Absolute Beginners

Virgin. 1986. Album Description

ABSOLUTE COOL !

The 1986 film Absolute Beginners is sort of the British/European version of 1984's Streets of Fire(though Beginners was a film-musical fantasy epic about the 1958 British riots)...Both contained characters, themes and elements of rock, rebellion, and 50's noirish movie theatrics, boy meets girl or saves girl...Both films suffered miserable ticket sales and luke warm reviews(if you blinked, they were gone)... Both films contained hot soundtracks that probably did better in sales than their film counterparts. Yet, Beginners like Streets shares that underground mutual cult following status among soundtrack music collectors such as myself or anyone with an eclectic music collection and a taste for the nostalgic...

The soundtrack is a great mixture of late 50's pop-swing-jazz stylings with a few tracks containing some Latin influences (check out the bossa nova flavored Have You Evere Had It Blue by the Style Council).Clive Langer's Napoli and Working Week's Rodrigo Bay also have that Latin or Carribean island backdrop feel and atmospheric sound. The real highlights include a swingin' jazz torch tune by Sade (Killer Blow). Jonas' hip song Little Cat is a riveting and highly catchy 50's sock hop throwback that could have been saved for the Hairspray soundtrack a couple of years later(though Hairspray takes place in the early 60's). Actress Patsy Kensit (Lethal Weapon 2) does a whispy voiced jazz beat-nik number complete with bongos and background fingersnaps...This soundtrack will take you to a different era and time (late 50's, beginning 60's).

There is a lot of wonderful musical arrangements and toe tapping orchestrations. The David Bowie title track tune is probably the only modern contemporary sounding song. Absolute beginners is absolutely infectious and I love the strong pop-jazz influences...You can almost picture a party in someone's retro 50's-60's entertainment parlor or lounge or even a classy nightclub of that era...

This is a soundtrack I recommend for anyone who loves be-bop, jazz, swingin' pop infused tunes with some Latin elements, along with some big band orchestrations ! Also, make sure you can get a hold of the c.d. European import (difficult to find nowadays) which contains 18 tracks as opposed the the American cassette version I once owned which only had 10 tracks.In addition, the import cd/album cover displays the brilliantly colorful great art work/ and comic book-like painting you see here on Amazon.com. The 10 track cheap American version cover artwork had a photo of the two main characters sitting or riding on a moped. September 7, 2004

FABULOUS, FUN, ECCLECTIC MX

I'm SO PSYCHED to find this CD available on import. It was one of my favorite cassettes -- so much so that tape is warped and unlistenable by now. I've never found it on CD in the US before. Even better this import contains trakcs not available on the American release, such as Bowie singing "Volare" which you can only hear in the background in the actual film.

Some of the songs are pure pop, some are full-out movie musical production numbers. One thing is album isn't is boring.

From Sade's track "Killer Blow" to the effortlessly cool "Have You Ever Had It Blue" this album really is quite special. The film was directed by Jullian Temple, a hot music video director back in the 80's, and while the film itself is flawed, Temple's music background comes raging through. FAB ALBUM! April 29, 2004

Riots, Romance, and Be-Bop in London

I originally bought this on cassette during my musical heyday. That piece of music only had the first ten songs. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the CD had an extra eight songs, all of them songs I enjoyed from the movie and fretted from their exclusion.

David Bowie's title track, played in its full eight minutes glory, is one of his best songs ever, ranking up there with "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars?" It captures the hope yearned for amid the jungle of broken dreams and teeming nightlife. The verses are more melancholy, but rises to a chorus of hope "If our love song/could climb over mountains/could laugh like the ocean/just like the films" The female singer accompanying Bowie has the right stylings for this number. "That's Motivation", his number about what drives people to succeed, does not quite reach that height, but it's still enjoyable. The third song he does is a cover of "Volare," made famous by Dean Martin.

Sade's "Killer Blow" is extraordinary in a different way than her songs up to that point, and shows she is quite at home doing the 50's jazz genre. The bongo drums are a nice touch. If she made an entire album like this, I'd buy it!

"Have You Ever Had It Blues?" with its backing female vocal rhythm and jazz stylings demonstrates why Style Council was a great Paul Weller vehicle, much underrated in the US.

The Kinks' Ray Davies, who plays Colin's father in the movie, has a serene number with "Quiet Life." The main point in the song is that despite his being buried in the past, "confidentially between these walls, I'm on top of it all. Other lyrics that struck me: "Can't communicate with minds that are small/with some people it's like talking to a wall."

Patsy Kensit's "Having It All" demonstrates why she should have stuck to acting. Her singing is mousey/squeaky, as if she inhaled a mixture of weird gases, including helium. However, it's not that bad a distraction from the album.

The Caribbean sounds of Working Week's "Rodrigo Bay" with a husky wailing female vocalist, is yet another aspect of the soundtrack. Clive Langer's "Napoli" begins slow but gathers up pace and is accompanied by reggae keyboards, resulting in a hybrid of jazz and reggae.

Jonas' "Little Cat (You've Never Had It So Good)" is the song Baby Boom, the child singing sensation, sings in the movie, complete with roars. It's perfect late 50's pop and another favourite on this collection. Tenpole Tudor's rockabilly number mocks Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochrane, and Jerry Lee Lewis. There's also Smiley Culture's reggae number, "So What", played after the climactic riot.

Gil Evans' fast-paced numbers represent the horns and drum swing jazz aspect with "Va Va Voom", the number Suzette dances to at the fashion show, "Boogie Stop Shuffle," which is played during the opening scenes revealing the London nightlife, and "Better Git It In Your Soul." However, he is rivalled by Slim Gaillard's raucous "Selling Out" with horns and xylophone and quick-paced female backing vocals going "Will he? Won't he? Can he? May he? Maybe." This is the number done at Dido Lament's party and represents a festivity in full swing.

This disc is a combination of contemporary pop, jazz, and 50's-style pop, and as such is a delight, with the latter two genres effectively capturing the spirit of the times. November 7, 2002

Absolute Gorgeous

From the opening number to the closing track, this album is sharp, witty, funny and so full of music, one ends up drunk listening to it all.
It's all done in a jazz/pop style with some ska, rock n' roll and Teddy boy thrown in for good measure.
Sade does a turn with the sultry "Killer Blow" (arrangement by veteran American jazz arranger Gil Evans) that includes lines that snakes around her vocal and then proceeds to careen like a train running through traffic.
Bowie does the title track, a big brassy Evans arranged "commercial" called "That's Motivation" and a send-up of the old Italian tune- "Volare"- done in a lounge style.
There are latinish songs ("Rodrigo Bay"), discoish jazz songs ("So What"), strange moody songs ("Have You Ever Had It Blue?") dance intrumentals ("Va Va Voom") and a ballet-like voodoo number ("Riot City")that is a soundtrack for many a performance to come.
This version even includes musical interludes by Evans that set a mood to keep you into this LP for the duration.
A definite must have. September 25, 2002

'80s Brit-Pop Favorites

I had this on cassette in the mid-'80s. Used to play it in college while getting ready to go out. It's got a very upbeat, hip mood to it. "Having It All" is fantastic female bravado, "Killer Blow" is Sade's best - very dramatic. Bowie's songs are fair. Some of the performers I didn't know I enjoyed, too. Having dug out the cassette and played it recently--it's worn out--I'm going to get it on cd. This one's a keeper. September 7, 2002

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