The soundtrack to Jeffrey Lebowski’s one hour and 57 minute life (aka the 1998 Coen Brothers’ film, The Big Lebowski) received a few color variants when it was finally release on vinyl back in 2014. There’s the “red bowling ball finish” the “gold translucent and black split” (presumably to match the tone of the cover art), and this, the “White Russian” version. Whatever your flavor, this soundtrack is an absolute must, as is the movie. If you haven’t already, check it out.
Tag Archives: movies
The Saturday Evening Post Presents…
… a trip to the ER. Everybody is fine, but our priorities have shifted a smidge. Lesson 1: Write your posts sooner. Lesson 2: Be damn careful chopping basil. Liberace performs the Third Man Theme on this one…
The Bomb, Dmitri… the Hydrogen Bomb!
In 1964, the greatest film the world has ever known exploded onto the pale faces of Western civilization. Today, I obtained the closest thing to an officially released soundtrack from this, my all-time favorite film, Dr. Strangelove. Dropping the same year as the film, this various artist comp features a total of 13 tracks, with only one of them being featured in the aforementioned film. But that’s certainly ok, and completely without contention, for you see, this album, with all its 1964-infused Dr. Strangelove poster art, is for visual stimulation, instead of those more pleasing to the ear. I’m elated to welcome the most recent addition to my billowing record collection, Dr. Strangelove and Other Great Movie Themes.
Dr. Spock, Here to Rock
Arguably the best album cover to arguably the best soundtrack to arguably the best sequel to arguably the best sci-fi series, Star Trek III the Search for Spock, in this, its audible incarnation, stands (pointed ears above the rest) superior, and profoundly climactic atop the pair of predecessors, and the slew of descendents that followed. George Orwell may not have envisioned an exploration for integral Klingons in his projected assessment of 1984, but that year’s theatrical release of Star Trek III the Search for Spock exceeded all anticipated expectations of technological storytelling, which is clearly evident by its impressive soundscape.
Prince Batman aka Batprince
Blank pages are the worst, especially when the minutes leading up to the end of the day feel as comfortable as an unnerving shiv under the index finger. Everyday is a balancing act of necessity vs. self-fulfillment, and that, which is regurgitated equal, to the contents of the Prudent Groove.
Featured today, momentarily and briefly, is a sticker on a soundtrack sleeve pimping the overzealous byproduct of 1989’s most accepting hero-film. Batman. Prince, the world love him, offers his brand of mainstream-funk that, for reasons far beyond my feeble comprehension, never reached the heights of artists 1/3 his stature.
1989 was a wacky year, and one that embraced a Prince-infiltrated DC comic was certainly one for the ages, and without question, necessitates a thoughtful listen.
Pulp
For being such a staple, or unquestionable necessity, I rarely ever listen to this 1994 musical masterpiece of cinematic wisdom. I remember discovering this soundtrack at a small-time Milwaukee record shop back, some 12+ years ago, and thinking how unbelievably underpriced it was at $4. Double that with the fact that I’ve never crossed paths with another copy makes me shamefully realize that I should spin the ol’ girl much more often than I do.
Desperado needs a vinyl release. I’m just going to put that out there and let the potential fate of Antonio Banderas-admiring record collectors (such as myself) scurry amongst the hopes and dreams of wishful thoughts, until it becomes a reality, if only within the confines of our own imaginations.
It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Meco!
This is the class of disco I can get behind… lavish arrangements of dance funk and soulful electronic grooves (as apposed to soulless electronic grooves) based on popular Sci-Fi films. Meco launched his historic career with his masterwork, 1977’s Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk, continued his platform-shoe-shaped torch with 1977’s dicso-tastic take on Close Encounters of the Third Kind with, Encounters of Every Kind, returned in 1978 with the bass-bleeding Meco Plays The Wizard of Oz, until landing in the superhero genre with Superman and Other Galactic Heroes in 1979.
Not unlike Electric Light Orchestra and their amalgamation of rock and classical music, Meco bridges the much needed gap between the symphony, and the sweat-inducing-body-river of late 70s dance floors. Definitely worth checking out for even the casual fan of disco and/or Sci-Fi film related music, Meco’s fourth studio album is classic, 70s feel good, groove music.
“I am delighted that the words DISCO and MECO are now household words.” – John Williams
Earth Girls Are Easy
Earth Girls Are Easy… they are? Then I must have been doing something TERRIBLY wrong. Dictionary.com (together with Thesaurus.com), is my serendipitous cheat sheet (for writing anything from a grocery list to a drunken text message), and it defines easy as: not hard or difficult; requiring no great labor or effect. I haven’t found this to be exactly the case in my Earthly experience, but Vestron Pictures made a movie about it, so it must be true, right? I mean, it stars Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, so they were clearly rather serious about getting this message across.
Remember Geena Davis? What ever happened to Geena Davis? Apart from recently catching for Kit and the Rockford Peaches (on my living room television), I haven’t seen much from the once energetic and glowingly-entertaining actress. From all of us here at The Prudent Groove (raises coffee mug), here’s hoping Genna Davis found her intergalactic love and has set up her romantic shop on some bright, colorfully-dressed, comedian-filled asteroid, somewhere on the outskirts of Neptune, or wherever these Earth-girl-ravishing aliens tend to reside these days.
The Prudent Groove 