Stephen Elliot's 1994 film
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sparkled as it traced the journey of two drag queens, a transsexual, and their pink bus "Priscilla" across the Australian outback. The visuals alone were worth the price of admission, but, with songs leaping off the big screen and onto CD, the accompanying soundtrack album was equally as vibrant, an aural lipstick smear across some of the most classic club staples the scene had to offer. Relying most heavily on the "gay club" anthems of the late '70s, the soundtrack could have stood its ground as a nice
disco hits package. But the incorporation of a full spectrum of material boosted The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to even brighter heights. While the
Village People classic "Go West,"
Alicia Bridges' one-hit wonder "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)," and
Gloria Gaynor's 1978 chest-beater "I Will Survive," for example, make the first point, it's the inclusion of
Patti Page's 1950 hit "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" and
Charlene's 1980 tear-jerker "I've Never Been to Me" that makes the second. And, although they ultimately detract from the album's overall cohesion, club kids will be thrilled with a handful of extended mix tracks cobbled onto the end of the set. While the regular 12" "Go West" isn't too unusual, the seriously updated 1993 12" mix of "I Will Survive" and the "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)" extended vocal mix are devilishly hard to find. The end result is as vivacious, stunning, and beautiful as the celluloid imprint of that pink bus, music booming from the windows, hitching across the sun-baked earth. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
