Music Reviews

As with the TV series it accompanied, the music of Lost really ramps up the stakes in season two. Where it’s scary, it’s much more boisterous and scary than season 1, and where it’s mysterious, it’s much more mysterious. There are quieter moments too, including the piano piece from what still stands as my favorite episode to date, Everybody Hates Hugo.

Definite themes emerge as the chronologically-ordered selection of music unfolds (if indeed any show that has flashbacks every week can be described as chronological), including a theme for the Dharma station hatch, which may also be shared by Desmond. This first appears in “Peace Through Superior Firepower,” the scene which introduced us to Desmond, and later appears in a couple of other tracks, including the moment in last season’s finale when Desmond realized that he brought down Oceanic 815 in the first place.

Michael Giacchino’s instrumentation is more densely layered here, generally lending the whole thing a “bigger” sound. (Like Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary, Giacchino is classy enough to list every session player who participated in the Lost sessions – and lo and behind, many of them are the same musicians. What a great job that must be, playing all that killer music.) Somehow that fits because, obviously, the story is getting bigger too.

One of the most interesting tracks is the show’s end credits. (“Wha…?”, I hear you saying already, “there isn’t music on the end credits because ABC squishes everything and runs previews.”) I’m guessing this is the end credit music for the un-squished credits on the DVDs. It’s interesting, and it defnitely has the same “Lost sound” as the score cues, but it’s almost too upbeat.

Some fans may not be thrilled with how much music is heard from specific episodes; some shows – quite pivotal ones in the Lost mythos, in fact – wind up represented by only one track or don’t appear at all, while others (I’m looking at you, Live Together, Die Alone) seem like most of the music written for them is here. It’s a nice listen from beginning to end, but with shows like this, Galactica and Doctor Who, the track listing seems like it’s bursting to expand beyond the running time of a single CD.

Those looking for songs featured in the show go away empty-handed again; I’m not saying that I don’t like having an entire CD of underscore, but with non-score material like Driveshaft, and prominently heard songs like Mama Cass Elliot’s “Make Your Own Kind Of Music,” you’d think someone would’ve put together an official “Songs heard on Lost” compilation by now.

It’s a tremendously enjoyable and relentlessly intense listen, and that’s why Lost Season 2 was one of my favorite soundtracks of 2006, hands-down.

1. Main Title (0:17)
2. Peace Through Superior Firepower (1:26)
3. The Final Countdown (5:49)
4. World’s Worst Landscaping (1:18)
5. Mess It All Up (1:28)
6. Hurley’s Handouts (4:42)
7. Just Another Day On The Beach (2:49)
8. Ana Cries (1:47)
9. The Tribes Merge (2:05)
10. The Gathering (4:19)
11. Shannon’s Funeral (2:12)
12. All’s Forgiven…Except Charlie (5:19)
13. Charlie’s Dream (1:50)
14. Charlie’s Temptation (0:51)
15. A New Trade (2:40)
16. Mapquest (0:38)
17. Claire’s Escape (3:45)
18. The Last To Know (2:22)
19. Rose And Bernard (2:40)
20. Toxic Avenger (0:41)
21. I Crashed Your Plane, Brotha (1:46)
22. Eko Blaster (1:44)
23. The Hunt (3:57)
24. McGale’s Navy (2:21)
25. Bon Voyage, Traitor (5:30)
26. End Title (0:32)

Released by: Varese Sarabande
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 64:48

With any slate of back catalogue reissues, you’re already running the risk of the consumer saying “been there, done that.” But it takes talent to achieve the same effect when it comes to the added-value bonus material. Maybe that’s a little unfair; as with the other ELO remasters to date, 1973’s On The Third Day has never sounded better. The apocalyptic-sounding fusion of strings and the closest ELO ever came to heavy metal positively sparkles, and the liner notes finally give a little bit of insight into the making of the album; with its bizarre, quasi-Biblical themes, Third Day has never ceased to fascinate me. It’s territory ELO hadn’t ventured into before, and never ventured into again.

Now here’s the problem: like a great many other things covered on this site, ELO has a strong cult following. Its fans snatch up any release that holds the promise of previously unheard material from any era of the group’s classic repertoire. This isn’t really a problem until you realize that almost all of the “bonus tracks” attached to this re-release have been heard before. The various early takes and mixes of “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” and “Dreaming Of 4000” were included on the 2-disc UK reissue of Electric Light Orchestra II (and, before that, on an early 90s compilation called Early ELO), and so too was the previously unreleased (and still very Dylanesque) song “Everyone’s Born To Die”. The emonly really “new” track here is a wild track of various orchestral interludes which were eventually mixed in between songs on the original album – so it’s not that you haven’t heard them before, you just haven’t heard them on their own.

It’s not a total disappointment, since not everyone will have gotten that UK import (and since those bonus tracks didn’t show up on the North American version of the ELO II remaster), but aside from some nice liner notes and a sharper sound, hardcore ELO fans won’t find much new here that they haven’t heard already.

1. Ocean Breakup / King Of The Universe (4:07)
2. Bluebird Is Dead (4:42)
3. Oh No, Not Susan (3:07)
4. New World Rising / Ocean Breakup Reprise (4:05)
5. Showdown (4:09)
6. Daybreaker (3:51)
7. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (3:56)
8. Dreaming Of 4000 (5:04)
9. In The Hall Of The Mountain King (6:37)
10. Auntie (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 1) (1:19)
11. Auntie (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 2) (4:05)
12. Mambo (Dreaming Of 4000 alternate mix) (5:05)
13. Everyone’s Born To Die (3:43)
14. Interludes (3:40)

Released by: Epic / Legacy
Release date: 2006 (originally released in 1973)
Total running time: 57:30

Picking up work on a late ’90s solo album where he left off – originally, the album was called A Gift Of Screws and would’ve been a follow-up released only a few years after Out Of The Cradle – Lindsey Buckingham goes into territory that quite a few of his loyal fans will find unfamiliar: the music is stripped down to its bare essentials, sometimes almost all-acoustic, without the trademark elaborate studio production which became the trademark of his early work and his heyday with Fleetwood Mac. But there’s something just as elaborate about Under The Skin, though instead of studio trickery, what’s elaborate here is Buckingham’s sheer staggering musicianship.

The instrumentation is sparse, often consisting of layers of guitar (usually acoustic, though some electric work does sneak in here and there), simple percussion, and half-whispered, half-sung vocals. Vocals are often layered in and overdubbed, but the overall effect is deceptive – you think it’s a bit quieter than the fall-on rock songs Buckingham has given us in the past, but instead he’s almost forcing you to concentrate on the songs.

The songs are great this time around. When Out Of The Cradle was first released, I complained that Buckingham had charged us full “new album” price for an album that contained an awful lot of material that seemed like reheated Fleetwood Mac. This time around, he’s lived up to the songwriting chops that brought us rock classics like “Trouble” and “Go Your Own Way,” though where some of his past work sounded like songs that didn’t make it onto a Mac album, here they’re presented in a context where it’s hard to imagine a full-band sound on them. (Ironically, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood do actually play on “Down On Rodeo,” the Fleetwoodiest song of the bunch here; some of the Gift Of Screws songs were lifted from that project and handed over to Fleetwood Mac’s Say You Will, in some cases with minimal contributions from the other band members, and the tracks in question here may have been contenders for that album.)

The highlights include the Rolling Stones cover “I Am Waiting,” and the Buckingham originals “It Was You,” “Under The Skin” and “Cast Away Dreams” (let’s back up a little bit – for a renowned songwriter like Lindsey Buckingham, it really is unusual to hear a cover of someome else’s material). There’s another cover, Donovan’s “To Try For The Sun,” but it just doesn’t grab me despite being a nice enough song.

For those who aren’t grabbed by any of this material, and for some it may represent one stylistic shift too far away from Buckingham’s full-blast rock sound, an album leaning more in that direction is promised for sometime in 2007 – that is, unless one remembers that every other solo project that Buckingham announces winds up becoming a Fleetwood Mac album. Only time, and the apparently irresistible lure of Stevie Nicks, will tell.

1. Not Too Late (4:42)
2. Show You How (4:22)
3. Under The Skin (3:57)
4. I Am Waiting (3:34)
5. It Was You (2:49)
6. To Try For The Sun (3:14)
7. Cast Away Dreams (4:28)
8. Shut Us Down (3:57)
9. Down On Rodeo (4:27)
10. Something’s Gotta Change Your Mind (4:48)
11. Flying Down Juniper (4:43)

Released by: Reprise
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 45:01

A novelty for the early 1970s, Hot Butter helped to drag electronically generated music into the American mainstream. Actually the brainchild of session keyboard player Stan Free, who had played on albums and on stage for numerous other artists, Hot Butter had to ease its listeners into the concept of music generated by machine by doing covers of familiar tunes, including the one that actually made it onto the charts, a cover of an obscure instrumental called “Popcorn”.

The novelty of it all is that, where the British and European listening public had been getting a steady indoctrination of electronic music via the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and other sources for years, often with a psychedelic connotation, the American public wasn’t yet on that same IV drip of music made with machines. There are wavering bass and melody lines in Hot Butter’s songs that simply couldn’t be performed, with the degree of consistency and accuracy heard here, by a human being. To smooth the shock of the new, there are some “real” instruments in the mix, usually drums.

Some of the best pieces here were echoplexed ’60s instrumentals – “Telstar” and “Apache” – that lent themselves well to the Hot Butter treatment. Other fairly well known songs also adapt easily to Hot Butter’s style, though nothing is as surprising as “Amazing Grace”, played bagpipes-style by synthesizers. That synths were at the core of the music was amazing enough at the time; that they were taking the place of an easily recognizable instrument in an almost universally-well-known arrangement was just another shock treatment, and it works wonderfully.

Though always intended to be a novelty act, Hot Butter may have had some life in it yet, and it’s a bit sad, after hearing Free’s virtuosity here, that the Butter didn’t keep simmering, leaving this act a bona fide one-hit wonder.

1. Popcorn (2:34)
2. Day By Day (3:49)
3. Apache (2:53)
4. At The Movies (2:34)
5. Tristana (3:29)
6. Song Sung Blue (3:36)
7. Telstar (2:26)
8. Tomatoes (2:21)
9. Amazing Grace (2:58)
10. Love At First Sight (2:58)
11. Song Of The Nairobi Trio (2:16)
12. The Silent Screen (2:12)
13. Mah-Na-Mah-Na (1:51)
14. Masterpiece (2:18)
15. Percolator (1:59)
16. Skokiaan (2:12)
17. Slag Solution (2:28)
18. Sounds (3:13)
19. Space Walk (2:52)
20. Syncopated Clock (2:16)
21. Tequila (1:49)
22. Wheels (1:54)

Released by: Castle
Release date: 2000
Total running time: 56:58

I’m generally not a huge fan of live albums – why bother, when studio albums deliver the meat and potatoes minus the screaming? – but every once in a while I’m either enthusiastic or curious enough about a specific act to go ahead and check out a concert recording. I was a little bit skeptical going into Royksopp’s Night Out, simply because Royksopp relies so heavily on technology, sampling and other studio techniques to create their sound – could they deliver the goods without that at their disposal?

The answer turns out to be a resounding yes. Things are energized considerably by getting a touring group together to bring the previously sampled drums, guitars and other instruments to life. There’s still plenty of technology on display, but in some cases the live performance actually obscures things less than the studio recordings: “What More Is There?”, to name just one example, finally reveals its somewhat bizarre lyrics clearly. (The flipside of that is that it seems like only half of the lyrics of “Sparks”, the lovely torchy number from Royksopp’s first album, are ever sung on stage.)

With its short running time, Royksopp’s Night Out hangs somewhere in the balance between EP and full album, and yet depending on where you look, it commands a full album price tag; that probably makes this collection something for the diehards only. But even if you think you’ve heard Royksopp before, this intriguing live recording reveals new layers and new energy by getting everyone out of the studio – in short, it’s exactly what a concert recording should be.

1. What Else Is There? (3:19)
2. Only This Moment (4:04)
3. Remind Me (3:47)
4. Sparks (5:09)
5. Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever Take) (5:24)
6. Go Away (5:35)
7. Alpha Male (8:03)
8. Go With The Flow (3:13)
9. Teppefall (0:58)

Released by: Astralwerks
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 39:32

Almost a year after one of its songs (“Winter Light”) made a surprise appearance on the soundtrack from the big-budget, big-screen adaptation of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Tim Finn’s new album is here at last, presenting a somewhat more polished and sedate sound than his previous two solo efforts, and yet with hints of some of his past musical endeavours.

There are hints of the old Split Enz quirkiness in “So Precious,” hints of Before & After funkiness in “Dead Flowers,” “Horizon” has an almost intangible similarity to the best songs from Big Canoe (and has just a little of the feel of New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give”), “Still The Song” has the feel of his previous two solo albums, and “Couldn’t Be Done” and “Show Yourself” have a little something of the blue-eyed-soul of his very first solo album. That’s not to say that any of these songs are anything less than original and enjoyable; instead, if you’ve liked any of the stylistic stops Tim’s made along his musical career, there’s at least one or two songs on Imaginary Kingdom that will instantly lodge themselves in your head.

There are also songs that are completely different from any of the styles he’s visited before; as I probably mentioned when reviewing the Narnia soundtrack, “Winter Light” is positively lovely and sedate, and “Astounding Moon” has something of the same orchestra-backed feel to it. “Unsinkable” has a quiet, stately feel to it, but even more than that, the lyrics are outstanding, using the sinking of the Titanic (!) as a metaphor for a child’s first realization of his parents’ mortality. That’s not a topic I recall having heard in a lot of pop music before. This is just another example of this album’s depths – there are plenty of layers to peel back, and plenty to enjoy.

Kudos to co-producer Bobby Huff and engineer/session player John Mark Painter (who happens to be a frequent collaborator with Ben Folds – now there’s someone who I’d pay good money to hear work with Tim in the future) for helping to smooth out the sound of this album; Huff is a surprising name to see here, given that his most recent credit that I can recall is the last Leann Rimes album. Ultimately, though, the music and lyrics are Tim’s babies, and this album is a crop of winners without a single misfire. Tim Finn definitely rules this Imaginary Kingdom.

1. Couldn’t Be Done (2:50)
2. Still The Song (2:48)
3. Astounding Moon (3:35)
4. Midnight Coma (2:52)
5. Salt To The Sea (3:45)
6. Horizon (3:23)
7. Dead Flowers (3:37)
8. Resting (Your Hand Lightly) (3:20)
9. Show Yourself (3:01)
10. Winter Light (4:10)
11. So Precious (3:19)
12. Unsinkable (2:55)

Released by: Parlophone
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 39:41

The idea behind the L.E.O. sessions were simple – indie pop artist Bleu Macauley and friends, acquaintances and colleagues from across North America would combine their talents, often by long distance, to create a tribute to the style, if not necessarily specific songs, of Jeff Lynne and ELO. Aside from Blue, just a few of the artists involved include Andy Sturmer (formerly of Jellyfish), the Hanson brothers (yes, those Hanson brothers), and quite a few others who have cut their teeth on the indie-label power pop circuit. And right from the first full song, it’s clear that the L.E.O. collective is settling for nothing less than an homage to ELO’s glory years – the period stretching from Face The Music through Out Of The Blue.

If that’s the sound you’re looking for, it’s nicely approximated in such tracks as “Distracted,” “Sukaz Are Born Every Minute,” and “Goodbye Innocence.” Fans of ELO’s funkier, less lush numbers will like “Make Me” and espeically “Ya Had Me Goin'”, which kicks off with an intro strongly reminiscent of “Evil Woman.” Even Lynne’s post-ELO, retro-rockabilly solo style is represented in one of the better songs, “Private Line.” Most of the songs here are winners, though there’s a “bonus track” (not quite 2 minutes of music at the end of a mostly empty, half-hour-long track) that’s basically an abbreviated version of “Don’t Bring Me Down” that smacks more of being a spoof than an homage. The album’s just a little bit short (for the total running time below, I deleted the long empty stretch of the bonus track so you can tell how much actual music there is), but there’s a great deal of promise here – enough to make me wonder if a follow-up is planned. This “group” – term loosely used – has successfully captured a style that’s not explored much these days, though the question is really whether or not enough people will take them up on the offer to make it worth the artists’ or the labels’ time. If you ever enjoyed the ELO sound, this album is definitely worth yours.

1. Overture (0:33)
2. Goodbye Innocence (3:51)
3. Ya Had Me Goin’ (3:10)
4. Distracted (4:18)
5. Make Me (3:00)
6. The Ol’ College Try (3:43)
7. Nothin’ Will Ever Change (4:12)
8. Don’t Let It Go (3:24)
9. Private Line (3:12)
10. Sukaz Are Born Every Minute (4:18)
11. Don’t Bring Me Down (1:55)

Released by: Cheap Lullaby Records
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 35:36

After some sidesteps into rootsy country music influences, Jars Of Clay resumes their rock ‘n’ roll course with Good Monsters. Some country influences are still on display, but the past two albums’ flirtation with roots music really seemed to obscure what drew such an audience to the Jars in the first place: these guys can flat-out rock. The first single, “Dead Man (Carry Me)”, is one of the rockiest songs on the album, but it gives you a fair idea of what to expect here – decent, guitar-driven rock, maybe without leaning on studio technique as much as the group’s first two albums, strong vocals with great harmony work, and overall just a return to the group’s more familiar, catchy sound.

“Work” and “Dead Man” give things a fast-paced one-two punch of that return, and then things settle into a nice medium between the group’s rock sound and some of that recently-explored country/folk music territory, with “Good Monsters” and “Take Me Higher” being a couple more of the album’s strongest rock numbers. But while the music is good, the lyrics are outstanding. I have to single out “Work” especially, as it’s a very good example of why Jars Of Clay is one of the only Christian bands I listen to. The lyric “I have no fear of drowning / It’s the breathing that’s taking all this work” is emblematic of the group’s ability to lyrically address the fact that there is a struggle involved in being human and a there’s even a struggle involved in being a Christian – there are plenty of lyrics that address the “praise and worship” prerequisites of this genre of music, but there are also plenty of mature lyrics like that one which acknowledge a struggle to stay on the straight and narrow. “Oh My God”‘s startling lyrical admission that “We all have a chance to murder” is another example of this (and it may in fact be the best song this band has ever done). That’s something that I don’t find nearly enough of in this genre of music – sort of like I can’t get enough Jars Of Clay. Highly recommended.

1. Work (3:53)
2. Dead Man (Carry Me) (3:19)
3. All My Tears (3:45)
4. Even Angels Cry (4:21)
5. There Is A River (3:51)
6. Good Monsters (4:05)
7. Oh My God (6:05)
8. Surprise (3:50)
9. Take Me Higher (4:40)
10. Mirrors & Smoke (3:58)
11. Light Gives Heat (4:41)
12. Water Under The Bridge (3:58)

Released by: Essential
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 50:26

Teaming up with Heartbreakers cohort Mike Campbell and Traveling Wilburys cohort Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty is back in the solo album business with a moody, atmospheric, unpredictable album that I’m finding grows on me more and more with each listen. Built loosely around a theme of traveling and means of transportation, Highway Companion‘s tunes range from catchy rock that sticks in your head and doesn’t leave, to slower numbers drenched in atmosphere. Petty’s ability to craft a song, combined with Lynne’s ability to find each song’s depths, are potent reminder that there was a reason Full Moon Fever was a huge hit some 16 years ago.

The standouts include “Flirting With Time”, an upbeat rocker whose chorus defies any attempt to resist singing along, the mezmerizing “Golden Rose”, the spare beauty of “Night Driver”, though really, while I’m just listing my favorites that I find myself re-listening to again and again, I have a harder time thinking of a song that doesn’t come up to snuff. The album’s that good, with consistently sharp songwriting from Petty and crystal clear (and yet very warm) production. Fans of Petty’s laid-back, country-flavored solo work as well as his edgier, bluesy material with the Heartbreakers won’t be disappointed at all. Highway Companion really is the epitome of the album with something for everyone, and gets some of the highest recommendations I’ve given to an album released this year.

1. Saving Grace (3:47)
2. Square One (3:24)
3. Flirting With Time (3:13)
4. Down South (3:25)
5. Jack (2:28)
6. Turn This Car Around (3:58)
7. Big Weekend (3:15)
8. Night Driver (4:26)
9. Damaged By Love (3:22)
10. This Old Town (4:15)
11. Ankle Deep (3:22)
12. The Golden Rose (4:42)

Released by: American
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 43:37

How far removed can one be from a film and still enjoy something about it? This review – and the fact that I bought this CD – will be an exercise in answering that question. For, you see, I’ve seen this movie – but I’ve only seen it with the benefit of a guy and two robots sitting in the bottom right corner of the screen, cracking wise at the movie’s ample supply of foibles. Mystery Science Theater fans will instantly recognize this movie as Operation Double 007, while most parts of the world know it as Operation Kid Brother. The idea behind the movie was simple. Step one: get Sean Connery’s little brother (whether he has any acting experience or not) and as many supporting players as you can from the James Bond movies, and put them in a Bond-esque superspy spoof. Step two: ??? Step three: profit!

How much profit did OK Connery pull in? The existence of this album seems to be proof that, not long after the film’s release, it was at least popular enough for composer Ennio Morricone to get everything together that one would need to release a record of the soundtrack. And really, it’s fine music – it’s a bit much in places, but that description could just as easily apply to the movie as a whole. Morricone and Nicolai do a fine job of sending up John Barry’s already-nearly-over-the-top style, and it’s a testament to their work that, even despite having only ever seen this movie with the MST crew cracking wise over the movie audio, the music is so memorable. It’s all here, from the theme music (presented in English, Italian and instrumental forms on this CD, just in case you feel the need to sing along), to the brass-with-60s-electric-guitar action cues, to the hilariously extravagant music from the scene where Adolfo Celi’s supervillain waltzes around in a bathrobe, lights a cigar, and admires what seems to be a personal collection of reclining nude women. Everybody needs a hobby, but man, this guy and his hobby get some killer theme music!

The sound is surprisingly crisp (the master tapes are nearly 40 years old now) and everything has been remastered until it sonically shines. It’s a stunning amount of effort for a movie that, even in regions where it’s better-remembered, was an extremely marginal footnote in cinematic history (and even then, probably only due to the leading man…and his brother). Now, to be fair, you can be sure that the work was undertaken to preserve an unreleased score by one of the cinema’s most famous composers, and I really do appreciate that – but you can also bet that around half of the copies of this CD that have been sold to date have probably been bought by folks who, like myself, have only seen it with Joel and the ‘bots taking well-observed potshots at the movie.

OK Connery sports some dandy music – if you’re in a specific superspy spoofin’ kinda mood. I just hope that I can someday accumulate my own collection of reclining nudes so I, too, will be worthy of the music on track 2. (I’ve already got a bathrobe.)

1. Man For Me (3:19)
2. Connery (1:58)
3. Allegri Ragazzi (1:44)
4. Primo Amore (4:37)
5. A Passo D’uomo (2:39)
6. Varco Nel Muro (1:36)
7. Connery (2:19)
8. Missione Segreta (1:07)
9. Verso Il Mare (1:48)
10. Fiori Gialli (1:17)
11. Gli Enigmi (1:11)
12. Diapositive (1:24)
13. Can Can Delle Amazzoni (1:46)
14. Connery: Congiura (2:42)
15. Contrabbando (1:15)
16. Turbinosamente (1:25)
17. Gatto Parlante (1:14)
18. Missione Segreta (1:44)
19. La Preda (0:50)
20. Man For Me – Italian version (3:04)
21. OK Connery – Sequence 1 (1:44)
22. OK Connery – Sequence 2 (2:03)
23. OK Connery – Sequence 3 (1:58)
24. OK Connery – Sequence 4 (1:13)
25. OK Connery – Sequence 5 (1:26)
26. OK Connery – Sequence 6 (3:05)
27. Man For Me – Instrumental (3:11)
28. Man For Me – Alternate version (3:10)

Released by: DigitMovies / Beat Records
Release date: 2004
Total running time: 57:02

In the liner notes to the CD of the Lost soundtrack, series co-creator J.J. Abrams mentions that the pilot episode was originally tracked with the works of some of the biggest names in film music, and that it took some salesmanship to convince ABC that the show would lose none of its impact when rescored by Abrams’ Alias co-conspirator, composer Michael Giacchino. The irony of that comment is that, for anyone who’s been watching Lost for any amount of time, it’s hard to imagine any of its scenes scored by someone other than Giacchino.

The disc kicks off with Abrams’ own abstract composition for the show’s trend-settingly short main titles (a number of series took the hint and abruptly curtailed their main titles, and some showrunners – such as the makers of the two Stargate series – discovered that ten second main titles just weren’t for them).

Again going back to the liner notes, Abrams acknowledges that the temp score originally laid over the pilot was more bombastic than what has evolved in Giacchino’s body of work; it’s not that Lost doesn’t ever require that kind of music, but it’s not handled with typical Hollywood orchestral fire-and-brimstone. That’s not to say that Giacchino doesn’t echo some great Hollywood styles. “Hollywood And Vines” sounds like something from John Barry’s late 70s/early 80s repertoire, and the now familiar stabbing swirl of Hermann-esque strings makes its debut in “Charlie Hangs Around”.

Speaking of familiarity, this CD does a great job of recreating the atmosphere for those already acquainted with the show; as a listening experience, though, it occasionally retreads the same ground with a small number of recurring motifs and themes – at least two tracks end on the show’s suspenseful signature slur of brass, for example. Many of the cues presented here are from the two-part pilot episode, with the remainder originating from almost every episode in the first season, and presented with only a couple of exceptions in strict story order. Some listeners may come to find that they can program their CD player to play the tracks in a different order for a more cohesive listening experience, but given that the slow discovery of the story and the mysteries of the island are at the heart of the show, the chronological track listing does make sense. (If you’re wondering about another sonic signature, the gunshot-like sound that takes you into most commercial breaks, that’s the very last thing on the CD.) Good stuff for folks who are fans of the show’s music (which will probably be 95% of the people buying the CD), but it might make a few listeners wonder whether they just heard the same thing twice.

That’s an extremely minor quibble, though. This is a nice example of a fully orchestrated score for modern TV (and with all of the session players graciously name-checked in the booklet, no less – very classy!), and chances are it’s more fun to listen to than the LPs Desmond was stuck with in his Dharma dome. If you’re in the mood for dark and moody, then by all means, get Lost.

1. Main Title by J.J. Abrams (0:16)
2. The Eyeland (1:58)
3. World’s Worst Beach Party (2:46)
4. Credit Where Credit Is Due (2:24)
5. Run Like, Um…Hell? (2:23)
6. Hollywood And Vines (1:54)
7. Just Die Already (1:53)
8. Me And My Big Mouth (1:08)
9. Crocodile Locke (1:52)
10. Win One For The Reaper (2:39)
11. Departing Sun (2:44)
12. Charlie Hangs Around (3:19)
13. Navel Gazing (3:26)
14. Proper Motivation! (2:01)
15. Run Away! Run Away! (0:32)
16. We’re Friends (1:33)
17. Getting Ethan (1:36)
18. Thinking Clairely (1:06)
19. Locke’d Out Again (3:32)
20. Life And Death (3:41)
21. Booneral (1:40)
22. Shannonigans (2:27)
23. Kate’s Motel (2:09)
24. I’ve Got A Plane To Catch (2:39)
25. Monsters Are Such Interesting People (1:31)
26. Parting Words (5:31)
27. Oceanic 815 (6:11)

Released by: Varese Sarabande
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 74:51

Krull! If that word conjures up images of Kevin Sorbo and swords and sorcery…well, you’re in the wrong place. That was Kull The Conqueror. Krull was a big-budget 1983 popcorn flick featuring Kenneth Marshall and swords and sorcery, and it was practically designed to be the next Star Wars. Needless to say…it wasn’t. While it brought the concept of throwing stars to the attention of a great many youngsters (myself included), Krull wasn’t a box office smash. And much as I hate to say it, perhaps its soundtrack has something to do with that.

I’ll admit, however, that what is stated above is my opinion alone, and it’s not one shared by soundtrack collectors or film music fans for the most part. James Horner’s Krull soundtrack is revered, and this 2-CD version released in the 1990s by the now-defunct internet soundtrack specialty shop Supercollector.com is considered particularly desirable on the collectors’ circuit. But when I listen to it, what hits my ears sounds like the music from Star Trek II, cut-and-pasted around a bit so it doesn’t sound exactly the same. Even the arrangements and the balance of instruments used is nearly identical. I do like the heraldic blasts of brass the punctuate the more heroic moments of the music, but so much of the bulk of Krull‘s music is borrowed from The Wrath Of Khan that it’s not funny – I already paid for this same music once. (See also: Horner’s music from Aliens.)

To be fair, though, I will give Horner some praise for his attempts to differentiate Krull from his previous work. There’s a cuttingly siren-like descending synth note in the attack scenes involving the Black Fortress minions that, while it’s a bit dated now, does indeed jump right out, grab you by the neck and telegraphs “bad news!” straight into your ears. “Ride Of The Firemares”, even with its own borrowed passages, is simply one of the best things Horner’s ever put in front of an orchestra.These new developments to what seems like very familiar material are interesting…but I’d be more inclined to adjust my thinking of Horner from unoriginality to an artist who keeps revisiting a theme until he’s perfected it if I hadn’t had to pay good money to hear every “work in progress” stage of that theme.

Disc One:

1. Main Title & Colwyn’s Arrival (7:34)
2. The Slayers Attack (9:20)
3. Quest For The Glaive (7:23)
4. Ride To The Waterfall (0:54)
5. Lyssa In The Fortress (1:29)
6. The Walk To The Seer’s Cave (4:10)
7. The Seer’s Vision (2:19)
8. Battle In The Swamp (2:40)
9. Quicksand (3:39)
10. The Changeling (4:04)
11. Colwyn and Lyssa (Love Theme) (2:38)

Disc Two:

1. Leaving The Swamp (2:00)
2. The Widow’s Web (6:19)
3. The Widow’s Lullaby (5:02)
4. Vella (3:47)
5. Ynyr’s Death (1:42)
6. Ride Of The Firemares (5:23)
7. Battle Of The Parapets (2:53)
8. Inside The Black Fortress (6:15)
9. The Death Of The Beast and The Destruction of the Dark Fortress (8:32)
10. Epilogue & End Title (4:50)

Released by: Super Collector / Supertracks
Release date: 1998
Disc one total running time: 46:10
Disc two total running time: 46:43

His first album after the seminal Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield’s Hergest Ridge dips into decidedly Celtic waters. The best thing about this epic two-part composition is that it really does take one on a journey – the main themes and motifs are developed, come to a climax, and then put on the back burner while other themes come to the fore, and everything reappears toward the end for a surprisingly laid-back summation. Despite the classical structure, it’s very much a modern work. Oldfield’s guitar work is nothing short of phenomenal, ranging from bucolic, Celtic-style strumming to full-blast heavy metal, and there are several thematic previews of his next album, Ommadawn, to be heard. (In fact, if you’ve got the hour or so to burn, I strongly suggest listening to Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn back to back.) There is also an abundance of orchestral instrumentation here, as well as a full choral version of one theme.

There really aren’t any drawbacks; this kind of longform composition has fallen into disuse these days, so those looking for convenient places to take a break may be a little put off by the length of the tracks. To them, I can only say that it’s worth it to sit and listen to this one (and indeed, to any of Oldfield’s longform works). Very highly recommended for those who want to hear an ambient instrumental piece that isn’t steeped in electronica, and lasts longer than five or six minutes.

1. Part One (21:28)
2. Part Two (18:45)

Released by: Caroline
Release date: 1974
Total running time: 40:13

It’s official – I must live on another planet, because I missed the music industry hype around the Strokes’ second album, released in 2003. I gather that some of the fans accumuated from their first album in 2001 didn’t dig this one, but as I haven’t heard that one, I really enjoyed Room On Fire. Its eleven songs are compact, economical morsels of catchy-as-hell power pop with almost insanely hummable hooks.

I seldom just fall all over myself fawning over an album, but there simply isn’t a lame song on this disc. “What Ever Happened?” is almost deceptively easygoing as an opening number, but it’s chased down by one of the album’s strongest songs, “Reptilia”, which sees this very small band getting a very big sound. Lead man Julian Casablancas may not have a voice that’s to everyone’s taste, but it grew on me. The guy can sing, but on some songs he sees fit to scream instead – and with repeated listening, I’ve come to the conclusion that his instincts are usually right on the money. “Reptilia”, for example, wouldn’t be quite the same without it.

“Repitilia” is a straight-out-of-the-70s, straight ahead hard rocker, while “Between Love And Hate” and “Automatic Stop” almost show the tiniest hints of reggae influence. “Under Control” takes a few 50s-style riffs and runs them all through heavy distortion. “12:51”, the song whose video was played out as a lost scene from Tron*, almost sounds like the Cars’ first two albums, only the “synth” sounds are actually coming from a guitar. Which brings me to another point – for a five-piece band, and a young one at that, the Strokes are impeccably tight. Actually, at first I typed “impossibly tight.” And I’m not sure that’s wrong either. Instrumentally, they’re a fantastic band.

It wasn’t until after I wrote the bulk of this review that I looked around, saw that there seemed to be some “received wisdom” that this album didn’t live up to the debut, and adjusted things accordingly – meaning I made a mention that some folks see a sophomore slump here, but I certainly don’t. Since I’m evidently listening to the Strokes’ discography backwards, I hope that their first album was as good as Room On Fire, because nothing about this one is lacking to my ears.

1. What Ever Happened? (2:50)
2. Reptilia (3:39)
3. Automatic Stop (3:27)
4. 12:51 (2:26)
5. You Talk Way Too Much (3:00)
6. Between Love And Hate (3:09)
7. Meet Me In The Bathroom (2:53)
8. Under Control (3:02)
9. The End Has No End (3:04)
10. The Way It Is (2:21)
11. I Can’t Win (2:35)

Released by: RCA
Release date: 2003
Total running time: 32:26

* In addition to the Tron video, the artwork on the “Reptilia” CD single was the marquee artwork from Atari’s arcade game Centipede. I think I spot a trend…

It took me an unusually long time to warm up to Anatomic, the latest from the re-renamed Afro Celt Sound System (who had dropped the “Sound System” from their name on their previous album, to the dismay of some longtime fans). It’s not that it’s not good music – it most certainly is – but this group is renowned for knocking down so many boundaries of style and genre and categories in music that, by comparison, bits of Anatomic seem tame – particularly after the rousing entry that was Seed. This may be a case where the band’s long term fans, the folks who get to hear and appreciate the album tracks and not just the singles, will love it, but listers who sample the group more casually may not get it.

There’s no one common thread that ties the strongest Anatomic songs together – “Beautiful Rain” is an almost hypnotic song with gentle male vocals, “Dohl Dogs” is a rousing instrumental number with a solid wall of polyrhythmic percussion, and the title track, also an instrumental, hearkens back to the System’s best Celtic-heavy fusion dance numbers. The album opens strong with “When I Still Needed You”, and though it’s a slower track, I like “Mother” as well. But some of the other tracks just couldn’t hold my attention – again, they’re not bad music, but they’re strong candidates for background music.

Which may actually be what devotees of this band are looking for, for all I know. At any rate, there’s good stuff on here, but it’s an uneven listen to plow all the way through the whole album.

1. When I Still Needed You (8:16)
2. My Secret Bliss (7:04)
3. Mojave (10:35)
4. Senè (Working The Land) (5:59)
5. Beautiful Rain (4:59)
6. Anatomic (5:24)
7. Mother (6:29)
8. Dohl Dogs (6:25)
9. Drake (6:04)

Released by: RealWorld
Release date: 2005
Total running time: 61:15

More or less an album songs performed by or inspired by the Intellivision video game console, Intellivision In Hi-Fi is an affectionate throwback to the days when video game music was anything but hi-fi. To come even close to approximating a popular piece of music was a feat, and achieving true polyphony, even in just a flat, synthesizer-esque tone, was pure luxury. Intellivision was the first home game console to manage this level of musical sophistication, and even so, it only did so on the most primitive of levels – no attack or decay or anything as fancy as sounds intended to emulate acoustical instruments. But even with that extreme return to the basics of making music, Intellivision game designers pulled off some real winners – the jazzy chase music heard when Snafu drops from a four-player game to a two-player death match, the catchy theme (coined by a then-unknown musician named George “The Fat Man” Sanger) from Thin Ice, and the sticks-in-your-head-and-stays-there music from Shark! Shark!. All of these and more appear on Intellivision In Hi-Fi.

There are also numerous Intellivision-generated ditties from never-before-heard programmers’ concept tests and a few aborted works in progress. These include classical pieces such as “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (better known to many as the theme from 2001), and more decidedly modern works along the lines of the James Bond theme and a McDonald’s jingle, among others. (It’s interesting to note that a James Bond video game was later made, but not for the Intellivision, and not by Mattel Electronics, the company that originated the console in 1979.)

To round things out, there are a few more tracks which are either songs about the Intellivision, or are reinterpretations of classic Intellivision musical themes on actual instruments. This along brings us to George Sanger’s surf-rockin’ “Surfing On Thin Ice”, which is in itself a good reason to buy this CD. Jazzy interpretations of music from Snafu and Shark! Shark! also prove to be entertaining. Confusium provides two tracks featuring copious samples of Intellivision sound effects and vintage TV ads starring George Plimpton; the first of these opens the CD to great effect, while the latter is simply too bloody long and wears out its welcome. (At nearly 15 minutes, I find it hard to sit through the whole thing without skipping to the next track.) Best of all, however, is Michael Schwartz’s “My Intellivision”, an appropriately new wave-flavored pop tribute to the machine, sung from the perspective of someone who pines for his long-lost Intellivision.

Naturally, this CD is really for those who are already enthusiasts of the game machine in question; Intellivision In Hi-Fi doesn’t feature gobs of stuff remixed into a more modern form, opting instead to give you the actual beeps-and-boops sound of the original hardware. I’m a fan of both approaches, but this album’s diverse sampling of original sounds and reinterpretations should have something to please just about everyone.

1. Compare This! – Confusium (5:03)
2. Snafu (1:33)
3. Shark! Shark! (0:29)
4. Buzz Bombers (0:29)
5. Mind Strike (0:24)
6. The Jetsons’ Way With Words (0:21)
7. Melody Blasters (Blasters Blues) (0:31)
8. Thin Ice (Carnival Of The Penguins) (0:43)
9. Billiards Blues (1:34)
10. Surfin’ On Thin Ice – The Fat Man (3:06)
11. Also Sprach Zarathustra (0:47)
12. Scooby Doo’s Maze Craze (0:32)
13. Thunder Castle Songs (1:29)
14. Lounge Shark! Lounge Shark! – The Tilton-Tate Orchestra (3:21)
15. Maple Leaf Rag (1:21)
16. My Intellivision (1982 Mix) – Michael Schwartz (4:38)
17. James Bond Theme (0:37)
18. You Deserve A Break Today (0:36)
19. Linus & Lucy (1:14)
20. Blow Out (0:58)
21. Yogi’s Frustration (0:23)
22. Rocky & His Friends (0:16)
23. The Bullwinkle Show (0:19)
24. Snafu City – The Buddy O Trio (3:12)
25. The Closest Thing To The Real Thing – Confusium (13:58)
26. Tron 1.1 – Tom Kahelin (7.49)

Released by: Intellivision Productions / Retrotopia.com
Release date: 2002
Total running time: 55:42

The Eight Shoes reunited once again in 2002 for a series of short radio comedy sketches airing weekly on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered from Independence Day through New Year’s Eve. Phil Proctor, David Ossman, Phil Austin and Peter Bergman revive such cracked classic characters as private detective Nick Danger and the now-retired General Curtis Goatheart to probe the post-9/11 national psyche through every available orifice.

I’m not your typical Firesign Theatre fan; my friend (and occasional theLogBook.com contributor) Shane Vaughn introduced me to them via 1972’s Dear Friends well over a decade ago, and I was instantly hooked – and then had a slightly hard time realizing that most of the rest of their output simply isn’t in the same vein. Not that it isn’t good, and not that I haven’t learned to love their utterly strange longform projects such as Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers, but to me, the Firesigns were always about Dear Friends. When I saw – long after the fact – that the group was releasing their NPR sketches, I was enthusiastic. This was a return to the short-sketch-comedy style that I had fallen in love with.

Having heard it now, it must be said that All Things Firesign is uneven. The war on terrorism is ripe for their unique style of comedy – political but not partisan, reveling in the absurdity coming from both ends of the political spectrum without just relentlessly slamming certain public figures – but they seem to miss the mark as often as they hit it, sort of the comedy equivalent of blowing up a cave three weeks after Osama Bin Laden vacated it. There is good stuff here, though: “It’s Saddam Shame!” pokes fun at the fact that terrorist organizations suddenly have media savvy, “TIPs Hotline” gives us a look at America’s Most Wanted as hosted by John Ashcroft instead of John Walsh, “Bob Heeblehauser’s Tacomasaur!” finds an inventive solution to the energy crisis, and perhaps best of all, “No Jokes About America!” aims squarely at that feeling that was still in effect circa 2002 that we had somehow lost the right in this country to crack a smile about anything.

The media itself has always been a rich vein of material for Firesign Theatre, and All Things Firesign is no exception. In a series of sketches, self-proclaimed “prisoner of the 21st century” Hal Stark drones on, Andy Rooney-style, about everything that’s wrong with the modern world, which turns out to mean everything except Hal Stark. Cooking and hunting shows, cryptic Gulf War v1.0-style military press conferences and even those DVD players that’ll censor movies for you all wind up in the Firesigns’ sights.

This CD even features one sketch that NPR quickly turned down. And admittedly, it’s easy to feel your eyebrows raising higher and higher as the Firesigns almost seem to be trying to find something to offend everyone in “Thanksgiving, or Pass The Indian, Please!” – and I was surprised too, because offending everyone isn’t really what the Firesigns are known for. They turn it around with an almost South Park-style twist at the end (and I don’t use the comparison lightly, for I’ve come to regard South Park as perhaps the Firesign Theatre’s only spiritual successor in any medium), but…yeah, you can see where the NPR producers might have been squirming in their seats on this one.

If you can’t handle anything making sport of the present situation, skip All Things Firesign. Those with no sense or humor, and no ability to see that there is at least a little absurdity in every situation, should steer clear. If you’re up for something that does find the absurdity in our soundbite-driven, slogan-ridden modern world, doesn’t slam the military and has a little well-observed fun at the expense of a few high-profile figures on both sides of the war on terror, this is right up your alley.

The long-awaited follow-up to 1999’s stellar self-titled album sees Oceania – vocalist Hinewehi Mohi, Killing Joke alumnus Jaz Coleman, and an assortment of other players – staying on course, mixing native Maori instrumentation and poetry with modern musical styles. And if the fact that I can’t seem to stop listening to it is any reliable indicator, this second album is even more compelling than the first.

Oceania II features wistful, emotional numbers such as Hawaiki, Niniwa and Kurupana, and hypnotically ethereal club tunes such as Rongo and Tauararai (the latter two of which are possibly my two favorite songs on the whole album). There’s a rather experimental number, Akonga, in which Hinewehi Mohi trades off verses with a recording of her great uncle which dates back over 30 years. Some of the shorter tracks are instrumental interludes with more traditional instruments; many of the full-length songs, however, have a decidedly modern feel to them.

As mentioned before, Tauararai and Rongo are highlights of the album, along with the soaring coda “Mana”. Unlike the first album, there’s no booklet of helpful Maori-to-English translations; you’re on your own in interpreting the lyrics. If you don’t speak a word of Maori, you’re still in for a treat – you can focus fully on the gorgeous vocals and the relaxing feel of the whole thing. Very, very highly recommended.

1. Koauau Pongaihu & Ku (0:40)
2. Hawaiki (4:40)
3. Akonga (5:36)
4. Kurupana (4:14)
5. Nguru (0:56)
6. Tuhira (4:22)
7. Niniwa (4:40)
8. Taurarai (6:26)
9. Hue Puruhau (0:42)
10. Rongo (3:44)
11. Pukaea (0:20)
12. Haka (1:51)
13. Pukaea (0:24)
14. Mana (4:55)
15. Koauau Pongaihu & Ku (1:43)

Released by: Toi Iho
Release date: 2002
Total running time: 45:13

For the follow-up to 1983’s reasonably successful Information, rocker Dave Edmunds turned once again to Jeff Lynne not just for production help, but for the ELO frontman’s unique songwriting style. The result was Riff Raff, a 1984 album which further pushed Edmunds into a more modern style. Kicking off with a Lynne-produced cover of the Four Tops’ “Something About You”, Riff Raff is a bit of a mish-mash, veering back and forth between different songwriters (Edmunds himself only penned one song, while Lynne wrote and produced “Breaking Out”, “S.O.S.” and “Far Away”). Somewhat surprisingly, with Edmunds producing the tracks that Lynne didn’t produce, the “sound” is fairly consistent from song to song. Within that context, though, Lynne’s songs fare the best, again sounding very Secret Messages-era due in no small part to the presence of keyboardist Richard Tandy, with “S.O.S.” being the best of the three.

This budget-priced release also contains – thanks to the almost unthinkably short running times of some LPs in the heyday of records – the 1987 live album I Hear You Rockin’: The Hits – Live. All things considered, this live recording may be a better representation of Dave Edmunds’ sound as he rocks out chestnuts from his own catalog (from “I Hear You Knockin'” to “Slipping Away” for an appreciative crowd, with his band expertly reproducing the sound of the studio recordings. He also covers plenty of numbers from “Queen Of Hearts” to “The Wanderer”.

All in all, a nifty double-shot of vintage Edmunds; Riff Raff didn’t quite manage to be as acclaimed an album as Information did, despite the effort to revisit so much of what made Information a success, but the inclusion of the live album sweetens the pot enough to make this a solid three-star CD.

1. Something About You (3:03)
2. Breaking Out (3:26)
3. Busted Loose (4:33)
4. Far Away (4:11)
5. Rules Of The Game (4:10)
6. Steel Claw (4:18)
7. S.O.S. (3:14)
8. Hang On (3:24)
9. How Could I Be So Wrong (3:20)
10. Can’t Get Enough (3:08)
11. Girls Talk (3:21)
12. Here Comes The Weekend (2:10)
13. Queen Of Hearts (3:04)
14. Paralyzed (2:53)
15. The Wanderer (3:01)
16. Crawling From The Wreckage (3:11)
17. Slipping Away (4:30)
18. Information (3:59)
19. I Hear You Knocking (2:38)
20. I Knew The Bride (2:52)
21. Ju Ju Man (3:20)

Released by: BGO Records
Release date: 2002 (compilation) / 1984 (Riff Raff) / 1987 (I Hear You Rockin’)
Total running time: 71:46

I’m a sucker for just about anything 80s, so when I happened upon The Best Of Spandau Ballet, I was intrigued – like most casual listeners, I could really only think of “True” and, at a stretch, “Gold” as being recognizable songs for this group. I liked their sound (though, truthfully, True was overplayed to death in its day), but it’s rather like the Romantics’ best of album – aside from one of two songs that everyone knows, what else would be on here?

As it turned out, I recognized one of the band’s earliest songs, though I couldn’t tell you where I’d heard it before. The early sound of Spandau Ballet is quite a revelation – a little more soulful than Level 42 and a lot more soulful than Depeche Mode, the group’s original sound was very much in the new romantic mold – very different, and quite a bit funkier, than you’d imagine from only having heard “True”. There’s also a disco influence evident on their early tracks, and some of them don’t quite stand the test of time – “Musclebound”, for example, I actually found a bit trite.

“True” and “Gold” are pretty much as I remember them, though listening to the album in one concentrated sitting, it’s interesting to hear tracks from late in the band’s career where it seems obvious that they were trying to recapture the vibe of “True” – similarities in song structure, vocal style and reliance on the group’s relatively unique in-house sax player abound. After a while, the last vestiges of Spandau Ballet’s original new wave leanings are no longer evident. A bit sad, really – after listening to this album’s represenative cross-section of the group’s career, I found myself more intrigued with their earlier tracks than their attempts to reinvent themselves as smooth, soulful crooners.

Still, let’s give credit where it’s due – obviously, at some point, a hell of a lot of people did listen to Spandau Ballet, even if only for just one of two songs. A lot of the credit really goes to Tony Hadley’s deep baritone voice. The voice, and the then-uncommon sax, were really the group’s trademark, and having heard Hadley on a latter-day Alan Parsons song, just the voice alone is enough to summon forth memories of Spandau Ballet. I recommend giving this one a listen just to see what the guys did other than “True”. You might be pleasantly surprised.

1. To Cut A Long Story Short (3:23)
2. The Freeze (3:33)
3. Musclebound (3:56)
4. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (4:06)
5. Paint Me Down (3:14)
6. Instinction (3:35)
7. Lifeline (3:21)
8. Communication (3:27)
9. True (5:34)
10. Gold (3:53)
11. Only When You Leave (4:49)
12. I’ll Fly For You (5:12)
13. Highly Strung (4:12)
14. Round And Round (4:34)
15. Fight For Ourselves (4:24)
16. Through The Barricades (2:29)
17. How Many Lies (4:36)
18. Be Free With Your Love (3:28)

Released by: Chrysalis
Release date: 1994
Total running time: 71:52