X-Files [Original Soundtrack]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Engineer: Dave Way; Matt Silva; Greg Frey; Steve Mixdorf; Karl Derfler; Malcolm Burn; Markus Dravs; Noel Gallagher; Paul Corkett; Pierre Marchand; Rae DiLeo; Aswad; Steve Orchard; Tchad Blake; Wayne Dorell
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Producers include: Tonic, Jerry Harrison, Robert Smith, Bjork, Ray Manzarek, The Dust Brothers. "The X-Files Theme" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Personnel: Jeff Russo (guitar, background vocals); Jerry Harrison (piano); Jack Knoebber (hand claps); Sean Spuehler (programming); Dan Lavery (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Robert Smith ; Dave Way; Malcolm Burn; Mark "Spike" Stent; Noel Gallagher; Paul Corkett; Steve Orchard; Tchad Blake; The Dust Brothers; Tom Lord-Alge; Tonic; Ben Grosse; Mark Coyle. Audio Remixer: William Orbit. Recording information: Air Studios, London, England; Dreamland Recording Studios, New York, NY; Filter Studios, Chicago, IL; Fudge Studios, New Orleans, LA; Graphic Sound Studios, Ringoes, NJ; Guerilla, Beach Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA; Stagg Street Studios, Van Nuys, CA; Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA; Tamberine Studio, Malmo, Sweden; Water Music Recorders, Hoboken, NJ. The X-Files had already produced one of the more interesting pop soundtracks of the '90s before the cult TV series made the jump to the big screen in 1998. Like its film counterpart, the soundtrack to The X-Files movie is similar to its small-screen incarnation -- only bigger, glossier and better-produced. That may result in an excellent movie, but it means that the soundtrack simply isn't as quirky as Songs in the Key of X. There are still a few odd selections that preserve the off-kilter feeling of the series, but on the whole the collection is loaded with big names and alternative almost-stars. For the most part, everyone involved lands upon the right dark vibe but a few -- such as Tonic, Better Than Ezra's "One More Murder" and Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot"-revamp of Three Dog Night's "One" -- don't quite deliver. Others, like X's cover of the Doors' "Crystal Ship" and Sting and Aswad's reworking of "Invisible Sun," are well-intentioned but unsuccessful. Nevertheless, there are some terrific moments here. Bj�rk's "The Hunter" "(also on Homogenic -- the only track here that is non-exclusive) is a chilling masterpiece, William Orbit remixes Sarah McLachlan's "Black" into haunting trip-hop, the Cure's "More Than This" is an unexpected gem, the Cardigans reveal their dark side, Noel Gallagher's fine "Teotihuacan" is a Primal Scream track by any other name, and Ween's "Beacon Light" -- by far the catchiest thing here -- brilliantly sends up Mulder's search for the truth and the entire X-File fan base. Those cuts make the mediocre, the dull and the bad tolerable and they're enough to make The X-Files the best alt-rock soundtrack of the summer of 1998. Granted, that's not much of a victory, but it's a victory nevertheless. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine For the inevitable film debut of Scully and Mulder, the big guns were called out from all corners of the pop world. From the alt-rock sounds of Filter (whose version of of "One" is about as far from Three Dog Night's original as that band's "Mama Told Me Not To Come" was from its writer Randy Newman's interpretation), Foo Fighters and Tonic to the hi-tech mysterioso shadings of The Dust Brothers' "X-Files Theme," this soundtrack is a stylistic grab bag. Teaming with Aswad, Sting recasts his Police chestnut "Invisible Sun" as a reggae tune, the loopy Ween brothers chime in with "Beacon Light," and X pay tribute to their former producer Ray Manzarek with a punked-up version of the Doors classic "Crystal Ship." Oasis' Noel Gallagher, The Cure, Bjork and others round out this eclectic, slightly unsettling batch of tunes. The X-Files had already produced one of the more interesting pop soundtracks of the '90s before the cult TV series made the jump to the big screen in 1998. Like its film counterpart, the soundtrack to The X-Files movie is similar to its small-screen incarnation -- only bigger, glossier and better-produced. That may result in an excellent movie, but it means that the soundtrack simply isn't as quirky as Songs in the Key of X. There are still a few odd selections that preserve the off-kilter feeling of the series, but on the whole the collection is loaded with big names and alternative almost-stars. For the most part, everyone involved lands upon the right dark vibe but a few -- such as Tonic, Better Than Ezra's "One More Murder" and Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot"-revamp of Three Dog Night's "One" -- don't quite deliver. Others, like X's cover of the Doors' "Crystal Ship" and Sting and Aswad's reworking of "Invisible Sun," are well-intentioned but unsuccessful. Nevertheless, there are some terrific moments here. Bj�rk's "The Hunter" "(also on Homogenic -- the only track here that is non-exclusive) is a chilling masterpiece, William Orbit remixes Sarah McLachlan's "Black" into haunting trip-hop, the Cure's "More Than This" is an unexpected gem, the Cardigans reveal their dark side, Noel Gallagher's fine "Teotihuacan" is a Primal Scream track by any other name, and Ween's "Beacon Light" -- by far the catchiest thing here -- brilliantly sends up Mulder's search for the truth and the entire X-File fan base. Those cuts make the mediocre, the dull and the bad tolerable and they're enough to make The X-Files the best alt-rock soundtrack of the summer of 1998. Granted, that's not much of a victory, but it's a victory nevertheless. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Entertainment Weekly (6/19/98, p.72) - "One expects an album connected to television's most cryptic series to be equally off center, as was the case with 1996's various-twisted-artists SONGS IN THE KEY OF X. And about half of the soundtrack to the series' big-screen debut lives up to those hopes..." - Rating: B

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25