Cinema Classics - Various Artists
(Times Music) ***

WHILE throwing up the strange coupling and underestimating the appeal of these records’ original artwork, these magnificent titles provide ample evidence that when it comes to movie soundtracks, Hollywood’s a real specialist. The compilation is basically a collection of theme tracks. The album has been released to commemorate hundred years of cinema. Collected from the hit tracks of 1957 to 1997, each song has been a hit in its time.

The prominent ones include Colonel Bogey from the 1957 movie The Bridge On The River Kwai, Parade Of The Charioteers from 1959 hit Ben-Hur, Suite from 1960’s classic The Magnificent Seven, The James Bond Theme from Dr. No, Baby Elephant Walk from 1963 adventure Safari Hatari, The Great Escape’s hit March, Lara’s Theme from the Omar Sharif-starrer Doctor Zhivago, The Pink Panther’s Theme, Also Sparch Zarathustra from 001- A Space Odyssey, The Godfather Waltz from the 1972 blockbuster The Godfather, John William’s Star Wars Theme, Unchained Melody from the hit movie Ghost and Take Her To See, Mr. Murdoch from the 1997 super hit Titanic.

A collectors item for every movie freak.

Pearl Jam- Binaural (Sony Music) ****

Mega hits, cryptic albums, Ticketmaster war, cancelled tours, nasty rumours — the band’s seen all. What more, they are back and are willing to rock even harder. Since Yield’s release the band’s drifting away from the real Pearl Jam sound. This latest offering from the Seattle-based band is among the most vigorous and adventurous the band has ever put out. Binaural offers a collection of multi-textured sounds that ranges from sky-diving grunge to mellow ballads. The album has at times tried to deal with cynicism and injustices of day-to-day life. Evacuation frames a mixture of progressive rock and dub hooks, that add up to one of the most interesting tracks. The opener Breakerfall witnesses Vedder howling Neil Young-ish lyrics like "There’s a girl on a ledge/ she got nowhere to turn/ cause all the love that she had was just wood that she burned."

The most powerful song on Binaural is the aforementioned Rival, a good rocker that comes off like a scathing comment on how little discipline can change the trappings of the modern world. There are a handful of mellow tracks, comprising Light Years and Soon Forget. The even more somber Nothing As It Seems makes references to Down’s Syndrome and heroin. Thin Air is the closest Pearl Jam could get to a love song. Eddie’s edgy effect can be clearly seen on the tragic God’s Dice, the blistering Insignificance and Grievance with a feel of post-punk. In a nutshell Binaural shoots up from where some of the last albums even failed to take off.

Britney Spears - Oops…. I Did It Again (HMV) ***

Britney needs no introduction. In 1999 alone she was nominated for two Grammys (including the coveted Best New Artist) and swept the 1999 MTV European Awards (Best Female, Best Pop, Best Breakthrough and Best Song). Britney’s debut Baby One More Time made her the youngest artist in soundscan history to have a certified RIAA 12x platinum album. Rightly titled ‘The Queen of Teen Pop’, Britney is now back, ready to take on the next level. Oops!…I Did It Again is more than just a follow-up album. The entire album showcases a mature side of Britney. The title track deals with romantic misintentions and is written and produced by Max Martin and Rami. High on the list are Stronger and Don’t Go Knockin’ On My Door. Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know borrows the riffs and grooves from Iggy/ Bowie’s China Girl, penned by Shania Twain and Robert Mutt Lange. The thoughtful When Your Eyes Say It proves that Britney can handle ballads as well. The Rolling Stones’ cover (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Lucky are the finest moments here. Britney flaunts her writing skills with Dear Diary. Where Did It All Go Wrong is a heart-rending track full of different moods, with teenybop lyrics like "If there’s nothing missing in my life/ Then why do these tears come at night."

This is Britney at her funkier best. Get ready for her…one more time.

Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack- Various Artists
(Sony Music) *

Close attention is being paid to this soundtrack, because it contains the first Metallica track specially written for an original motion picture soundtrack. But frankly, I Disappear doesn’t live up to the advance hype with its rather predictable riffs. Instead, a new track by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst Take A Look Around has all the honours and is used as the theme for this Tom Cruise starrer. Other headliners include Scum Of The Earth by Rob Zombie; They Came In by Butthole Surfers; Godsmack’s Going Down, What You Lookin’ At performed by Uncle Kracker produced by Kid Rock and Not My Kinda Scene by Powderfinger. Frankly, the soundtrack fails to match the high standards of Mission Impossible 1. We also have a few misfits here, comprising of Tori Amos’ Carnival, Nyah an instrumental by Hans Zimmer featuring Brazilian guitarist Heitor Pereira and Zap Mama’s Iko Iko. Foo Fighters and Queen’s Brian May do a cover of Pink Floyd’s Have A Cigar, which is rather hilarious at times.

Mission Impossible 2’s most impossible mission is to make a mark on the soundtracks front.

Album of the Month

No Boundaries - Various Artists (Sony Music)

A unique compilation created for the benefit of the refugees of Kosovo. Bravo!

This 18-track album is explosive. It features rare, live and unreleased versions of songs by some of the most electrifying and acclaimed music artists. The album kicks off with Pearl Jam’s version of Last Kiss, the 1964 hit track by Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. There is Alanis Morisette with a live version of Baba. Black Sabbath do a Donny Saber remix of their smash hit Psycho Man written by Ozzy Osbourne and Tommi Iommi. Bush offers an acoustic version of Come Down. There is Neil Young with a live recording of War Of Man. Indigo Girls offer their hit track Go. We have Wallflowers with Used To Be Lucky and Peter Gabriel lending his 1992 track Black Paintings to the cause. Jamiroquai does his best on Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing. Tori Amos offers the hit Merman, mixed by Mark Hawley and Marcel van Limbeek. However the real mega-treats include Rage Against The Machine’s rare version of The Ghost Of Tom Joad, Oasis with Take Me Away and Korn’s Freakin mix of the super hit Freak On A Leash.

— Saurabh & Gaurav