Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack For An Oliver Stone Film

Another Oliver Stone film hailed by many as some sort of genius. Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor was brought in to helm the soundtrack. He shows a gift for choosing diverse, if somewhat disparate musicians, running the gamut from Patsy Cline to Lard. It's a nice collection, if a little wanting for a thematic center. Cowboy Junkies' version of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" is simply awesome, and Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, and Leonard Cohen lend superstar firepower, even if the songs are available elsewhere. NIN's own "Something I Can Never Have," previously heard on Pretty Hate Machine, is the most overt attempt at what Reznor was hoping to capture. It's Pulp Fiction for the schizophrenic Gen X'ers. --Scott Wilson Amazon.com

GOOD, ANGRY, ORIGINAL.....

Natural Born KIllers was this movie that I always found to be intriguing, but I was never really sure if I actually LIKED or not. I've seen various different cuts of it and whatnot, etc. Yada yada...

THE SOUNDTRACK on the other hand, is an instant classic, made up of a nice selection of music that shares the same vibe and emotion of the movie:dark, angry, and original... also it's very good. I think just thr right songs were used in this film, ranging from some classic songwriters, some classic songs, and some classic songs as covered by some good indie names that some of your more unconventional music fans would no doubt dub classic. Also, as a lot of the audio clips from the movie are spliced in a long the mix, in pretty clever ways, you get a pretty good essence of the story too, as you listen... oooooooooh. So lets observe a little.

The Leonard Cohen songs are a little creepy. Pretty much bookends the mix, sans some Dogg Pound tracks at the end (yeah, Snoop 94 style, when his stuff was still fresh and clever) L7, Patti Smith, and The Cowboy Junkies add in some good female indie and/or punk slabs, Bob Dylans on here, sounding horse and old, and a little tired, but still good. YOU BELONG TO ME was a key song in the film.
Then theres the likes of NIN and JANES ADDICTION to PETER GABRIEL to PATSY CLINE on some tracks, but some of my faves come from artists I never heard outside this mix. The ragged country feel of Duane Eddys THE TREMBLER, The Hollywood Persuaders DRUMS A GO-GO, Lard...FORKBOY, and much much more (theres nearly thirty tracks in total here) varied all over the map, but with a very unique flow. This album may make you want to lay on the floor and stare blankly at the ceiling, but its still very well done. 5 stars. Soundtracks are a hard market to pull off, but this one can be listened to start to finish and is a good listen. May 11, 2008

A Classic

I have to say that this soundtrack is timless and will stay as a landmark in soundtracks for decades to come. Can't list all the great tracks here, Dylan's You be long to me, or Patsy Cline's Back in Baby's arms, Leonard Cohen.... or the more 'violent' tracks.. there are tracks for every taste, and every mood. and of course the soundtrack is a must for this movie lovers as it recalls every great scene as you listen to it. This soundtrack along with Pulp Fiction are a must in every 'soundtrack' section. its a genius blend of different songs from different eras and different styles. July 13, 2007

not bad...

...but it was much cooler in 1994, that's for sure. What seemed haunting and beautiful then, is kind of cheesy in 2007, especially now that most of the artists have gone even further mainstream (Nine Inch Nails) or totally vanished (L7). "Sweet Jane" by Cowboy Junkies is one that has not faded at all, though...gives me chills! May 25, 2007

A masterpiece

Beyond the worth (or lack of it, depending on your opinion) of the movie, this soundtrack stand the test of time and is still in 2006 one of the most impressive soundtrack ever produced.

It is, in my very humble opinion, the finest work in Trent Reznor discography. August 23, 2006

WHAT A TRAGIC WASTE OF AN A-TO-D CONVERTER

Inspiring? No! Pleasant? No! Entertaining? No! Worthwhile? No!

What are you folks sniffing out there anyway? Whatever it is, please consider passing it along, because other than the single authentic and melodic track by Patsy Cline (i.e., Back In Baby's Arms, which is available on a zillion other collections including some of her own), this CD doesn't have an ounce of redeeming musical, lyrical or social value in my view. Nada! Zip!

Even the Dylan track is junk! The entire CD is essentially drivel, put to the dull, homicide-provoking sound of endless, droning noise, with an overall signal-to-noise ratio of about one (1.0)!!! What a WASTE of an A-to-D converter! April 12, 2006

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