Drumline [SOUNDTRACK]

Various Artists (Composer)

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 10, 2002)
• Original Release Date: December 13, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Jive
• ASIN: B00007E8L6
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,907 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strap on your spats..., January 3, 2003

By	Scholar - See all my reviews

Yo band geeks! This review of the Drumline soundtrack album is for y'all who have ever strapped on a pair of marching spats for countless halftime shows and parades!

First of all, if you haven't seem Drumline at least once, get yourself down to the local multiplex at running cadence so you can experience this soundtrack in digital sound, from stadium seating (how appropriate), with big-screen visuals that will put you down on the field in the middle of the band, where (as you know) the sound is the best! And you'll enjoy winning peformances from Nick Cannon as Devon and Leonard Roberts as Sean, and the unexpected quiet intensity of Orlando Jones as Dr. Lee (some characteristics of whom some will recognize in their own band directors). (At this writing, the movie is still in theatres and I'm waiting for the DVD.)

Now that you've seen the movie, you're wondering, "How much band music is really on this soundtrack?"

The Drumline soundtrack opens with a 28-second snippet of the D&K Cadence, performed by The Senate, a.k.a. The Atlanta A&T drumline. The cadence opens with the tight click-click rhythm of drumsticks on rims from the snare section, adds the toms, and then the bass drums jump in...and it's over.

The middle section features party music from the movie, including Monica's "Uh Oh" and "Shout It Out" by Too Short and Bun B, which are performed later in the album by the bands.

The two-part finale of the album features a 4:04 Marching Band Medley from the 2002 BET Southern Classic that unfortunately takes longer to itemize than to listen to. They're exciting arrangements and all-out performances by gold-standard bands of the South, but like the cadence that opens the album, they're just excerpts that are over much too soon (remember this all happens in four minutes):

* Let's Go, performed by the Bethune Cookman College Marching Band
* Uh Oh, performed by that big, bad Morris Brown College Marching Band (it sounds like they have about fifty Sousaphones growling out the bass line -- my former band director loved that sound)
* Bouncin' Back, performed by the Grambling State University Marching Band
* I Told Y' All, performed by the Morris Brown College Marching Band and guest rap artist Petey Pablo
* In the Stone, I Want You Back (two goosebump-inducing fanfares, the latter with a rich and powerful trombone multi-part harmony under a high trumpet melody), and Shout It Out March, all performed by the Atlanta A&T Marching Band

The album concludes with a 4:04 excerpt from The Classic Drum Battle between The Senate and the Morris Brown drumline:

* Destruction, Morris Brown
* No Draws, Atlanta A&T
* X-Factor, Morris Brown (listen closely or with headphones to catch that brief swishy snare drum effect about halfway through)
* Hot Sauce, Atlanta A&T

It all adds up to eight-and-a-half minutes of our beloved band music and tight Pearl drum heartbeats on an album that clocks in at an hour long.

The jewel case insert includes many images from the movie, and complete album credits, but curiously, no movie credits.

The Drumline soundtrack will bring back some favorite moments from the movie, but marching band members and alumni will hunger for more from Atlanta A&T and their rivals. Perhaps we can look for a follow-up album, "More Marching Band Music from the Movie Drumline," or a compilation from the real-life 2003 Honda Battle of the Bands this spring. Or you can seek out your favorite university or college marching band's most recent CD.

ONE BAND, ONE SOUND!

"Sundance"
A-Rank Captain
Lincoln High School Marching Band
"The Showband of the Midwest"

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Loved the Movie, Hated the Soundtrack!, December 29, 2003

By	Kenneth J. Powers "wyatt70" (Englewood, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Whoever put this soundtrack together forget the whole subject of the movie: great marching bands. There is only ONE track for all four marching bands featured in the movie! I wanted the soundtrack because I loved the performances of Morris Brown, Bethune Cookman, Grambling, Clark Atlanta and the fictional A&T. What I got is 14 tracks of hip-hop, most of which I don't even recall hearing in the movie.

I wouldn't have minded if they split up the soundtrack into half marching band tracks and half hip-hop tracks. Splitting it like this would make it equally enjoyable to hip-hop fans and marching band fans. I don't know what producer Dallas Austin was thinking when he put this togther, but he really missed the boat. Once again, talented marching bands get shafted, just like on college football telecasts.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The drum solos and JC Chasez songs are highlights., December 20, 2002

By	Riley McCarthy (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

The soundtrack to "Drumline," which is an excellent, clean and fun movie in its own right, boasts a good deal of good beats in it, which is fitting considering the film's plot.

The reason most people will by this album, I'm guessing, is the absolutely fantastic, catchy first solo single from NSYNC's J.C. Chasez, "Blowing Me Up." The song was produced by Dallas Austin, who also served as an executive producer on the film. The song switches tempos about a dozen times, boasts an incredibly good hook that gets you singing and dancing whenever you listen to it and manages to work both its pop and hip-hop roots effectively. Not to do an unfair comparison, but J.C.'s song accomplishes everything Justin Timberlake's initial single attempted and failed at. It's a surefire hit.

The soundtrack, though, also works as a proper reflection of the movie, too. It's fun, and it also manages to convey the fun of college marching bands. It opens with a traditional drumline piece and closes with two of them, the last one being the impressive "showdown" finale of the film.

The rest of the CD, alas, is your usual R&B dance music, which is decent but, by no means, remarkable.

But with four worthy pieces on the track listing, this is definitely worth a purchase.