Soundtracks 1. "Born to Raise
Hell" -Motorhead with Ice-T and Whitfield Crane (4:56) I held out for years to find a used, cheap copy of this. After all, the only songs I was really interested in was Anthrax's cover of the Smiths "London" and Motorhead's "Born to Raise Hell" with Ice-T and Whitfield Crane. Upon purchasing this $3.99 disc, I'm glad I didn't spend to much money on it. Anthrax's contribution absolutely shreds but the rest bites! 4 Non Blondes totally annihilate the Van Halen track "I'm the One." I mean, this is the WORST cover song I have ever heard. Seriously, they must have taken some serious doses of suck pills before recording this song. Unfortunately most of the rest is uninteresting to me as well. Even the mighty Motorhead track is annoying with Ice-T overdubbed into the song. I assumed that this would be a re-recorded track, but it sounds like the album version with additional vocals added. The Ramones track is halfway cool but a little commercial for them. Armageddon - The Album (Columbia) 1. "I
Don't Want to Miss a Thing" -Aerosmith (4:59) A blockbuster movie only deserves the best, so why not give 'em Aerosmith! It's the only reason to own this disc. The presense of ex-Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin is cool and shows the diversity of his talent. Gotta admit I also like the ZZ Top and Bob Segar cuts, but other than that, well it's a good thing that cd players are programmable. Either that or you can just let the disc play through to track nine and tolerate Journey and Bon Jovi, then stop the disc before the really bad stuff begins. Beavis and Butt-Head Experience (Geffen) 1993 1. "I Hate Myself
and Want to Die" -Nirvana (4:02) I'm not sure if this is just a compilation or a soundtrack to a Beavis & Butthead movie. There is only one word to describe this CD as a whole - awful! However there are a handful of good songs though the songs I am most interested in have all been released on other albums. While the skits in between songs are all very funny, as are the run-ins with Anthrax & Run DMC, I really one want to hear the music. Favorite tracks include "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" by Anthrax, "Deuces Are Wild" as written and performed by Jim Vallance along with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and "99 Ways to Die" by Megadeth. The Red Hot Chili Peppers cover of the Stooges classic sucks! I'm not a big rap fan so I don't really care much for the Run DMC or Sir Mix-A-Lot tracks either. Nirvana's contribution, "I Hate Myself and Want to Die", is ironically one of the last songs released before Kurt Cobain's suicide. My main interest in is this album was almost solely the Anthrax track that is not available on any other disc. The bad thing about this song is that the first five minutes is actually just a dialog between Anthrax and Beavis and Butthead on their tour bus. The music itself is a bizarre rap-metal thing that sounds nothing like Anthrax. That's why I waited to find a cheap copy. I basically paid $1.99 for the one Anthrax song I didn't have. Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey (Interscope Records) 1991 1. "Shout It Out"
- Slaughter (4:19) Several good unreleased tracks on this one, including Slaughter's "Shout It Out" King's X "Junior's Gone WIld" and Megadeth's "Go To Hell". Most reviews I have read had nothing but bad things to say about Kiss' contribution, but I like it. It's an excellent rock 'n' roll anthem. I am really not sure what everyone hates about it. In anycase, the entire disc is actually quite listenable, which is unusual for a soundtrack, at least for me. Even the songs by Winger and Primus are bearable. Steve Vai's two instrumentals are quite good as well, although I am not a huge fan of the who shred-o-matic school of instrumentals. "The Reaper Rap" features voice overs by Bill & Ted, the Wild Stallions. Bordello of Blood (Mercury) 1996 1. "Bordello
of Blood" -Anthrax (4:12) The problem with most soundtrack albums for me is that there are usually only one or two songs that I am interested in. If I compiled all my favorite songs from all my soundtrack albums, I would have one or two killer discs, rather than 20 average discs. "Bordello of Blood" is no different. My soul purpose in wanting this disc is for the excellent title cut by Anthrax. Of course I also like the cuts by Thin Lizzy, Scorpions and Cinderella but I already have all these songs on other discs. A few other highlights on this disc are Red Kross' glam rock cover of Kiss' "Duece" (a song that has also been covered by Bathory, Overkill, and Lenny Kravitz) and Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" (which has been covered by Krokus, Nuclear Assault, and The Surf Punks). It's also nice to have a full-length version of Free's "All Right Now" on CD. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Columbia) 1992 Detroit Rock City (Mercury) 1. "Boys
Are Back in Town" -Everclear (4:05) This movie was funny, as well as a trip back to when I was a kid. Kiss ruled my world in the 70's. The best songs on the disc are the original classic rock songs: "Running with the Devil," "Iron Man," "Jailbreak," "Surrender," "Rebel Rebel," "Little Willy" and, of course the Kiss tracks "Shout It out Loud" and the title track. Unfortunately most of the covers fall flat, with the exception of Pantera's cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever." The Donnas do a decent version of "Strutter." Everclear shows us how much they SUCK by totally hacking to pieces a classic, Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town." Marilyn Manson covering AC/DC speaks for itself. How the heck did that guy ever get a record contract? I wish this disc would have just included the originals as most of the covers suck. To be quite honest, however, the reason I picked up this disc is because it included an unreleased Kiss song "Nothing Can Keep Me from You". The song was originally recorded for "Psycho Circus" but was left off for obvious reasons. Despite the fact that I am a huge Kiss fan, and am about to commit blasphemy, this song sucks! It's a sappy ballad with orchestration. I know, now I will have to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth (Victory) 1992 Iron Eagle [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (Capitol) 1985 1. One Vision - Queen (4:03) When I think of the Iron Eagle soundtrack one song immediately comes to mind, "Hide the Rainbow" by Dio. It's a fantastic song by Dio and really could have been included on either of the first two Dio records. It's also the heaviest and best song on this soundtrack. However, there are a couple other worthy songs included here as well. Queen's "One Vision" is a fun song that mixes hard rock with some latin style beats. Queen were always mixing and experimenting with their sound, some successfully, some not so-successful. "One Vision" was one of the more successful experiments in sound. The other standout track is Helix "It's Too Late", a fun pop-metal number with a crunchy guitar riff and a sing-along chorus. "Maniac House" by Katrina & The Waves is also a decent song. It's a fun, blues-based, rock and roll number. The King Kobra song is a bit disappointing, sounding like something by Toto or one of those cheesy Rocky songs. Remember songs like "Hearts on Fire" by John Cafferty or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor? Most of the rest of the soundtrack is rather unremarkable. Last Action Hero (Columbia) 1. "Big Gun"
-AC/DC (4:22) The movie for this soundtrack bombed. The soundtrack, however, sold rather well. It's actually a very good disc with a wealth of unreleased songs from some excellent artists. Favorite tracks are "Poison My Eyes" by Anthrax, "Angry Again" by Megadeth, "Big Gun" by AC/DC and, of course, the live version of Aerosmith's "Dream On." Biggest disappointment is the Queensryche ballad "Real World." Less Than Zero Soundtrack (Columbia) 1987 1. "Rocking Pneumonia
and the Boogie Woogie Flu" -Aerosmith (2:56) Well it's has Slayer performing "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" and Aerosmith performing "Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu." These two songs alone are enough for me to own this disc. Not much else that interests me. I kind of dig the Public Enemy tune though. Poison somehow manage to make one of the all time greatest rock n roll anthems ("Rock and Roll All Nite") sound light and wimpy. Navy Seals: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Atlantic) 1990 1. Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter - Bruce Dickinson (5:04) "A Nightmare On Elm Street 5" soundtrack can basically be broken down into two album sides. The first side was essentially all hard rock and heavy metal while side two of the LP was essentially all rap and hip-hop. The lead-off track is a solo track by Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and features ex-Gillan guitarist Janick Gers, who also went on to join Iron Maiden. This song is a classic and was later re-recorded by Iron Maiden and went on to be a #1 single in the UK. Mammoth also features an ex-Gillan member, bassist John McCoy. Their contribution to this soundtrack is much more slick and radio friendly than Gillan ever was, but is still a fun hard rock song. W.A.S.P.'s contribution is a vicious metal song titled "Savage". This song was exclusive to this album until it was later added as a bonus track to the CD re-release of "The Last Command". Romeo's Daughter offers the weakest track on the rock side of the record. This keyboard saturated 80's pop rocker is catchy but sounds rather weak surrounded by W.A.S.P. and Dickinson. Slave Raider finish of the rock side with a strong, fun rocker. It's a shame that this band didn't gain a bit more notoriety. Essentially the rest of the CD is non-essential to me, though I did enjoy the "Livin' in the Jungle" by Philadelphia rapper Schoolly-D. Rock Star - Music from the Motion Picture (Warner Bros.) 2001 Shocker-No More Mr. Nice Guys-The Music (Univeral) 1989 1. "Shocker" - The Dudes of Wrath featuring Paul Stanley (3:58) Other than Megadeth's smokin' cover of "No More Mr. Nice Guy" I hadn't heard anything else from this soundtrack. Most soundtracks are hit or miss from song to song. "Shocker" is actually a pretty solid CD from beginning to end, save for the sappy balled by Saraya called "Timeless Love". Iggy Pop's performance is a bit uneven, although it's not so bad that I don't enjoy the song. The best track here is without a doubt Dangerous Toys "Demon Bell". This song was my main motivation for owning this CD, especially since the Megadeth cut has been released elsewhere. The Dead On track was surprisingly good too. Had never even heard of this band before. The Dudes of Wrath are nothing more than a group of musicians put together by Desmond Child, who is a very well known song writer. His signature is on most of these songs. Strangeland Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1998 1."Inconclusion"
- Dee Snider (4:16) Since Dee Snider wrote and starred in the 1998 horror movie Strangeland, I kind of assumed that the soundtrack to his movie would be full of killer heavy metal. What is surprising is that much of this stuff is crappy, so-called nu-metal making the disc a somewhat mixed affair for me. Essential are the new tracks by Dee Snider and a re-formed Twisted Sister ("Heroes Are Hard to Find"). The Twisted Sister track was written by the Desperado writing team of Snider & Tormé. Both of these tracks are excellent, and my sole reason for owning this disc. There are also two Twisted Sister covers; dayinthelife's cover of "Street Justice" and Crisis doing "Captain Howdy," both of which suck royally. I certainly could have lived without Marilyn Manson, The Clay People, Nashville Pussy and other such garbage. The Megadeth, Anthrax and Pantera tracks are all good, but have all been released before. With most soundtracks the skip button is a necessity but on this cd, I just program my cd player to play tracks 1 and 17. Trick or Treat-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack featuring Fastway (Columbia) 1987 1. "Trick or Treat"
(2:47) see Fastway for review. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (5:58)
Hot And Bothered - Cinderella (4:17)
Rock Candy - Bulletboys (5:04)
Dream Weaver - Gary Wright (4:26)
Sikamikanico - Red Hot Chili Peppers (3:26)
Time Machine - Black Sabbath (4:19)
Wayne's World Theme - Wayne & Garth (5:14)
Ballroom Blitz - Tia Carrere (3:30)
Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix (3:19)
Feed My Frankenstein - Alice Cooper (4:46)
Ride With Yourself - Rhino Bucket (3:15)
Loving Your Lovin' - Eric Clapton (3:55)
Why You Wanna Break My Heart - Tia Carrere (3:33)
"Wayne's World" was a movie that came about from a Saturday Night Live skit. It netted two hit movies and two hit soundtracks, both with some exclusive tracks, as well as some classic rock favorites. This one starts off with the iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody". This song helped revive Queen's popularity with a whole new generation of fans becoming fans through the movie. The Bulletboys cover of Montrose "Rock Candy". is catchy but about as goofy as hair metal gets. Put it up with "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for the cheese factor. Perhaps the best song on this compilation is Black Sabbath's "Time Machine" with Ronnie James Dio behind the mic. This songs is heavy! This is a slightly different version of the song than the version that was recorded for "Dehumanizer", including a brighter overall feel and slightly different lyrics. Other standout cuts are "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper and the AC/DC-ish "Ride With Youself" by Rhino Bucket.
Wayne's World 2 Soundtrack 1. "Louie,
Louie" -Robert Plant (2:54) I picked up this disc used for under $5 for the inclusion of the two live Aerosmith cuts. The Robert Plant version of "Louie, Louie" is cool as well. Other than that I just don't care much. Someday I'm going to make a cdr compilation of Aerosmith tracks off all the different compilations and soundtracks and have one killer b-side collection. |