Idle Hands - Original Soundtrack

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The Idle Hands CD contains music from the motion picture distributed back in 1999.


******Background on the Movie******

Although you certainly do not need to have watched the movie to love this CD, I thought that a short synopsis of Idle Hands the movie is relevant to this review.

Idle Hands is classed as a comedy/horror, though in my opinion, it is more teen comedy than anything ...
.../> * Graeme Revell – Idle Hands Theme:

Instrumental, and slightly creepy theme tune, fitting for a horror movie graveyard. Very atmospheric and slower than the rest of the songs on the soundtrack. I actually really like this tune. Don’t listen to it with the lights out!


******Packaging******

The soundtrack comes in a normal plastic, square casing with a paper insert inside. One insert on the back ... more

I brought this CD quite a few years ago now, so although the actual soundtrack is not a new one, it still remains a popular purchase. As the years have gone by, my tastes have changed and so no longer listen to the CD, though for those who enjoy this type of genre, then they will love it.

The Idle Hands CD contains music from the motion picture distributed back in 1999.

******Background on the Movie******

Although you certainly do not need to have watched the movie to love this CD, I thought that a short synopsis of Idle Hands the movie is relevant to this review.

Idle Hands is classed as a comedy/horror, though in my opinion, it is more teen comedy than anything else. It is also rated an 18, as is the soundtrack due to numerous adult content in the lyrics (more information below)

The story follows 17 year old Anton Tobias, a slacker in every single way, who wakes up one morning to find that not only have his parents been killed, but that his right hand could have committed the murder as it begins to show humorous qualities of possession. Whilst trying to control his hand, he manages to kill his two best friends who just so happen come back as if they had never been killed, with funny consequences, to help control the situation. Not only is his hand out of control, it is also after the soul of the girl next door.

The movie stars Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Vivica A. Fox, and Jessica Alba and has been criticized by many for showing too much carnage, mahem and emotionally disturbed teenagers. This aside, though, the movie itself is not an entirely bad movie and does have some very funny parts.

******The Soundtrack Overview******

The CD contains 13 tracks all of which fit the movie perfectly (though as mentioned above, you do not need to have seen the movie to enjoy the music). The genre of the tracks are a mix of rock, metal and punk and are very upbeat, though some tracks do contain some possible offensive content and is certainly not for younger ears.

******Tracks******

There are 12 tracks upon this compilation. These tracks are as follows;

* The Living End – Second Solution :

“Standin' on a street light
Tryin' to get away
Guilty, Guilty I hear you say
Countin' down the hours
But I haven't got the time
23rd Precinct jumping on the line”

This is the perfect opening to the soundtrack and is extremely upbeat. As with a lot of music within this genre, some of the lyrics are either spoken or ‘shouted’, though a catchy tune does come in and the lyrics themselves are very clear. The main tune is with guitar and drums and as mentioned above, is very catchy and upbeat.
Some lyrics cover death and violence in a mild manner.

* Blink182 – Enthused:

“Am I, strung out, crazy or not allowed
To be the one who gets stupid over you”

This track is not actually heard in the original movie. It is another very upbeat track, though not as catchy as the first. It is possibly one of the least favorite ones on the soundtrack. The one good thing about this track is that it is quite short.
Contains swearing and references to drugs

* The Offspring – Beheaded:

“Mommy doesn't have her head anymore
Keep it underneath my bed on the floor
That's alright though
That's ok
She never really used her head anyway”

This track is another upbeat track and a popular track among Offspring fans. Its guitar rift seems very simple and is repeated throughout the track. There is a piece in the middle of the song which becomes slightly sinister and a different beat.
Contains possible disturbing language on murder.

* The Waking Hours – Mama Said Knock you Out:

“Listen to the bass go boom
Explosions, overpowerin'
Over the competition I'm towerin'”

This track is probably the least offensive track on the compilation. The instrumental is of distorted guitar sounds and seems to be a mixture of punk and rap.

* Rob Zombie – Dragular:

“Dig through the ditches
burn through the witches
I slam in the back of my
dragula”

An upbeat long instrumental part leads into this metal song. The song itself creates a sinister, and perhaps ‘clan like’. The song itself is not too bad, though seems to stand out from the rest on the compilation.
Contains dark music though not particularly offensive

* Zebrahead – Mind Trip (Idle Hands Remix):

“Cuz it's a mindtrip it's a mindtrip comin' on
it's a mind trip, it's a MIND-Trip”

The instrumental guitar and drums are upbeat and catchy and are quite good. The lyrical tune is also very catchy though after learning the words you realize that there is quite a bit of swearing involved.

* Static-X – Push It:

“I see it.
I need it.
I see it.
I need it.”

The first thing that struck me about this track is how difficult it was to understand what on earth is being said/sung. I had to look up the words to actually figure out what most of it was saying. Lyrically, it is extremely poor. Even the instrumentals is nothing compared to any other tracks.
Contains mild references to violence

* Disappointment Inc. – Bleeding Boy:

“Wrong place, wrong time found himself a land mine
Proud families when they bury, break down quietly
Bleeding boy, bleeding boy, bleeding boy”

This track is completely different in pace to the others previously. It is much slower and easier to understand. The lyrics can be slightly shocking, though nothing outrageous by any means. The instrumental is also very well done.
Contains mild adult references.

* Unwritten Law – Cailin:

“Well it seemed like yesterday
when the world was looking dark
it felt so cold and grey”

This track begins very slow and angst and is a slight love song. The tune is probably one of the best on the compilation, though the instrumentals are very simple. One thing that stands out in this song is the occasional record scratching!

* The Vandals – My Girlfriends Dead:

“My girlfriend's dead. you see
It's a total lie but it's easier on me
Than having to admit that she likes someone else”

Another track not featured on the original movie. The beginning of this track made me laugh at first as it simply started out with whistling! Soon enough, though, one by one other instruments come in ending with the vocals. The instrumental is very upbeat when it gets into the track and the singing is quite soft, yet still upbeat. It is not actually about a dead person, though a way of a boy coping with being dumped.
Some mild references of possible offensive/affective aspects such as Leukemia.

* Lionrock – Rude Boy Rock:

“Well sit children, let me give you the subject of the day”

A few spoken words here and there but mainly instrumental. It sounds like it would fit perfectly in the 1960’s and is mainly synthesized from what I can tell. It is unique but not brilliant. When I used to listen to this CD I used to skip this song.

* Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil:

“He's the wolf screaming lonely in the night
He's the blood stain on the stage
He's the tear in your eye
Been tempted by his lie”

A possible 1980’s style song with mainly drum and percussion. The lyrics switch from slight screeching to shouting. Nothing really to shout about.

* Graeme Revell – Idle Hands Theme:

Instrumental, and slightly creepy theme tune, fitting for a horror movie graveyard. Very atmospheric and slower than the rest of the songs on the soundtrack. I actually really like this tune. Don’t listen to it with the lights out!

******Packaging******

The soundtrack comes in a normal plastic, square casing with a paper insert inside. One insert on the back contains the list of tracks, a skull and crossbones logo associated with the movie, a small photo from the movie and CD information. (CD information in more detail below). The front insert opens up into a thin booklet. The front cover containing the Idle Hands logo and title, with photos, track information (more above) and other text.
The CD itself is a usual CD with a white top containing the title and soundtrack list.

******Costs******

When I brought this CD all those years ago, I purchased it at the RRP of £15.99. I have searched around the internet and have found this CD being sold at a low price of £2.50 (which shows the age)

******CD Information******

This compilation is copyrighted to 1999 Timb Bomb Recordings and was printed and distributed by Arbert Records inc.

Contact Details: 6 West 57th Street, New York, N.Y.10019

Executive Album Producers: Jim Guerinot and John Houlihan

******My Overall Opinion******

Personally I haven’t listened to this type of music for quite a while as it is more punk than anything (until listening to it again to review that is!). Speaking from a critical opinion, though, I feel that the compilation holds some fantastic instrumental parts and some catchy lyrics, though the offensive content in some of the songs is a real put-off.

If you are into punk/metal and/or are a fan of the movie then you will certainly love this CD. Please note, though, this soundtrack is NOT for the young due to the adult content within the lyrics. 

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