The Departed [Original Soundtrack]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Engineer: Jesse Pynigar; Jim Bruening; Lawrence Manchester
Producer: David Bianco; Carl Wilson; Alexis de Azevedo; Howard Shore; Jerry Wexler; Jimmy Miller; Ahmet Ertegun; Ken Casey; Todd Rundgren
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Larry Saltzman (guitar); Marc Ribot (dobro). Audio Mixer: Lawrence Manchester. A companion piece to the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 2006 crime thriller THE DEPARTED, this release presents composer Howard Shore's score for the film. The music here is naturally more restrained than Shore's sweeping pieces for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. The composer reveals his penchant for melancholy with the spare, thoughtful "Beacon Hill," which features Sharon Isbin's delicate guitar lines, and he cuts loose with "The Departed Tango," a lively track that shines the spotlight on the sharp dobro playing of Marc Ribot. If The Departed found Martin Scorsese relying on some of his old tricks so his new tricks packed a bigger punch, so it is with the movie's soundtrack: he hauls out many of his old favorites -- the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, the Band; classic R&B in the form of LaVern Baker -- which only has the effect of giving the surprise left turns more impact. Chief among those surprises is the Dropkick Murphys' throttling "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," a bracing bit of Celtic punk that plays a crucial part in the film and also dominates here, but there are quieter surprises, too, such as the cool waves of the Beach Boys' "Sail on, Sailor," some blues-rock from Roy Buchanan and the Allman Brothers, or even the fact that the Van Morrison number is a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb." Another surprise is that the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," which plays a prominent role in the film, is nowhere to be found here, but that's a mild surprise since the Stones are indeed present with "Let It Loose." That track embodies a soundtrack that works familiar territory but makes it seem fresh and fun, just like the movie itself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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