The Squid and the Whale [Soundtrack]

Britta Phillips (Composer), Dean Wareham (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 18, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Ultra Records
• ASIN: B000AP2ZP8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,520 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Park Slope/Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips

2. Courting Blues/Bert Jansch

3. Holland Tunnel/John Phillips

4. Lullaby/Loudon Wainwright III

5. Heart Like A Wheel/Kate & Anna McGarrigle

6. The Bright New Year/Bert Jansch

7. Drive/The Cars ­

8. Let's Go/The Feelies

9. Figure Eight/Blossom Dearie

10. Come Sing Me A Happy Song To Prove We All Can Get Along the Lumpy, Bumpy, Long and Dusty Road/Bert Jansch

11. Hey You/Dean Wareham

12. Family Conference/Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips

13. Street Hassle/Lou Reed

14. The Swimming Song/Loudon Wainwright III

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The soundtrack to The Squid and the Whale will probably be most enjoyed by the cynical, but that doesn't mean it isn't great. In fact, it's a nice intro to some '60s and '70s folk. British musical legend Bert Jansch appears here as does John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. (To rely on cliché: Phillips' "Holland Tunnel" is a forgotten road trip-ready gem.) However, the really on-point songs come from Loudon Wainwright III and his former wife and sister-in-law, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, respectively. Anna M's brutal "Heart Like a Wheel" tells a story of lost love--very applicable to a movie about a divorcing couple--while Wainwright's biting "Lullaby" reflects tension between a father and child all too well. (Loudon Wainwright is the father of Rufus Wainwright, also a singer-songwriter. Noah Baumbach is the son of novelist Jonathan Baumbach, and has made a semi-autobiographical movie about a difficult relationship between a father and son who will eventually be working in more or less the same field? Oh, the synergy!) The Cars' "Drive" and an old School House Rock tune provide two of the lighter moments on this disc (and "Drive" isn't exactly "YMCA") only to have the soundtrack wrap up with Lou Reed's "Street Hassle," a kind of black-hearted "Bohemian Rhapsody," and Wainwright's "The Swimming Song," which features the phrase "I'm a self-destructive fool." Why this song hasn't already been used in every indie film from sex, lies, and videotape to Garden State, the world may never know.

Baumbach's selections show that he's serious about the pop music that accompanies his film, and that he wants the soundtrack to be more than a random selection of hits from the latest up-and-coming bands. He shares this trait with his writing partner from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson. Since Anderson's soundtracks are almost always as interesting and inventive as his films, this collection of music bodes well for Baumbach's directorial career. --Leah Weathersby

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect, simple, familiar., June 3, 2006

By 

Jill Greenberg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Squid and the Whale (Audio CD)

This soundtrack is awesome, I only knew about two artists featured on it. Yet when I listened to it, every song felt familiar. It's nostolgic, comforting, awesome.

Give it a spin.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable soundtrack..., January 27, 2011

By 

B. Bowman "Double B" (Jersey, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Squid and the Whale (Audio CD)

As a big fan of Bert Jansch and Loudon Wainwright III, I guess it should come as no surprise that I really enjoyed this soundtrack, as it includes a total of five of their songs. Loudon's "The Swimming Song" is one of the most addictive songs I have ever heard; I love the chord progression and the melody, as well as the aspect of the duetting banjos. His more low key "Lullaby" is also an excellent song (which I believe he wrote about himself and his insomnia, not a father/son relationship like the Amazon review suggests), and another great chord progression, this time on guitar. I also think that the songs composed by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips for the movie ("Park Slope" and "Family Conference") are excellent, as is Wareham's faithful cover of Pink Floyd's classic "Hey You", which played an important part in the film. The inclusion of Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Heart Like A Wheel" and John Phillips' "Holland Tunnel" fit in with the whole folk vibe of the collection and some of the themes from the movie. An added bonus is Lou Reed's ten minute opus "Street Hassle" from the late seventies, which included an uncredited appearance by Bruce Springsteen. I would have given this soundtrack five stars, but in the end I would rate it as 4.5 stars if I could. To me, the Cars eighties radio hit "Drive" and Blossom Dearie's "Figure Eight" didn't fit in with the rest of the soundtrack. I actually like the song "Drive", but "Figure Eight" I can do without and end up skipping every time I put this disc on. This is the second soundtrack I have bought after seeing one of Noah Baumbach's films, and once again I've been impressed with his musical choices. If you are a fan of the film and enjoyed the music this disc is definitely worth getting.

3 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addition/Correction to Editorial Review, January 3, 2007

By 

GrandPoo "GrandPoo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Squid and the Whale (Audio CD)

"Loudon Wainwright is the father of Rufus Wainwright, also a singer-songwriter" should read: "Loudon Wainwright is the father of both Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also a singer-songwriters."

Thank you.