Search - Various Artists :: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - Music from the Motion Picture

Steve L. (Keerayduh) from ARLINGTON, VA
Reviewed on 6/19/2007...

Includes 'Beautiful stranger' by Madonna and 'Draggin' the line' by R.E.M.

There's More To This Soundtrack Than Madonna's single.

05/30/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In Japan, this CD came out on Friday, May 28th, so I've heard the entire thing, not just the Madonna single Beautiful Stranger (which isn't being played here at all....at least not yet.) And that's too bad, 'cause as much as I hate to say it--aftr all it is MADONNA!--the song kicks. No wonder it's the first single. However, singles aside, my favorite cut, without a doubt, is Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello nailing I'll Never Fall In Love Again. For some reason, this track just works so well for me, which is odd because I wasn't a big fan of that duo's recent CD. Another wonderful surprise is Lenny Kravitz's version of the Guess Who's classic American Woman. (This should be the next single for sure.) Th funniest thing on the disc is Dr. Evil re-doing Will Smith's version of Just The Two Of Us. Michael Myers must of had a blast in the studio. It's hilarious. Now I know a lot of people have been dying to hear REM's take on the early 70's classic Draggin' The Line. Well I've heard it and to be honest, I'm a little torn. Don't get me wrong it sounds perfect...which is part of the problem--it sounds just like the original. On one hand it's cool that REM could do such a perfect copy, but on the other you have to wonder what sort of spin they could have put on it had they opted to go in a new direction. (I know it's a nit-pick, but that should just tell you how much I enjoyed this release) Like all soundtracks there are one or two songs that will have you hitting the "NEXT TRACK" button--if for no other reason than to hear Green Day rocking out on Espionage, but if the jokes in the movie work as well as the songs on this disc, The Spy Who Shagged Me will be much funnier than Austin Powers. By the way, unless you have money to burn, stick with the regular release. The Limited Edition was all that was available over the weekend and from what I can tell the only difference between the two is the packaging. Save the extra bucks for a movie ticket."

It's groovy but not that groovy, baby

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 07/02/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As is often the case with movie soundtracks, this CD offers some really good tracks alongside some humdrum and rather poor ones. Madonna's Beautiful Stranger is the cream of the crop; it's one of the better songs Madonna has put out in recent years, in my opinion. The live version of The Who's My Generation fits the Austin Powers theme nicely and plays very well on the album. Lenny Kravitz' rocking remake of American Woman is another great track that many folks will be quite familiar with already from its heavy radio play. I was very happy to see Dr. Evil's Just the Two of Us make its way onto the album, as it's a crowd-pleasing, memorable party of the movie. I also rather like, in a weird sort of way, The Lucy Nation's song Alright; it has an unusual sound and style that distinguishes it from its peers on this CD. Unfortunately, the better tracks stop here. Some of these songs are remakes of classic songs, and I have to question why these remakes were even made. R.E.M.'s cover of Draggin' the Line is OK, but it differs very little from the original recording. Melanie G (aka Scary Spice) provides a completely unnecessary remake in the form of her cover of Cameo's funky tour de force Word Up; that great song is best left in the capable hands (and voice) of Cameo's Larry Blackmon. Big Blue Missile (with Scott Weiland) does a pretty mediocre job covering another classic song, Time of the Season; apparently, it wasn't the time of the season for all the singers to actually hit the right notes. Buggin' is an interesting track from The Flamingo Lips, but I can't decide whether I actually like the song or not. Green Day fans shouldn't get overly excited at the sight of the band's contribution here, as Espionage features no singing whatsoever. I'm still trying to figure out why Burt Bacharach is such an integral part of Austin Powers as I'm not naturally drawn to his music, but his collaboration with Elvis Costello on the all-too-familiar I'll Never Fall in Love Again isn't all that bad. The album ends on a fun note, with Quincy Jones' souped-up version of the basic Austin Powers theme music. All in all, while the album has its good points, it is by no means a must-have. Were it not for Madonna's Beautiful Stranger, I doubt I would have bought the CD. Still, it's fun to listen to the whole thing every so often."