Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's So Cold In Alaska, November 24, 2002
Buying soundtracks is a rather new concept for me. I bought the Godfather's brilliant score years ago, and that was pretty much it for me. My opinion of movie soundtracks in general used to be that buying them is stupid. They are written for the movie, not to be listened to as a seperate work of art. Yeah I know, pretty stupid. Needless to say my opinion has been changed recently. In the liner notes, Wes Anderson describes Mark Mothersbough's soundtrack as "charmed, magical, and sort of innocent." I think that is damn near perfect. Take a listen to Mothersbough's Canon and you will agree. For the most part though, the Motherbough tracks on here are only short interludes. This CD is taken up by the various other artists from Bob Dylan to the Ramones. Ironically, this soundtrack includes not only post-Velvet Undergrounds Nico, but also a post-Nico Velvet Undergrounds tune. All three of those tracks are terrific. Elliot Smith's Needle in the Hay is the song that stood out to me in the movie. I had no clue who it was by, and it was one of the main reasons for me purchasing this soundtrack. To echo another reviewer's sentiments, I too could listen to this song all day long. The Ramones cut, Judy is a Punk, is not bad, but not the best Ramones song out there to be sure. It is not a low point (there is no low point in this soundtrack) but it certainly comes blasting out at you after Scrapping and Yelling. The Vince Guaraldi Trio's Christmas Time is Here fits in perfectly with Mothersbough's score. It is perfection set to music. Bob Dylan is of course represented here, with a song I'm sure few people have ever heard, and certainly not your typical Dylan. Interestingly, I didn't even like Paul Simon before this. To tell the truth I still don't, but Me and Julio was used to such great effect in the movie that I find the song more than listenable now. Overall this score plays much like the worlds best mix tape. Highlights are many. Nico's two tracks are great (although the uninitiated might have to get used to her voice). The Ysaye Quartet's String Quartet in F Major, Mothersbough Canon, Police and Thieves, Needle in the Hay, and Christmas Time is Here. However, the lesser songs will not once make you reach for the skip button. It bears mentioning that there are two versions of this soundtrack, the normal version and the Collector's Edition. I suggest that you make the effort to find the Collector's Edition. Many songs are left off the normal version, such as the version of Hey Jude as well as Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. For full effect these songs must be included. This is a soundtrack that has not only found it's way into my CD player time and time again, but when it does get in there it goes on repeat. This is perfect music to listen to while doing menial chores, reading, surfing the net, sitting back and relaxing in front of a fire place, or driving your car. It is also perfect for the Christmas season, as it seems to capture the magical quality of this time of year perfectly. Buy it as a gift and your relatives will thank you!
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34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Good an Album as the Movie, December 22, 2001
I bought this album three days ago, and in that time i have listened to it, in it's entirety, six times. I am a rabid music fan, and I require a different music selection almost every time I leave the house to drive somewhere, so for me, six times is saying alot.The previous reviewer of this album brings up a good point: that there are very good, and important songs in the movie that are not on the soundtrack. I was worried about this when i bought the album, because the ommitted tracks (2 by the rolling stones, 1 by paul simon) were ones I loved in the film. However I have found that the soundtrack as an album is one of the most satisfying musical experiences i've ever had, even without these tracks. For those of you that have the Rushmore soundtrack, you have already tasted Mark Mothersbaugh's work, and all I have to say is that his work for Tenenbaums is as strong as his Rushmore work. For Tenebaums he has brought in a number of new instruments, and the larger sound works very well. As for the other tracks on the album, i would have to say i would buy this disc for the Nico tracks alone. Previously I knew of her from The Velvet Underground and Nico, but her folk/pop work here is really beautiful and moving. Among the other tracks are amazing folk pieces from Elliot Smith, Nick Drake(a personal fave), Emitt Rhodes, and The Velvet Underground, as well as higher octane pieces by The Clash and The Ramones that are really great. One of the most interesting songs in both the movie and soundtrack is Christmas Time is Here, by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and of the Peanuts Christmas special fame. The song is so iconic of the Peanuts Christmas that you would think it wouldn't work in the film, but it does, as well as fitting in beautifully on the soundtrack. Finally the two non-Mark Mothersbaugh instrumentals. The first is String Quartet in F Major by the Ysaye Quartet, it is such a beautiful classical piece, and fits in so well with the Mothersbaugh instrumentals that I almost mistook it for one. And finally, a Bob Dylan instrumental called Wigwam, not known to me. The song is a loud brassy piece that I wouldn't have expected from Dylan, but again, as with all the songs on this album, I love it. The album as a whole is a beautiful moving experience, and i feel that it was designed to be as such. For those of you who buy it, make sure to relax and take in all of it. Enjoy!
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Unofficial Royal Tenenbaums Soundtrack, February 2, 2002
Well I must say that I loved this soundtrack but it had its flaws. The long and drawn out beginning before you dive into the cd was one major letdown. It wasn't a soundtrack of Rushmore stature to say the least either, but still very fun. Sure you can expect everytime a soundtrack comes out for it to leave out some great songs but that's where you have to love the powers of mp3. When the Rushmore soundtrack was released I was appalled after I bought it to see it had omitted the Rolling Stones song among a few others. So I went into the studio(my bedroom), and stepped up to the battle station(my computer), and created my unofficial version of the cd adding all the omissions and it is simply brilliant. Now moving on to the Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack I did the exact same thing. There were 4 Rolling Stones songs omitted, a John Lennon song, Me and Julio by Paul Simon(great memories of movie and that song), a Beatles song, Elliot Smith covering "Hey Jude", and the Van Morrison song at the end of the movie, which by the way is called, "Everyone". (I know the last reviewer wanted to know the name of it) And I just inserted them into where they fell in the movie on the cd and it worked out perfectly!!!
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Various Artists
~ Satyajit Ray
DVD ~ Owen Wilson
~ Seu Jorge
DVD ~ Jason Schwartzman
See all 23 tracks on this disc
