Customer Reviews

Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack For An Oliver Stone Film

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Usually when I purchase a soundtrack, I am overjoyed because I know of perhaps two or three artists on it, but then I discover a turd or two in the mix.
This compilation was one of few to break this curse. Trent Reznor's contribution to forming the soundtrack was brilliant. NIN's tracks "Burn", "A Warm Place" and "Something I Can Never Have" really captured the mood of this film.
Other tracks worth noting are Dylan's "You Belong to Me", the Cowboy Junkies' rendition of "Sweet Jane", AOS' "History Repeats Itself". But the true highlight of the album is Leonard Cohen's haunting tracks "Waiting for the Miracle" and "The Future".
Whenever the songs appeared in the film, they were extremely well placed.

I mostly got this soundtrack for one reason: Trent Reznor. I am a HUGE Nine Inch Nails fan and I try to get my hands on anything that has Trent Reznor either performing on or producing. Plus, I also learned that there was a new song by Nine Inch Nails that appears on this album that you can't get anywhere else. The soundtrack itself is all right. Nothing I'd listen to over and over again, but it's a nice thing to have. (Especially because of how much I love the movie.)

The soundtrack includes a variety of names from the rock world and the rap world. Some included are Leonard Cohen, Nine Inch Nails, Bob Dylan, Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, Jane's Addiction, and more. It also includes dialogue from the movie as well on some songs (which might either make people happy or upset).

I love the new version of "something I can never have" that includes dialogue from the movie and plays more of an instrumental part this time around. "Burn" is by far the best song on the soundtrack and is worth the price alone. A very angry and heavy Nine Inch Nails song that will please just about any NIN fan. I also love the two rap songs by Tha Dogg Pound and Dr. Dre.

This isn't the greatest soundtrack that I've bought, but it's a pretty decent one. If you love the movie and are familiar with the music you hear in it, then I'd suggest to you to check it out. Again, I mainly got it because I am a big Trent Reznor fan and will buy just about anything with his name on it. "Natural Born Killers: The Soundtrack" proves to be a very interesting and well constructed album. Not the best, but very interesting.

The reason this gets 4 stars, as opposed to the full 5 that it may deserve, is that I felt the album would have been greatly improved had it been released in a 2-disc format...even if only as a Limited Edition. The reason for this is simple...NBK had over 60 songs in it. And while 27 tracks is great in terms of a CD, it seems a bit truncated when one considers that less than half of the songs in the movie made it to the soundtrack album. And since the film itself was so reliant on music, it seems odd that they didn't release a lengthier version of the soundtrack...which would give a perfect picture of the film's mood, even to someone who had never seen it. The music in the film is, after all, practically omnipresent.

Had the NBK soundtrack gotten a Limited release as a 2-disc set, that version of the album would get a full 5-star rating from me. The album, even as it is, stands as one of the greatest (and most eclectic) film soundtracks ever assembled. A lot of the great songs used in the film found their way onto this CD...but some of them failed to show up there. And while that's a bit disappointing, this is still a fine aesthetic journey into the heart of one of the best (and darkest) satires on American culture.

Beyond the worth (or lack of it, depending on your opinion) of the movie, this soundtrack stand the test of time and is still in 2006 one of the most impressive soundtrack ever produced.

It is, in my very humble opinion, the finest work in Trent Reznor discography.

This deserves one of my very few 5 star ratings. Why? Well first of all it's 27 tracks. But not 27 tracks of generic crap you find on alot of soundtracks, mostly excellent stuff. Trent Reznor did an amazing job of selecting even more amazing artists for this. As far as he and "Nine Inch Nails" goes, they contribute two of their moodier pieces that are good, but also "Burn", which is one of the hardest hitting songs NIN has ever done. "L7", "Lard", and "Jane's Addiction" contribute some choice alternative songs. Plus a little country with "Patsy Cline" and the "Cowboy Junkies", poet legends "Leonard Cohen" and "Bob Dylan", and a whole mess of other oddball selections from the movie. Of course "Patty Smith" and "Dr.Dre" always go hand in hand in soundtracks. Another nice touch are some of the better soundbites from the film. All in all it's just as crazy as the movie, and makes other soundtracks full of "Linkin Park" and "Good Charlotte" look stupid.

I think this is a wonderful soundtrack. The raw emotions emotions and symbols throughout the movie come alive with this album. All of the musicians in this album depict what Mickey and Mallory were going through. The song " The Future" by Leonard Cohen makes me think, is this really what we've come to? This is a passionate album. Anyone who would take the time to really "hear" the music will appreciate all the work that went into creating this wonderful masterpiece. I truly recomend this in any musical library.

ive been looking for the song that plays as mickey enters the drug zone store for ever. Today jamming out to some live Peter Gabrial i found it. The name of the song is the rhythm of the heat. It is on the album Security by peter gabriel. I hope this helps anyone that has been looking for this song also

OK, I loved the film, and I really liked the music, but where the hell is 'Ghost Town' by The Specials? It is played in the background when Scagnetti is walking through the silent jail with the Governor (Tommy Lee). It is a really great song, and it's omission is a great shame.

My favorite songs on this album are 'Taboo', 'Something I can Never Have' and 'A Warm Place'.

Because of those three songs I like this album. A Warm Place is such a beautiful, spiritual piece, as is 'Something...' with it's passion and controlled anger. just awesome!!

For those of you looking for the awesome clip played at the title screen of the Natural Born Killers [Directors Cut] DVD, it's no on here. The track is by Peter Gabriel, and can be found on his "Passion" album, under the name "In Doubt" (track 6, 1:32 in length).

One thing i must say about this, is that it's certainly not a simple collection of songs from the movie, nor does it feature any filler material such as that used on other popular movie soundtracks (*cough*MATRIX*cough*); the track list isn't even printed on the case! [applies to the version i've seen; artwork may differ]. This CD is a jam-packed reminder of the intense eclectically musical trip you'll experience from watching the Natural Born Killers. Without the movie, this makes little sense, and the structure (while fitting), seems too diverse to digest.

Those who have seen the movie will be thrilled with this. It's more like a companion than a soundtrack, and offers some of the best and most memorable music moment from the movie (with the exception of the track mentioned at the beginning of the review). It's got the prison riot music (track 25), which is sure to stir up horrifying images of the scenes witnessed in the movie; the intro and credits music (by Leanord Cohen), which are two of the best pieces Cohen's ever done (this is especially satisfying if you, like me, repeatedly skipped back to the beginning of the credits just to hear the music again); it features the explosive rocking anger-feuled theme, L7's S**tlist, from our very first introduction to Mickey and Malorie (which is happily followed by a much easier, flowing, plucky guitar/harmonica tune from Dan Zanes)... Jeez, the list can go on and on.

The highlights of this compilation are (for me), the tunes which really bring back the vivid and loving memories of that outstanding movie - the instrumental/world-music tracks by Peter Gabriel, Nusrat Fateh, Brian Berdan, Russel Means and Sergio Cervetti, as well as Cowboy Junkie's Sweet Jane, and lovingly melodic and beautifully sung song which really captures the scene it was set to.

One thing i must say is that many of the songs on this collection have been edited or mixed with dialog from the film, refusing to let you forget the theme of this entire list.

The lowest points (imo) are the rap tunes (tracks 19 & 27) which, while they would sound great on their own, last for over 4 mimutes each, and really upset the rythm of the compilation, offering very little in the way of musical style. They can grow on you (if you enjoy rap), but even if they do, will either be left to play on 'Repeat' [track], or simply be skipped in avoidance.

Unforgetably, this soundtrack WAS produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. So, expectedly, his band offered a few of their tracks, even contributing a brand new and exclusive track, 'Burn'. Unfortunately, this track can hold the same problem as the rap songs: It can sound alright as it is, but doesn't really fit all that well with the rest of the soundtrack. In fact, this stands out more than anything else here, simply because it starts of so poorly. Of course, the track makes this CD a must for major NIN fans, and is still a pretty good song. However, 'A Warm Place', and an alternate version of 'Something I Can Never Have' are also here, and in comparison to the heavy 'Burn', these beautiful, slow, peaceful songs far outdo the new song, so even if you're into NIN but dislike 'Burn', you'll no doubt want this for the new, partly-instumental version of 'Something I Can Never Have'.

One of the best things about this CD is that it offers a real taste of the musical talents of the featured artists, and can be the start of a new group discovery! All in all, this is a damn find piece of work. However, it's huge musical style may not appeal to your tastes, so you might want to borrow it from a friend or something before you purchase it. If, though, you can afford to purchase an absolutely brilliant collection of songs that serve as a perfect addition to the movie, i can asure you: you will NOT be dissapointed.