A few years ago, I went to an Edinburgh Festival version of
Sexual Perversity in Chicago. It was a mediocre version, but what was interesting about it was that the director had clearly heard this soundtrack & liberally used it throughout the play to add atmosphere & a sense of style to an otherwise limited performance.
And that's the brilliant thing about this soundtrack - it is the best thing about the film to the point where the film seems like a music video for it! The songs are rich in ethos & varied, so that there are always new angles to discover on each of the tracks. Furthermore, you can use the songs to add texture to any endeavour & end up with a masterpiece!
For instance, there is the song
Across 110th Street, which is a rags-to-riches soul song. Then there is
Street Life, which is loud, brash Motown & finally there is 'The Lion & the Cucumber', which defies description! All the songs are the 1 in 10,000 variety that are good on their original albums, but utterly amazing put together on one album.
As for dialogue, it has been said that it is not as plentiful on this soundtrack as on
Pulp Fiction &
Reservoir Dogs. That is true, but what is on here is intriguing enough.
Track 2 is recognizable for anyone who's heard the song off
Human Traffic (as it contains the sample used for "It ain't Gonna be me").
Track 4 is a bit I missed on the film, but is about Samuel L. Jackson's collection of 'Beach Bunnies' that he keeps in L.A. Rather like the 'Royale with Cheese' scene in
Pulp Fiction, it is a classic example of Tarantino using screen-time on dialogue, rather than just moving the plot along with it.
Finally, Track 15 is the pick of the bunch, with the classic Tarantino line "Smoking weed will rob you of your ambition..." "Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV!"
This all said, there are weaknesses with this compilation. Songs like
Natural High & 'Inside Your Love' are brilliant, but not profound songs & become nauseating after a few listens. Equally some of the songs lack grit (e.g. 'Strawberry Letter 22') & though they are intriguing, they are also a bit wet behind the ears.
However, get most soundtracks from films and they are 90% lame, with only a very occasional good track. On this compilation, you will find NO duds & an immense variety of surprises. Truly, it is an soundtrack that is the equal of
Pulp Fiction & even
Trainspotting.
So, to sum up: if you're looking for the spirit & soul of Tarantino, you could do a lot worse than buying a copy of this album.
