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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect time capsule of the early 90s, April 14, 2005
This review is from: Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)
1992, what a year. The early `90s was an exciting time in rock. Now I'll admit to having a soft-spot for hair-metal, but the late 80s, early 90s was getting pretty lame, i.e. "Cherry Pie." Although there were some good bands in the days before Nirvana (some genuinely good, some guilty pleasures) the alternative/grunge movement of the early 90s was a refreshing change.
The soundtrack to the romantic comedy "Singles" is the perfect soundtrack and snapshot of that era. With the exception of Nirvana, almost every major Seattle/grunge band from the early 90s is represented, as well as some other alternative artists from that era.
Even if you own the complete works of the bands on this disc, this album is still worth buying because many of these songs are not on studio albums or on compilations.
You know how it is sometimes when a band puts a song on a soundtrack...the song often sounds like filler or a b-side that wasn't good enough to put on a proper studio album. Not so with the "Singles" soundtrack. Each song on this disc represents the artists' best work.
Alice In Chain's start off the album with "Would," from their sophomore classic "Dirt." This alternative/metal classic is one of the album's heavier, darker songs. "Would" remains a radio staple and the blueprint that other mediocre bands copied from (that means you Godsmack). Pearl Jam contributes two songs to this album, the mid-tempo "Breath" and the harder-rocking "State of Love and Trust." They sound most similar to "Vs." era PJ. These songs remain two of the finest, if not finest, songs that Pearl Jam has ever recorded. Chris Cornel (Soundgarden/Audioslave) contributes the soulful contemplative "Seasons." Paul Westerberg (Replacements, solo artist) contributions include the incredibly catchy "Dyslexic Heart" and "Waiting for Somebody." These are also easily two of the best songs Westerberg has recorded. The Lovemongers (aka Heart) contribute a cool rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore." Mother Love Bone (the prelude to Pearl Jam) includes their morose classic "Crown of Thorns." Soundgarden's hard hitting "Birth Ritual" sounds as though it could have easily have been included on their "Badmoterfinger" (1991) album, and it is easily just as good as any other song from that album. The underappreciated Mudhoney include their fuzzy grunge classic "Overblown." The CD goes back in time a bit for Jimi Hendrix's classic "May This Be Love." The inclusion of a classic rock song on a grunge album does not break the pace as its tone/style compliments the other songs nicely. The Screaming Trees awesome "Nearly Lost You" (from the "Sweet Oblivion" album) and Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins "Drown" round-up the CD. Again, those are two of the best songs that either band has recorded.
Every song on this soundtrack is excellent. There is simply no filler. It's a perfect time-capsule of the early 90s and a terrific introduction to the Seattle/grunge sound of the early 90s. It's a modern rock classic and well worth owning.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the greatest soundtrack of all time, December 14, 2003
This review is from: Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)
Eleven years later, and this is an unequalled achievement: Even post-Tarantino soundtracks and countless other greats, "Singles" stands up as the best soundtrack of all time. Effortlessly blending all of the all-stars of the early 1990s Seattle scene except Nirvana, recorded JUST before they broke into the international music consciousness, "Singles" is both an amazing snapshot of a point in time and a great companion piece for fans of that music. Songs unavailable elsewhere from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell, Smashing Pumpkins and Mother Love Bone is something of a dream come true for many music fans, and what's especially nice is that there's no filler anywhere on this album. Even lesser lights like The Lovemongers turn in great tunes, such as the band's rocking cover of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore." Sticking out as not being part of the Seattle scene is post-Replacements Paul Westerberg, but his two songs -- the only performer on the album to do two, although Chris Cornell performs both with and without Soundgarden -- are probably the best tunes in the collection. While this makes a great companion piece to the movie, which features music quite strongly -- one scene even features a character stopping the action so his girlfriend (and the audience) can listen to a good section of Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love" (included on the soundtrack) -- it stands alone as simply a great album as well. My strongest possible recommendation for fans of early 1990s rock music.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Missed and faded glory, August 22, 2000
This review is from: Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)
The "Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack," released in 1992, is a special album, and perfectly captures a cool time in rock and roll history. Singles was a somewhat hyped-up movie that was a tad lacking in my opinion, but this less-hyped CD lived up to the promise and talent of the Seattle rock and roll scene. Furthermore, the artists who contributed to this album had a real connection with each other, feeding off one another with a sense of purpose, community and committment to make the best music possible. Truthfully, this is one of the best rock and roll soundtracks I've ever heard.
Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell, as well as Cornell's raucous band, Soundgarden, all sound amazingly seasoned and mature on "Singles," not anything like new kids on the big-rock scene back in the early 1990s. These guys obviously spent years before this album honing their skills and craft, experiencing life in order to give us great music. This album broke some bands, but it also re-established the talent of the heavyweights like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, all of whom roamed the earth touring at the time, churning out music and making a great name for themselves with the ease of a fluid guitar chord.
Chris Cornell's beautiful "Seasons" is incomparable, a breathtakingly reflective song that's nearly foreboding with its dim message of life and time moving on while one possibly gets left behind. "Seasons" is best absorbed and enjoyed after several listens, but many of these songs are instantly hummable. The "Singles" soundtrack offers a bit of everything: heavier "grunge" rock ("Birth Ritual," "Overblown); pop gems by Paul Westerberg ("Dyslexic Heart," "Waiting For Somebody"); a glam-rock ballad ("Chloe Dancer"); a live song ("Battle of Evermore"); old stuff by Jimmy Hendrix ("May This be Love"); and some radio-ready hits ("Nearly Lost You," "Would"). There are also some oddities and unexpected artists thrown in, perhaps to lighten the heavy grunge load that many expected at the time. Overall, the beauty of this soundtrack is in its unexpected diversity.
Smashing Pumpkins were outsiders to this project, a Chicago band that fit in like a new Hendrix perm. Many people were introduced to the Pumpkins via this soundtrack (like me), and the lucky Pumpkins did not disappoint, offering the spaced-out "Drown," a lulling, breezy track that turns deadly by the end, and ranks as one of the band's best offerings ever. For me, this was the first time I realized that music could be dreamily hypnotic, spaced-out to the max. "Drown" eerily closes the CD on a bleak and blaring note, a myriad of squealing guitars mixed with heavy base and jazzy drumming by Jimmy Chamberlain. It's the type of song that, if played until the end, would scare people out of bars by closing time. "Drown" offers no real hope, no sense of happiness to be alive or thankfulness for being included on a big-named soundtrack, yet in its raging sadness, the song actually reaffirms the dedication, heart and true feelings that all these contributing artists were pushing at the time.
Strangely, if you run down the list of artists and their songs featured on this classic album, you notice two things: either the band's shelf life has completely run its course commercially or, even sadder, the bands are completely defunct. The talented, revered and deceased Andy Wood summed it up perfectly in his beautiful soother-turned-rocker "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns:" "You ever heard the story, of missed and faded glory?" Though its time has well passed, the "Singles" soundtrack remains a brooding musical gem from the Pacific Northwest.
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