Customer Reviews

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Soundtrack)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's been nearly seven years since the FIRE, WALK WITH ME soundtrack first appeared, and as other rave reviews here attest, it has if anything increased its appeal. What makes the album especially unique is its diversity. Film scores are usually all of a kind, and Angelo Badalamenti ­ who became a household name with his music for the TWIN PEAKS series on TV ­ could have followed that course. But except for the obligatory Julee Cruise song "Questions in a World of Blue" (good, but not in the same class as "Falling" or "The World Spins"), he avoided that temptation. Instead, he plays with musical genres and perhaps even invents new ones. The opening theme (also known as "She Would Die for Love") and "Don't Do Anything (I wouldn't Do)" are among the best film noir jazz and cool jazz pieces ever written; they would be right at home in night club repertories. But where else have we heard anyting resembling "Sycamore Trees" (which helped revive the career of Jimmy Scott)? Or "A Real Indication" (sort of a cross between rap and a parody of beat poetry from the 60's)? "Moving through Time" plays like a reinvention of chamber music, with jazz instrumentation but classical structure. Everyone who writes about Badalamenti seems to stress his reliance on synthesizers, but what is really important about his work is his synthesis of musical styles and genres in the tradition of George Gershwin and Nino Rota.As a footnote, it's startling to hear "The Pink Room" after reading accounts that David Lynch himself knows nothing about music. He can obviously give techno music composers a run for their money!

By the third track of this collection, people usually ask "what the heck is this?", when I play it at work. When the familiar trebly bass intro of the "Twin Peaks" theme surfaces, everyone knows it's the world of David Lynch, rising up from today's post-modern stupor to alternately jar and soothe the psyche. The music is as bizarre and yet as intriguing as the film; it's also a testament to the symbiosis of director Lynch and composer/compiler Angelo Badalamenti that moods and themes in cinema both inspire and demand great music. For me the best (and most haunting) track is "Sycamore Trees", which played, curiously enough, in the final episode of the television series, not in "Fire Walk With Me". Still, it's good to have the complete, off-kilter soundtrack to a fascinating world.

A lot of people don't get this record and are probably better off buying something by Enya or Enigma. This is not new age BS! It's not a conventional soundtrack either. Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch created an entire new genre: horror jazz! It's cool, groovy, jazzy...but something's horribly wrong. Midnight music for when the ghosts come out. From tranquility to insanity.

Unfortunately horror jazz never really took off. I know of only one pure horror jazz track outside Badalamenti's work: 'Venus Velvet' by the Bobby Brown Quartet from the mid-1960s.

I want more horror jazz. I love it.

The music contained in this soundtrack as well as the soundtrack from the tv series is in a word "amazing" ... the theme song from the series soundtrack is on a level of it's own as far as "tranquil beauty" goes.... that is however... only until you are able to be absorbed by the hauntingly striking ballad > "questions in a world of blue" with Julee Cruz providing eerily soothing vocals...... when I heard a small part of that song when watching the dvd "Fire walk with me" ... I became almost hypnotized by the beauty of the ballad, knowing I had to have access to this soundtrack over and over again... tremendous movie ,,, wierd for sure ... in a unique way.... this soundtrack and the soundtrack from the series are must haves for anyone who likes music... and everyone who wishes to expand their horizons and in many cases surprise themselves... this music is unbelievable!

Overwhelmingly moody. This is the best soundtrack since The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Had a bad day? Let Angelo's soothing sounds put you at peace.
5 stars

Despite the fact that every other movie seems to have it's own soundtrack, few match the mood of the film as well as "Fire Walk With Me" does. The theme here may not be as recognizable as the one from the TV show, but it's just as enjoyable. Truth is, this soundtrack is even stranger and darker than the other, yet just as good. The majority of this music is prime stuff for old smokey clubs, the kind with pianos playing, horns blowing, and fingers snapping. The kind that rarely exist anymore. That's what the movies tell us anyway. One track is a bit jarring, "A Real Indication". The music is good, but it's spoken word with a few near screaming parts. However, afterwards comes "Questions In A World Of Blue", which should lull you back into a pleasant coma. Overall a very wonderful album, even if you haven't seen the movie. If you really love this, I also suggest the TV soundtrack, and anything from Julee Cruise.

I loved Twin Peaks when it was on television. I think I bought this and the television soundtrack because I loved the sound and the music so much. It is fitting that I write this before Halloween. Twin Peaks USA is a unique fictional town where the inhabitants are strange creatures themselves like the log lady among the others. Anyway, the sound here for the film is similar to the soundtrack. I like the sound and think it's appropriate for Halloween.

While "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" the movie is debatably one of David Lynch's best--or worst--films, this soundtrack is certainly worth listening to, whether you enjoyed the movie or not. I generally don't like jazz, but Angelo Badalamenti is such an excellent composer, creating a riveting and sinister atmosphere in a rather mediocre film. He's contributed a lot musically to several other Lynch movies/soundtracks, such as "Mulholland Drive," "Blue Velvet," and, of course, the "Twin Peaks" TV soundtrack--which I highly recommend in addition to this CD.

Some of the highlights to this soundtrack are track #1 ("Theme From Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me"), the beautifully calm and eerie opening song to the long-drawn-out blue TV screen scene; track #5 ("A Real Indication"), in which Badalamenti shows his versatility as a musician by doing the vocals in a catchy, beatnik-like manner; #7 ("The Pink Room"), my absolute favorite track--a dark and moody tune played during Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward's sexual escapade in a Canadian bar/brothel; and #12 ("The Voice of Love"), another favorite--a suitably docile song to a bittersweet ending involving Agent Dale Cooper, Laura Palmer, and the Angel in the Red Room.

Most of the songs on here are slow and dark, but with songs like track #9 ("Best Friends"), it can be bright and optimistic as well. Yet even in tracks like this, there's always a hint of sadness and peril. And, once again, Julee Cruise (the vocal icon in the "Twin Peaks" series) makes an appearance on this soundtrack with track #6: "Questions In a World of Blue." Cruise fans might be a little disappointed, though, that she's limited to just this one song, so (again) I'd encourage listening to the "Twin Peaks" TV soundtrack as well. Lyrics are thankfully included in the booklet for the three vocal tunes--"Sycamore Trees," "A Real Indication," and "Questions In a World of Blue" ("The Black Dog Runs At Night" obviously doesn't need the lyrics printed since there's only one line to it--see the title)--all of which were written by David Lynch.

So, in summary: if you're a "Twin Peaks" fan or just love jazz, then I'd highly recommend listening to this CD--though once you've listened to it, you'll more than likely want to own it.

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me is probably the finest score that Angelo Badalamenti has ever composed. The best thing about this work is that it doesn't try to imitate the sound of its predecessor (the T.V series soundtrack), on the contrary Badalamenti and Lynch create a plenty of new music styles and soundscapes. The score begins with the track entitled "Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me", which is the murky version of the classic opening theme of the series, and it contains a great trumpet solo by Jim Hynes accompanied with the typical dense synthesizers of Badalamenti. Another jazzy tracks are the elegant "The Pine Float" or "Don't Do Anything". They're also worth mentioning the powerful "The Pink Room" and the weird "The Black Dog Runs At Night". The ethereal voice of Julee Cruise is also here to delight us again singing the haunting "Questions In a World of Blue". However, my favourite one is the oneiric "Moving Through Time", listening to this track is like being inside a dream, you can feel how time slows down, it's a magical theme. Another remarkable detail is the singing in track 5 "A Real Indication" which is performed by Badalamenti himself, something absolutely unusual for a film composer that proves, one more time, that we are not listening an archetypical Hollywood score when we are talking about David Lynch films.

In general, the entire score is brilliant, the only problem is that, after seeing the movie, I noticed that a lot of music in the film is not featured on the C.D. Tracks such as "Blue Frank", "Love Theme" or "Double R Swing" are also very good and in my opinion they obviously deserved to be included in the soundtrack. Considering the great fan cult that Twin Peaks (both the series and the film) has achieved throughtout the years, I think it's not crazy to ask for an expanded edition to be released in the future. I'm completely sure that many fans of this score will agree with me about this matter and I hope that this idea reach a satisfactory conclusion some day.

Great moody tunes from the prequel to the cult television series directed by David Lynch (Lost Highway,Blue Velvet,The Elephant Man, e.t.c.).Angelo Badalamenti spins track after spooky track, keeping with the surreal theme of the film. Classic stuff.I especially dig the oddball "a real indication" whith added vocals by Badalamenti, himself. Get this album! Even if you aren't a fan of the Twin Peaks universe. These songs can stand on their own.