I can't remember the exact date but I was at a Marilyn Manson concert and he played 'Apple Of Sodom'. I'd never heard the song before and I absolutely loved it. The performance was eerie and compelling at the same time. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I couldn't understand the lyrics, but a little bit of research online and I eventually found a message board where some kid who'd seen the same tour in another city posted his feelings about the tour and he mentioned the title of the song and how surprised he was to have seen it in the live set. Once I had the title, I was able to find out where I could get the song and as luck would have it, I found this disc in a used music store on my first attempt to find it. If I recall, it only cost $4.
The album has since taken a more esteemed place in my music collection as I discovered Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails produced the project and was largely responsible for the sound. It also features tracks by a number of bands I was into at the time including The Smashing Pumpkins, Rammstein and David Bowie.
A couple of composers are also featured on the disc interspersed between band tracks with pieces of film scoring they contributed to the film. One of them writes a form of unconventional Vegas Lounge jazz. There's a lot of dated instruments and the horns are right out of a 50's stripper song catalog. The other composer's pieces are just as creepy, but take on the sound and feel of old time country western films; if they were spooky as hell.
The album starts off with an edit of David Bowie's 'I'm Deranged'. Right around this time, David Bowie's "Outside" was one of my favorite albums. I was utterly enthralled with it and played it constantly. When Bowie started working with Trent Reznor on some mixes for 'The Heart's Filthy Lesson', I thought I was in heaven. I would eventually see them share the stage at a concert they played together in Vegas. As an "Outside" track, 'I'm Deranged' was already a favorite of mine. It's inclusion here only makes the soundtrack that much more satisfying for me. As the last track on the album, it reprises and takes the listener out on the same note they came in on.
You know, I've never actually seen this movie, but based on the soundtrack, I'm guessing it was bizarre and strange. I feel confident that guess is accurate.
Although I'm tempted to break the disc down track by track, many of these songs appear on other albums and I'm sure I'll discuss them at length on those reviews. So I'll focus on the highlights. Manson's 'Apple Of Sodom' is a disturbed number that absolutely lived up to my expectations. I find the studio track just as interesting and thought provoking as the version I saw live. Manson is also featured on 'I Put A Spell On You', a song he covered on one of his earlier records. It's inclusion heightens the dark themes of the compilation and simultaneously introduces a supernatural element to the mix.
Rammstein appear on two tracks. Both are edits of songs from their albums, "Sehnsucht" and "Herzeleid". The tracks in question, 'Rammstein (Edit)' and 'Heirate Mich (Edit)' are right at home on this moody assemblage. Till's deep growling vocal delivery adds to the tension of the overall feel of the disc. The Smashing Pumpkins, ever the masters of genre bending composition appear on one track, 'Eye' and somehow, even though I would say it's the most different sounding number on the disc, it still blends and adds to the mystery.
Lou Reed appears on a cover of 'This Magic Moment' and again, his unorthodox vocals take a perfectly innocent song and bends it to a sinister end. One of the most interesting things about this album is the tracks Trent Reznor contributes to the film score. If I'm not mistaken, this is his first attempt at writing score material. Whether or not I'd call his additions a success is irrelevant to one thing... and that is simply that as the musical director of this project, he succeeds in creating an artistic, moody combination of music that initially would seem musically at odds, but somehow finds a resolution that creates an intense feeling of anxiety and paranoia as you follow along.
I should also point out Reznor's popular music moniker, Nine Inch Nails, is also part of the mix with the track he also released as a single, 'The Perfect Drug'.
This is certainly a disturbing compilation of material and it's definitely worth exploring if you're into any of the artists and bands featured on the disc. If you can track it down, experience the strange for yourself. My final words: REZNOR'S FIRST FORAY INTO FILM MUSIC IS A DARK AND STORMY SUCCESS.
LOST HIGHWAY - LOST HIGHWAY
01. David Bowie - I'm Deranged (Edit)
02. Trent Reznor - Videodrones: Questions
03. Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
04. Angelo Badalamenti - Red Bats With Teeth
05. Angelo Badalamenti - Haunting & Heartbreaking
06. The Smashing Pumpkins - Eye
07. Angelo Badalamenti - Dub Driving
08. Barry Adamson - Mr. Eddy's Theme 1
09. Lou Reed - This Magic Moment
10. Barry Adamson - Mr. Eddy's Theme 2
11. Angelo Badalamenti - Fred & Renee Make Love
12. Marilyn Manson - Apple Of Sodom
13. Antonio Carlos Jobim - Insensatez
14. Barry Adamson - Something Wicked This Way Comes (Edit)
15. Marilyn Manson - I Put A Spell On You
16. Angelo Badalamenti - Fats Revisited
17. Angelo Badalamenti - Fred's World
18. Rammstein - Rammstein (Edit)
19. Barry Adamson - Hollywood Sunset
20. Rammstein - Heirate Mich (Edit)
21. Angelo Badalamenti - Police
22. Trent Reznor - Driver Down
23. David Bowie - I'm Deranged (Reprise)
Yes, it's a bizarre movie!
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