Customer Reviews

Shrek - Music From the Original Motion Picture

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Reviewer Milton Abrams has already pointed out that "Hallelujah" is performed by John Cale in the movie, but by Rufus Wainright on the CD. What a shame -- and what a fraud. Cale's rendition in the movie is truly memorable; his delivery is both haunting and dead-on. I won't critique Wainright's because it wasn't done for the movie, but suffice it to say it's nowhere near Cale's.

Abrams points out that this song, written by Leonard Cohen, is performed elsewhere by John Cale. If you liked it in the movie, you'll hear a rendition that's very close (with piano only, sung live by John Cale) on John Cale's "Fragments of A Rainy Season".

I was going to buy the soundtrack, but Dreamworks pulled a fast one and I won't take it with "modifications". Cale has written some excellent soundtracks over the years, and I was pleased to see that he was featured in such a good movie -- it's a shame he won't get the benefit of being on the soundtrack (and that listeners won't get to hear him do that lovely tune).

I greatly enjoyed watching Shrek. In fact, as the father of two young children, I believe I watched the movie seven times in one weekend after we purchased the video (I had not seen it in the theatre). While suitable for children, there was sufficient content for adults that neither my wife nor I were bored. In fact, I was astounded to hear the song "Hallelujah" in the soundtrack. While this Leonard Cohen song has been one of my favorites for many years, it is particularly dark and sardonic - not typical children's fare. However, it fit in well with the plot, and John Cale's version was moving, almost transcendent.

As has been pointed out, the soundtrack album replaces Cale's version with Rufus Wainwright's. I can only assume that John Cale, co-founder of the seminal 1960s band The Velvet Underground, and a well-known recluse and eccentric (who releases infrequent solo albums) consented to his version of the song being included in the movie, but not the soundtrack album. I could also understand if there were other legal or record label considerations preventing inclusion of his version. If, however, the considerations were esthetic, I think someone was badly mistaken. I've always thought that Cale's version of "Hallelujah" was the best cover, in some ways better than Cohen's original. Although neither man has a classic singing voice, Cale's is better, and more moving in this instance, than Cohen's. Others may think that the late Jeff Buckley's version is the best. In any event, Rufus Wainwright's take on the song, while good in itself, is hardly the equal of Cale's, Cohen's, or Buckley's. Rufus is a young singer of promise (and, I think, potentially more talented than his father, Loudon Wainwright, III), but one has a reasonable expectation, when buying a soundtrack album, of having the actual artists from the soundtrack appear on the album.

The movie Shrek was a masterpiece! I loved it... Laughed my fool head off. And after seeing it three times, the fourth was just as good! Great characters, great voices, great story, great animation, great comedy, and most of all GREAT MUSIC SCORE!!! Unfortunately the movie soundtrack doesn't measure up to the expectations of the movie's fans and so I must give it a mere two stars.

I (along with many others who loved this movie) was really disappointed when I discovered there was only one track of actual score from the movie on this CD. Everyone I know who saw this film said, "I love the music in this movie!" In fairness I will say that there are some cool tunes on this CD that will conjure fond memories from the film (like "I'm On My Way" by the Proclaimers, "Like Wow" by Leslie Carter, "I'm A Believer" featuring Eddie Murphy and "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright), but the glory of the movie's musical aspect (as most fans will certainly agree) was its orchestra score and the haunting, ethereal vocals that accompanied. Beautiful, original melodies that helped to create and enhance the atmosphere and emotion of this movie, drawing the audience into the story, sadly didn't make it onto the soundtrack. Major bummer indeed!

Perhaps a "sequel" to this soundtrack will follow. Fans can only hope. I know I will be one of the first to grab it! Until then, this CD is only an adequate passifier, but I still dig it. Two strong stars!

I'm very disappointed that they chose to substitute different artists for some of the songs. I really liked the version of "Hallelujah" in the movie, and the version sung by Rufus Wainwright just isn't the same. I don't understand why they didn't use the original artists, or at least put some sort of warning on the cover.

So disappointed that the artists used in the movie did not appear on the soundtrack, i.e. Hallelujah and Bad Reputation. I bought the soundtrack because I liked the music in the movie and now I don't even get to hear the same versions. Gone are the days when a soundtrack is just that, all the music from the movie. Now we get just some of it, and not always the artists featured in the movie. Is this just a way to promote favored artists?? Shame on Shrek for a bait and switch!

I docked them a star for leaving off 2 important songs.

First off, you should know that the version of "I'm a Believer" that you hear on the radio (and in the movie) is NOT the same one you get here. The radio mix is perkier and more 60s-esque, where as the album version seems a bit more edgier and harder.

Also, you may recall how prominent a role the song "Hallelujah" had in the movie. That version, the one in the movie, was by - John Cale. The version on the album is by Rufus Wainwright. WTH? That makes no sense.

I suggest you buy the CD, obtain the 2 missing tracks, and burn the real version of the soundtrack.

Last weekend my 6 year old son and I had a wonderful time at the movies together when we saw the family film, Shrek. Yes, I said, family. I don't know about anyone else, but as far as I am concerned, "damn" is not a vile, vulgar or obscene word. Granted, I don't want my son to ask me for a bowl of "damn fruit loops" for breakfast, but I hardly fear that his little mind will be scarred. I am sure you were around when the song "Bad Reputation" was originally relased by Joan Jett, therefore, you should be familiar with the lyrics. The song fit the context of the film in the scene in which it was used. I bought my son the soundtrack as soon as we left the theater, as Smash Mouth is one of his all time favorite bands, so here is just another CD we own that includes "All Star". Leslie Carter's "Like Wow" is pure bubble gum fluff as is the rest of the album, great for kids, great for parents. No harm no foul, and for goodness sake, lighten up, the kids will be alright, if the parents don't make such a big deal over little words, they probably wouldnt even notice them!

It saddens me that those who point out a major discrepancy between a film's actual soundtrack and the CD version of such get met by comments (and review titles) such as, "Where's your ability to read?" There's simply no call for it. No, the substitution of Wainwright's simultaneously hyped-up and watered-down rendition of "Hallelujah" for the John Cale version in the movie itself is not actually dishonest, and it is indeed announced on the packaging. Still, somewhere out there, there are those who don't know who either Rufus Wainwright or John Cale is, and they simply wanted to buy a soundtrack CD that reflects what they heard in the film. Wainwright is earnest enough and can glide all over the place vocally -- yet Cohen's immortal song does not call for that, and Cale's version remains superior by an order of magnitude in that he *didn't* feel the need to get all theatrical about it. (BTW, Cale's cover can be found on the Cohen tribute album _I'm Your Fan_, which contains many additional treasures.)

One additional star for the inclusion of an Eels tune, even if it's not one of their better ones. That's the best I can offer to this sad sellout of a "soundtrack."

The beautiful and haunting song "Hallelujah" is featured prominently in "Shrek" (which is very good, as you probably know already).

The song is performed by John Cale. However, the soundtrack offers a different and wholly inferior version. I can't understand this to save my life. Shame on the record exec. who decided to do it to us.

If you would like to own the John Cale version, I believe it is featured in the soundtrack to "Basquiat" and in a Leonard Cohen tribute album released a few years ago (Cohen wrote "Hallelujah").

I had to buy this soundtrack on my way home from seeing the movie and I absolutely love it! Eels and Smash Mouth are two of my favorite bands and the songs by them here are great. The rest of the songs are a perfect mix of upbeat rock and slow pop (even the song by them annoying Baha Men is pretty good.) I must agree with others here, though. As amazed as I am by the wonderful songs in the movie, the musical score just blew me away and I'm a bit disappointed that a larger offering of it is not available on this CD. I hope DreamWorks is planning on doing the same thing they did with the "American Beauty" score and release it separately in the future. As for the language? Yes there is minor language that some parents might find questionable for very very young children, but it's nothing they probably haven't been exposed to already. So please don't let that effect your decision to buy this fantastic album!