Stevie's one-off album appearances

[Jyqm]

I'm sure most of us here have done it: bought an album or a soundtrack simply because Stevie appears on one or two tracks. If we were lucky, we got a surprise and the rest of the album turned to be pretty decent if not all-out great. But other times, you sure wish you had your fifteen bucks back, Stevie or no.

So what are your favorite and least favorite albums/compilations that you bought just for Stevie?

My favorite: I guess I didn't buy it so much as steal it from my mom when she got it in the mail from AT&T, but Stormy Weather is a pretty great little CD, and not only for Stevie's balls-to-the-wall "At Last." Gwen Stefani's performance of Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue" is heartbreakingly gorgeous and a really inspired choice among all the other standards, and Sandra Bernhardt's "Is That All There Is?" is a hilarious reading. Everybody else turns in pretty solid efforts, too. Okay, none of the ladies on here is Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan, but nobody embarrasses herself either.

Least favorite: Practical Magic soundtrack. Whoever compiled this beast ain't Cameron Crowe, that's for sure. This soundtrack is just all over the place. I don't care for Faith Hill in the least, there are far better Marvin Gaye tracks out there, and I absolutely cannot stand that damn "Coconut" song. Harry Nilsson can rot in hell for that one. To top it all off, Stevie's "Crystal" is too long and not terribly inspired. At least "If You Ever Did Believe" is nice.

Runner-up: Twister soundtrack. Christ. It's bad enough that Van Hagar ever recorded "Humans Being" in the first place. Why on earth would you lead off your soundtrack with such a monstrosity? Is it supposed to give the listener a glimpse into the kind of hell tornado victims live through? On the other hand, I've always had a soft spot for the movie itself, as it features one of my favorite lines in cinematic history:

"They're just in it for the money, not the science!"

[dissention]

I'm with you on Stormy Weather, I play that one quite a bit. Mainly for Sandra Bernhardt doing Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" Bjork's rendition of "Gloomy Sunday" is quite good, too, as is Joni Mitchell's "Stormy Weather." Funny thing is that I don't like Stevie's version of "At Last."

My least favorite is probably the Sweet November soundtrack. What sludge. I wouldn't listen to that disc ever again willingly. Barenaked Ladies, Bobby Darin, Enya, Dolly Parton, Robbie Williams, and Stevie Nicks? I think drugs were involved when compiling that soundtrack.

[Richard B]

My fav is also Stormy Weather. Just a great event with great singers.

Also up high on my list is Heavy Metal. That soundtrack is very cool.

Then Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

The ones that suck:
Practical Magic Soundtrack
Twister Soundtrack
Against All Odds Soundtrack
Boys On The Side Soundtrack

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Richard B

The ones that suck:

Boys On The Side Soundtrack

Surprisingly, I kind of like that one. I've always liked Stevie's song, Raitt's Orbison cover, the Morrissey cover by The Pretenders, Crow's Clapton cover, Joan Armatrading, and Annie Lennox. I could have done without Whoopi's piano version of "You Got It," though. Pretty pointless. I've seen her live and while her voice isn't half bad, it is on that soundtrack.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by dissention

Surprisingly, I kind of like that one. I've always liked Stevie's song, Raitt's Orbison cover, the Morrissey cover by The Pretenders, Crow's Clapton cover, Joan Armatrading, and Annie Lennox. I could have done without Whoopi's piano version of "You Got It," though. Pretty pointless. I've seen her live and while her voice isn't half bad, it is on that soundtrack.

I've never heard this soundtrack, but is Sarah McLachlan's cover of "Ol' 55" as terrible as I imagine it is?

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I've never heard this soundtrack, but is Sarah McLachlan's cover of "Ol' 55" as terrible as I imagine it is?

Worse. I always want to shoot myself in the head when I hear her voice.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I've never heard this soundtrack, but is Sarah McLachlan's cover of "Ol' 55" as terrible as I imagine it is?

It's pretty insufferable, yes.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Richard B

Worse. I always want to shoot myself in the head when I hear her voice.

LOL - me too as I duck from the lesbians

I think her Adia (sp.?) is pretty, but that is about it - poor thing in her dark cold hotel room, finding no comfort there

[cliffdweller]

Wow. I think S.M. has a great voice, although, I don't really like her music that much. I thought Fumbling Towards Ecstacy was aces when it first came out but then I got uninterested after that.

[Dreammms]

fav-practical magic
least fav-Against All Odds Soundtrack

[GODDESS6]

tied
twister & fast times..., love both of them~

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by GODDESS6

tied
twister & fast times..., love both of them~

ME TOOOOOOO - her voice is so different in those two - but is great in both.

Plus, I love Speeding from The GoGo's

[Johnny Stew]

My favorites are the 'Fast Times,' 'Boys On The Side' and 'Twister' soundtracks, and my least favorite is 'Against All Odds.'

[ShangriLaTroubl]

My favorite all together are SWEET NOVEMBER and PRACTICAL MAGIC...and least favorite is TWISTER

Chris

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I'm sure most of us here have done it: bought an album or a soundtrack simply because Stevie appears on one or two !"

Sorry, somehow it happens that I've never done this, personally, but -
have you even heard "Gold" by John Stewart, from 1979? The album
is "Bombs Away, Dream Babies! . . . . " (It's also on the "Enchanted
Box Set.") That was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid -
maybe this is "pastel nostalgia" but it seems like it was on the radio
all the time - and I only just recently learned that Stevie
is the one singing backup!
Anyway I think it's an amazing song and that Stevie does an amazing
job singing on it.
Yes, I do need a thesaurus.