Customer Reviews

Home on the Range

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, go see the movie. It's funny.

The album is an excellent representation of the music from the movie, which was written by Alan Menken. In case you're not familiar with his work, here's a resume: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hercules. Excepting that last one, they are excellent musicals all. Home on the Range isn't as good as, say, Mermaid, Beast, or Aladdin, but it's as good as all of the others (and way better than Hercules).

The songs are excellent, with "Little Patch of Heaven" being the best of the lot. k.d. lang's performance of that song is excellent, as is Randy Quaid's on the yodel song. Even better is the score, which has a very rich feel to it and is one of the best Menken has yet provided for Disney. If you have enjoyed his previous Disney films, then I think this soundtrack is a solid purchase for you.

This is that rare Disney Animated Feature Soundtrack that is best appreciated apart from the visuals in the film. When I first saw HOME ON THE RANGE in the theatre, my disappointment in the story and characterizations negatively affected my appreciation of the music. But since I can't have an incomplete collection of Disney soundtracks, I bought the CD anyways. Now I find myself listening to this music daily.

Alan Menken has written an exciting and tender score for HOME ON THE RANGE and his compositions are my favorite aspect of this soundtrack. Cue up "On The Farm" and listen how he weaves multiple themes together. The lyrics by Glen Slater are very good for the most part, but I wont fault him for some of my complaints because he keeps things right in line with the style of the story. Music and lyrics gel perfectly though on "Little Patch of Heaven" (sung perfectly by kd lang and my favorite track) and "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again" a ballad that seemed trite in the film but is far more engaging on it's own. "Wherever the Trail May Lead" by Tim McGraw is preformed a bit too country-popish for my tastes, but the melody and lyrics are strong and he manages to rope things in before he loses control. The Beu Sisters aren't nearly as successful with their version of "Anytime You Need a Friend" which sounds like every other teeny pop group ever heard. Menken's version of the same song takes a more emotional approach, which works much better for the song, but Menken's voice can't convey the emotion he is trying to achieve.

If you didn't care for the music in HOME ON THE RANGE when you saw the film, give it another chance, you'll probably be as surprised as I was when listening to this CD for the first time. You don't have to be a fan of country music to enjoy this surprising soundtrack.

I think the music is why I like the movie so much. It is fun and entertaining and "Patch of Heaven" puts me in a good mood as I listen to it just before I go into work. Who doesn't need that? Admittedly, I only listen regularly to the first six or seven tracks (they are the ones with lyrics with the exception of the last song but I don't care for that version) but I still love this CD.

Just listening to the music and watching the movie makes me think about how the Walt Disney Company use to make their movies like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and 101 Dalmations.

I thought the movie was just as spirited and charming as those older Disney classics. Sure it's no Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, but it's as good as any other Disney classic I saw as a child growing up with those films. Even the songs are pure disney magic with "Little Patch of Heaven" which is pure sunshine. Randy Quaid's yodeling is a hoot, Bonnie Raitt does a wonderful job with "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?" I also enjoy Tim McGraw's song of "Wherever the Trail May Lead" and "Anytime You Need a Friend" sung by Alan Menken. Sometimes those two songs make me cry my heart out. If you like country or old-fashioned disney music, then you'll pretty much enjoy the songs and score on this soundtrack.

The music from "Home on the Range" was much more than I expected! I loved the songs, especially the ones sung by kd lang and Tim McGraw.

Kd lang's voice is so beautiful and lilting in "Little Patch of Heaven," and it fits extremely well with the feel of this film. McGraw also does a great job with his sensitive performance of "Wherever the Trail May Lead," played during the film's credits.

Alan Menken deserves a lot of credit for this creative and funny soundtrack. Even though this movie was overlooked and not incredibly popular at the box office, the music deserves some awards! I loved the movie and the music.

I am a huge Tim McGraw fan and purchased this record for his song "Wherever the Trail May Lead." (Which incidentally would be a great wedding reception song.) But I also really enjoyed the songs by the other artists, especially "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?" by Bonnie Raitt. The chorus and score are also a fun listen. This is a good CD to pop in the car with the kids for everyone to enjoy.

Oscar winning composer Alan Menken has continued to put out great music following in the tradition of working on other animated Disney hit movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. KD Lang sounds great on the playful song Little Patch Of Heaven. I really like the song Anytime You Need A Friend by the Bleu sisters. It is a great song about friendship that fits the theme of the movie well. Will The Sun ever Shine Again is a beautiful song by Bonnie Raitt. This is a somber and somewhat sad song that Bonnie Raitt sings so well.

Tim Mcgraw lends his talents to this awesome soundtrack with the song Wherever the Trail May Lead. It is a song about having someone to lean on when times get tough. Randy Quaid yodels pretty good on one track which is fun to listen to. This soundtrack has some great music. I enjoyed it very much.

The movie, which is a misguided mess dealing with dairy cows in the Old West, never deserved this awesome Disney soundtrack. Put them in even a mediocre animated effort, and they would have become classics along with the songs of Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland. As it is, nobody remembers the bouncy Little Patch of Heaven or the hilarious Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo song, sung by the main villain.

The songs are underpinned by country influences, but seem way more like old fashioned cowboy songs than anything that might pass for pop music today. More than half the album is score, and while it's decent, the songs by Alan Menken outshine them all. The main ballad ("Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?") has a breadth of emotion that should never been placed in the same film with Roseanne Barr.

Sadly, because of the utter failure of the movie, this is one of those Disney soundtracks that is probably destined for obscurity. But it could have been worse. It could have been the soundtrack for Brother Bear.

THis purchase was as advertised. The CD and case were in excellent condition and shipping was timely. Thanks!

I discovered the film, "Home On The Range" while watching another Disney video with my, at the time, four year old son. After every trailer that looks interesting I ask his opinion and if he gives it a, "thumb's up" I make a mental note to purchase the video (now DVD) from our good friends at Amazon.com as a gift for, "the little stinker".

The first time we actually watched the movie we had a grand time with my boy roaring with laughter at the funniest bits and singing and dancing along with the two most upbeat musical numbers in the soundtrack. My sources tell me that this might have been the most poorly recieved animated Disney feature film ever made. I even heard a rumor that it cost so much to make while generating so little revenue that it got certain younger members of Disney's top management to consider discontinuing ALL animated feature film production! I don't get it.

The film is well written and equally well cast. The pacing is great and the story line intriguing. And the soundtrack? The musical numbers are all captivating with those upbeat numbers truly catchy and the ballads equally moving. (Any time my now five year old son can't get out of bed for school we just pop on the Randy Quaid number "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo" and he's up, dancing and singing along with the number in a shot.) Disney hired some of country and western's top artists to deliver truly outstanding performances in a truly great original soundtrack.

Buy the DVD for the kids and then get them this CD. You'll be surprised how much they enjoy both. (And you'll be even more surprised at how much you enjoy them too!)