Rent [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] by Original Soundtrack

Jonathan Larson really created a masterpiece when he wrote all of the songs for the musical Rent back in the early 90's. Chris Columbus took all of his music to present the story in a motion picture format that came out recently (Fall 2005). The music is nearly identical to that written by Larson (with a few words changed here and there), and this two-disc set is a way to show off those 28 tracks that were sung by the movie cast. A few of the songs didn't make it into the movie itself, because he was worried about pacing and the rating that the film could be pushed to because of the content of one, but they all make it on to the 2-CD movie soundtrack. For the film, there was actually a "movie inspired soundtrack" that had tracks that were felt to be the most popular, but I think that if you are a fan of the film, you need to avoid that one, and instead go for the 2-disc set. That way you get all of the songs in their original film presentation, along with a few bonus tracks thrown in for our enjoyment. This one was less "inspired", because it was actually created before the movie was filmed.

As I said, there are 28 tracks on the CD's, split 14 to each one of the discs. They are actually also listed in chronological order from the film, so if you are listening to them in order, it is almost like watching the film all over again. It is really a nice method in my opinion, because after seeing the film you know what is going to come next, and can look forward to particular songs before they even play. From the moment I saw the film, I knew that I was going to want to own the Soundtrack, because I fell in love with a lot of the songs that helped create a great story. There is a debate about whether the film actually does justice to the highly successful Broadway stage interpretation of the film, but there is no mistake that this is some great music for the ears. The best part about getting the songs on CD is that you can repeat a few tracks and memorize the songs that end up being your favorites.

The cast of the movie sing all of the lyrics to the 28 tracks, and they actually recorded all of the music before the film was shot. I am guessing that this was done in an effort to get everyone into their characters, and to set the stage for how each song would be interpreted on the screen. Some of the actors are more talented than others (like Rosario Dawson and Anthony Rapp in my opinion), and they are all fun to listen to. Six of the main characters were all played on stage by their respective actors, so the film also tries to stay true to its characters by doing just that. I think it serves a really good purpose to have the actors singing their own parts because it is more authentic in the final presentation, and helps to add to my personal enjoyment of the movie. So, if I know that they are all singing their parts, I can get lost in the story even quicker.

The presentations of the songs are done by many of the same actors that sang them live on Broadway, so there is a lot of authenticity to their lyrics in this fashion. All of the parts are done quite well in my opinion, and the songs really bring out a lot of emotional tones to the words/lyrics being used. With songs like Take Me or Leave Me, you get to hear what the characters are feeling as they move from jovial barbs, to ultimately singing that the last straw has been broken. Each of the songs has its own range of emotion, and a lot of that is due to the pacing of the musical notes, and accentuation of some of the words being sung. It is interesting how well some of the songs can build up, and as they do so it fills you with unique energy that gives the songs momentum. This translates to one song flowing well into the next one, and because the CD is parallel to the story on screen, you can follow the story in your own imagination just by listening to what they are singing. The actors all do a great job of singing their parts, which should go without saying, because they are singing parts that most of them have done for years on Broadway.

Jonathan Larson wrote the book, all of the music, and the lyrics himself, and the double CD does a great job of showing off everything that he has done. There is an extensive pamphlet that comes with the CD, and serves as a lyrical guide to all 28 tracks on the CD's. The songs are laid out with the entire lyrics, and it denotes which lines each of the characters has in the film. This is a really cool thing in my opinion, because you can choose to follow along with the pamphlet while you read, or you can choose to look up something that one of the characters said but didn't quite register as you were watching (or listening). I have always liked when CD's include lyrics, and it makes owning it more worth-while when you can open up the booklet and see exactly what you are hearing. The songs also include information on who is playing the instruments within each song, who the producers were, and of course where it was recorded.

The Rent Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was a great Christmas present, in that it isn't all that easy to find. It is easier to find the film-inspired single disc release, and it may take a little effort to find the 2-disc set, but I think it is well worth it. Being able to have the movie soundtrack recorded in the same order that the songs were presented in the film adds a lot to the continuity of the discs, and makes listening to the soundtrack a really great experience. If you are a fan of anything to do with Rent, then this is a really good purchase, and I think that it does a great job of bringing the story to all of our homes and CD players. My personal favorite from all of the tracks is Another Day, with Without You being a close second. But, I enjoy listening to just about all of the tracks repeatedly, and I highly recommend picking up the soundtrack yourself if you have enjoyed the story of Rent.


DISC 1:

1. Seasons Of Love
2. Rent
3. You'll See
4. One Song Glory
5. Light My Candle
6. Today 4 U
7. Tango: Maureen
8. Life Support
9. Out Tonight
10. Another Day
11. Will I
12. Santa Fe
13. I'll Cover You
14. Over The Moon


DISC 2:

1. La Vie Boheme
2. I Should Tell You
3. La Vie Boheme B
4. Seasons Of Love B
5. Take Me Or Leave Me
6. Without You
7. I'll Cover You - (Reprise)
8. Halloween
9. Goodbye Love
10. What You Own
11. Finale A
12. Your Eyes
13. Finale B
14. Love Heals