Let down by a couple of very bad tracks, mostly at the end which brings the whole album down slightly
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
RENT - the Musical Soundtrack
°°°Intro°°° RENT is a modern day, 'rock', musical, about issues prominent in society today, even thought its set in 1989-1990. This isn't some light and fluffy musical. It tells of subjects often left off the musical stage and off the big screen. Issues raised include homelessness, AIDS, HIV, drug abuse, and homosexuality. Last year (2005) the stage show was brought to the big screen in movie form, and then more recently, onto DVD. This is a review of the soundtrack of the DVD movie. It is claimed that very little had to be changed in the transition from stage to screen.
I go through phases with the music I like. Usually I'll find a new album, or even genre, I like and listen to it compulsively for a few weeks. Then I get bored and never want to listen to it again. The RENT soundtrack hasn't been like that. There are so many different styles of song and different meanings, that there is always something I can listen to when no other music will make me happy. Like any album, there are tracks that simply get on my nerve, but on the whole this is a great piece of musical entertainment.
°°°The CD°°° I didn't actually buy my copy of this CD, but I found it listed on Amazon for £24.99. For a double album, with a total of 28 tracks lasting an hour and a half, I think this is an okay price. Its also available 'second hand' from places like Ebay or Amazon Marketplace for a much lower price.
In comparison, the full movie is 2 hours and 10 minutes, so you are losing about 40 minutes of dialogue. This is dialogue that's crucial to the story, but not knowing it wouldn't limit your enjoyment of the music, but might hinder your understanding of what's happening.
°°°Characters (Actors)°°° *Mark Cohen* (Anthony Rapp) - an amateur filmmaker. At the opening of the movie he starts a film of 'a year in the life' of homeless people in New York. This is a topic that runs throughout the story and it concludes with the film he has made. Anthony Rapp doesn't give a bad performance, but it isn't all that memorable either.
*Tom Collins* (Jessie Martin) - he's a teacher of 'computer age philosophy' and seems to move around between jobs quite a bit. He also occasionally works as some kind of computer programmer. I think Jessie Martin has a very full-bodied voice and that makes all of his songs come across very strongly. He also has a gift for showing emotion in his tone.
*Roger Davis* (Adam Pascal) - supposedly he's a songwriter, but he's got some form of musician's block and it takes him the entire year to write a single song. We learn that one of his ex-girlfriends died of HIV/AIDS at some point. Adam Pascal provides some of the weakest songs in this whole soundtrack.
Mark, Tom, and Roger live together in a building that looks like a warehouse, and they don't pay their rent.
*Angel Dumott Schunard* (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) - a cross-dressing/transvestite (sorry I don't know what would be the PC-correct term) male who saves Collins at the beginning, and they become lovers as the story progresses. She plays drums on the streets for money. Early on we learn that she is an AIDS sufferer. (It's slightly ironic how an actor with a fancy real name plays the character with the fancy name). Heredia makes a very believable character in the DVD, but when it's just the soundtrack, he's not really anything special and doesn't stand out.
*Mimi Marquez* (Rosario Dawson) - a nightclub dancer and a drug addict. She's also an AIDS sufferer, and lives a very up-and-down life. Most of the time, Rosario Dawson gives an okay performance, but in one of the Finales she really lets herself, and the whole album down.
*Benjamin Coffin III* or Bennie (Taye Diggs) - used to be poor like the rest of them, and lived with Mark, Tom and Roger once upon a time, but since married into money. Now he's the enemy of the homeless as he's trying to get them kicked off the lot where they have their tent city and he cuts the power on Christmas Eve. He does sort of pass over and become a good guy as the story moves on.
*Joanne Jefferson* (Tracie Thoms) - a lawyer who becomes Maureen's production manager, but doesn't really know what she's doing and so struggles. Joanne Jefferson proves herself to have a very strong voice as she sings out a few big, fiery songs, such as Take Me Or Leave Me, and also in the opening Seasons of Lover
*Maureen Johnson* (Idina Menzel)- Mark's ex-girlfriend who left him for Joanne before the story starts. It's not really made clear as to whether she is bisexual, or has 'just' become a lesbian. She's an 'artist' who writes and sings her own stuff, but doesn't have anywhere legitimate to put it on show. On her own, I don't think Idina Menzel would give an all that memorable performance, but as she is nearly always paired with Tracie Thoms, her performance is made more so.
°°°Musicians°°°
Tim Pierce (acoustic guitar, electric guitar)
Greg Suran (acoustic guitar, electric guitar)
Suzie Katayama (cello, accordion)
Jamie Muhoberac (piano, organ, keyboards)
Tim Weil (piano)
Gregory Curtis (organ)
Paul Bushnell (bass guitar)
Dorian Crozier (drums, percussion, programming)
°°°Track Listing°°° A run down of the tracks, with a scale beside each number summarizing my overall opinion ('+++' to '---')
1. Seasons of Love (++) The opening song, all eight main characters sing together to ask how you 'measure' life. After going through a long list of possible ways, it comes down to measuring seasons of love. (In the DVD version of RENT they all stand in a line on a dark stage, each lit from a spot light from above. This is a nice touch as it remind you that this is the DVD adaptation of something originally on the stage.)
2. RENT (++) (On DVD the voice over tells us its December 24th, 1989 9pm EST) This song starts with Mark riding his bike with the camera rolling, capturing all that he sees. He's expressing anger at being unable to capture 'real life' exactly how he wants. The next verse is taken on by Roger and his frustration at being unable to write a good song. Together they both moan about being unable to pay rent because of not making any income between them. They remain oblivious to the fact that Collins is being beaten up in an alleyway below them, and he in turn sings about this. The last few lines are more from the tent city being unable to pay rent.
3. You'll See (++) Bennie explains why he needs to clear the lot where the tent city is. It's to make way for a 'state of the art, digital, virtual, interactive studio', where Mark could make movies, Roger write songs, and none of them have to pay rent. On one condition - they stop an already planned protest being led by Mark's ex, Maureen.
(There is a lot of dialogue here in the movie, that isn't included on the soundtrack. You don't miss out on much of the story by not hearing it, although seeing it obviously gives you a greater understanding and appreciation for the rest of the story)
4. One Song Glory (+) Alone in a darkened room, Roger sings about his desire to write one song that can be left behind as his legacy, and it needs to be completed 'before the virus takes hold'. (In the DVD this whole sequence is a mix of shots of Roger in the present, and flashbacks of him with a woman he loved)
5. Light My Candle (+++) Roger and Mimi meet for the first time. She's looking for someone to light her candle, as none of the building has power. They immediately spark a connection as Mimi reminds Roger of someone he used to know but who died. It's during this song we first find out about Mimi's drug problem, and also that Roger used to be an addict too.
6. Today 4 U (--) It's Christmas morning now. Collin's new found friend, Angel, entertains them with a song and dance about how she came into a lump sum of money and can afford to put on a Christmas breakfast for them all. This is one of my least favorite songs on the whole album.
7. Tango: Maureen (+) Mark (the ex-boyfriend of Maureen) and Joanne (the present girlfriend of Maureen) meet for the first time. He is called in to help fix sound equipment for Maureen's protest, after its clear Joanne doesn't know what she's doing and the engineer is 3hours late. In the Tango: Maureen Mark and Joanne exchange bad points about Maureen. Mark leaves feeling great, and Joanne feels lousy!
8. Life Support (+) Less than a minute long, this is the shortest track on the album. Life Support is a support group for people with AIDS, and, as Angel says, some people have nowhere to go on Christmas. They share the news on their condition and find support in each other.
9. Out Tonight (---) This is another track I don't particularly like. It is supposed to be Mimi dancing on stage at the nightclub where she works. This song does show that she (Rosario Dawson) has a strong and versatile voice (and the DVD allows her to show off a scantily clad body), but aside from that I think it serves very little purpose.
10. Another Day (-) The DVD shows that at the very beginning of this song, Mimi and Roger start to kiss, but he pulls away and gets angry instead.. He feels something for her, but doesn't want to acknowledge it, not today so 'another day'. There's also something he kid of wants to tell her, but again, not today, because it'd just lead onto other things. He goes on to confront her about her drug habit and then throws her out of his house.
11. Will I (+/-) This is sung as a 'canon' with several people from the Life Support group singing the same thing but starting at different times. I think it is about expressing their fears about dying/deteriorating. There are only four lines in this song (Will I lose my dignity, will someone care, will I wake tomorrow, from this nightmare?), but as it goes on for almost 3minutes, it gets very repetitive and I nearly always end up pressing 'next' before its finished. I do like the words; I just hate the repetition of them.
12. Santa Fe (+) The guys are on a subway train and Collins is expressing a wish of opening a restaurant in Santa Fe. Jessie Martin shows his voice very well in this track, managing to seemingly fill the room with his voice on his solo lines. He even seems to get the rocking of the subway in time with his words at points.
13. I'll Cover You (+++) A love song between Collins and Angel, this is one track that I love. I love the way the words show their commitment and love for each other, how they would do anything for each other, and only ask for kisses in return. In the DVD version they are walking down a busy street and through a park while singing. Again I love this because it shows neither is trying to hide their love, or is ashamed of anything.
14. Over the Moon (---) This is my least favorite track of them all. It's supposed to be Maureen singing during her protest, but its kind of a stupid song about a cow who's band from making milk so people only drink diet coke. I skip this track every single time! People who saw the original stage show of RENT say that this is the track that suffered the most in transition from stage to DVD and then to soundtrack as it is very obviously a studio recorded track when, in the movie, its supposed to be a live performance in front of a large crowd.
Something that isn't made overly clear in the Soundtrack is that at the end of her song, the protest turns into a riot and the police intervene. They say that it's Bennie's fault as he put the police on standby in the first place.
15. La Vie Boheme (++) Post-protest, the friends go for a meal together and pretty much take over the restaurant for themselves. It just so happens that Bennie and his business partners (I think) are eating dinner in the same restaurant at the same time. The song is mostly a description of their lifestyle as bohemians who live carefree lives of art, music, sex, and drugs There are quite few sexually explicit lines in this song.
16. I Should Tell You (+) Mimi and Roger slip away during the dinner and have a few heartfelt moments together. They also each reveal to each other that they are AIDS sufferers on the same medication. This is possibly the first time they both allow themselves to give in to their attraction to each other.
17. La Vie Boheme B (+) The party is still continuing after Mimi and Roger re-enter.
18. Seasons of Love B (+) Like the opening, this song lists different things you could measure a year in. The options in this track somehow show how they've matured together over the year, and show the passage of time. Seasons of Love B is much shorter than A, at just over a minute long. It's therefore not quite long enough to really get into, and it seems its over as soon as it's begun. In the DVD version, there is a montage of clips from Mark's video during this track.
This is the second point where a lot of dialogue is missing from the soundtrack CD. It does limit your understanding of the next songs, but only slightly. The main things are that Mark gets a job at TV company, and Joanne demands commitment from Maureen after she's fed up with the random flirting. This is quite a corny scene in the movie!
19. Take Me or Leave Me (+++ my favorite overall) On the day of Maureen and Joanne's commitment to each other, Joanne catches Maureen flirting with another woman and they fight about it, each saying just take me as I am, with all my flaws, or leave me! They each end up storming out in different directions. I like this fight; I think there's a lot of Maureen in me and I like the points they bring up as 'take me for what I am, who I was meant to be', that doesn't seem to be something you hear often in today's society.
20. Without You (+++) Mimi sings about how life around her continues on, but she can't continue without Roger. (Between tracks 19 and 20 they had a fight and separated). In the DVD version you see both Mimi and Angel starting to lose their battle with AIDS - Angel surrounded by friends and Mimi alone in the dark.
More dialogue here, and one great quote from Angel: I'm more of a man than you'll ever be, and more of a woman than you'll ever get.'
There is a big jump in time some point around here, as only two tracks earlier we were on New Years Eve for Seasons of Love B and now its Halloween.
21. I'll Cover You (Reprise) (+++ another favorite of mine) The intro starts with the same notes as Seasons of Love, and you think that he's about to sing that, but instead Collins sings a slightly different version of the song I'll Cover You he and Angel sang together earlier. The main change is the tempo - it slows down a lot and is jazzed up slightly. Jessie Martin really shows vocal talent here, managing to have a strong voice, and yet sound weak and upset at the same time. He also does some vocal acrobatics that are relatively impressive. The whole ensemble comes in at the end with a few lines of Seasons of Love while he continues with Cover You.
22. Halloween (+/-) This is another short one at 1min31 long. It's mostly Mark reflecting on how they got here (Halloween) from Christmas Eve last year. He asks a lot of 'why' questions, why did this happen etc. This song almost doesn't seem to fit into the story right here and I don't think it's on my copy of the DVD at all!
23. Goodbye Love (++) It seems to be the first time the group has been together in a while. Joanne and Maureen, and Mimi and Roger have the same fight simultaneously. Collins desperately begs them not to fight, not today. Today 'this family must die' as they are going in separate directions. On the album, this is the second longest track, at over 6 minutes, but on the DVD it has been cut out after 2 minutes. The 4minutes that were cut are the same tune to the previous track, Halloween, but with different words reflecting more on Angel, and then Mark, rather than the whole group. Its kind of strange that the scene was cut, as it does include one important line. In the 4 minutes that were removed we hear Mimi saying she wants to go to rehab. In the DVD we only hear that she drops out, not when she started going!
24. What You Own (-) This is the group now all split up. The DVD shows Roger driving off to Santa Fe and visiting various sites along the way, and Mark traveling around for work. Its mostly them singing, with a little bit of Collins too. After separating, Mark and Roger end up on the same roof top singing about not being alone anymore.
25. Finale A (--) Like at the beginning, the DVD voice over tells that we are on the exact same date and time, one year later. Only just over a minute long, Finale A is largely confessions between a very weak Mimi and Roger. I really hate Rosario Dawson's performance in this song, and Adam Pascal's too slightly. This song ruins the whole end of the album to an extent by being quite poor.
26. Your Eyes (+) This is the song that Roger has been working on all year. It's dedicated, and about, Mimi and her eyes, the way they've changed him. It does make up slightly for the song before it, but not much. Again Adam Pascal's performance leaves quite a lot to be desired. There is suitable emotion there, but it sounds entirely forced which is worse than nothing in my opinion. And the final line of a long drawn out 'Mimi' while hugging her is just too cheesy (and pathetic) for my liking.
27. Finale B (++) Twice as long as Finale A, the whole ensemble joins in this time. The chorus they sing is mostly the same as in Another Day that was sung earlier in the show. It also includes snippets of Will I and Without You in the background. On the DVD the video that Mark has been filming is shown behind the music and it fits with nicely it. The two previous weak tracks have been made up for and I come away from the end of the movie tracks feeling satisfied.
28. Love Heals (Bonus Track) (--) I don't particularly like this track and it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the music at all - it's too pop-y and jazzy. From what I can see, its only connection is that it is the cast singing, and that's it.
°°°Overall°°° There are a few very weak links in this album, and you lose a little from not having the movie dialogue, but it is still an enjoyable album that I can listen to over and over without getting bored. It's also an album that is very easy to find yourself absentmindedly singing along to! The ending of the soundtrack is quite weak, but some very strong songs in the beginning and middle make this up for before hand and there is an okay Finale B. I wouldn't even bother listening to the Bonus Track at all!
The story of RENT is very relevant to the world we live in today, and there aren't many people who can't connect to the story at all.
To completely understand the storyline, and the smaller themes running through the story, you would need to watch the DVD movie, but after that the soundtrack is sufficient for understanding. There are several musicals that I know all the songs to, but have never seen in show/movie so don't actually know what is going on a lot of the time. I think this is likely to be the same with RENT.
If I get the chance, I would one day love to see the stage show of RENT. The already powerful album would gain a whole new quality when being performed live in front of you.
