Various Artists: Fast Times At Ridgemont High - Music From The Motion Picture CD Track Listing

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Various Artists Fast Times At Ridgemont High - Music From The Motion Picture (1982)
Originally Released 1982\nCD Edition Released March 14, 1995\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: The first great rock & roll compilation soundtrack of the '80s, which sold in the millions (justifiably) and gave Jackson Browne a Top Ten hit with "Somebody's Baby." -- Bruce Eder\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOne of the finest movie soundtracks of the eighties, October 25, 2005\nReviewer: Darth Kommissar (Las Vegas, NV (USA))\n\nINTRODUCTION: \nIn 1982, the classic film Fast Times At Ridgemont High arrived in theatres. The movie impressed plenty of audiences with its excellent mixture of humor and drama, and it continues to do so to this day. It definitely stands as one of film writer Cameron Crowe's ultimate achievements. But once aspect of the film that certainly should not be overlooked is the music. For the movie, many of the most popular and talented musicians of the day (as well as a few unpopular ones) got together and recorded some songs to be used in the film. The soundtrack, while not as popular as the movie itself, still manages to hold its own in the eye of fans of the music. Let's take a look at the soundtrack, and see how it measures up! \n\nOVERVIEW: \nThe Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack was released in 1982, around the same time as the film. The collection features all eighteen of the songs that were recorded for the film. It does NOT, however, include the score or songs that existed prior to the film. \n\nREVIEW: \nIn the eighties, there were a few movies that were nothing short of excellent, and the soundtracks to those movies were no exception. Fast Times At Ridgemont High fits that bill nicely. The sheer cast of musicians featured here is reason alone to check out this soundtrack, even if you're not familiar with the movie itself. The Go-Gos, Sammy Hagar, Billy Squier, Oingo Boingo, and most of the men formerly of the Eagles (as solo artists) are among the musicians who play on the soundtrack. Let's look at each track, and see how each one fares? \n\n-Somebody's Baby by Jackson Browne: Jackson Browne was a big-time pop star in the seventies with hits like Doctor My Eyes and Runnin' On Empty. But after the seventies, he pretty much faded into obscurity. However, he did have one career highlight in the eighties, and that was this song. The pop ballad became the most popular song made especially for the film, and a huge hit for Mr. Browne himself. A great way to kick off the soundtrack. \n\n-Waffle Stomp by Joe Walsh: Here we have a cut from the former James Gang and Eagles member. And for the soundtrack, he serves up his own breed of pop rock. You've gotta love those humorous lyrics. A lot of people think Joe Walsh basically faded away after the Eagles broke up, but this track certainly proves otherwise. It's definitely some of his most underrated work! \n\n-Love Rules by Don Henley: Here's another former Eagle. At this point, Henley's solo career hadn't really gotten launched. It's too bad this song didn't become a big hit, because it really could have given Henley's solo career a jump start. This is an excellent ballad, and it's a shame so many Henley fans, even some of the die-hards, tent to forget about this one. \n\n-Uptown Boys by Louise Goffin: Louise Goffin's primary claim to fame is being the daughter of Gerry Goffin, who co-wrote songs for various artists in the sixties with Carole King (it's not at all uncommon to see pop albums from the sixties penned by Goffin/King.) What the younger Goffin does on this song is priceless - she takes the classic sixties pop sound and combines it with an eighties pop sound - as a result, she sounds almost like a female Marshall Crenshaw. The style fusion works great, and this is an excellent track overall. \n\n-So Much In Love by Timothy B. Schmit: Here we have another former Eagle. If you've heard the Eagles song I Can't Tell You Why, Schmit's vocals will instantly sound familiar to you. Here he creates a tune that sounds like nothing else on the album - something that sounds like a doo-wop and eighties pop combo. The end result is another fine piece of music. \n\n-Raised On The Radio by the Ravyns: Here's a band I had never heard of prior to listening to this soundtrack. What they serve up on this album is a straight-up pop-rock tune with a distinct sound that manages to be similar to other eighties music, and yet totally unique at the same time. After hearing this song, I'm very likely to check out additional work by this band. \n\n-The Love In Your Eyes by Gerard McMahon: And here's another artist I had never heard of prior to my listening to this soundtrack. This is, essentially, an eighties pop ballad - something not at all uncommon in this day and age. Still, McMahon's contribution to the genre is a fine one. It's a solid addition to the soundtrack. \n\n-Speeding by the Go-Gos: Any fan of eighties pop music knows these girls do pop rock with the best of them. And this, the band's contribution to the film, was another fine addition to their catalogue. Like most of the stuff on the soundtrack, it didn't become a hit for them, which is sad, since it is a great song. \n\n-Don't Be Lonely by Quarterflash: Most people seem to only know Quarterflash for their hit Harden My Heart. And before I heard this soundtrack, I was one of those people. With this eighties pop tune, the group proves that they are more than a flash in the pan. The melodic, eighties-flavored pop stylings make for a worthwhile listening that will make you wish the band got more popular. \n\n-Never Surrender by Don Felder: Yer another former Eagle. Don Felder was the guitarist who joined the Eagles in 1974, and took their music in a harder rocking direction. Solo work from Felder is pretty much unknown, and this rocker, back by horns and Felder's awesome guitar riffs, makes for an awesome song. It's a shame he didn't become an accomplished solo artist like most of the other Eagles, because this song definitely shows his potential apart from them! \n\n-Fast Times (The Best Years Of Our Lives) by Billy Squier: Billy Squier. I LOVE this guy - his style of hard rock has never failed to impress me. In fact, this song, is the whole reason I bought this soundtrack! If you're at all a fan of Squier, or eighties hard rock in general, you're going to enjoy this song. I know I did! \n\n-Fast Times At Ridgemont High by Sammy Hagar: If you're a fan of eighties hard rock, then you definitely know this guy rocked like no other. This song serves up the straight-up hard rock you know and love him for, but at the same time it has a unique sound to it, unlike his other works, mostly thanks to the backing instrumentation. Hard rock fans will love this one. \n\n-I Don't Know by Jimmy Buffett: Here's another one of those artists that basically faded into obscurity after the seventies. If you're expecting the typical Buffet ballad of beaches, boats, and getting drunk, you're not going to find it here. Truly, the song is undeniably Buffett, but here he tries his hand at eighties pop rock. Surprisingly, the end result is very good! It's just a shame it never shows up on his hits collections. \n\n-Love Is The Reason by Graham Nash: Another forgotten seventies artist shows up on the soundtrack. In his heyday, Graham Nash was a musical genius whose popularity was only exceeded by the quality of the music he could create. His popularity had taken a hit in this era, but he still manages to perform an excellent song. It will definitely bring you memories of Our House, the ballad he did back in the days with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. \n\n-I'll Leave It Up To You by Poco: Yes. Here we have ANOTHER band that the era had all but forgotten. Poco's contribution here is a far cry from what they did in the seventies and gained their fame for initially. However, sometimes a change is for the best. The band's attempt at eighties pop is actually a surprisingly good one! One of their most underrated musical workings. \n\n-Highway Runner by Donna Summer: Donna Summer is one of the more obscure artists on this compilation, being that she was widely remembered for being a disco artists with her hits like Hot Stuff and Bad Girls. Here she tackles a new genre - hard rock. On the song, she actually sounds a lot like Pat Benatar. I never thought someone like Summer would ever do hard rock, but what is even more astonishing is how good her attempt at the genre is! Don't overlook this one! \n\n-Sleeping Angel by Stevie Nicks: Even after her Fleetwood Mac days, Stevie Nicks remained a successful musical artist. A little known fact about her career is her contribution to this soundtrack - something that should definitely be more well-known than it is. This is an awesome rock ballad, as only someone like Nicks could do. \n\n-She's My Baby (And She's Outta Control): By Palmer/Just: Here's one of those artists I had never heard of prior to hearing the soundtrack - but I was impressed nonetheless. It's straight-up rock with an eighties pop vibe thrown in for good measure. Hard to put in words, this song is. You've gotta hear it to appreciate it. \n\n-Goodbye Goodbye by Oingo Boingo: Rather than the weird eighties pop stuff we're used to Oingo Boingo doing, here they try their hand at rockabilly stylings, not unlike those of the Stray Cats. And they actually do this pretty well! It makes you wonder how the band would have fared if they'd none more songs like this. It's a solid way to finish off the soundtrack. \n\nOverall, these songs are among the finest eighties pop tunes ever released, every bit as good as the excellent film they were featured in. If you liked the film, the soundtrack will be a worthwhile purchase. Just be warned - it DOES NOT feature songs that were featured in the film but existed prior (Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, Moving In Stereo by the Cars, We Got The Beat by the Go-Gos, etc.) Even if you haven't seen the film or weren't too crazy about it (and you shouldn't fall into either camp there), consider checking out this soundtrack if you're into pop-rock of the eighties. All of these songs are great. It's one of the best film soundtracks ever released. \n\nEDITION NOTES: \nThis album was issued on CD in the middle of the nineties, but was only released on CD once. And sadly, the CD version seems to be fading from store shelves. Hopefully the record company will reissue it sometime. And if a reissue is done, hopefully it will featured remastered sound and the missing songs that weren't made exclusively for the film as bonus tracks. Until then, you'll have to hunt down the existing version. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n5 stars whether you saw the movie or not. Love Rules!, July 1, 2004\nReviewer: guillermoj (Washington, DC United States)\nThis soundtrack to one of the early 1980's most enjoyable teen flicks is without a doubt a 5-star effort. Most soundtracks as a whole tend to miss the boat because they (especially these days) seem to be put together by a marketing team to try appeal/sell to as broad an audience as possible no matter how uncohesive the final product turns out or how tired or bad the song selection turns out to be. In the worst of cases, soundtracks wind up including songs "inspired" by the movie (talk about a stretch!!!!) or songs that only appeared in the credits after the audience is long gone. An example of the latter is the soundtrack to one of the "Batman" movies, as there were at least 3 different songs that were never part of the movie and only appeared one after the other in the bloated closing credits.\nFortunately, this soundtrack plays fair by compiling a generous 19 songs that not only worked beautifully in the movie, but they also work well as part an independent musical product. What is also interesting about this collection is that almost all songs were either written specifically for the movie (best exemplified by Billy Squire's "Fast Times (The Best Years Of Our Lives") or had never appeared on any of the artists' respective releases to date. Highlights include Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby," Don Henley's "Love Rules," and Timothy B. Schmit's take on "So Much In Love." I also loved Ravyn's "Raised, The Go-Go's "Speeding," and the contagious film-ending "Goodbye, Goodbye," by Oingo Boingo. \n\nSome may see this diverse song collection and think that there is no way that it's any different than many of today's marketing-focused soundtracks, but the difference is that these songs were all an integral part of the movie and their diversity is based not only on what the movie needed, but also due to the different most influences that were still around from the late 1970s as well as a new-wave tidal wave that would soon sweep the musical charts. This is one collection that periodically keeps coming back to my CD player and I wanted to share the wealth with fans who may not remember how good this release was.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nExcellent., March 30, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis movie is the best representation of the 80's to date. It completely captures the mood and feel of the decade. I was in high school during that time, and was too young to see it when it first came out. In watching it many years later, I was instantly transported back to high school. Who, from that generation, did not know a Spicoli, or Rat or even Damone? The music really brought back memories; rocking out in the school gym, first job, first girlfriend, etc. Beyond a doubt, this movie and the music will serve as the best representation of the '80s ever filmed and recorded.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFast Times, Fast Tunes, 1980's revisited, June 17, 1998\nReviewer: David J. Chugg (Nashua, NH (currently living in Freeport, IL))\nWhen "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was realeased, I was one year old. I never saw, nor will I ever see the film in a theatre. I never heard the artists from this soundtrack on the top forty either. However, for people like me and for the next generation of viewers and listeners, The film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and the acompanying soundtrack offer an excellent time capsule into not only the film and musical styles of the early 1980's, but into the culture and feelings of the beginning of this decade of hope and happiness. When I watch the movie or listen to songs like "Raised on the Radio" and "Somebody's Baby", I can, for a few moments, live in a time and a place that I was too young to experience. That is the real merit in this CD, the fact that even when the prevailing youth culture was not born before 1982, these songs will still be around to remind them, and all of us, that there was a time called the 80's and place called California.\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nProducers include: Russ Titelman
This soundtrack cd contains 19 tracks and runs 66min 45sec.
Freedb: fe0fa313
Buy: from Amazon.com

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