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| Reviewers Rating |
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| 1 reviews done for this album. |
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| Lots of fun - give it a spin! |
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| By: | LadyInque |
| Date: | 7 Jan 2009 |
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I never saw the original animated <i>Speed Racer</i>. When I saw the movie I had a great time, but also vowed never to watch it again, because then I would realize how stupid it was. (Trust me. That’s what happened with <i>Transformers</i>.) However, I fell in love with the score over the end credits, discussed below, and decided to investigate the rest of the album. It may just be another pastiche album from Giacchino, complete with the funny track titles we’ve come to expect, but it’s enjoyable. There are some soundtrack critics out there who LOVE this score. I’m not sure I’m one of them. For example, I find the middle of the album, with the various racing music, drags a little. And Giacchino sometimes uses the wailing female vocal on tracks like “Casa Christo.” There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s just a scoring trick I have long gotten tired of.
In some instances the music is a little cheesy and cartoony. That’s just fine; the movie is basically a live-action cartoon (or is it an animated movie with live actors — even the directors may not know for sure). A perfect example of this is “Vroom and Board.” The track begins with an <i>awesome</i> horn section, and then turns into a cute tune I would associate with an orientation video, or one of Homer Simpson’s fever dreams. I mean that in a good way. The track is a favorite of mine.
Don’t let the cartoony vibe fool you into thinking that there isn’t some great action music on this album. “The True Heart of Racing” is an example, or “Reboot.” On the other hand, there is a little emotional tenderness in a track like “He Ain’t Heavy.” This is more exception than rule, though.
A word about the last track, the title track, “Speed Racer.” Why this hasn’t become the next “Tank!” here at SST escapes me. Here Giacchino gives us a complete instrumental version of the old Nobuyoshi Koshibe theme song from the TV show. The arrangement manages to evoke both Mexican horns (great trumpet solo!) and 60s surfer music, while including clips from both the American and Japanese vocals. It’s exciting and lots of fun.
<b>Request:</b> “Thunderhead” “Let us Drink Milk” “Speed Racer”
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