Various Artists - Freaks And Geeks: Original Soundtrack And Score

Freaks and Geeks is one of the most lavishly praised TV shows of all time. One essential ingredient to its success was the ingenious use of music. The Freaks And Geeks Original Soundtrack and Score CD includes some of the best anthems of the day by The Who, Joan Jett, Styx, and Rush and ties them together with the most memorable portions of Michael Andrews’ score. As a special treat to fans, it also includes performances by cast members, including Nick’s cringe-worthy but hilarious ode to Lindsay, "Lady L." This is one CD no Freaks And Geeks fan should be without. Album Description

Love the series, love the soundtrack

Love the series, love the soundtrack. Cute pieces from the actual show, not just a compilation of pop songs that were used. Oh, and it has the Lady L song!! July 6, 2007

A timeless exploration...

Freaks & Geeks represents a timeless exploration into...

Oh, what the heck am I saying?! This show was flat-out funny, extremely touching and packed with some of the generation's best tunes. But even the show's creators have said that the best part of the series is each song woven into the show's intricate patchwork of natural hilarity - making this, my friends, one of the most rewarding soundtracks around.

Older listeners may recall their own experiences with songs like "Look Sharp!", "Come Sail Away" and "The Spirit of Radio."

But younger ones like myself will forever remember the tunes as they relate to the painfully awkward experiences of Sam and Lindsay Weir - debuting the Perisian nightsuit, suffering that first dance and reluctantly dropping more dry ice in the bucket.

(Or, if you've caught the deleted scenes, "Come Sail Away" may remind you of something completely different!)

Original score numbers by Michael Andrews tie all tracks together in an audible representation of all 18 episodes. And not only does this CD have a whopping 25 tracks, but the last four riff straight off the show! For those of us who finished the season and wanted more, THIS is what we wanted.

Freaks & Geeks will live on forever because of its fans, who defy cancellation to support the immensely talented creators and cast. If you enjoyed the stellar acting of John Daley - the show's young "Sam Weir," who today stars in FOX's "Kitchen Confidential" - we'd love to see you in our Yahoo! Groups discussion club, Fans of Daley.

Nothing is off-limits, including this amazing soundtrack. Just one listen merits a completely different series-watching experience.

Classic music helped make the series what it is. I highly recommend you don't own one without the other. November 8, 2005

This is a good soundtrack to a great show...

This is a good soundtrack to a great show. It includes the hits from the show that you expect, such as Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" and Rush's "The Spirit of Radio". There is also a really good current song called "Dumb as a Crayon" by a band called The Leaving Trains. Also included is the guidance counselor doing a hilarious version of "I'm Eighteen" as well as "Up On Cripple Creek". But what kept me from really liking this CD are the instrumental songs in between the hits. It was all TV score written and performed by the same guy. Not that the music was bad, but it ruins the flow of the CD.

A very important component to the quality of the Freaks and Geeks program was how they incorporated the music. Music used correctly with film is so powerful. This comes from the CD liner notes...

"Think about the scene where Bill Haverchuck comes home in lonely latchkey style and finds solace watching Garry Shandling on Dinah! We don't hear Shandling, instead we hear The Who's "I'm One"...the perfect statement of Bill's isolation and wounded pride. "No Language in Our Lungs" from XTC offers the perfect musical background for being picked last in gym class. And who better than Joe Jackson, a still undervalued skinny-tie rock god, to play as Sam Weir tries to "Look Sharp!" in his Parisian nightsuit?"

Lastly, the liner notes list Mr. Rosso's (guidance) musical notations for each song. Pretty funny stuff such as "And maybe next time Joan Jett is counting off those first rockin' eight beats, she'll go the extra two and after counting to ten, realize she's not that angry after all!"

A nice plus would have been some classic dialogue from the show, but no such luck.
May 12, 2005

Freaks and Geeks rocks!!

What can i say. Freaks and geeks is one of the best tv shows ever made! i cant belive they canceled if after one series they were crazy!. well this soundtrack is awesome i recomend it! April 8, 2005

A nice token from the show, but not a great album...

I basically bought this album because I love "Freaks & Geeks." And as much as I appreciate having Mr. Rosso singing Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" and Millie and Nick harmonizing on "Jesus Is Just Alright" on an album, I can only rate this album as good rather than great. As a soundtrack, this album works pretty well in capturing the spirit of the show: its humor, sensitivity and intelligence. However, I get bogged down in the score, which I think sounds a little too much like a television score, and wish that more of the '70s and '80s songs had been incorporated. November 25, 2004

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