Various Artists
Pulp Fiction (Interscope)
30th anniversary, glow in the dark vinyl
The soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 movie Pulp Fiction is often included in lists of the all time best soundtracks, and deservedly so. It's not only Pulp Fiction; Tarantino has a gift for picking songs old and new that genuinely add something to his films and further the narrative. If somebody wasn't already familiar with any of the songs, they could be forgiven for thinking that the soundtrack was filled with original compositions, written and recorded for the film in question.
Pulp Fiction is the best of Tarantino's soundtracks though (as well as being a near-perfect film). Surf gems like Dick Dale's "Misirlou" and the Tornadoes' "Bustin' Surfboards" sit alongside Kool & the Gang's disco classic "Jungle Boogie" and Dusty Springfield's gorgeous "Son of a Preacher Man." On side B, the movie breathed new life into a Chuck Berry deep cut, when Travolta and Thurman twisted to "You Never Can Tell." Maria McKee's "If Love is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" is devastatingly effective, and how about Urge Overkill's version of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon."
All the while, we get lines of movie dialog interspersed in-between. It's one of those soundtracks that you can just play over and over again, reliving the movie in your head while enjoying the full versions of these incredible songs.
This 30th anniversary version comes on glow-in-the-dark vinyl, while is a nice "pulp fiction" touch in the truest sense. Real retro hounds can get the orange cassette tape. Either way, this release is magnificent.
Neil Young
On the Beach (Reprise Records)
50th anniversary clear vinyl
Neil Young's 1974 classic On the Beach is given the half century treatment with a delicious rerelease on lovely clear vinyl.
Visually, it's always nice to see that odd beach scene blown up to LP size. There's so much going on, kinda deceptively, that the sleeve is genuinely hypnotic.
The music is, of course, perfect. This album followed 1972's Harvest, and it's arguably as good if not better. "Vampire Blues" sees Young at his poetic, metaphorical best. The title track is heartbreakingly beautiful too, with Young getting typically vulnerable.
"On the Beach became a very special moment in the musical history of Young," reads the press release. "It was his fifth studio album, and was recorded with a stellar range of musicians, including Crazy Horse's rhythm section Billy Talbot (bass) and Ralph Molina (drums), along with other key players Ben Keith, Tim Drummond, Rusty Kershaw, David Crosby, Graham Nash, George Whitsell (The Rockets) along with help from Levon Helm and Rick Danko of The Band. Sessions were held at Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch in Northern California and Sunset Sound in Hollywood, and there was a definite feeling of expanding elements of musical styles being added to the playbook."
It's a treat to revisit it.
