Search - Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, Stockard Channing :: Grease (Dlx) (Dig)

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 02/07/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This "deluxe" edition is record label price gouging at its worst!Just about everyone who loves the movie and this movie soundtrack album has already bought the first pressing, so to make the reissue more appealing a 2nd disc of bonus materials has been added.Don't get suckered in by this.The main disc repeats the one flaw from the original release in that the songs are still all jumbled and nowhere near the order they are heard in the film. You would think that the label would have corrected this but they didn't.The second disc is short (about 40 minutes) and just features alternate takes and remixes of the same songs. Nothing new there. One star may seem a bit harsh..bear in mind I give the original release 4 stars."

Great Soundtrack & Fun Extras from an Enduring Musical.

mirasreviews | McLean, VA USA | 07/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm enjoying listening to this great soundtrack that I loved as a child after a long hiatus. I had it on 8-track 25 years ago. So it's fitting that I should get the 25th Anniversary Edition on CD. The 24 songs from the movie are just as everyone remembers them, so I'll talk about the Bonus Disc, which contains 10 alternative versions of the songs plus 2 previously unreleased instrumentals from the film.Track 1 on the Bonus Disc is an instrumental version of the film's theme, "Grease", written and produced by Barry Gibb. Frankie Valli's voice has been replaced by a saxophone. The chorus is vocal, but the voices are not those in the original song. You could use this as a sing-along version, as it would be easy to sing over the sax. Tracks 2-5 are officially sing-along versions. "Summer Nights" includes the chorus vocals from the film and sounds good. "You're the One That I Want" has new chorus vocals of questionable merit. "Sandy" is a new arrangement. It's not as good as the film version, but you can sing along. Track 6 is the single version of "Greased Lightning" that you may have heard on the radio back in the day. It's differs from the original in that the bad words have been replaced for radio airplay. Tracks 7-8 are previously unreleased instrumentals from the film. "Greased Up and Ready to Go" is lively. Tracks 9-10 are mixes that I occasionally hear on the radio. The "Grease Megamix" and the "Grease Dream Mix" are fun, if awkward. Tracks 11-12 are Martian Remixes of "Summer Nights" and "You're the One That I Want". They retain the original vocals, but set them to a Latin rhythm. They make pretty good dance tracks.This 2-disc set isn't in a jewel case. The case is paperboard with 4 panels that fold out. This is inside of a clear vinyl slip case on which the tracks are written. This isn't convenient packaging. On the bright side, the case won't crack in the mail. Tucked inside one of the panels is a booklet that contains lyrics and credits.The "Grease: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" is a terrifically fun soundtrack to one of the all-time great movie musicals. And for all those preteen girls who go wild over the movie with each new generation, the bonus material is perfect for parties and horsing around."

"Grease" is a 5++++, but please read on before you buy.

guillermoj | Washington, DC United States | 01/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Grease" was a huge success as a Broadway musical prior and after hitting the big screen in 1978. The movie version was the one that transformed it into a true popular culture phenomenon, as it was a runaway box office success and then became a TV, cable, video DVD favorite. The movie was even re-released a few years ago. The movie owes as much of the success to this infectious soundtrack as it does to the charming performances of a cast led by John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard ("There At Worse Things I Could Do") Channing, who put together charismatic and engaging performances, that make you smile and be part of the gang. Most of the music from original musical ("Summer Nights" and "Beauty School Dropout" among others) made it to the movie and soundtrack. The original songs are fortified by monster hits, such as "You're The One That I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and the title song, which was a huge hit for Frankie Valli. Yes Frankie Valli had a huge hit in 1978! There are few soundtracks that are as much fun as this one and I of course give it 5+ stars.The huge problem that I have with this remastered (finally and it does sound great !!!!!!) "Deluxe Edition" is that, along with several other titles are gauging the consumer's eyes out with 2 CD releases that retail for up to $29.99. Out of all the ones that I've heard, this is by far the worst as the 2nd CD (which only clocks in at 40 minutes) only has ONE song worth mentioning ("Grease Megamix") which you already may have via other collections. Seeing that the Megamix had good results (and it does flow very well), the powers that be cut and paste a horrible "Grease Dream Mix" (this is beyond bad) and shameless remixes of "Summer Nights" and "You're The One That I Want" that have no value whatsoever except to fill a second CD. The rest is what they call sing-a-long versions which are essential cheesy instrumentals for karaoke fans. Although the presentation of the discs is very cute, and all the lyrics are there just in the original LP, there NO updates, behind the scenes extras, or anything new. Nothing! It's pretty bad when I found out more about "Grease" in Olivia's awesome recent greatest hits release than I did here. For example did you know that "Hopelessly Devoted To You" was written and recorded after the movie had wrapped. It seems like the producers felt like they needed a strong ballad and her Olivia come back to an empty set to sing this amazing song. If I am going to pay $29.99 or anything close, I would have expected these types of tidbits. In a nutshell, "Grease" especially now that is remastered, earns 5+ stars, but the shady folks at Universal should be ashamed not to have released this in a single CD and not to be so money hungry as "Grease" fans will pay almost anything to finally be able to hear this piece of Americana as clearly as possible. "Grease" = Stars, Universal (in this particular case) = 0. Universal has recently begun to implement a great lower pricing policy and they should be lauded for that, but if it comes at the risk of ripping off other consumers, then don't be surprised when some people burn CDs for everyone that they can. Good products (which this is) at a good price will bring people back to buying music so that the industry can continue to make a decent return in its investment."