Doin' the Friday Shuffle

Commence countdown:

1. "Dialogue: "Pluto!"" -- Stephen Sondheim -- The Frogs/Evening Primrose (2001 Studio Cast)

Dionysus greets Pluto in Hades.

2. "Harvest Moon" -- Cassandra Wilson (covering Neil Young) -- New Moon Daughter

Wilson's a captivating jazz/blues singer, and she does a wonderfully languid version of the Neil Young ballad here.

3. "Wave" -- Antonio Carlos Jobim -- Jobim's Finest Hour

So 60s, but good nonetheless. You've probably heard this as background music somewhere.

4. "Variation XIII - Scene 6" -- Benjamin Britten -- The Turn of the Screw (opera)

Between every scene in Britten's opera there are brief musical interludes, all variations in one form or another on the same theme.

5. "Be Careful of My Heart" -- Tracy Chapman -- Crossroads

One of my favorite Chapman songs, the delicate coda to her underrated sophomore album. An insinuating, repeating guitar figure grounds this quietly building five minute-plus song.

6. "Waltz to the Death" -- Danny Elfman -- Batman (Film Score)

This is easily one of Elfman's finest scores, and this ironically cheery waltz did a fine job of capturing the joker's gleeful anarchy, much better than Prince's ill-adviced songs.

7. "Soldier's Gossip (2)" -- Stephen Sondheim -- Passion (Original Broadway Cast)

One of three interludes in the play in which the soldiers comment on the plot.

8. "Only Us" -- Peter Gabriel -- Us

Not one of my favorite cuts off the album, a little plodding and never getting anywhere.

9. "Seasons of Love B" -- Jonathan Larson -- Rent (Original Broadway Cast)

One of a few reprises of what amounts to Rent's main theme.

10. "Vietnam (We Know too Many of these Kids) -- Michael Kamen -- Mr. Holland's Opus (Film Score)

Underrated score; this is a nice little piece of music for the moment in the film where Holland and (I think) the football coach learn of a former student's death in Vietnam.

Until Whenever