There's no doubting that
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol.1
is the first truly
fun movie you'll see all summer. In a summer where the truly fantastic
movies' themes have been the daddy issues and nuclear nightmares of
gigantic radioactive dinosaurs, and xenophobia in an planet where humans
and apes struggle to coexist, halfway through the summer comes the
first film that has been the total escape of the year. Sure, it isn't a
perfect movie- there are some issues with pacing, and the villains'
dialogue is a tad corny, and some underdeveloped character
relationships, but none of that matters when you're having so much fun
and reveling in the action, clever dialogue, amazing visuals and in
general, the nostalgia that the themes conjure up such as elements of
Star Wars, Indiana Jones and even The Avengers. But one thing that is
perfect? Its soundtrack. I say without exaggeration that you will walk
out with several of its 1970s retro gold tracks in your head. And since
I've picked up the soundtrack CD on Friday, I haven't been able to stop
listening to it since- it's been on my iPad, my phone, on the way to
work during dinner, etc. And I can say that one listen is enough to get
this effect going.
Mix tapes play a big part of the film's
themes. The protagonist, Peter "Starlord" Quill, has a Walkman he keeps
on him as he goes around and steals ancient artifacts from far-off
planets- something he's had since he was a kid, and a tape deck on his
spaceship. He has his "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" he has had since childhood,
and its music, in addition to Tyler Bates' incidental music, is what
makes up the heart of the film. And on its own, it's just as great, if
maybe even better. The entire album is 12 1970s hits, some you can sing
along to by heart, some you forgot even existed, and others you may have
never even heard. And it works- the soundtrack isn't just nostalgia for
nostalgia's sake. It's music that people of all walks of life will
love- in fact, when's the last time you can say you've played tracks
like "Hooked on a Feeling" or "Come and Get Your Love" at full blast?
That's why the soundtrack works- it's an eclectic mix of classics that's
suited for any occasion whatsoever.
In a nice touch, the
executive soundtrack producers (director James Gunn, Exec. producer
Kevin Feige and Dave Jordan) have re-mastered the tracks in a way to
make the tracks sound as if they're being played through an old tape
deck, to keep the feel of the tracks. In addition, the track selection
is nothing short of perfect. If this were any other film, tracks such as
"
I Want You Back
" or "
O-O-H Child
" being on the soundtrack would come
off as passé, but here, it makes perfect sense, given the film's themes
and nostalgic feel. Starting off the tracklist on an energetic note with
Blue Swede's cover of "
Hooked On A Feeling
" and ending with "
Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Album Version)
", the tracklist is consistent- a rollercoaster of
high energy uptempo rockers ("
Cherry Bomb
", "
Spirit in the Sky: Best of
"), smooth
ballads to even things out ("
Fooled Around And Fell In Love
", "
I'm Not In Love
"), and funky pop classics ("
I Want You Back
", "
Come Get My Love
"). Every track on the disc is perfectly placed, and not once does
the energy come to a stop. In the context of the film, they work equally
as fantastic- watching our heroes get ready for war to the sounds of
"Cherry Bomb", watching Quill get down and boogie to "
Come Get My Love
" over the opening credits, watching Quill fly his way back to his
ship in his battle gear to the funky sounds of "Escape (The Piña Colada
Song)".
What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer
?
In short, this soundtrack is for
everyone. The older crowd will love having a collection of hits to
remind them of the good old days of the seventies, the younger crowd can
use this to put themselves in their dad's shoes and remember what it
was like to be a teenager and be groovin' to tunes like "Hooked on a
Feeling" and "
Spirit In The Sky
". As of writing, this album is currently
the highest selling soundtrack of the year, and it's hardly a surprise
to me- both in the sense that it's just so freaking good, and in the
sense that the day I bought it, I had to go to three stores just to get
it. So, by all means, buy this album. Get out your red leather coat,
protective helmet and hook your mini Jetpack to your shoes, rev up your
spaceship, fly around and dance around in the vast deserts of
interstellar planets to these songs. Go join a group of heroes that
includes a bitter and cynical raccoon, a walking tree, an angsty alien
and a green warrior woman. Play these songs just to annoy them. Whatever
the case, this is an absolute must-buy.
I Hope you would get value with this post "Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol.1 .....Best Forever"