Whale Music Soundtrack

Review by Rusty W. Spell

Although this isn't a Martin-designed package, I still like the package (and his picture of Dez)... and we still get Bidini's groovy notes. Soundtracks are tricky. Sometimes they're just lots of scattered songs (by a zillion people), and sometimes it's some boring score that's not really meant to be listened to without pictures. Whale Music works either as seperate tracks or as probably the most whole composition the Rheostatics have put together.

Even the tracks by George Blondheim fit really well, especially since they worked together on some. I find it interesting that the premise of the movie (which I finally saw: thanks, Cheri!) is this guy making music so fanscinating and beautiful that it can summon up whales... and you hear the Rheostatics music and it's totally believable!

"Song of Congregation." You can't go wrong with "Onilley's Strange Dream." I almost considered it cheating that so many songs are from Whale Music and Introducing Happiness, but it works so well that I don't care. I love the up-and-down lick in "Find Me Mookie Saunders" which repeats with "Song of Flight." "Torque Torque" is an interesting piece, too. Some of my friends who barely like the Rheos like this song.

"Ocean Courtship" really is whale music. I love that guitar effect. "Song of Danger" is one of my favorite Rheostatics songs. Few songs make me so extremely happy. Then we get an instrumental of "Self-Serve Gas Station" and "Jesus Was Once a Teenager Too."

All the versions of "Claire" are nice. I heard Happiness before I heard the soundtrack, and didn't like "Claire" as much then. The soundtrack boosted it over the top.

Up there with the David Lynch soundtracks and even beating out The Princess Bride. Yowsa!