This is the soundtrack to my life (Empire Records)

Member Name: kitschkitty

Product:	Empire Records
Date:	07/12/08 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic selection of tracks.

Disadvantages: Some missing from the film.

I'm not in the habit of buying the soundtracks to films. In fact, I only have three in my vast CD collection but the three I own are in my possession for very good reason. Not only do they contain a fantastic selection of songs, but they take me back to the film and to different times in my life when memories were happier, working 9 to 5 wasn't on the agenda and money was a luxury rather than a worry.

I still remember the first time I saw the film Empire Records. As a music lover and a young teenager at the time, it was an idyllic setting with a cast of the young, cool and beautiful. It was The Breakfast Club for my generation and I still recall sitting in my best friend's den above the garage, eating Ben and Jerry's and wishing we could work in a record store like Empire Records when we grew up.

Being a film about a music shop, the soundtrack had a lot to live up to. It was all part and parcel of the film and the selection of songs still sound fresh and modern even today. The selection of artists and tracks oozes cool with a perfect blend of indie and rock and the combination of well-known and established artists with some lesser known but perhaps very much underappreciated ones makes the album work as a fantastic whole.

The collection of songs on this CD takes me back to the generation X era in an instant and without these songs, I would have seen the film in a completely different light. It was this album that introduced me to The Gin Blossoms, ignited my love of Coyote Shivers, and had me singing Ready, Steady, Go into my hairbrush at the top of my lungs. The stand out track for me has to be Sugar High by Coyote Shivers which might even feature in my top ten tracks of all time if I were to compile one. And despite the fact that this version doesn't include Renee Zellweger, it still takes me back to the final scene of the music and the excitement of watching the film for the first time.

This is a soundtrack that captures the essence of the film. Just as the film is undeniably a cult classic, so is this selection of songs. Admittedly, there are famous tracks from the film that are omitted from this recording and purist fans of the film may feel let down but this selection perfectly recreates the mood of an era and the impact of a cult classic. Don't worry if you haven't heard of half the artists, there isn't a bum track here and the whole compilation will take you on a roller coaster of emotions that will leave you begging for more.


Track Listing
1. Til I Hear It From You - Gin Blossoms
2. Liar - The Cranberries
3. A Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins
4. Free - The Martinis
5. Crazy Life - Toad The Wet Sprocket
6. Bright As Yellow - The Innocence Mission
7. Circle Of Friends - Better Than Ezra
8. I Don't Want To Live Today - Ape Hangers
9. Whole Lotta Trouble - Cracker
10. Ready, Steady, Go - The Meices
11. What You Are - Drill
12. Nice Overalls - Lustre
13. Here It Comes Again - Please
14. The Ballad Of El Goodo - Evan Dando
15. Sugarhigh - Coyote Shivers
16. The Honeymoon Is Over - The Cruel Sea

************************************************* ***

Also posted on Ciao.com

Summary: This is the soundtrack to my life