LOST HIGHWAY - LOST HIGHWAY

"Lost Highway" is the soundtrack of the movie with the same name.  How I came to own this little gem is a story in itself and I think I'll share it with you.

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)

UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

I've never actually seen this film. Just picked up the soundtrack because Depeche Mode had a track on it. The only place you can find the original version of the song. It was at a record store in St. Gallen, Switzerland and I found it used for something like 7 CHF. So I bought it. I'm not sure you could call the song an actual Depeche Mode track. It sounds more like a solo effort by Martin L. Gore. There's a lot of big names on this record and most of them you wouldn't expect to see together. Yet somehow this record comes together in a harmonious fashion. You expect it to sound like a big messed up pot of gumbo; instead it sounds and tastes delicious. Graeme Revell composed the score for the film and some of his more prominent pieces feature as segues throughout the album. I've heard some of his stuff on other scores and although I think he does a pretty good job, I also think he's predictable. There's nothing really outstanding about his material. It's a little offbeat, but still sounds similar to other work he's done.

The first band track is 'Sax And Violins' by the Talking Heads. I really like this track. It has a mellow, almost reggae sound to it until the chorus. Then they hit you with the full synth barrage. Excellent addition and opening number for the record. 'Summer Kisses, Winter Tears' is a cross between a lounge number and something you'd hear in a honky tonk bar about 3am. Julee Cruise's voice features nicely on this number. She croons like a female version of Chris Issak. Very similar sound. Neneh Cherry's 'Move With Me (Dub)', sounds like a stripped down version of the original tune, but it follows the previous song and maintains a haunting tempo. The next couple tracks move into a different style entirely. It's more hillbilly rock n' roll. Especially the Lou Reed number. Both of them are ok, but not my favorite tracks.

Can's 'Last Night Sleep' creeps back in and pulls you back into the midnight romp of the album. It makes you feel like a black hole is opening up all around you. Listen to the track in the dark at high volume. R.E.M.'s contribution keeps the sound in a dark place. while Elvis Costello's 'Days' takes a meandering punch at moving the record to the next phase. Nick Cave's track is hard to listen to. I've never been a huge fan of his and the narrative track, '(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World' reinforces my disinterest. There's these awkward country'ish songs and then there's the trance rhythm songs that drag you down into a deep dark place. The Patti and Fred Smith track pitch you headlong back down that rabbit hole and then the Depeche Mode track comes in like salvation on high shining down from a Sunday cloud. Brush drums and electric guitar... A different and new sound for Depeche Mode.

Another segue by Revell and Jane Siberry's 'Calling All Angels' starts. Having basically created a name for herself by creating the saddest most heartfelt tunes in alternative films throughout the 90s, Siberry's contribution once again pulls your heartstrings. T-Bone Burnett's song is the one track I really feel doesn't belong on this record. It is, however, better than some of the other cuts. It's a rockin' number and certainly worth checking out. The Daniel Lanois song is another meandering country tidbit. I didn't enjoy it at all. Finally, U2 round the record out with there record selling contribution. Overall, this record is surprisingly good. It maintains a tempo and a feel. It's worth listening to and worth buying. Even if you're only after one of the many one-off tracks appearing here. My final words: THE UNDISCOVERED GEM OF SOUNDTRACKS.

UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
01. Graeme Revell - Opening Titles
02. Talking Heads - Sax And Violins
03. Julee Cruise - Summer Kisses, Winter Tears
04. Neneh Cherry - Move With Me (Dub)
05. Crime & The City Solution - The Adversary
06. Lou Reed - What's Good
07. Can - Last Night Sleep
08. R.E.M. - Fretless
09. Elvis Costello - Days
10. Graeme Revell - Claire's Theme
11. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World
12. Patti Smith And Fred Smith - It Takes Time
13. Depeche Mode - Death's Door
14. Graeme Revell - Love Theme
15. Jane Siberry With K.D. Lang - Calling All Angels
16. T-Bone Burnett - Humans From Earth
17. Daniel Lanois - Sleeping In The Devil's Bed
18. U2 - Until The End Of The World
19. Graeme Revell - Finale