Evening, gang.
I've written about soundtracks and the wonderful intersection of film and music on numerous occasions. Most often it's with praise for both aspects of the concept - how the burbling techno of The Dust Brothers compliments the cold alienation of Fight Club, how noir-esqu jazz pieces and overly dramatic metal add to the gloom and doom of Lost Highway or the connections between the ambient discord of Akira Yamaoka and Silent Hill in its many forms. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Sometimes, due to a myriad of forces, a film can be an absolute stinker and still have a decent soundtrack. Take, for example, the curious case of the Godzilla soundtrack. Strap in, gang - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Anyone who paid attention to (or was subjected to) the marketing blitz behind the reboot of the Kaiju mainstay was aware of the bomb that was 1998's Godzilla. It was a flawed beast from the start - multiple starts, rushed shooting and not even getting a test screening were just some of the problems that led to fans of the monster movie franchise dubbing it "GINO" or Godzilla in name only. It has a lowly 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The VHS was $2 when it was new, so my older brother picked it up on a whim when we were younger, just to see what the trouble was. It was pretty bad. Strangely enough, the soundtrack still sounds pretty solid in parts.
Released just prior to the horrible movie, the soundtrack is actually a pretty good time capsule of what major label acts were popular at the time. Not only that, the songs they contributed weren't the usual cannon fodder of b-sides and outtakes but strong songs that I still listen to every now and then, weird as that may be. Not everything on record was gold, but there was a lot of good stuff. Rage Against the Machine's 'No Shelter' is a scathing rocker that blasts the distractions of (ironically) of mass media. Jamiroquai turn the panic of war into a funky dance number in 'Deeper Underground'. 'Air' by Ben Folds Five is a gorgeous slice of late 90s alternative music. There are contributions from big acts like The Wallflowers and Green Day, as well as less known acts like Fuel and Days of the New.
My favorite tracks here, by far, are from Foo Fighters and Silverchair. Their respective tracks, 'A320' and 'Untitled', are both rockers that have hints of classical influences peaking through the distortion. The Foo Fighters track has a softer, more contemplative feel as Dave Grohl explores a fear of flying. Silverchair's song alternates between somber and and off-the-walls, flipping from orchestrations to super heavy distortion. They're both nuanced pieces but in different ways.
Alright, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the real monster on the soundtrack. A great producer (but terrible rapper) took 'Kashmir' by Led Zepplin, with Jimmy Page's full consent, and turned it into a middling rap/rock...thing. It was a sad sign of things to come - more rap rock, more hits perverted, more of Sean Combs rapping. I've never liked his rapping but I always liked the source material. Oh well, I don't have to listen to it. Godzilla may have stunk, but like this song, I don't have to watch it - the soundtrack has some great stuff on it, even if one or two things stink. Listen for the good stuff. Forget the monsters.
I've written about soundtracks and the wonderful intersection of film and music on numerous occasions. Most often it's with praise for both aspects of the concept - how the burbling techno of The Dust Brothers compliments the cold alienation of Fight Club, how noir-esqu jazz pieces and overly dramatic metal add to the gloom and doom of Lost Highway or the connections between the ambient discord of Akira Yamaoka and Silent Hill in its many forms. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Sometimes, due to a myriad of forces, a film can be an absolute stinker and still have a decent soundtrack. Take, for example, the curious case of the Godzilla soundtrack. Strap in, gang - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
