You're My Wicked Life (Kill Bill Vol 1 - Soundtrack)

Member Name: litefoot

Product:	Kill Bill Vol 1 - Soundtrack
Date:	14/07/05 (1618 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some very infectious tracks

Disadvantages: 5 tracks of odd sound effects at the end

This a review of the soundtrack to the film Kill Bill Vol.1, which was released in 2004.

Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill is about The Bride (Uma Thurman), a female assassin who goes is looking for revenge after she was betrayed and left for dead by her colleagues. The film was originally so lengthy that Tarantino split it into two films, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Despite making his name in the early 90s, this is only Tarantino's fourth film.

This CD is a compilation soundtrack as opposed to containing a complete musical score such as John William's orchestral music for Star Wars.

Quentin Tarantino chooses the music for all his films and that is exactly the case here. And just like those earlier soundtracks (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, before anyone asks), this collection includes a wide variety of music from old classics to unheard of new songs and some bizarre choices you wouldn't expect to find on a film soundtrack. A warning though, if you like film compilations featuring artists like Ronan Keating and Busted, this is definitely not for you :)

On the whole, the music QT has chosen here is brilliant. I hadn't heard many of these tracks before, including the ones that are regarded as classics, nor had I heard of any of the films he has borrowed music from. He is renowned for watching many, many videos in his youth including obscure titles that noone has heard of and which influence the music he picks for his films.


1. BANG BANG (MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN) - NANCY SINATRA
Originally released in 1966, I hadn't come across this version until Kill Bill was released into cinemas (It was actually a cover of a Sonny/Cher song). Tarantino has a knack of using old songs that most people have forgotten and making them popular again. This falls into that category. Nancy (daughter of Frank) Sinatra's sad and angsty tones work well as she sings about a lover who left her.

2. THAT CERTAIN FEMALE - CHARLIE FEATHERS
This song by rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers is the only one that doesn't sit comfortably on the album. A mix of country and rock with lots of guitar, it may be a great track (I know nothing of this genre) but it belongs on a rockabilly compilation, not here.

3. THE GRAND DUEL (PARTE PRIMA) - LUIS BACALOV
Spaghetti western-like instrumental by Luis Bacalov taken from the 1972 film 'The Grand Duel'. A great track. It very much evokes the mood of westerns such as 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly'. In fact a similar track by master composer Ennio Morricone, who scored that film, features in Kill Bill Vol. 1 but it is not included here. The track, 'Death Rides a Horse' can instead be found on Vol. 2.

4. TWISTED NERVE - BERNARD HERRMANN
Composer Bernard Herrman wrote scores for many film classics of the 20th Century and is best known for his 'shower scene' cue in Psycho. This track, 'Twisted Nerve' is from the 1968 film of the same name but is only heard in the film via Daryl Hannah's whistling when she walks down the hospital corridor disguised as a nurse (a little unconvincingly though as she is wearing a black eyepatch!).

5. QUEEN OF THE CRIME COUNCIL - Dialogue from the film.

6. ODE TO O-REN ISHII - THE RZA
One of the few tracks on the album that is composed specifically for the film. This is a hip hop track by Wu Tang's RZA and for someone who doesn't like hip hop much, this isn't that bad, mainly because it isn't as raw and in your face as the rest of it's kind. It isn't in the film though and I would gladly sacrifice it for some Ennio Morricone. Perhaps it was forcibly included on the CD by a group of marketing executives who believed the whole package needed more youth appeal?

7. RUN FAY RUN - ISAAC HAYES
Blaxplotation track from the man who does them so well, although this time he's not on vocal duties for this beat-laden instrumental.

8. GREEN HORNET - AL HIRT
Also known as 'Flight of the Bumblebee', this is the theme tune from the US TV series Green Hornet which co-starred Bruce Lee. Fast paced, it sounds very much like music to accompany a comedy car chase (if that makes any sense!). Not a great track but curiously fits in well.

9. BATTLE WITHOUT HONOUR OR HUMANITY - TOMOYASU HOTEI
The official Kill Bill theme which you've probably heard on the radio and umpteen TV programmes, and will continue to hear. A brilliant concoction of brass and guitar riff, absolutely brilliant. You'll play this again and again. A shame it isn't longer though (only two and a half minutes). It would be the best track on the CD if it wasn't for...

10. DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD - SANTA ESMERALDA
This *is* the best track on the CD, by miles. Santa Esmeralda's reworked 70s classic is a whopping 10 minutes long but you won't notice as you get caught up in one very infectious rock track. There is an instrumental section in the middle that makes you want to dance around the room whatever you are doing.

11. WOO HOO - THE 5 6 7 8'S
This track is actually performed by the 5 6 7 8's on screen during the film, when The Bride is involved in a bloody swordfight with O-Ren's bodyguards. Who are The 5 6 7 8's, I hear you ask? The 5 6 7 8's are a punk/rock band of Japanese women - and not just a collection of pretty faces either, as they play their own instruments (Can you see Destiny's Child doing that, eh?). This is a *very* catchy track with drums and guitar. You will recognise it from a famous TV advert shown last year to promote the Euro 2004 football championship - lots of people running through a town playing football.

12. CRANE/WHITE LIGHTNING - THE RZA/CHARLES BERNSTEIN
Along with the RZA, Charles Bernstein composed the few cues used in the film and this is his only cue on the CD. It starts fairly unmemorably then suddenly turns into a cue from a 70s film thriller. Average.

13. THE FLOWER OF CARNAGE - MEIKO KAJI
Originally used in 1973 film Snowblood (Are you detecting a pattern here? Must save a fortune by not paying someone like John Williams to score your entire film!) this is a sultry performance sung in Japanese by Meiko Kaji who also starred in that film.

14. THE LONELY SHEPHERD - ZAMFIR
Who would have thought there would be pan pipes on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack? Well there is, and it's actually quite good :)

15. YOU'RE MY WICKED LIFE - Dialogue from the film.

16. IRONSIDE - QUINCY JONES
An odd but effective choice for the film. This is a segment of the Ironside theme, a US television series from the 1970s that starred Raymond Burr as a wheelchair bound detective. The track is used each time The Bride first spots her traitorous colleagues.

17. SUPER 16 - NEU!
Not a song or instrumental - more of a sound effect. Click... clack... click... clack... for a whole minute. Eh?

After track 17 the liner notes state 'KUNG FU STINGS AND SFX'. There are actually five more tracks but aren't stated as such. Amazon lists the other five:

18. YAKUZA OREN 1 - RZA
19. BANISTER FIGHT - RZA
20. FLIP STING - (sound effect)
21. SWORD STINGS (sound effect)
22. AXE THROWS (sound effect)

Well, Quentin likes his sound effects doesn't he? I can do without these last five tracks but they are listed on Amazon after all so here they are for completeness sake.

They are a totally bizarre collection of random sounds - beeps and groans that you would do well to ignore. Or just stop your CD player after track 16! Anyone know what these are?


Please note there are some expletives peppered throughout the CD, so it is not for children's ears!

If you would like to buy the soundtrack, you can usually find it in HMV stores in their sale section for about £6.99. Unfortunately the vinyl edition is deleted.

Online, the cheapest UK option I can find is from 101cd.com who offer it for £6.99 including P and P. I have not used this site so cannot comment on their reliability.

So it looks like HMV is probably the best bet... which makes a change, because HMV is only good for browsing their stock, finding something that you like and then buying it online for a much cheaper price!

The LP *is* available online from Amazon but only second-hand for about £10 including P and P.

You can listen to clips of all the tracks at

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/B0000C9V3T/qid=1121336989/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/102- 6272602-
8460146?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

I wouldn't normally recommend a soundtrack compilation but this is an exception to the rule. All in all a nice mix of tracks and well worth a listen, even if there is the odd clunker to be found. I give it four stars.

Summary: Quentin Tarantino returns with another eclectic choice of music