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The New Line Cinema picture “Blow,” starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Paul Reubens and Ray Liotta opens nationwide on Friday, April 6. While the film is still a few days away, the motion picture soundtrack, released on Cheeba Records is already in stores.
“Blow” chronicles the real life story of drug dealer George Jung. Jung began his dealing as a carefree hippie trying to support his lifestyle. After an arrest and a short stint in jail he re-emerged on the drug scene with a tip from a fellow inmate. Convinced that the real money was in a new high emerging from South America, Jung contacted Colombian drug king Pablo Escobar and together, flooded the American market with a new, hip and decadent drug . cocaine.
While the story chronicles Jung’s rise to immense riches, and his inevitable fall from grace, the soundtrack blazes a trail through the `70s cocaine heyday with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Marshall Tucker, KC & The Sunshine Band and Cream.
The Rolling Stones open the album with “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” a classic track from 1971 with blues rock undertones and a powerful guitar jam. Jagger’s vocals are as grainy as ever, but only serve to make the song better. Gutsy and grabbing, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is a great opener.
The original power band Cream makes an appearance on the album with the song “Strange Brew.” One of the classics from Clapton, Baker and Bruce, “Strange Brew” seems somewhat out of place on this album. Perhaps the Clapton blues-rock epic “Cocaine” would have been more appropriate.
Ram Jam provides track five with their 1977 hit “Black Betty.” The song is a southern rock staple fusing fast paced, driving guitars with a head bopping drumbeat. As the backdrop to the trailer and television commercials, this song was what first turned me on to the soundtrack. More so than any of the other classics on this album, this is the track you will still be humming hours after you turn off your CD player.
The Manfred Mann’s Earth Band version of the Bruce Springsteen classic “Blinded By The Light” follows “Black Betty” with trippy keyboards and jamming guitars. The tortured lyric “.wrapped up like a deuce.” made Springsteen a star, but the Manfred Mann version took his lyrics one step farther. Better suited to the tone of this album than the original, this song is a `70s staple.
The Latin beats and infectious horns of Willie Rosario’s “Let’s Boogaloo” provide a good segway to the highlight of the album, “Keep It Comin’ Love” by KC and The Sunshine Band. What soundtrack about `70s designer drug cocaine would be complete without the sounds of disco? This song is so groovy, Al Gore could dance to it. If you can resist the urge to set the album on repeat at the onset of this track, the rest of the album is worth a listen.
Track nine, “Yellow World” by J Girls is a forgettable filler song, as is Bob Dylan’s “All The Tired Horses.” The remaining three songs, however, are worth the price of the album alone. Track ten, “That Smell” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is the perfect song to accompany a story of indulgence and overkill. The song, supposedly a tribute to one of the band’s own addict members, is a telling account of the dark side of addiction.
Marshall Tucker Band’s southern rock ballad “Can’t You See” and Nikka Costa’s “Push & Pull” provide the perfect outro to the album. The former is a bluesy song about loss and escape and the latter is a mellow, guitar backed track featuring soulfully powerful vocals.
Taken as a whole, the “Blow” soundtrack is one of the better movie soundtracks of the last year. Rivaling the quality of “Wonder Boys,” “Outside Providence” and “Almost Famous,” the “Blow” soundtrack is a must have for any fan of `70s music.
