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    Opus 2003/Various Artists
    Various Artists — Kill Bill, Volume 1 (Original Soundtrack) cover

    Various Artists

    Kill Bill, Volume 1 (Original Soundtrack)

    (2003)

    Reviewed by Jason Morehead

    DiscogsApple Music
    Label Warner Bros. RecordsOpus2003
    rocksoul

    Originally published at Opus →

    I picked up the Kill Bill soundtrack today at lunch, and it kicks serious ass. In fact, it probably kicks more ass than any soundtrack has a right to.

    Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" sounds like it was written just for a Tarantino flick, with its warm reverb and sad, wistful lyrics. I want Isaac Hayes' "Run Fay Run" as my own personal soundtrack when I walk into a room (in slow-motion, of course, and ready to kick ass and take names later). Not only does Tomoyasu Hotei's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" have what is perhaps the greatest song title in history, but every time I hear it I feel like I could take on a room full of Crazy 88's. The same goes for Santa Esmeralda's flamenco-ized "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

    "The Flower Of Carnage" (taken, I believe, from Lady Snowblood) lends the perfect amount of melancholy and sadness, like something that would play as the blood-splattered hero(ine) wanders off into the sunset to face an alien future. An image which is continued by Zamfir's "The Lonely Shepherd."

    The only downside of the disc is The RZA's "Ode To Oren Ishii." The music is amazing and gut-wrenching, but it's all but ruined by RZA's horrible rhymes and MC'ing. Oh well...

    And like the soundtrack, I loved the movie, though not for the reasons you might think. More on that when I post my review later this week.

    Also in Opus 2003

    2003Various ArtistsBlisscent II2002Tujiko NorikoHard Ni Sasete (Make Me Hard)2003Sweet TripVelocity : Design : Comfort2002Over the RhineThe Cutting Room Floor2003Woven HandBlush Music2002John R. WilliamsonLost Songs