cbmartinez
07-05-2004, 12:54 PM
Artist: Various Artists
Album: Spiderman, Music From and Inspired By
Genre: Soundtrack
Label: Columbia/Island/Roadrunner
Review:
Ok, I’m trying to steer away from track by track reviews, but I feel this CD needs one because of the many artists. The movie Spiderman was a huge success in the year 2002 and when I went to see it, the song that played as the credits rolled caught my attention. The song turned out to be Chad Kroeger feat. Josey Scott singing “Hero.” I thought the soundtrack would be worth a listen so the next time I went to the music store, I picked it up and gave it a listen. I saw some pretty good artists on there including Sum41, Pete Yorn, The Strokes and Injected. I gave it a listen and was very impressed especially with the track “She Was My Girl” by Jerry Cantrell. I bought the soundtrack and I still listen to it. It’s quite a good collection of artists, spanning over many genres and while there are a couple of weak tracks, the good ones seem to prevail. I am looking to pick up the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and hopefully the same thinking that made this good soundtrack will be constant in the second.
“Theme From Spiderman” - This is the Spiderman theme used on the old TV show I believe. There’s not much to say about this track. 3 out of 5
“Hero” - Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott- This was the first track I heard off of the album and it is still one of my favorites. Extremely melodic and catchy, this song combines the forces of Saliva (Scott) and Nickelback (Kroeger). Scott’s soft backing vocals and Kroeger’s rough yet mellow vocals define this song. A great song. 5 out of 5
“What We’re All About (The Original Version)” - Sum41- Don’t ask me how this song was inspired by Spiderman but it’s a great, fun song. Three voices dish out the comical side of Sum41 as they sing about the rock lifestyle. This song will have you jumping around. Another great song. 5 out of 5
“Learn to Crawl” - Black Lab- I never heard of Black Lab but my first impression was a good one. This song obviously was inspired by Spiderman as in the chorus the singer’s scratchy voice asks “Can you teach me how to crawl?” This song is decent but I find myself skipping it sometimes. 4 out of 5
“Somebody Else” - Bleu- This is where the CD falters in my opinion. Though the intro seems promising with interesting bass and catchy guitar, the verse slows down and is filled with cheesy vocals and electronic noises. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to the song all the way through. 2 out of 5
“Bug Bytes” - Alien Ant Farm- I am a huge fan of Alien Ant Farm so I was pleased to see this exclusive song on the soundtrack. The song is good featuring thick bass, fast guitar, eerie effects, melodic vocals, all in the AAF style. This can get a bit annoying after a couple listens but it is still a great track and a great retaliation after the previous track. 4 out of 5
“Blind” - Default- I had heard a bit about Default but I had never really gotten into them. This song was my first taste. I wasn’t two impressed. Their Creed-like vocals just reminded of the many other rock bands that had tried to go for that vocal style like Lifehouse and Fuel. The music is mediocre. The bass is pretty good. 3 out of 5
“Bother” - Corey Taylor- Apparently this CD was made before Corey Taylor had adapted the name Stonesour for his side project with fellow Slipknot members. I had never gotten into Slipknot but this track really grips me. I would never expect a member of Slipknot to be singing melodically backed by beautiful guitar, vocals and violin. I never pursued Stonesour more but this is an amazing track. The only negative I find is the lyrics are a bit cliché. 5 out of 5
“Shelter” - Greenwheel- Only two tracks after Default comes another Creed-like band, this time brought to us by Greenwheel. I like this song a little bit more but it tends to sound like the Default song. The CD is beginning to sound repetitive. 3 out of 5
“When It Started” - The Strokes- Ah, just when the CD is starting to falter, The Strokes are here to pick it back up. At first I hated this song and I thought the Strokes were an old band judging by their fuzzy instruments and weird vocal style. But slowly this song started to grow on me. Now it’s one of those songs that gets better every time you listen to it. 4 out of 5
“Hate To Say I Told You So” - The Hives- Though many people aren’t to fond of The Hives, this song is another song that stays stuck in your head and it has been stuck in my head for two years now. It never gets old. From the fuzzy guitars and crazy vocals to the simple bass solo, this is just a great song. 5 out of 5
“Invisible Man” - Theory of a Dead Man- Though this song features those oh-so-annoying Creed-like vocals, this song is actually good. The song sounds very much like a Nickelback and funny enough, it was co-written and produced by Chad Kroeger himself. This is a great, hard-hitting song and the CD really has hit its high point. 5 out of 5
“Undercover” - Pete Yorn- My friend is very into acoustic rock and he is a huge Pete Yorn fan. He had let me listen to some songs, which I had enjoyed a lot, so when I saw Pete Yorn’s name on the CD, I was excited to hear the song. “Undercover” is a extremely well written song that features eerie an eerie guitar lead backed by acoustic chords. One of the best songs on the CD, the song is slow but is filled with beautiful lyrics and vocals. After showing this song to my friend, he told me it was the best song Yorn had ever written. “Undercover” is truly one of the best moments on the CD. 5 out of 5
“My Nutmeg Phantasy (Morello Mix)” - Macy Gray- Though I usually despise rap, hip-hop and any form of music along those lines, this song is actually decent. Intrigued by the line “Morello Mix” in the title, I wondered if Tom Morello had anything to do with this song. The guitar was built around a funky, Rage-esque, fuzzy guitar line and sure enough, in the booklet under “My Nutmeg Phantasy” it said Remixed by Tom Morello. Different but good. 3 out of 5
“I-IV-V”- Injected- I had heard about the punk band Injected a little while back and was interested to hear what they sounded like. The song was filled with the traditional power chords and strained vocals. The lyrics are pretty interesting. My first impression of Injected was a good one. 4 out of 5
“She Was My Girl”- Jerry Cantrell- My favorite song off the album. After hearing “She Was My Girl” I went out and bought Jerry’s solo album Degradation Trip and later went on to find out that he was part of Alice in Chains. Anyway, the song features one of the most catchy guitar lines ever and of course Jerry’s almost monotone vocals. A very impressive song that will have you rocking out. 5 out of 5
“Main Titles”- Danny Elfman- Danny Elfman composed the score for Spiderman and this is the song heard during the main title. There’s not much to say about it. I enjoy it very much and I think a listener of any type of music can enjoy it. 4 out of 5
“Farewell”- Danny Elfman- This song is played during the final moments of the movie and is another great song. 4 out of 5
“Theme From Spiderman” -Aerosmith- The same theme heard in the beginning of the CD is given a rocking out by Aerosmith. Very entertaining. 4 out of 5
The Good: Good mix of tracks, very catchy songs
The Bad: Some weak tracks, some songs get old fast
Score: 3.7 out of 5[/size]
-Chris Baranowski
Album: Spiderman, Music From and Inspired By
Genre: Soundtrack
Label: Columbia/Island/Roadrunner
Review:
Ok, I’m trying to steer away from track by track reviews, but I feel this CD needs one because of the many artists. The movie Spiderman was a huge success in the year 2002 and when I went to see it, the song that played as the credits rolled caught my attention. The song turned out to be Chad Kroeger feat. Josey Scott singing “Hero.” I thought the soundtrack would be worth a listen so the next time I went to the music store, I picked it up and gave it a listen. I saw some pretty good artists on there including Sum41, Pete Yorn, The Strokes and Injected. I gave it a listen and was very impressed especially with the track “She Was My Girl” by Jerry Cantrell. I bought the soundtrack and I still listen to it. It’s quite a good collection of artists, spanning over many genres and while there are a couple of weak tracks, the good ones seem to prevail. I am looking to pick up the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and hopefully the same thinking that made this good soundtrack will be constant in the second.
“Theme From Spiderman” - This is the Spiderman theme used on the old TV show I believe. There’s not much to say about this track. 3 out of 5
“Hero” - Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott- This was the first track I heard off of the album and it is still one of my favorites. Extremely melodic and catchy, this song combines the forces of Saliva (Scott) and Nickelback (Kroeger). Scott’s soft backing vocals and Kroeger’s rough yet mellow vocals define this song. A great song. 5 out of 5
“What We’re All About (The Original Version)” - Sum41- Don’t ask me how this song was inspired by Spiderman but it’s a great, fun song. Three voices dish out the comical side of Sum41 as they sing about the rock lifestyle. This song will have you jumping around. Another great song. 5 out of 5
“Learn to Crawl” - Black Lab- I never heard of Black Lab but my first impression was a good one. This song obviously was inspired by Spiderman as in the chorus the singer’s scratchy voice asks “Can you teach me how to crawl?” This song is decent but I find myself skipping it sometimes. 4 out of 5
“Somebody Else” - Bleu- This is where the CD falters in my opinion. Though the intro seems promising with interesting bass and catchy guitar, the verse slows down and is filled with cheesy vocals and electronic noises. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to the song all the way through. 2 out of 5
“Bug Bytes” - Alien Ant Farm- I am a huge fan of Alien Ant Farm so I was pleased to see this exclusive song on the soundtrack. The song is good featuring thick bass, fast guitar, eerie effects, melodic vocals, all in the AAF style. This can get a bit annoying after a couple listens but it is still a great track and a great retaliation after the previous track. 4 out of 5
“Blind” - Default- I had heard a bit about Default but I had never really gotten into them. This song was my first taste. I wasn’t two impressed. Their Creed-like vocals just reminded of the many other rock bands that had tried to go for that vocal style like Lifehouse and Fuel. The music is mediocre. The bass is pretty good. 3 out of 5
“Bother” - Corey Taylor- Apparently this CD was made before Corey Taylor had adapted the name Stonesour for his side project with fellow Slipknot members. I had never gotten into Slipknot but this track really grips me. I would never expect a member of Slipknot to be singing melodically backed by beautiful guitar, vocals and violin. I never pursued Stonesour more but this is an amazing track. The only negative I find is the lyrics are a bit cliché. 5 out of 5
“Shelter” - Greenwheel- Only two tracks after Default comes another Creed-like band, this time brought to us by Greenwheel. I like this song a little bit more but it tends to sound like the Default song. The CD is beginning to sound repetitive. 3 out of 5
“When It Started” - The Strokes- Ah, just when the CD is starting to falter, The Strokes are here to pick it back up. At first I hated this song and I thought the Strokes were an old band judging by their fuzzy instruments and weird vocal style. But slowly this song started to grow on me. Now it’s one of those songs that gets better every time you listen to it. 4 out of 5
“Hate To Say I Told You So” - The Hives- Though many people aren’t to fond of The Hives, this song is another song that stays stuck in your head and it has been stuck in my head for two years now. It never gets old. From the fuzzy guitars and crazy vocals to the simple bass solo, this is just a great song. 5 out of 5
“Invisible Man” - Theory of a Dead Man- Though this song features those oh-so-annoying Creed-like vocals, this song is actually good. The song sounds very much like a Nickelback and funny enough, it was co-written and produced by Chad Kroeger himself. This is a great, hard-hitting song and the CD really has hit its high point. 5 out of 5
“Undercover” - Pete Yorn- My friend is very into acoustic rock and he is a huge Pete Yorn fan. He had let me listen to some songs, which I had enjoyed a lot, so when I saw Pete Yorn’s name on the CD, I was excited to hear the song. “Undercover” is a extremely well written song that features eerie an eerie guitar lead backed by acoustic chords. One of the best songs on the CD, the song is slow but is filled with beautiful lyrics and vocals. After showing this song to my friend, he told me it was the best song Yorn had ever written. “Undercover” is truly one of the best moments on the CD. 5 out of 5
“My Nutmeg Phantasy (Morello Mix)” - Macy Gray- Though I usually despise rap, hip-hop and any form of music along those lines, this song is actually decent. Intrigued by the line “Morello Mix” in the title, I wondered if Tom Morello had anything to do with this song. The guitar was built around a funky, Rage-esque, fuzzy guitar line and sure enough, in the booklet under “My Nutmeg Phantasy” it said Remixed by Tom Morello. Different but good. 3 out of 5
“I-IV-V”- Injected- I had heard about the punk band Injected a little while back and was interested to hear what they sounded like. The song was filled with the traditional power chords and strained vocals. The lyrics are pretty interesting. My first impression of Injected was a good one. 4 out of 5
“She Was My Girl”- Jerry Cantrell- My favorite song off the album. After hearing “She Was My Girl” I went out and bought Jerry’s solo album Degradation Trip and later went on to find out that he was part of Alice in Chains. Anyway, the song features one of the most catchy guitar lines ever and of course Jerry’s almost monotone vocals. A very impressive song that will have you rocking out. 5 out of 5
“Main Titles”- Danny Elfman- Danny Elfman composed the score for Spiderman and this is the song heard during the main title. There’s not much to say about it. I enjoy it very much and I think a listener of any type of music can enjoy it. 4 out of 5
“Farewell”- Danny Elfman- This song is played during the final moments of the movie and is another great song. 4 out of 5
“Theme From Spiderman” -Aerosmith- The same theme heard in the beginning of the CD is given a rocking out by Aerosmith. Very entertaining. 4 out of 5
The Good: Good mix of tracks, very catchy songs
The Bad: Some weak tracks, some songs get old fast
Score: 3.7 out of 5[/size]
-Chris Baranowski