Soundtrack: I Am Sam
V2 27119
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 I Am Sam features Beatles songs
covered by a variety of current-day artists. This has been done many times before with the
music of other groups, almost always with the same result -- some songs are good, while
many of them are so bad they should never have been attempted. In terms of what’s
good, I like Sarah McLachlan’s take on "Blackbird" and Eddie Vedder’s
"You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away." The Stereophonic’s
"Don’t Let Me Down" takes a slow-and-easy approach that’s quite
interesting, as is Ben Harper’s "Strawberry Fields Forever." Some tracks
grow on you, like The Black Crowes’ "Don’t Let Me Down." On the other
hand, I still can’t stand Grandaddy’s awkward "Revolution" and Nick
Cave’s downbeat "Let It Be." Undoubtedly this music works well in the film
where it would give a familiar-sounding background to the visuals, but for pure music
listening, it's more of a curiosity than must-have music.
Howard Shore: The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Original Score)
Reprise 948110-2
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 A great film is nothing if it
doesn’t have a great score to punctuate its emotional impact. And composer Howard
Shore’s (The Silence of the Lambs, Seven) music gives Peter Jackson’s
epic visualization of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic just that. Massed brass, foreboding
percussion, and desperate strings all come together in a score that is incredibly moving
and enjoyable. Shore has once again proven himself a creative genius -- using orchestra,
synthesizers and innovative re-recording techniques that, at times, eclipse the well-known
works of James Horner and John Williams. His music gets under your skin with such
precision and economy that the simple sound of a drum can instill profound terror. Still,
the one aspect of Shore’s grand treatment that doesn’t sit well with me is his
use of uilleann pipes and chanting choir. For someone of his considerable talents, ripping
off these overused devices of Horner, Williams, and in some instances Basil (Conan the
Barbarian) Poledouris, seemed a bit of a cop-out.
Eberhard Weber: Endless Days
ECM 1748
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 Appearing almost exclusively on the ECM label since its inception
in the early ‘70s, as both bandleader and sideman for others, Weber earned a
well-deserved reputation as a virtuoso of the contra bass. Endless Days is proof
positive of this. Simple confirmation comes on the track "Solo For Bass" where
the entire sonic spectrum of his instrument comes alive. Pianist Rainer Bruninghaus’
tasteful style, emphasized by spacious individual notes, is best heard on "Concert
for Bass." Paul McCandless, a longtime member of the group Oregon, provides many
seamless solos on a variety of woodwind instruments, including oboe and bass clarinet.
Michael DiPasqua provides drumming and percussion, which, quite often, accentuates the
other musicians’ efforts rather than serve as timekeeping. These accents always seem
to occur at exactly the right place. The closing track, "The Last Stage Of A Long
Journey," which contains several magnificent bass-drum rolls, is the perfect
culmination to this ethereal recording. As is often the case with the ECM label, Endless
Days provides first-rate sound quality.
Bruce Cockburn: Anything Anytime Anywhere
(Singles 1979-2002)
Rounder 613180
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 Cockburn’s a
north-of-the-border music legend, more or less the Canadian equivalent to Bob Dylan. Anything
Anytime Anywhere is a repackaging of 14 of his hits released since 1979 with two new
tracks added. It’s a sin that only "Tokyo" from Humans (his best
album) was included, but it does serve to remind us that a collection of hits is not
necessarily a collection of an artist's best songs. There are some gems, mind you,
including "Wondering Where the Lions Are," "The Coldest Night of the
Year," "Waiting for a Miracle," and "A Dream Like Mine." These
showcase his talent effectively. Songs like "Call it Democracy" and "If I
Had a Rocket Launcher" serve to remind us of his activist stance. The two new tracks
are fine but don’t stretch any boundaries like his releases in the '80s did -- I fear
the best from Cockburn is a thing found in the past. The 24-bit remastering, while still
not ideal, improves on the sound of previous CD releases and makes it a worthwhile
purchase for fans that already have these songs on other discs.
New
Order: Get Ready
Reprise 2-89621
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 Few bands have made as much of a mark in popular music as New
Order. Born from the ashes of the beautifully melancholy Joy Division, drummer Stephen
Morris, bassist Peter Hook, crooner Bernard Sumner and newcomer/keyboardist Gillian
Gilbert, found new life after their lead-singer Ian Curtis ended his own. And while many
will recognize their hits "Blue Monday," "True Faith" and "Love
Vigilantes," the true genius of New Order lies in their less accessible songs and
consistent writing. A truly remarkable band, New Order’s latest album Get Ready,
is a valiant, but flawed attempt at keeping themselves fresh. Songs like
"Crystal," and "Vicious Streak" hearken back to the New Order of old,
while "Rocking the Shack" just gives me a headache. A disappointment? No, not
entirely. It’s just not as compelling or memorable as a die-hard fan like myself
would have hoped.
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