School Of Rock

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Original score composed by Craig Wedren. Producers: Jack Black, Richard Linklater, Randall Poster, Scott Rudin. SCHOOL OF ROCK was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Film/TV/Visual Media. Personnel: Jack Black (vocals). The soundtrack to Richard Linklater's Jack Black-starring film School of Rock more or less lives up to its name, collecting textbook examples of what it means to rock out from some of the bands who wrote that book. The Who's "Substitute," the Doors' "Touch Me," Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," and Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" form a pretty solid curriculum, with T. Rex's "Ballrooms of Mars" and the Ramones' "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" added on for extra credit. The soundtrack also nods to some newer bands such as the Black Keys, whose "Set You Free" is a fine piece of bluesy garage rock revivalism, as well as the Darkness' proudly glam metal "Growing on Me." Not surprisingly, Black performs on several of the soundtrack's songs, with both the School of Rock band and No Vacancy. Coming up with material for not one but two fictional bands seems to have been a challenge for the soundtrack's songwriters; while Black gives songs like "School of Rock" and "Fight" his all, they don't come close to his work with his own band, Tenacious D. However, School of Rock's cover of AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" is faithful both to the band's vision -- Black looks and sounds like a plus-size version of Angus Young -- and to the movie's playful spirit. Likewise, the cover of the Stooges' "TV Eye" by Wylde Ratttz -- aka Don Fleming, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, Mark Arm, Mike Watt, and Ron Asheton -- which also appeared on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, is another affectionate yet creative cover. School of Rock may not be the most visionary of soundtracks, but it is a fun souvenir from a fun movie. ~ Heather Phares As with Tenacious D, Jack Black takes the seed of cutting-edge comedy and waters it with the bravado and bombast of classic rock in his role as a gonzo substitute teacher in the Richard Linklater film SCHOOL OF ROCK. The soundtrack is as equally clever in its compilation of tracks, thanks to hands-on participation by album producers Black and Linklater. The former also gets behind the mike with the SCHOOL OF ROCK band made up of "students" from the movie, who deliver the originally written anthemic title cut with a combination of harmonies and howling vocals. SOR also toddles through a cover of AC/DC's classic "It's a Long Way to the Top" that, somewhat sadly, lacks the trademark bagpipe solo. AOR fans can sink their teeth into songs by the Doors ("Touch Me"), Led Zeppelin ("Immigrant Song"), and the Who ("Substitute") sandwiched around lesser-known nuggets by T. Rex (the Ziggy-like "Ballrooms of Mars") and the Ramones (an ultra-catchy "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down"). Toss in the supergroup of Don Fleming, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, Mark Arm, Mike Watt, and Ron Asheton (aka Wylde Rattz) ripping through the Stooges' Molotov cocktail "T.V. Eye" and SCHOOL OF ROCK gets a gold star.

Q (4/04, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[C]osy nostalgia..." Uncut (3/04, p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[A]ny record featuring T.Rex's 'Ballroom of Mars' undoubtedly has its lizard-leather boots on and its diamond hands stacked with roses when the moon sings. Now that's an education."

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