High Fidelity
Original Soundtrack
Hollywood
Funny how sometimes a soundtrack can last so much longer than a movie. High Fidelity has come and gone from theaters, but the legacy it leaves on its soundtrack is bound to stick around for quite a while. There’s nothing exclusive to the film on here, but I must say that the selection is pretty remarkable, and quite cohesive for something that sparks across such a big time gap.
On one end, you have artists like the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Bob Dylan, and the Velvet Underground. On another, there’s the Beta Band, John Wesley Harding, and Royal Trux, arguably the modern counterparts to that first batch. Appearances by Elvis Costello, the Kinks, a beautiful but neglected Love track (“Always See Your Face”), Stereolab, Smog, and Stevie Wonder fill out this collection. Even the obligatory label freeloader (in this case, Hollywood Records’ Sheila Nicholls) turns in a stunning performance, with the haunting “Fallen For You.” A great mix of new and old, with not a single throwaway in the bunch. Rare for a soundtrack these days…
Hollywood Records, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521