Customer Reviews

Man on the Moon: Music from the Motion Picture

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Really is there anything R.E.M. can't do? Sure, I'm biased-- I've been a fan for a decade and a half now (God, I'm getting old) so the idea of R.E.M. working the score for a movie really excited me. And they don't disappoint. The title track is easily one of R.E.M.'s best songs and the new track "The Great Beyond" (unveiled on the "Up" tour) came across a lot better live than it does here but it's still an instant classic. R.E.M.'s instrumentals are delicate and moving, especially "Miracle" and "Milk and Cookies". And the orchestral version of "Man On The Moon" doesn't come as close to Muzak as one might expect. What keeps this from getting 5 stars is the bizarre "This Friendly World" which seems like a pretty neat song but the "banter" between Michael, Andy and Tony just doesn't work at all ("Hi Andy, do you want to sing a song together?" "It's a friendly world, don't you think so, Michael?")

That aside, the key here--the real proof of R.E.M.'s brillance--is that the band doesn't dominate the proceedings. Andy is the point of all this after all. When you listen to this, you don't think you're listening to R.E.M., you're thinking about Andy and that's not such a bad thing. Way to go, guys.

First off, when people are reviewing this, remember that it is only a soundtrack with the goal of promoting a movie. First, I love the new R.E.M. song, The Great Beyond, and I admit that is the reason I bought this CD. But everything else flows so completely well. The dialogue makes perfect sense where it is, and will probably work even better once I have seen the movie. The brevity of it (37 minutes) bugged me at first, but I have now come to appreciate it as it is easily digested in one sitting and never seems to be dragging on. Remember that this is supposed to be more a timeline of Andy's life and not an R.E.M. album and not a CD full of catchy radio tunes. Just sit back, relax, and remember Andy Kaufman and you will enjoy this immensely.

This soundtrack composed of mainly R.E.M. songs stays true to the essence that was Andy Kaufman. R.E.M. fan rejoice. Andy fans rejoice. This album was made especially for you. There are several standout tracks such as "The Great Beyond," "This Friendly World," (which is a duet between Michael Stipe and Jim Carrey) and of course "Man on the Moon." But what truly make this album worthwhile are the little skits performed by various members of the cast in between songs. This is an excellent album a far as soundtracks go. It was not composed of hit songs just to make money. It is a well put together album. I give it 5 stars.

I have to admit, before I bought this CD I never really heard REM or Andy Kauffmann and now I can`t stop listening to it. "The Great Beyond" and "Man on the Moon" are two very powerful songs. I also never expected a rock group to the score a movie but REM sounds as if they`ve been doing it for years. Just listen to the song "Milk and Cookies" with it`s beautiful string cords and piano interludes. You must buy this CD, even if you haven`t seen the movie yet, because well placed dialogues keep the music flowing in a way that tells the entire story from beginning to end.

I've gotta agree with a previous poster, that hearing the music with the film is the best way this is listened to :o) But even without seeing the film and hearing the music simultaniously {sp??}, if you've seen the film at all it's an enjoyable and emotional experience { it was for me anyway}. "The Mighty Mouse Theme", and "This Friendly World" {i LOVE this!!!!!} are fun to listen to {if that makes any sense}. And of course "The Great Beyond" and "Man On The Moon" are awesome. Tony Clifton's version of "I Will Survive" makes me laugh :o) It's the classical stuff that gets me. If your a fan of Andy, and you can put the music and the scenes together in your head, you may find yourself a bit emotional as well :o) So, if you liked the movie, i definitly recommend the soundtrack. But i can't see getting the same experience out of it without knowing the meanings, stories, and faces behind it :o)

Just bought this album today, and I simply love it -- of course The Great Beyond is outstanding, but I also love This Friendly World and Man on the Moon. Although a bit short in length this CD is well worth the money to anyone... yeah, well, unless of course you prefer death metal or something like that.

I'm really, really looking forward to the movie coming to Denmark!

One warning though, once you get this album, you'll probably find it hard to press the eject button on your CD player :)

If you are a fan of R.E.M., a fan of Andy Kaufman, or enjoyed watching the movie MAN ON THE MOON, this is a great soundtrack to own. Two of the songs on the album: "The Great Beyond" and "Man on the Moon"; are songs performed by R.E.M. Not only that, but the film's score-much of which is included here-was written by the band as well. For Andy Kaufman fans, the album has a few songs performed by Andy and his alter-ego, Tony Clifton. Well, actually they were performed by Jim Carrey, but Jim Carrey said he actually became Andy while performing the movie, so even though it's him, he (and many others) swear it's Andy (Andy would have loved playing with people like that). Finally, this album has several dialogue clips from the movie. Some suggest that this takes away from the album, but I find it does the exact opposite: the clips enhance the music. And for those of you who aren't R.E.M., Andy Kaufman, or MAN ON THE MOON fans; this is still an enjoyable album to listen to: "The Great Beyond" and "Man on the Moon" are great songs as is the theme from Taxi and the "Mighty Mouse Theme". A real treat.

Who knew R.E.M. would be so good at film scores? Thier instrumental work on this album is flawless, especially the orchestral version of their classic song "Man On The Moon",and the gorgeous "Miracle"-possibly the most haunting,enduring music they've ever done.And,of coarse,you get thier great single "The Great Beyond",one of thier best.On top of that,you get goodies like the theme from "Taxi","Kiss You All Over",by Exile(c'mon,you know you love it),The "Mighty Mouse Theme",and a priceless version of "I Will Survive",sung with ally-cat-in-heat grandure by Tony Clifton(Jim Carrey),that may be better than the original.Also,as an added bonus,you also get "One More Song For You",sung by the real Andy Kaufman,just a small reminder of why they did all this in the first place.If you're a fan of Andy's,Jim Carrey's,or R.E.M.,or just good music,this is a sure bet.

While I was never old enough to see Andy in person(he died the year I was born), this soundtrack captured the essence of Kaufman. A little from the overbearing Tony Clifton peppers the CD along with excellent new recordings from R.E.M., one of my favorite bands. But the song that I really felt that Andy reached out and wrestled me to the ground with was the final song: "One More Song For You" sung by Kaufman himself. The oddly humorus, yet tragically accurate, lyrics from Kaufman close this CD on a particularly touching moment.

I have bought this Cd and listened to it over and over again. I am not the biggest Andy fan, but the CD is great. The music put on this CD is a great combination of R.E.M and other great artists.