune voice and not the product of a whole body press on the auto-tune button. Turning Heart's "Alone" into a duet also doesn't alter the arrangement much, but does add a little to the song. The remake of Jordan Sparks/Chris Brown's "No Air" strips some of the clutter and superfluous electronics and plays up the pop elements of the song to great effect--though an even better (much better) version of the song is the shortened version that accompanies the visual sequence in the show.

They go too far once. The radical re-imagining of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" is striking in it's own way, but loses much of what made the original song catchy and winds up just a novelty.

While most of the songs that have appeared in the show up to the time of this album's release are included, there are some that are missing in action. Several of these are OK, but not really missed ("Rehab", "Leaving on a Jet Plane", etc.) But two of them are real head scratchers: The "mash up" mixes of "It's My Life/Confessions, Pt. II" and "Halo/Walking on Sunshine". These are unquestionably the two tracks that most successfully play with the originals and quite cleverly produce something new and worthy. The latter track, with a version of Halo that strips off the dirge-like canned rhythm track from the Beyonce original and reveals a top rank pure pop song, is probably, from the standpoint of the recording, the best thing they've done so far. (The track also substitutes Beyonce's ridiculously auto-tuned vocal with a very strong lead from Lea Michele). So why are neither of these tracks included? It makes no sense, unless there are legal entanglements. (The tracks are available as downloads from the major services).

A final comment about the vocals on these songs. Lead singer Lea Michele, who gets the majority of the leads, is an outstanding vocalist who can bring the Broadway belt when necessary and is really the secret weapon of the show. The other member of the Glee cast who has demonstrated real lead singing ability is Amber Riley, who so far has been given most of the more R&B leads. Matthew Morrison, who plays the teacher, and who gets the occasional lead, is also decent enough. So far, so good. But now let's talk about Cory Monteith, who plays the male lead Finn Hudson. While it's not so apparent on TV, when you listen carefully to these songs you discover that Monteith's vocals are heavily processed and auto-tuned. This gets old pretty fast, and if Monteith can actually sing, the producers have so far successfully hidden that fact and would be well advised to let up on the effects and let that shine through. In fact, Mark Salling (Puck)'s vocal on Sweet Caroline suggest that he may be a better singer than Monteith. Finally, a few of the lead vocals on this soundtrack (Last Name, Alone and Maybe This time) are handled by Broadway vet Kristin Chenoweth, who guest starred on a single episode, and who in true ringer fashion brings them all home with an outstanding singing voice.