RATING: *****
#1 Crush - Garbage |
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Vol.1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996) EMI Records [51:09] by Julian Lim Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET time-warped into the streets of the modern world, with guns and gangs and goggle-box a-blazing, and really cool music playing on the soundtrack? Wowee, whoída thunk it? Well, Leonard Bernstein for one. But weíre not talking about West Side Story here. The soundtrack for Baz Luhrmannís MTV-friendly ROMEO & JULIET assembles some of the most happening young bands, and songs so utterly diverting they may well threaten to turn the movie into a mere promotional video for the music. Garbage kicks off the proceedings with "#1 Crush," an acidic hymn to adolescent obsession. Everclear performs an enjoyably boisterous piece of short-haired punk (though the line "We do what we want" seems borrowed from Big Blackís "Jordan, Minnesota" - and the comparison leaves Everclear looking somewhat pale). The Butthole Surfersí "Whatever" serves up more irreverent takes on Shakespeare ("Juliet is up in heaven, a pocket full of pills, and Jesus drives to Mexico, to get her prescription filled.") It's not all alterna-rock, though, and the soundtrack reflects the movieís own mood swings. Gavin Friday and Desíree up the love-ballad-croon quotient, though Fridayís delicate, teen-breathed "Angel" hits the spot much better than Desíreeís drippy, strings-and-piano-sugared "Kissing You." "Pretty Piece of Flesh," an acerbic rap by Nellee Hopperís band One Inch Punch, grates after a few listens. Among the more unexpected pleasures is the disco classic "Young Hearts Run Free" by Kym Mazelle (so retro it seems perfect for the filmís costume party chameleon feel), as well as the old dance hit "Everybodyís Free", transformed into a gospel-chorale by Quindon Tarver The Cardigans provide the most obvious hit, Lovefool, (and a great song it is, too), while another honey-voiced Swedish grrl, Stina Nordenstam, sings "Little Star," a magical lullaby that (in a just world, if you can find one) ought to be a hit as well.
As a bonus to us technologically-abled folk, the CD also comes with an interactive CD-ROM program, featuring scenes from the movie, screenplay excerpts, interesting visuals (like a somewhat kitsch version of Zork Nemesis), and a rather good soundtrack of its own. It is gimmicky, blatantly promotional and surprisingly captivating. Just like a good music video, I suppose. Hail, hail, showbiz.
Julian Lim is a rat-catcher, a base footballer and a scurvy wretch.
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The best gems are saved for the last. Mundyís "To You I Bestow" is beautiful
stuff, even managing a near-Shakepearean cadence: "I will give you the stars
from the bruised evening sky." "Talk Show Host" is one of the best things
Radiohead has done, with a seductive, sidewinding rhythm and distortion-fed
drumming. And The Wannadies' "You and Me Song" begins as a quiet bossa nova
number, then bursts into shimmering, soaraway pop chorus. Itís a brilliant
finale to a soundtrack that is, for the most part, a gun-barrel of fun.