Rant #2,426: Good Thing

Yes, I did oversleep.

I guess I was tired after a very busy day.

This is not a good segueway into what I am going to talk about today, but anyway, here goes--

Nothing soothes a tired soul like mine than listening to good music, and if you want to listen to good music from 50 years ago, I think I have the collection that you need to listen to.

Right now in movie theaters is the Quentin Tarantino opus, "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood," the writer/director's paean to a Hollywood of a much different time than today, 50 years ago in 1969.

The movie weaves around the gruesome 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders, and adds in fictional elements to the actual story.

The movie is a hit, with reviewers being most impressed with the authenticity of the entire film, which is true to its 1969 roots as possible.

And that includes the soundtrack of the film, the music of that time and the time just preceding that period.

The value of a movie soundtrack has always been the following: if it can exist without the film, is listenable even if someone has not seen the movie it is attached to, and basically can it stand alone without the film as its own entity.

I have found that most rock and roll soundtracks cannot stand alone from their films, and you need to see the film in order to fully enjoy the soundtrack.

However, this was not the case with some rock and roll movies, or movies about rock and roll. Certainly, the Beatles "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" soundtracks can be enjoyed just as much if you haven't seen the movies they are attached to, and the same can be said for "Magical Mystery Tour," where the soundtrack is actually better than the film,

Well, the soundtrack for "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" is one of those that can stand alone from the film, is a separate entity in and of itself, and can be listened to without the context of the film to get in its way.

Tarantino weaves a grisly tale in his film, leading up to the Manson murders, and the soundtrack goes decidedly grungy in its compilation. While sticking with acts based in Los Angeles with a couple of exceptions, he has taken the most grungy, oily and gritty Top 40 music of the time and given those songs star billing on this soundtrack, from the likes of Roy Head and the Traits ("Treat Her Right"), the Bob Seger System ("Ramblin' Gamblin' Man"), and the Buchanan Brothers ("Son of a Lovin' Man").

He has also mixed in KHJ radio spots to give the soundtrack a real 1969 Top 40 feel.

No slick productions are included here, so you won't find music by, say, the Association on this soundtrack.

But what you will find is a virtual explosion of music generated by Paul Revere and the Raiders, the often-forgotten and ignored major hitmakers of the period. He includes three of the their top songs on this soundtrack--"Good Thing," "Hungry" and for good measure, the gimpy but fun "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon"--to give Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay and the other bandmembers their just due after all these years.

In fact, the soundtrack and film are so hot right now that it has rejuvenated Mark Lindsay's career, and he has been the go-to guy for the movie and soundtrack since each was released a few weeks back.

I could go on and on about the soundtrack, which is absolutely outstanding, but I think you get the drift of what I am saying.

I have not yet seen the film, so I truly don't know if it would make the soundtrack even better by seeing it, but as a stand-alone project, you cannot beat this collection of music.

It has been so well received that the CD is actually on back order, as few knew that this was going to be such a hot commodity.

With the soundtrack soon to come out on LP, and the DVD of the film already in the works--rumors are that the DVD/Blu-ray release will include the full, four hour film, and thus, will feature much more music of this ilk--there seems to be no stopping this film or its accompanying soundtrack.

I mean, can you really beat a movie/soundtrack that features "California Dreamin'" not by the slicker Mamas and Papas, but by Jose Feliciano?

Nope, you can't.