Freaks And Geeks: Original Soundtrack And Score [SOUNDTRACK]

Various Artists - Soundtracks - Television

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 25, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B0002B9SUK
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #61,859 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Freaks and Geeks is one of the most lavishly praised TV shows of all time. One essential ingredient to its success was the ingenious use of music. The Freaks And Geeks Original Soundtrack and Score CD includes some of the best anthems of the day by The Who, Joan Jett, Styx, and Rush and ties them together with the most memorable portions of Michael Andrews’ score. As a special treat to fans, it also includes performances by cast members, including Nick’s cringe-worthy but hilarious ode to Lindsay, "Lady L." This is one CD no Freaks And Geeks fan should be without.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice token from the show, but not a great album..., November 24, 2004

By	Stephanie L. Beaver (Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I basically bought this album because I love "Freaks & Geeks." And as much as I appreciate having Mr. Rosso singing Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" and Millie and Nick harmonizing on "Jesus Is Just Alright" on an album, I can only rate this album as good rather than great. As a soundtrack, this album works pretty well in capturing the spirit of the show: its humor, sensitivity and intelligence. However, I get bogged down in the score, which I think sounds a little too much like a television score, and wish that more of the '70s and '80s songs had been incorporated.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but woulda been a great Double-CD, October 29, 2004

By	Jason Young (Dublin, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Best "dramedy" I've ever seen on TV to be sure. But while the CD is decent, I wish it had included much more music from some of the serie's most incredible scenes. (I know its all due to "licensing rights", but they managed to secure all the songs for the DVD, so what happened here?) My fave "missing from the soundtrack" songs:
1. RIPPLE - Grateful Dead. I'm not a Deadhead by any means, but this was the last song on the last episode, and tied up the whole series on a poignant note.
2. ROSALINDA'S EYES - Played when the 'geeks' were shooting bottle rockets with their new gorgeous female friend. A rarely heard jazzy number from Joel. They chose to use that song over any of his "big hits". But sadly, it didn't make the CD.
3. TOM SAWYER -Rush. Yeah, 2 Rush songs would be pushing it, but if it were a double-disc...
4. NO Van Halen? The show was chock-full of VH tunes, but I guess they couldn't use any on the soundtrack?
5. KING TUT - Steve Martin. That scene was great where Samn, Neal & Bill started fighting each other.
6. LOVIN'TOUCHIN'SQUEEZIN' - Journey. Like most of the above songs, F&G made me appreciate a lot of music that I never really was into. Journey, Rush or Styx would normally NOT be the music I listen to. (I'm 32 so I grew up on them and wasn't that impressed.) But when used in the proper context, songs can become more meaningful.
Some dialogue from the show would've been welcome on this too. Like an occasional Joe Flaherty rant. Or Cynical Ken interludes. Or Rosso lecturing. Or the geeks talking about Three's Company or Dallas, etc.
So overall, I'm glad this CD came out, its just that (unlike the DVD which is beautifully over-the-top in content, this just didn't feel 'complete'. So any fans of the show should be cautious, cuz unlike the DVDs, the soundtrack isn't all-inclusive. But I wasn't expecting it to come out anyway, so I shouldn't complain...its just that it coulda been so much more!
(I AM very glad they included "The Groove Line" tho'!)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a good soundtrack to a great show..., May 11, 2005

By	Stephen Cabral (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good soundtrack to a great show. It includes the hits from the show that you expect, such as Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" and Rush's "The Spirit of Radio". There is also a really good current song called "Dumb as a Crayon" by a band called The Leaving Trains. Also included is the guidance counselor doing a hilarious version of "I'm Eighteen" as well as "Up On Cripple Creek". But what kept me from really liking this CD are the instrumental songs in between the hits. It was all TV score written and performed by the same guy. Not that the music was bad, but it ruins the flow of the CD.

A very important component to the quality of the Freaks and Geeks program was how they incorporated the music. Music used correctly with film is so powerful. This comes from the CD liner notes...

"Think about the scene where Bill Haverchuck comes home in lonely latchkey style and finds solace watching Garry Shandling on Dinah! We don't hear Shandling, instead we hear The Who's "I'm One"...the perfect statement of Bill's isolation and wounded pride. "No Language in Our Lungs" from XTC offers the perfect musical background for being picked last in gym class. And who better than Joe Jackson, a still undervalued skinny-tie rock god, to play as Sam Weir tries to "Look Sharp!" in his Parisian nightsuit?"

Lastly, the liner notes list Mr. Rosso's (guidance) musical notations for each song. Pretty funny stuff such as "And maybe next time Joan Jett is counting off those first rockin' eight beats, she'll go the extra two and after counting to ten, realize she's not that angry after all!"

A nice plus would have been some classic dialogue from the show, but no such luck.