Search - Dave Grusin :: The Fabulous Baker Boys: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Cassandra S. from LIVERMORE, CA
Reviewed on 8/8/2006...

Great songs.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Good music, but not an accurate representation of the movie

Mark Bazalgette | San Rafael, CA United States | 02/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just watched my own copy of this film again for about the fifteenth time, but I was glad to watch it with my mother, who had never seen the movie. Given the current deplorable state of standard Hollywood output we were both delighted: she that she had discovered a great new movie, and me that the one I love has aged beautifully given its timeless themes, superb acting, and absolutely crackling dialogue. On top of all this is one of the most rich and evocative scores of any movie I've ever seen -just a few of Grusin's lonely piano chords and I'm back in Seattle, where I was living when the film was released (another reviewer said it was filmed in L.A. and perhaps the interior scenes were, but the Pike Place Market, the Smith Tower and the final scene on Capitol Hill are all genuine Seattle, trust me). Back to the CD of the score, however: here I am in agreement with most of the other reviewers - Michelle Pfeiffer shocked us all with her great and quite haunting voice, and we need more of this on the album and less of the incidental background music, which is nevertheless quite an essential part of the mood of the film. The omission of her version of "More Than You Know" that she sings at the audition is nothing less than a crime - I can only assume they had some copyright problems. The opposite problem, of course, is the inclusion of her unbelievably great version of "My Funny Valentine" (which owes a lot to the pure and very restrained piano accompaniment of Grusin to her gorgeous singing) which only appears in the movie over the final credits - if I had been the movie's director I would have insisted on an entire scene devoted to this masterpiece - perhaps even replacing the excellent "Making Whoopee" if I couldn't work it in to the story any other way. Everyone of us has heard at least a hundred covers of "My Funny Valentine", and we all agree that most of them, even by some famous singers, completely suck. If the subject ever comes up, I always bet people that the best version they will ever have heard is by Michelle Pfeiffer. They invariably take me up on the wager, thinking that they'll prefer Chet Baker or Linda Ronstadt or Robert Goulet or Andy Williams (aye caramba) and invariably they end up agreeing with me once I've played the end of the movie to them. I'm sure you'll all agree too!"

Dave Grusin's soundtrack should have won the Oscar

Rob Darrah | Dallas, Tx United States | 07/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this soundtrack on tape and wore it out so that I had to buy it on compact disc. I simply cannot get enough of this soundtrack.Grusin does an excellent job of arranging the score. He knows how to create a mood with the music he plays. In fact, when you listen to the second track, Welcome to the Road, it takes you to where Suzie, Frank & Jack are hitting the road to play a gig over New Year's Eve. Grusin has wonderful way of conveying a moment through music whether it is a very serious pivotal moment as in track 8, The Moment of Truth, or a frantic moment as in track 4, Shop Till You Drop. Grusin is awesome.Michelle Pfeiffer's vocals add another wonderful dimension to this soundtrack. Her voice is crystal clear and smooth. If anyone else sings Makin' Whoopee or My Funny Valentien, it will never be the same for me. I definitely wish that she would sing more.It is also great to hear the following:Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me by the Duke Ellington Orchestra on track 7Moonglow by the Benny Goodman Quartet on track 9Lullaby of Birdland by the Earl Palmer Trio on track 10All the featured musicians from Ernie Watts to Lee Ritenour on this soundtrack were great. Dave Grusin should have won the Oscar for this soundtrack. I don't remember who won that year, but it didn't have as much of an impact on me. This soundtrack is definitely worth the money."