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ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
High Fidelity (Hollywood)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes
As one who has lived, breathed, eaten and slept music for what seems like my entire life, Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity is both touching and unsettling. It's wonderful when a book nails the essence of a passion so perfectly, yet it simultaneously exposes how fragile that protective shell looks from the outside, a.k.a. the cold, cruel world. Location change to Chicago aside, most viewers think the transition to film has been a great success. From an audio perspective, John Cusack proves once again that, as with Grosse Pointe Blank, few actors have both the clout and the desire to populate the soundtrack as adeptly.
If you are not familiar with the plot, well, imagine the music you might hear in a cool record store where the guy behind the counter is more of a lifer than an employee, and there are no dorks served. It's a little musty, a little dark, but the turntable is always spinning and you won't be hearing the Backstreet Boys, even at gunpoint. It's not about popularity, it's about good music, y'see, so you'd hear Dylan and Love and The Kinks and Elvis Costello, and especially the poster children of underground rock and roll, The Velvet Underground. Other standout cuts include The Thirteenth Floor Elevators "You're Gonna Miss Me" and John Wesley Harding's literate "I'm Wrong About Everything". It's not all old school, naturally - Stereolab, Royal Trux and The Beta Band lend a more modern alternative edge to the proceedings, but the point is the same. Smog sounds like Bowie fronting the VU. Hell, even Stevie Wonder's old chestnut sounds good.
Another point most movie-goers agree upon is that Tenacious D's Jack Black steals the movie with his portrayal as one of Cusack's employees. He's far from Marvin Gaye, but his rendition of "Let's Get It On" will bring a smile to your face anyway. Savor the mood.
Track listing: The Thirteenth Floor Elevators "You're Gonna Miss Me" / The Kinks "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy" / John Wesley Harding "I'm Wrong About Everything" / The Velvet Underground "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" / Love "Always See Your Face" / Bob Dylan "Most Of The Time" / Sheila Nicholls "Fallen For You" / The Beta Band "Dry The Rain" / Elvis Costello And The Attractions "Shipbuilding" / Smog "Cold Blooded Old Times" / Jack Black "Let's Get It On" / Stereolab "Lo Boob Oscilator" / Royal Trux "Inside Game" / The Velvet Underground "Who Loves The Sun" / Stevie Wonder "I Believe (When I Fall In Love With You It Will Be Forever)"
© 2000 - Bill Holmes