One Of The Best (The Crow)

Member Name: Irp13

Product:	The Crow
Date:	17/03/01 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Compilation.

Disadvantages: Uncertain on the how well it reflects the music in the film.

This review is of the band soundtrack album as opposed to the instrumental soundtrack album.

I first heard this album way back before I saw the film and really didn't care for it at all, but then after seeing the film (which makes no difference to my opinion of the album), and waiting another couple of years I decided that I really did need a copy. Then one day whilst perusing the sale section I found it on sale and finally went and brought it (at the same time as The Matrix soundtrack incidentally) and I am so glad that I brought it.

Not having watched the film recently I couldn't really say how much of this album was actually in the film but really who cares? You can never really buy a band soundtrack album purely from what you see in a film anyway, with very few exceptions. This is an album you should look at if you want an album full of the darker side of alternative rock in the early nineties.

The Cure – Burn

Classic Cure, Robert Smith's distinct, slightly waily vocal cut across a landscape deep guitars. These screech into oblivion periodically giving a true sense of despair – which is really what The Cure are all about. The drums form a very prominent backbone to the track together with the rhythm section. Gets the album off to a superbly dark start. 9/10

Machines of Loving Grace- Golgotha Tenement Blues

Follows on from The Cure nicely, it is a slow tempo guttsy rock blues tune, not the best or most distinct track on the album. Even with its incessant use of the lyrics "I never took the money" in the second half of the song. 7/10

Stone Temple Pilots – Big Empty

This is a somewhat lighter shade of rock. The guitar is played in a way, with sliding notes, that gives a lazy atmosphere in the quiet bits. The whole track has clear leading vocals, even when the track builds up the guitars. The lyrics themselves seem to be a general lack of ad
equacy affair. 9/10

Nine Inch Nails – Dead Souls

This is one of their rock tracks. It's a fairly quiet affair with occasional build up of guitar. The drums are extremely prominent and are the driving force of the track. The vocals follow the backing track, usually approaching the chorus with gritted teeth vocals before going into shouted vocals during the chorus itself. 8/10

Rage Against The Machine – Darkness

This is better than most of Rage's songs. It still has they're standard rap-rock style, but this track has some really nice quiet pieces of guiter/bass work. The loud bits sound like every other Rage track except the lyrics are different. These are quite good, but I've just gone off the style in which they're sung. 6/10

Violent Femmes – Color Me Once

Here we re-enter the darker feeling tracks with a slow tempo tune that only has one loud bit, which is purely screeching sliding guitar work. The track as a whole has a meandering quality with vocals in the despair range again. 7/10

Rollins Band – Ghost Rider

We're back in heavier territory now, the vocals are all shouted and his voice really breaks up at times. The tune itself is a relatively simple affair but with it's pounding repetitive theme the song really works. 8/10

Helmet – Milktoast

This song falls into both metal and rock. We hear quite a lot of grinding guitar but it is never overpowering. The vocals are clear throughout. 6/10

Pantera – The Badge

This is the heaviest track on the album (no surprise there). The pace just refuses to slack throughout the song with the guitars and drums an unstoppable force. The vocals are deep and very slightly cracked. 5/10

For Love Not Lisa – Slip Slide Melting

Another up-tempo track. The while thing speeds through with continued guitar grind (but wit
h a tune) before at halfway we get a quiet bit with oscillating feedback, after which it slowly rebuilds until a brief full on flourish. In the first half of the song I've not a clue what they're on about but in the second half it all becomes more sentimental. 7/10

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – After the Flesh

The only industrial track on here. The tempo is high and uses samples a lot to great effect without aver repeating any of them too much. It's a very busy track with backing beats and a regular rift with only the odd variation. On occasion it alters to an entirely different rift on the backing making the track so much more interesting. The vocals have a satisfying amount of distortion without obliterating them. 8/10

The Jesus And Mary Chain – Snakedriver

The overwhelming word that comes to mind for this song is droning. The guitars drone continually in the background, even through all the variations in the tune its just continuous. The vocals are generally clear but also droning. At the end it all descends into distortion. 6/10

Medicine – Time Baby III

This is the first track on the album with female vocals. On the whole it's an indie affair, very much early nineties (not really surprising that). It has a soft, floaty feel, without being overwhelmingly light. 8/10

Jane Siberry – It Can't Rain All The Time

This is the song that's played in the film all the time. It is completely traditionally singer orientated song. The vocals lead with only the odd instrument sneaking up in the background for most of it. She really has an amazing vocal range and it is a really beautiful track but it doesn't really fit on such a band driven album. 8/10

This I feel is one of the best band based soundtracks around even now seven years on, it has such a good cohesive quality about it. It doesn't stick over-rigidly to a si
ngle genre, which really helps give much needed variety to the album. The only track I feel is out of place here, as mentioned above, is the Jane Siberry song it is, however, the one most deserving of a place on the soundtrack when considering the film – also it is a damn fine song.

My personal favourite track is My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult but this is probably not going to be the case with most people, I just like the way, despite being a massively crowded track, it still manages to maintain a sense of order which is essential in making listenable music. Other stand out songs for me are those by The Cure and Stone Temple Pilots, both are completely different in style yet somehow both belong here due to the common emotion running through them.

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