This week brings better news on the cat front. It turns out our poor cat is only mostly blind, and after ten days on blood pressure medication he has recovered a small portion of his vision. It is not a lot, but it’s enough for him to jump on and off stuff with a bit more confidence. Along with this newfound sight, he’s decided the veterinarian-approved food is not to his liking, and so is currently taking a stand against it. Argh…
Anyway, here is a new review.
Disc 1587 is…. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale
Artist: Various artists
Year of Release: 2003
What’s up with the Cover? A graveyard angel. You’d think you’d want to market a Buffy the Vampire Slayer album with a picture from the show but here we get what I assume either a stock photo from the Interwebs or a prop from what Sheila and I affectionately call “the Buffy backlot”.
How I Came To Know It: This is one of two Buffy albums a former coworker gave me when she and her partner were downsizing their CD collection in 2020. Thanks, Anna!
How It Stacks Up: I have so many soundtracks that I have a hard time keeping track. I think I’m up around 36. Of those, I’ll say “Radio Sunnydale” slips just in front of my other Buffy soundtrack from 1999, landing at #28.
Back in the late nineties/early oughts both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and compact discs were all the rage, so it should not surprise you to hear that I have three different Buffy soundtracks. Of those, this one comes in at #2.
Ratings: 2 stars
If you are not familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my condolences. This show was some amazing TV that has more than held up over the almost two decades since it’s final episode aired. At some point I’m sure I’ll be pulling the DVD collection down to watch the whole thing for a 4th time. Maybe not for a few years yet, but it will happen.
Those who are familiar with the show will know that music features prominently. The songs are generally selected because they either do a good job of setting a mood for a scene, or just appeal to young people of the day. Often it feels to be a mix of both.
While I know some of the songs on this record, most were new to me when I first got the record in 2020. This is because like today, back in 2003 I was not listening to the radio – Sunnydale or otherwise. For example, Sheila advises me that the Dandy Warhols’ “Bohemian Like You” was a big hit and even today gets occasional airtime. Good to know and I declare the song…OK.
The opening track was very familiar mind you, being a Breeder’s cover of the Buffy Main Title Theme. The original is by Nerf Herder, but the Breeders do a fine job of it, making it a bit grimier in the process. I liked it but I did miss that glorious drum roll featured at the end of the original.
Instead my favourites tended to be from artists I already liked, and songs I sometimes already had. Most notable is Aimee Mann’s “Pavlov’s Bell” a glorious track off her 2002 masterpiece, “Lost in Space.” Aimee Mann even was featured playing live on Buffy in one season, although I had forgotten the context and had to look it up. Playing herself, she gets to deliver the line, “Man, I hate playing vampire towns.” Nice. Anyway, it is a great song and well worth your time here or anywhere else it shows up.
Also good was Sarah McLachlan’s “Prayer of Saint Francis” which was apparently released on early editions of her 1997 record “Surfacing”. I am sad to say I don’t have that version, but that’s OK because here it is, and the song reminded me how much I used to love McLachlan back in the day. I still love her work, but I overplayed it a bit and am giving that part of my collection a rest. It was nice to have something “new to me” to enjoy by her. Like the Buffy series itself, I’ll be revisiting her collection one day down the road.
There are some unfortunate tunes that are very much of their time. “Sound of the Revolution” has a lot of weird Matrix-like sound effects hiding what is otherwise a boring and overproduced assortment of noises. “Ballad for Dead Friends” is exactly the overwrought Emo stew of sound which I expect was better when overlaid on some significant sequence on the show but fails to hold its own as music alone.
The CD ends with “The Final Fight” a soaring instrumental that had me thinking of Lord of the Rings travel sequences. It also had me remembered the glory of that final fight sequence as the show wrapped up. The song is full of bombast and majesty and probably only great if you are a fan looking to get nostalgic over the amazing final episode. I am, so it worked for me.
Overall, this record is a lot like how I imagine listening to the radio feels. Some great songs if you wait for them, sprinkled in with a bunch of others that are OK, but maybe not what you’d pick for yourself if you were making a mixed CD of your own. All the same, I had a good time and I’ll be keeping this collection of memories.
Best tracks: Buffy Main Theme – The Breeders, Stop Thinking About It – Joey Ramone; Pavlov’s Bell – Aimee Mann; Prayer of St. Francis – Sarah McLachlan
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