Wrestler [Soundtrack]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 24, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B001QBC2JE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,538 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

"I love the music presented on this Soundtrack. Put together, it helps to tell the story of The Ram. Each song was chosen to push this movie forward." - Darren Aronofsky, Film Director/Producer and Executive Soundtrack Producer......"You could easily see this Soundtrack being the playlist, or mix tape, from any 80's era icon. Any fan of 80's hair metal will appreciate the mix of hits and more obscure tracks with a little current hip-hop thrown in. It perfectly tells the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson's past." - Scott Franklin, Film Producer and Executive Soundtrack Producer

Product Description

Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Oscar-Nominated and Golden Globe Winner Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living peforming for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Soundtrack to a Great Film!, March 22, 2009

By 

Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wrestler (Audio CD)

The only major song "missing" from this soundtrack is Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler." (UPDATE: Not true. Another reviewer reminded me that GNR's "Sweet Child" is also missing. I totally forgot about that one!)

Granted, that's a pretty big omission because the song IS the movie. It perfectly sums up The Wrestler and comes at a crucial moment in the film. However, I can understand the omission because, from what I've read, Springsteen gave director Darren Aronofsky the song for free. Perhaps Springsteen didn't want to have to charge to include the song on this soundtrack. Or maybe he wanted to charge too much. Who knows? It's not here, which is a shame.

Despite that glaring omission, to address something a previous reviewer mentioned, the song Randy and Cassidy dance to in the bar IS on the disc. It's "Round and Round" by Ratt. I don't remember hearing Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" in the movie. Maybe it was there. Maybe it wasn't. If it was, it was on for such a split second that it didn't even register with me. So it not being on the soundtrack is no big loss.

One thing I noticed is that the version of Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" included on the soundtrack is NOT the version from the 1980s. It's a version with new vocals recorded in 2006. I think the movie uses the 1980s version because I don't recall the extra vocal flourishes the late Quiet Riot singer Kevin Dubrow added to the version recorded in 2006. Expecting to hear the classic 1980s version, but getting instead the re-recorded 2006 version, was kind of irritating. The 1980s version was perfect in every way, and it's a song I grew up listening to. So the new version isn't an improvement. It's a step down.

The other thing the soundtrack lacks is the incidental music, the few guitar notes played during poignant scenes in the movie.

The soundtrack includes contemporary hip-hop songs that, if they were in the movie, played such a minor roll that they weren't noticeable. On the soundtrack, however, they're quite noticeable. They stick out like sore thumbs. I would have left them off the soundtrack

So, okay, there you have it: (1) No Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler," (2) A different vocal performance on "Bang Your Head," (3) No Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" (if that song was even in the movie), (4) No emotional incidental music, (5) Hip-hop songs that seem incongruous sandwiched in between really great metal songs, and (6) No GNR's "Sweet Child O' Mine" (which plays at a key moment in the movie).

While those omissions (and additions) may seem significant to some people, perhaps most people, I still think this is an incredibly fun soundtrack, pulling together some of the best songs the 1980s metal scene had to offer, including "Don't Walk Away" by Firehouse (which was actually released in 1990), "Round and Round" by Ratt, "Dangerous" by Slaughter, "Balls to the Wall" by Accept, and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" by Cinderella.

So the soundtrack isn't perfect. It could have been. But it's not.

Think of it this way: Randy "The Ram" Robinson was flawed, too. Yet, he's one of the most empathetic, endearing characters Hollywood has produced in decades.

I'm willing to give the soundtrack a chance to grow on me.

How about you?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good CD, But "Sweet Child" Also Missing, March 23, 2009

By 

T. Byng (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wrestler (Audio CD)

I also enjoyed this CD even though, as a previous reviewer mentioned, there are some flaws and some missing songs. One song which is also missing, and has not been mentioned, is "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, which is also used at a critical point in the film -- when Cassidy is trying to talk Ram out of going into the ring for his final match, and Ram explains to her that the ring is where he truly belongs. I understand that this song was also given to the filmmakers for free, so perhaps it was also a licensing issue which kept this song off the soundtrack. But I enjoyed the movie so much that I wanted the soundtrack as a "souvenir" of the film, until the DVD arrives next month. I just make my own "soundtrack" by adding "Sweet Child" and "The Wrestler" songs to the end of the CD.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Econ 101, May 8, 2009

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Wrestler (Audio CD)

Director Darren Aronofsky has talked about the small music budget for the film, which has made for the release of an incomplete soundtrack.

Axl Rose - due to his friendship with actor Mickey Rourke - allowed the use of Sweet Child o' Mine in the movie at a fraction of the typical cost, but it is not included on the soundtrack. Also missing on the album is Bruce Springsteen's The Wrestler, the original version of Quiet Riot's Bang Your Head (Metal Health) - it is a "remix" from several years ago - and the incidental music used in the movie.

The album is a neat 1980s FM rock radio sampler, with a couple solid hip-hop tracks in the mix, which should suffice as long as a fan is not concerned about having a complete package of music.