Hairspray

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (October 17, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B00000EN45
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hairspray

2. The Madison Time

3. I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)

4. Mama Didn't Lie

5. Town Without Pity

6. Roach (Dance)

7. Foot Stomping

8. Shake a Tail Feather

9. Bug

10. You'll Lose a Good Thing

11. I Wish I Were a Princess

12. Nothing Takes the Place of You

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, oldies but goodies you're not sick of the second time around..., January 25, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

The movie Hairspray by John Waters boasts a score so good it's almost criminal! This CD contains twelve great songs that deserve much more attention than they ever received; and just one listen proves it.

The great songs on this CD include Toussaint McCall's heartrending ballad "Nothing Takes The Place Of You." Toussaint McCall sings this beautifully and the musical arrangement enhances the beauty of this number. Jan Bradley performs "Mama Didn't Lie" which is another excellent song. Jan sings about protecting her heart from boys who don't want to give her true love. "Foot Stompin'" boasts an infectious beat by The Flares as they sing about dancing to what was once known as "race" music. Excellent!

"You'll Lose A Good Thing" is a very romantic ballad by Barbara Lynn. In this song Barbara reminds her man to treat her well.

One of very favorite numbers on this album is Gene Pitney's "Town Without Pity." Gene delivers this song very well; his voice is strong and energetic. The musical arrangement will stun you, too. Another excellent song is "The Madison Time" by The Ray Bryant Combo. "The Madison Time" is essentially a great instrumental number with a man telling dancers on the dance floor which steps to take. The arrangement is slick, $exy and very catchy, too.

Despite the fact that this CD boasts a fine collection of obscure oldies, the song "Hairspray" was written for the 1988 movie. "Hairspray" represents camp at its best and you will enjoy this number even if it isn't an oldie.

Other great songs on this CD include "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song);" "Shake A Tail Feather" and "The Roach (Dance)."

Some reviewers write that they wish that this CD included more music from the motion picture soundtrack. They are right. I considered making this a four star review for that reason but I concluded that the strength of this CD as it stands merits a five star review. The songs here are just so good I said "Aw, heck" to myself and so I gave it five stars anyway.

The liner notes give the songs credits and John Waters adds a brief essay about the songs on this CD. The graphics are excellent.

Overall, this CD offers a rare opportunity to hear many obscure but wonderful oldies that deserve more play time than they ever will receive. The quality of the sound is excellent even on my portable CD player. Fans of the oldies or movie soundtracks will love this album. May you enjoy this album as much as I have!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's MADISON time, hit it!, September 19, 2004

By 

B. Janssen (HEERLEN, Limburg Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

A great soundtrack! I like all songs, and I get really happy when I listen to them.
Fantastic!
B U T.......where are all the other songs????
Only 12 songs on a CD, which can contain 20 songs or so!
There are a lot of songs I would like to own very much, but they're left out on the CD. You don't own me, mashed potatoes, waddle waddle, do the new continental. And especially the last 2 I mentioned I would like to have oh so bad, but I can't find them anywhere! Releasing them on this soundtrack was my only chance, I searched everywhere for those songs, and on search engines they aren't even reckognized! Why not release a second part to the soundtracks, it could contain many songs from the movie, since so much has been left out.
a bit of a bummer!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Price Hard to Beat for This Eclectic Set, September 11, 2002

By 

Ibochild (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hairspray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

Cult filmmaker John Waters, did something different in this compilation of 1960s tunes for the movie "Hairspray." Instead of filling the soundtrack with the biggest hits of the period, several rare sides were selected instead. Some examples are Toussaint McCall's moody "Nothing Takes the Place of You" (which he also performs in the film) and the campy "The Roach" by Gene and Wendell. Although both songs failed to make much of an impact on the pop charts upon their initial release, they were big R&B hits. These two very different songs along with teen pop sensation Miss Peggy March's "I Wish I Were a Princess," demonstrate that this collection covers a wide range of styles.

Other gems are the jazz flavored "The Madison Time" by the Ray Bryant Combo, "Foot Stompin'" by the Flares, Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't Lie" (written by Curtis Mayfield), "Shake a Tail Feather" by the Five Du-Tones, and Barbara Lynn's signature recording, "You'll Lose a Good Thing."

Since many of the tracks are by "one hit wonders," you'll be hard pressed to find several of these tracks elsewhere. So whether or not you've seen or even liked the movie, if you're a fan of 1960s music (particularly R&B), this soundtrack is definitely worth a look.

Now with twelve tracks making up the set for a bargain list price, this collection is also a great value. The CD may cover too wide a range of styles for some tastes, but the Toussaint McCall track alone is worth the price. "Nothing Takes the Place of You" is classic Southern soul with expressive vocals by McCall and a simmering organ that immediately brings you into the song.

Need I say more?