Desperately Seeking Susan
Thomas Newman and Chaz Jankel
" 2 bouncy scores for the price of 1 "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
A bored suburban housewife, seeking adventure in her life, accidentally gets hit on the head, wakes up with amnesia, and is mistaken for a free-spirited New York City drifter named Susan. Or a film that was perfect to bring both Madonna and Rosanna Arquette on screen. For Madonna, it was her first big role in the movie business, for Arquette it was a role that earned her a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe nomination. The soundtrack did not feature any of the songs in the film (including Madonna's "Into the Groove"), but instead it gave youngster Thomas Newman a chance right after he got his first break with Reckless. His soundtrack here is strangely featured alongside Making Mr. Right of Chaz Jankel.
Speaking of Desperately Seeking Susan, we are hearing a young composer who's going along with the flow of the 80's sounds and tunes. Listening to the very first track will immediately transport you back to a bouncy era where little if no harm could be found. Newman's music here is flighty, light, bouncy, and very easy to listen to. There's a returning bouncy theme heard in "Leave Atlantic City!", "Port Authority by Night", "St. Mark's Place", "Battery Park / Amnesia" and "Running with Birds in Cages", while another side you'll hear is the typical music of the 80's. "New York by Day" and "Jail / Port Authority by Day" will definitely take you back with a smile on your face. And of course there has to be some kind of a typical Thomas Newman moment ("Rain" will ought a do it in the end). Overall it's not much, but I guarantee you'll have a fun time listening to Newman's little score.
Why an unknown score by unknown composer Chaz Jankel is attached to Newman's score I'm not exactly sure off, but I'll bet it has to do with the fact the movie Making Mr. Right is directed by the same director. Either way, it gives us the chance to hear Chaz Jankel's (a musician best known as the keyboard player and guitarist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads) work. The score itself fits well with Newman's bouncy score, but is more heavily drawn towards the bounciness, mainly brought by the keyboards and hand percussion. It's far from memorable, but it's approachable stuff.
Putting the 2 together might be interesting at first, but I'm sure Thomas Newman's score will deliver us the longest lasting impression of the 2. Personally I've never even heard of Chaz Jankel, and his contribution here is take able but nothing more. Newman's score is much more entertaining, if solely to hear a young composer churning out those 80's tunes that continue to entertain us. His contribution is nothing memorable either, but at least it gave me a smile. And that's enough for me, considering the era and place it was composed in.
Desperately Seeking Susan ***
Making Mr. Right **12
Tracklisting
Tracks 1-11 from "Desperately Seeking Susan"
1. Leave Atlantic City! (2.34)
2. Port Authority by Night (1.15)
3. New York by Day (1.06)
4. Through the Viewscope (0.39)
5. St. Mark's Place (1.29)
6. A Key and a Picture Of (1.22)
7. Battery Park / Amnesia (1.06)
8. Jail / Port Authority by Day (2.23)
9. Rain (0.51)
10. Running With Birds in Cages (1.11)
11. Trouble Almost (0.42)
Tracks 12-21 from "Making Mr. Right"
12. Chemtech Promo Video (1.36)
13. Ulysses' Escape (3.04)
14. Night Visit (1.03)
15. Frankie's Drive (1.08)
16. Ulysses (1.51)
17. In the Lab (1.19)
18. Sondra and Jeff (1.00)
19. Mr. Right (1.32)
20. Wedding Reception (1.52)
21. Parting Glance (1.09)
Total Length: 30.12
Speaking of Desperately Seeking Susan, we are hearing a young composer who's going along with the flow of the 80's sounds and tunes. Listening to the very first track will immediately transport you back to a bouncy era where little if no harm could be found. Newman's music here is flighty, light, bouncy, and very easy to listen to. There's a returning bouncy theme heard in "Leave Atlantic City!", "Port Authority by Night", "St. Mark's Place", "Battery Park / Amnesia" and "Running with Birds in Cages", while another side you'll hear is the typical music of the 80's. "New York by Day" and "Jail / Port Authority by Day" will definitely take you back with a smile on your face. And of course there has to be some kind of a typical Thomas Newman moment ("Rain" will ought a do it in the end). Overall it's not much, but I guarantee you'll have a fun time listening to Newman's little score.
Why an unknown score by unknown composer Chaz Jankel is attached to Newman's score I'm not exactly sure off, but I'll bet it has to do with the fact the movie Making Mr. Right is directed by the same director. Either way, it gives us the chance to hear Chaz Jankel's (a musician best known as the keyboard player and guitarist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads) work. The score itself fits well with Newman's bouncy score, but is more heavily drawn towards the bounciness, mainly brought by the keyboards and hand percussion. It's far from memorable, but it's approachable stuff.
Putting the 2 together might be interesting at first, but I'm sure Thomas Newman's score will deliver us the longest lasting impression of the 2. Personally I've never even heard of Chaz Jankel, and his contribution here is take able but nothing more. Newman's score is much more entertaining, if solely to hear a young composer churning out those 80's tunes that continue to entertain us. His contribution is nothing memorable either, but at least it gave me a smile. And that's enough for me, considering the era and place it was composed in.
Desperately Seeking Susan ***
Making Mr. Right **12
Tracklisting
Tracks 1-11 from "Desperately Seeking Susan"
1. Leave Atlantic City! (2.34)
2. Port Authority by Night (1.15)
3. New York by Day (1.06)
4. Through the Viewscope (0.39)
5. St. Mark's Place (1.29)
6. A Key and a Picture Of (1.22)
7. Battery Park / Amnesia (1.06)
8. Jail / Port Authority by Day (2.23)
9. Rain (0.51)
10. Running With Birds in Cages (1.11)
11. Trouble Almost (0.42)
Tracks 12-21 from "Making Mr. Right"
12. Chemtech Promo Video (1.36)
13. Ulysses' Escape (3.04)
14. Night Visit (1.03)
15. Frankie's Drive (1.08)
16. Ulysses (1.51)
17. In the Lab (1.19)
18. Sondra and Jeff (1.00)
19. Mr. Right (1.32)
20. Wedding Reception (1.52)
21. Parting Glance (1.09)
Total Length: 30.12