Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than it pretends to be, March 25, 2001
Conceived, written, scored, acted and directed by a hairdresser from Hamilton, New Zealand, the stunning thing about The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack was not how accurate it is as a send up of seventies pop culture (and it was), but how, despite that, it stands on its own as a damn good rock record - funny, sure, but also sexy, bombastic, funky, swaggering and even moving in places. For all its splendour, there isn't a great deal of rock music from the time (or for that matter since) which can match it. What's more, the popular songs from the first half of the record (Dammit Janet, Sweet Transvestite, Time Warp etc) aren't even the good ones. As the film develops the music telecopes in its ambition; the corny fifties throwback feel of the first three tracks is enveloped by swaggering, operatic pomp of which Freddie Mercury would have been proud. Achieving this was no mean feat by Tim Curry - outside the Queen singer I can't think of anyone else who would have come close to pulling it off. By the time of the Floor Show medley and then the genuinely beautiful "I'm gong home" it's impossible to not to be swept away by it all. In fact, it's hard to credit that a kiwi mop-chopper can have done all this by himself. Perhaps he did, but I can't help wondering if M. Loaf - or his mentor, Jim Steinman (both of whom had the motive and opportunity to be involved since Meatloaf played Eddie in the film) - didn't lend a wave of the magic wand to the proceedings. There is something undeniably Steinmanesque about the whole project, and Richard O'Brien never reprised his success; after a couple of horrible attempts to re-do the Rocky Horror, he was last heard of playing bit parts on Robin of Sherwood.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madness takes its toll..., November 20, 2000
It's astounding! All corny RHPS references aside, this album is absolutely wonderful. If you're at all conflicted about which of the fifty cast recordings you should buy and you do not already own this one, buy it! It's like having the movie in handy CD form, and it's one of the only recordings that comes close to doing justice to the undeniable greatness of the film. One of the reasons I love this CD is because it's so timeless. Regretfully, I wasn't born until 9 years after the film debuted, but I'm still in love with the music. Chances are, if you love it now, you'll love if forever. And if you don't love it, you're probably just a tad too normal. It's a bit of a downer that a couple of really great songs from the movie were omitted from the album; namely "Sword of Damocles (Woe is Me)" and "Wise Up, Janet Weiss (Planet Schmanet Janet)". Still, they made up for it by including two extra remixes of "Time Warp". The first is just awesome, and includes some of the movie's best and most memorable dialogue with this funky-echo thing. The next is a karaoke version of the song, which, behind closed doors, we can all have fun with. My favorite song on the CD is "Rose Tint My World..." because it bears the entire essence of the movie. It's fast and catchy, then slow and melodic, painting an accurate picture of the characters the whole time. Basically, this album rocks. If music can live for 25 years and not suck, then it deserves a spot in my CD collection.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good stuff!, October 9, 2001
The human race - or at least those who saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show - is generally divided into two parts: those who loved it and those who hated it. It's just that kind of movie. You can't be indifferent. The main reason, of course, is that it's one of a kind, and entirely original - try to stick a certain genre label on it. It just doesn't work. Note that it's usually defined not as 'musical' or 'science-fiction' but as 'cult movie'. That's really basically what it is - it's more than a movie. Going to see 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' is not just going to a movie; it's a social event.It goes without saying that this soundtrack is a must have for those die-hard fans who go to the movie every weekend wearing make-up and one strange costume or the other, know the entire thing by heart and shout all the in-between jokes at exactly the right moment. But even those who didn't really like the movie will find it hard to deny that it's got some GOOD MUSIC. Not many musical/rock-opera writers put as much thought into the music as Richard O'brien; Pete Townshend of The Who is the only one I can think of. The tunes on this soundtrack are extremely fun, terribly addictive and, in many cases, really, really good. Like the movie, the music is hard to classify. It's frequently associated with punk, but I find it much more connected with the glam-rock phenomena, particularly David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character, and also the appearence of bands like Queen and Aerosmith. It also takes quite a lot from the first rock operas of the late 60s by The Who and The Kinks, though it's a lot farther-out than, for instance, The Who's 'Tommy'; and unlike those it was written specifically to be performed on stage. Ironically, the 'Tommy' movie, made several years after the album, almost looked like a rip-off of 'Rocky'. Anyway, it has a lot to do with Ziggy Stardust, including a lot of piano and sax. Like a good rock album, it's diverse, featuring hard rockers as well as heart-tearing ballads, and all with a lot of humor. Of course everybody knows 'Time Warp', one of the catchiest tunes in history, but it's by far not the best track here. The best ones are mostly those performed by Tim Curry or by O'brien himself, most notably Curry's hard rocking 'Sweet Transvestite' and his soft, beautiful ballad 'I'm Going Home', and O'briens introduction to the soundtrack and the movie, the excellent 'Science Fiction/Double Feature'. Also excellent is O'brien's bit on the otherwise mediocre 'Over At The Frankenstein Place'. Meat Loaf's classic-rock style song 'Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)' is another great, catchy song, Jonathan Adams on 'Eddie' is great, and so is the unforgettable love song 'Damnit Janet'. Above all, the epic 'Rose Tint My World', featuring most of the cast. Two songs were left out, which is unfortunate ('Planet, Schmanet, Janet' really should have been here; it was a great song) but that's okay. Also, the 'Time Warp' remix is better avoided (as are most remixes). A great album all around, mostly for fans but not only. One of the best soundtracks around.
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