What people search:
 | Title : The Royal Tenenbaums (Collector's Edition)
Author : Various Artists
Release Date : 20020702
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.49
(29
%)
VISIT AMAZON.COM'S PAGE |
Editorial Reviews :
The magical triad behind Rushmore's spunky, starry-eyed soundtrack--music supervisor Randall Poster, composer Mark Mothersbaugh, and director Wes Anderson--leaps forward a decade from that beloved soundtrack's '60s gems, in the process adopting a more pensive feel for The Royal Tenenbaums' musical backdrop. It may lack the euphoric sing-along feel of, say, Creation's 'Makin' Time,' but the rock and folk tracks here perfectly match the film's crumbling characters and their dilapidated relationships. The Ramones' 'Judy Is a Punk' is a burst of nostalgic rebellion but surely causes a sad twinge in light of Joey Ramone's untimely death in 2001; gloom-folker Nick Drake's 'Fly' and Elliott Smith's excellently depressing 'Needle in the Hay'--which is used to chilling effect during a wrist-slashing scene--further deepen the dark thread running through Tenenbaums. But those who prefer the sunny disposition of Rushmore will be thrilled by the calming concoctions of Mothersbaugh, who heralds the coming of a new scene with graceful woodwind/string parts ('Scrapping and Yelling') and playful sitar pieces ('Pagoda's Theme'). Throw in the Clash's squalling 'Police & Thieves' and the Velvet Underground's petal-soft 'Stephanie Says' and you've got another winning soundtrack from the film biz's most in-tune music lovers. Tenenbaum or not, you can go home again.
Buyer Reviews :
This is a very fine, if somewhat obscure, collection of rock and folk music from different decades. Without the context of the movie, you could say the CD is so eclectic that either it has something for everybody, or nothing for anyone. I'd pick the former. 'Stephanie Says,' 'Needle in the Hay,' and 'Judy is a Punk' are flat-out excellent songs. It's also nice to hear 'Christmas Time is Here' since I grew up watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special every holiday season. One of the especially pleasing treats is Mark Mothersbaugh's music, which is even better on 'The Royal Tenenbaums' than his other music was on 'Rushmore.' Whereas on the 'Rushmore' soundtrack Mothersbaugh's music seemed incidental, on this soundtrack it is closer to a fully realized movie score, while still retaining his trademark sound. It's brilliant.
So why only four stars? First, I could've done without the Nico songs. The lyrics and music are in keeping with everything in the film, but her monotonic voice isn't very pleasing in any context. However, the real reason this CD gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that it omits too many essential songs. The instrumental cover of The Beatles' 'Hey Jude' is the most glaring of these. Several articles and reviews about the movie have discussed the importance of 'Hey Jude' to the film, whose message is arguably 'take a sad song and make it better.' One piece even discussed how the entire opening scene was written to run precisely with 'Hey Jude.' It should have been on the CD. If that meant a delay in the release or that it would cost an extra dollar each to take care of royalties issues, so be it. It wasn't even the Beatles' version, it was a cover. They are strict with their songs, but they allowed a whole bunch of people to cover their songs for the 'I Am Sam' soundtrack.
The other exclusions:
Some reviewers have already mentioned that the Rolling Stones don't allow their songs on soundtracks. That's understandable from the Stones' point of view, but it's really too bad. The omitted songs were from the important scene with Richie and Margot in the tent.
'Me and Julio...' by Paul Simon is another conspicuous omission. This song was used in the film's marketing campaign, and it was a perfect fit for the montage scene where Royal teaches his grandsons to get into trouble. It's one of the songs I associate most with the movie.
Here, to the best of my knowledge, is what they left out:
Elliott Smith(?) - 'Hey Jude'
John Lennon - 'Look At Me'
Bob Dylan - 'Main Title Theme (from 'Billy')'
Erik Satie - 'Gymnopedia #1'
The Clash - 'Rock the Casbah'
Paul Simon - 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard'
The Rolling Stones - 'She Smiled Sweetly' and 'Ruby Tuesday'
Antonio Vivaldi - 'Music for Lute and Mandolin (allegro)'
Van Morrison - 'Everyone'
(The 'Hey Jude' cover is by Elliott Smith, Mark Mothersbaugh, or someone else entirely, depending on which Internet source you believe. I haven't checked the film's credits to see who actually performed it. In any case, there doesn't seem to be a published recording available as of this writing.)
Bottom line: If a soundtrack is supposed to represent the music of the movie, then 'The Royal Tenenbaums' falls short but is still worthwhile in it's own right--especially if you just enjoy an eclectic mix of music. Buy the excluded music from the individual artists if you can't live without the songs.
(by bprovenzale)
back
What people search:
|
|
