Customer Reviews

Monk

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

No, there is no Randy Newman on this album. This is the Season One soundtrack. I do like "It's A Jungle Out There", but not as much as the original theme, presented here in three versions! Jeff Beal's amazing jazz score for the first season ranged from peppy and fun to dark and moody and helped set the tone for some of the greatest scenes in the series. The main theme and "A Clean Apartment" are so much fun to listen to that they demand multiple replayings, and "Trudy's Theme" is hauntingly beautiful. Any true Monk fan should add this to their music collection immediately.

USA's Monk series is a delightful murder mystery about a quirky, compulsive detective. The show is incredibly well done with an OUTSTANDING musical score to back it up. Jeff Beal does an excellent job at translating into music the whimsical eccentricites that the show aims to create. A testament to Beal's talent is how extraordinarily well each instrumental piece stands on its own volition. The music found on the disc
is a compilation of pieces performed for the series (which they have plenty of selections to enjoy) but be sure that it can easily be appreciated by anyone. (not just fans of 'Monk')

If you are a fan of Monk, and/or if you are just a fan of 'souondtrack music' in general, you will not be disappointed by this album.

This includes the first season theme, several reprises, and plenty of 'incidental' music from the series. The use of themes and colors in the orchestration is very entertaining, whether you are familiar with the series or not.

The only drawback is that it does not include the show theme used from the second season on - "Its a Jungle Out There"... Given that this is the theme most people are now associating with the show, its absense is deafening.

Jeff Beal's incredible Monk soundtrack has really struck a chord with me. His music continues to impress me on this show, and the soundtrack gives me more of a chance to enjoy it. From happy ("Monk Theme") to funny ("A Clean Apartment") to interesting ("I Think I Smell Gas") to engaging ("Keys in the Casket") to sad and downright haunting ("Trudy's Theme"), Jeff Beal's Monk soundtrack is the gift that keeps on giving. An absolute must have for any fan of the series, or of good television music.

I received this CD as a gift for my birthday (8/13) and was completely thrilled...I didn't know it had even been released yet! The music is stylish, energetic, poignant and joyful all at once... sort of like Monk himself!

My favorite moment in my favorite MONK episode is the second track on the CD... it's called "Miming Mr. Monk" (from Mr. Monk Takes A Vacation). At the end of the show, Adrian does a silent summation based on the interaction he'd had all episode with the hotel detective played by Polly Draper. Already I don't need to be in the same room as the CD to recognize when this one randomly pops up on the computer and I stop whatever I'm doing and imagine the scene from the show.

Each piece is like that - reminicent, haunting and totally appropriate for fans of the show or just fans of Jeff Beal's who are listening for pleasure!

If you are a devoted MONK fan or not, you're in for a sound treat when you purchase Jeff Beal's MONK TV SOUNDTRACK CD! I got mine today in the mail from Amazon.com and have been dancing the Monk "jig" (or whatever the dance is called that Monk does), laughing, crying, and reflecting... The CD captures all the moods and moments of our man, Monk--from the boffo jazz theme (the extended version was expanded and complemented with the addition of counterpoint--and playful--marimba, additional strings, and drums) to new age, new wave, Latin-influenced ("Finding, Looking") themes! Jeff Beal is right up there (and often even beyond) the talented and fine TV/film score composers such as Jeff Danna ("Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"); Stewart Copeland (The Police drummer, who composed and scores for TV's "The Equalizer," TV movies and many theatrical films); W.G. Snuffy Walden (TV's "Early Edition," "Providence"); and Lee Holdridge (numerous TV series/TV movies)! For example, Jeff Beal's "Trudy's Theme" is haunting: ethereal and eternal, which brings a tear to one's eye and Monk's memories of her to mind... Like all great TV and film music/scores, MONK'S heightens the mood, the tone, and the immediate situation without overpowering it--it's truly the "sound memory" of crucial dramatic or comic scenes/moments. "Monk's A Hero" (from the pilot episode when the candidate introduces Monk as the one who solved the crime to the media) is also another tear-jerker (but in a happier and more upbeat way than the sad "Rejection" is). Plus, who can forget Monk trying to retrieve his keys from inside the casket at the church funeral service with that dental floss line and bent paper clip "hook" when listening (and laughing) to "Keys In The Casket"?? Or Monk's thinking mode score, "Zen Monk"?? The variations between the series' version of the first season MONK theme and the pilot's are sublte and interesting--I didn't even realize they varied at all until I listened to the CD!! Thanks, Jeff, for one terrific and impressive MONK TV SOUNDTRACK CD!

Jeff Beal has a way with getting onto your mind. My favorite of his works, the monk theme sonk is so addictive! Although a few of the other songs may not be as exciting to listen to on their own, the songs with suspense are addicting and the jazzy songs are great for just lying down and listening to. Many of the songs are so easy to picture coming from the show, such as "I think I smell gas", and "The kiss". It actually makes the episodes easier to remember listening to this CD. Although I was doubtful at first whether the CD was worth it, it without a doubt is!
Great Work overall...!

Dear Monk Fans,
This CD contains the wonderful music written for the show by Jeff Beal. Long before it became a Jungle Out There...Beal's peppy Emmy-winning instrumental theme was the one all Monk fans were humming. That theme is on this CD, along with the haunting "Trudy's Theme" and the jaunty, jazzy music we hear as underscore to the series. There is NO Randy Newman on this CD...write to USA Network if you want that theme, but don't penalize the ratings of this terrific CD!

I am such a die hard fan on monk. And my girlfriend had just got in the cd. We listen too it and now I am ordering my copy. I am just so excided to get mine. The music is wonderful. It is a must have for any fan of the show.
Mary

I love everything about this CD! It is so fun to listen to the beautiful arrangements and remember all of my favorite episodes of this wonderful show! No Monk fan should be without this!