Customer Reviews

Romeo + Juliet, Vol. 1 (Special Edition) (1996 Film)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most important parts of "Romeo + Juliet" was the soundtrack, and I'm not talking about the pop soundtrack (songs mostly found on Vol. 1). I was ecstatic when this volume was released, because it had the music I REALLY wanted to hear on it: the Wagnerian "O Verona" has such audio impact and sets such a tone for the movie, and the "Young Hearts Run Free (Ballroom Version) is a great techno song performed by Kym Mazelle.

The real gold on this album, however is in Quindon Tarver's choral-pop performance of Prince's "When the Doves Cry" -- wow, what a voice, and what a great arrangement! Another bonus, the instrumental track from Des'ree's "Kissing You" is absolutely beautiful with its longing piano and the achingly scored strings. (When I first heard it, I wanted to play it at my wedding. Now I just settle for singing to it karaoke-style everytime I hear it).

In total, this volume really is more of a treasure than Volume One from "Romeo + Juliet" (who can stand to hear "Lovefool" one more time??) It has great instrumentals, and creates the real feeling of the movie.

When I heard that they were putting out a modern opera-style soundtrack to Romeo + Juliet, it immediately went to the top of my list of CD's to buy. It was a great addition to my music library, and to this day gets listened to often. The music is awesome, the kind that grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go. All the tracks are fantastic, but the best sequence starts with track 20 - Mantua, and continues through 21, 22, and 23. For a great experience, turn off the lights, close your eyes and listed to those 4 tracks. I still jump every time the gun shot echoes out in "Death Scene"... Heartbreaking, that scene, both in the movie, especially with Claire Danes' wonderful acting, and on the CD, where you get to hear the music and see it in your mind's eye. Buy it today, or borrow it from a friend, listen to it, and then buy it!

The first volume of this soundtrack was definitely one of my favorite purchases of a CD, ever. I was disappointed that some of the instrumental songs and also the version of "When Doves Cry" was left off, so, by the same token, I was overjoyed when this one came out.

The weeping strings on most of the songs for the love scenes captures the mood of the greatest love story ever told perfectly, and the dialogue involved is a great complement to the music. Also included is the aforementioned version of "When Doves Cry" (inferior to the original Prince version, of course, but still great), which showcases the enormous talent the young boy who sings it has. They also stuck in the more upbeat, techno pieces that accompanied the more intense scenes in the movie for good measure, making the soundtrack eclectic and unlike anything I have ever heard to date.

This is definitely some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard, and some of the coolest. It is a great addition to a CD collection and a definite if you already own the first volume.

I finally got around to buying this cd. I was looking for a particular song. You know the song that they used for the "X-Files" and "The Mummy" trailers? It has the chorus or chanting in the background. Well, it's on this cd!!! It is entitled "O Verona (Reprise)" Listen to it if you don't know what I'm referring to. At the same time, the rest of this soundtrack is great, I highly recommend it!

The music and the emotion of "Romeo and Juliet, Volume 2" (RJV2) is of such a powerful nature as to almost inadvertently overwhelm anyone that listens to it and experiences it. For an example, let me begin by discussing the two beginning pieces, 'Introduction' and 'O Verona'. My favorite line in all of Shakesperian literature is the one from "Romeo and Juliet" that begins with "Two households, both alike in dignity,...." I have always wanted this line, and subsequent lines, to be set to some very emotionally heavy and thrilling music. And, damn, did I get my wish with 'O Verona'! I get chills and start to shake just listening to it, and rarely does any kind of music do that to me. Listen to it yourself, and you'll see what I mean.
Continuing, the reprise of 'O Verona' was absolutely phenomenal. The instrumental of 'Kissing You' and an immediate following by 'Balcony Scene' was a beautiful mixture of love, music, emotion, and warmth.
Tracks 14 and 15 were ones that provoked your mind to delve into the attempt at rationalizing things that made no sense - such as senseless violence, needless hatred, and incivility.
Track 17 (especially the first five minutes of it) was a piece that caused to reflect and remember bad things that may have happened to you or that occurred in your lifetime (such as th horrors of September 11, 2001).
Tracks 19 through 21 were the steps leading to the culmination of the dual death of the two lovers. As can be inferred, these tracks contained haunting yet very moving pieces of music and excerpts from the play.
Track 22 was astonishing. Juliet's realization that her Romeo was dead because of her staged death and the single gunshot that signaled her real death are portrayed in gripping and moving waves of music.
All in all, I must say that, with the acquiring of RJV2, I have been auditory witness to one of the greatest musical works of our time. The music contained within it, and its underlying messages - some glaring, some quite subtle - are sure to leave the listener with a better understanding of reality.
I wholeheartedly recommend you get this awesome CD.

I decided to buy this album because of the Introduction to Romeo track, which -- from the sample -- sounded like Radiohead's B-side "Talk Show Host" with woodwinds layered over softly. Genius, right?

And on the whole, most of the music on the album meets expectations. Eclectic bunch, from the orchestration of O Verona to the hip-hop and rock influenced pieces like the aforementioned Introduction to Romeo. Some of the more poppy tracks, including Young Hearts Run Free and When Doves Cry, I don't personally like at all. But most of the other compositions are very well done.

The problem is, there is dialogue from the movie inserted in every track. And I mean every track. Now, every so often I am certainly for some tasteful insertion of this kind of thing. But it gets really annoying when it's used without any kind of discretion at all; it really detracts from the music.

Case in point: the chilling woodwind arpeggio which opens the track Fight Scene gives way to wonderfully done string arrangements, but in the middle of this we have Tybalt and Romeo running lines. In my opinion, it's unnecessary and disruptive and really brings down an otherwise top-notch arrangement.

An exception is Mercutio's Death. This track contains a really well-delivered and fitting bit of dialogue which leads into a choral passage. But on other tracks, there's just too much of the talking mixed in.

If the dialogue's not going to bother you, then by all means get this album now. Also, I haven't seen the movie, so maybe I'm just not getting the whole re-creation aspect of it properly. But if you've bought the album not so much to relive the movie but to listen to in wider contexts, you may find this small qualm off-putting, like me. Otherwise, a really fine purchase.

The Romeo + Juliet soundtrack has a wonderful blend of styles and moods. If you like a lot of different types of music, it will be even easier to listen to this cd. This soundtrack has many clever fast pace songs like "Gas Station Scene" and "Young Hearts Run Free," along with mellow intstrumental songs such as "Introduction to Romeo" and "Kissing You." This cd is bound to leave you humming some of the tunes. If you drive a lot, it's good listening in the car, but beware... you don't have to pull over for sirens on the cd, haha.

I will try to be quick with this review.

By looking at these CDs you most probably have watched the movie and liked the music in it, which in my humble opinion was incredible.

So which one to buy then?

The answer is the following one:

If you are looking for more mainstream music, R&B, rock etc. than you should go for the first CD.
If on the other hand, you are looking for an orchestrated music etc., than go for the second CD.

To conclude: If you have watched the movie, the R&B/rock music is mostly found in the first CD (Volume 1) while the slow ballads and orchestras are mostly found in the second CD (Volume 2).

I hope that I could help you ^_^

So you've either been looking for the version of "When Doves Cry" that was in the movie, or the first soundtrack wasn't enough. Well, if the former is true, you simply have to decide whether it's worth it to buy a whole album for one song. But in the other scenario, you have a bigger problem. This album is nothing like the first. I enjoy instrumental music, but this CD just depresses me. The album is amazing in that it has so much power to bring a person down. "O Verona" is great when you want to crank it up and yell along with the music, and the instrumental version of "Kissing You" is incredible. The second half of the album, however, actually made me cry...something a CD without memories attached to it has never done before. Buy it if you're really into classical or if you noticed that you enjoyed the background music during the movie. Do not buy it if you're looking for an encore to the first soundtrack.

I bought both CD 1 and 2 when the movie came to cinema. I feel that listening to this CD is almost like having your eyes closed whilst watching the movie. It appeal to all ages and tastes, and will appeal most to those who fell in love with the movie.