Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "Arrival on Dagobah" - John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back (Film Score)
Some ET-sounding stuff here, some Raiders-sounding stuff, some Imperial theme - a Williams hodgepodge.

2. "Up the Cathedral" - Danny Elfman - Batman (Film Score)
Big, bold, dramatic, dark -a great track from a great score.

3. "Too Much" - Elvis Presley - Elvis 30 #1 Hits
Old-school Elvis, with some doo-woppy background singers and a classic shuffle-bop rock sound.

4. "Mister Snow (Reprise) - Rodgers and Hammerstein - Carousel (1994 Broadway Revival Cast)
A sweet women's choir opens the reprise up, before the sui generis Audra McDonald comes in, gloriously.

5. "Mozambique" - Bob Dylan - Desire
A slight Dylan song, with an almost sing-songy chorus. Good use of fiddle and a female vocalist harmonizing (Joan Baez?).

6. "I Believe" - Tears for Fears - Tears Roll Down (Tears for Fears' Greatest Hits)
Slow, smoky, piano, bass, and drum torch song. I'm surprised this wasn't picked up by more jazz/cabaret singers.

7. "Glitter and Be Gay" - Barbara Cook - Candide (Original Broadway Cast)
Would it be overkill to call this one of the best-ever vocal performances ever captured on tape? No. No, it wouldn't.

8. "Leaves that Are Green" - Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
A sweetly melancholic, very classic Simon & Garfunkel song. Sometimes, simple is better: "Hello, hello, hello, hello/Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/That's all there is/And the leaves that are green turn to brown."

9. "Charlie's Birthday Bar" - Danny Elfman - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Film Score)
Kind of boilerplate Elfman. A disappointing score.

10. "God Part II" - U2 - Rattle and Hum
Pissed off, angry Bono, with menacing, throbbing bass and drum and stabbing, screaming guitars. Good stuff.

Until Whenever