Film soundtracks, once simply collections of orchestrated music used as emotional resonance for cinematic stories, have turned into merchandising devices, samplers that sell movies. Even the smallest newspaper ads and the most quickly edited 30-second TV spots include a pitch for soundtracks, now comprised of collections of songs that sometimes overwhelm the movies they "support."
To wit, this quartet of prime examples:
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Twister" (Warner). * * 1/2
You could say the "Twister" soundtrack has uprooted a lot of major recording talent the same way the film's tornados uproot trees - the songs here flail about aimlessly in service of a movie with no heart, only profit-minded, high-tech special effects.
Similarly, the songsters gathered here - everyone from Shania Twain, k.d. lang and Alison Krauss to Soul Asylum, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Goo Goo Dolls - offer so many wildly disparate tracks that it's impossible to expect anything approaching a cohesive collection.
Oh, Van Halen's hot title riff, "Humans Being," and "Talula" by Tori Amos and Krauss' "Moments Like This" are eminently listenable, and there's certainly curiosity value in the hard-to-believe reunion of Fleetwood Mac vets Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood - but like their song, "Twisted," the entire project seems more calculated than musical.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Mission: Impossible" (Mother). * *
The big draw in this soundtrack sampler is, of course, two '90s updates of the "Mission: Impossible" theme by U2's Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton, and that alone might be worth the album price to rabid fans. But there are some other worthwhile contributions here, including Bernard Herrmannesque themes by Danny Elfman, who scored the film; Massive Attack's brooding "Spying Glass"; and the Cranberies' overworked "Dreams." On the other hand, you're also stuck with stinkers by Skunk Anansie and a group called the Longpigs.
But then, what do you expect from an album bold enough to label itself as "Music from and inspired by the motion picture. . . ."?
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "The Craft" (Columbia). * * *
Another high-profile sampler riding on the coattails of a hit movie, the soundtrack from "The Craft" is primarily composed of covers by bands too hip for their own good.
Our Lady Peace does the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," Marianne Faithful's "Witches Song" is given the once-over by Juliana Hatfield, Letters to Cleo takes on the Cars' "Dangerous Type," Love Spit Love reworks the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" and Heather Love offers us Peter Gabriel's "I Have the Touch." Those are the goodies, and I also liked Elastica's "Spastica." But the less said about Tripping Daisy's version of Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire," Spacehog's "The Horror" and Graeme Revell's "Bells, Books and Candles," the better.
At least the choices here are generally in keeping with the film's themes.
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Barb Wire" (London). * *
The "Barb Wire" soundtrack is actually just another industrial/ metal sampler (with the occasional foul word, of course), kicked off by "Welcome to Planet Boom," by Tommy Lee of Motley Crue and his wife Pamela Anderson Lee, who just happens to be the film's star. It's a discouraging beginning, but then along comes Michael Hutchence's reworking of Eric Burden's "Spill the Wine," Gun's cover of "Word Up" and Shampoo's amusing "Don't Call Me Babe" (taken from the title character's tagline).
In other words, what we have here is a mishmash mix. But it's better than the movie . . . though that's hardly a ringing endorsement.
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.