HBO's Mafia masterpiece The Sopranos is a remarkable television series--it's witty, creative, and truly unique. The same praises could be sung for a show's soundtrack, an odd but fun mix of beats, classic rock, and--what else?--Mafia-staple Sinatra. Alabama 3's theme "Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" gets things off to a lively start, as does bluesman R.L. Burnside's "It's Bad You ...
Manufacturer: Play-Tone/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax
Sarah Michelle Gellar may be saving the world from vampires but her TV show is also helping a few worthy bands get some much needed exposure. Dayton, Ohio's ridiculously prolific Guided by Voices lead things off with the playful "Teenage FBI," a strong distillation of the band's knack for the irrepressible hook. The all-femme Hepburn protest in true "Maggie's Farm" fashion (as in "I ain't gonna ...
Manufacturer: Columbia
This 13-part TV adaptation of Defoe's classic story is one of the most comprehensive of the many versions made for large or small screen over the years. It was a huge success when broadcast on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-1960s. One aspect of its appeal was the title theme, which was so popular it was released as a single. The "Main Theme" is an adventurous piece with a slightly ...
Manufacturer: Silva Screen
Like most "overnight sensations", Vonda Shepard had been slogging away for quite a spell--more than a decade's worth of touring, and three previous albums to be precise--before getting to grab the brass ring via the hit TV show Ally McBeal. This disc reprises most of the cover songs Shepard performed during the series' first year, from the ubiquitous "Hooked on a Feeling" to a lovely ...
Manufacturer: Epic
This souvenir from the popular teen television drama contains several high-profile pop smashes tied to the show (Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me", Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait", and Shawn Mullins's "Shimmer"), along with a number of other tracks similar in tone and style. That is to say, if those songs' (or the show's) slightly wounded romanticism appeals to you, you're likely to find ...
Manufacturer: Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax
The writer of the theme tune for Ally McBeal, Vonda Shepard has become a fully-fledged American celebrity. She's no major-label diva, though--after being unceremoniously dumped by Warner Brothers when her first two albums didn't sell, Shepard was plucked from a tiny stage by David E Kelly, the creator of Ally McBeal, and within a year had attained stardom as Ally's muse, forever ...
When Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks collaborated on the Academy Award-winning Saving Private Ryan, an abiding passion to further honour the young fighting soldiers of WWII was born in both men, resulting in Band of Brothers, an ambitious 10-part mini-series based on historian Stephen Ambrose's account of a 101st Airborne regiment as it fought its way across Europe. In scoring the ...
Manufacturer: Sony Classical
This third instalment of the Ally McBeal soundtracks series, featuring performer Vonda Shepard, delivers another solid collection of emotive blues and country-inflected power ballads. The surprises here are the three tracks sung by the TV show's guest thespian Robert Downey Jr. If this soundtrack was intended to be a star vehicle, it's an old banger. Downey's contrived rasp, hardened vocals and ...
It's no exaggeration to say that, though it lasted only 30 episodes, Twin Peaks started a revolution in North American television. In partnership with unsung hero Mark Frost, the visionary filmmaker David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) brought his dark and surreal perceptions to the small screen. 1980's TV had been dominated by the glossy soap operas Dallas and ...
Manufacturer: Warner
