Published on Apr 26, 2001
It’s no secret that many of the soundtracks I’m sent to review
are for movies I’ve never seen. It can’t be helped; I have so much
“free” time during the day (and so little spending money) that I
can’t possibly see every film I get a soundtrack to. Add to that
the fact that my wife doesn’t often want to see the film, or it’s
not appropriate for our almost-five-year-old… or maybe I just
don’t have any interest in the movie. (Hello?!? I’m
off the dating market… I don’t have to sit through any
more chick flicks!)
In the case of
Frezno Smooth, in all honesty, I have no frickin’ clue what
this movie is supposed to be about. I’ve even visited the official
site and read the story… and I
still am in the dark. All I’ve been able to gleam from my
research is it involves BMX bicycling, hardcore rock music, some
level of violence, graphic images of vomiting – oh, and women with
grapefruits for breasts. (I gather the last item from both the
packaging and the, aah, “jiggle-vision” that is part of the
official Website.)
While I can’t say I have any interest in this film, the
soundtrack is something else entirely. Piecing together groups you
know (and groups you’ll probably soon know), this disc more often
than not hits the mark, and is proof positive that hard rock/heavy
metal has not only survived, but it has evolved.
So what does this soundtrack have going for it that the movie
doesn’t necessarily explain? For one thing, both the soundtrack and
the film have Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister – and, let’s face it,
Lemmy is the epitomy of cool. I’d love to know who the backing band
is on Lemmy’s “Hardcore,” a track that has similarities to
Motorhead, but is unique in its own way. (Motorhead does make an
appearance with their self-titled song – if you’re paying
attention, you’ll recognize it as being the version from
No Sleep Till Hammersmith.)
Similarly,
Frezno Smooth features a Go-Go’s cover that threatens to
outdo the original version. 4 Gasm’s cover of “We Got The Beat”
throws a punk attitude on the track that makes one think this is
the way the song should have always been performed. The soundtrack
also features Alice Cooper and “Gimme,” a track from his criminally
ignored
Brutal Planet release. Here’s a hint for you: if this track
from Cooper impresses you, run out and buy
Brutal Planet.
Adding to the “impressive” list are Testament (“Riding The
Snake”), Sixty Watt Shamen (“Fear Death By Water”) and 96 Decible
(their spelling) Freaks (“Freak”). Motley Crue reminds people why
they were impressive early in their career with the inclusion of
“Shout At The Devil”. Even Black Label Society impresses me with
the inclusion of “Counterfeit God” – surprising, seeing their last
album didn’t do anything for me.
This isn’t to say that
Frezno Smooth is perfect. Dee Snider’s live version of
“We’re Not Gonna Take It” reminds me just how good the original
version from Twisted Sister really is. (Sorry, Dee, but this
version pales in comparison.) And whoever included Convoy (“Chevy”)
on this disc – what the hell were you
thinking?!? Putting this song on a disc with such
ear-shattering music is like sending your grandmother to sell
cookies at a biker rally. Something’s gonna happen, and it ain’t
pretty.
Still, the strengths of this soundtrack easily wipe out the weak
moments, and while one might not immediately want to go see
Frezno Smooth, you’ll have a tough time taking this disc off
your stereo.