Charlie's Angels Soundtrack

The Charlie's Angels soundtrack is as fun loving and action packed as the movie. The CD, like girls, just wants to have fun. And there's nothing wrong with that.

For the Gen Y youngster interested in this soundtrack mostly for the Destiny's Child video single "Independent Woman (Part 1)," the CD will also offer exposure to some great pop music that was enjoying heavy rotation while they were busily soiling diapers.

For the Gen Xers who saw the film for the nostalgia value, the disc offers up some great old radio hits from the Charlie's Angels TV show era -- mostly one-hit wonders from those days.

The fifteen tracks here are a varied lot, falling into one of three categories: 1) party/novelty tunes from the late 70s-early 80s, 2) dance songs from the early '90s, and 3) brand new songs from modern artists known and unknown.

The retro nuggets are either timeless treasures or guilty pleasures. Treasures include the soulful dance-groove classic "Got To Give It Up (Part 1)" from Marvin Gaye. This keyboard and bass-driven party tune from '77 is sticky with pure Soul, and Gaye's laid-back, falsetto vocals are untouchably cool. There's also "True," the romantic 1981 ballad from England's Spandau Ballet. The songs brilliant tell-tale hook has been sampled by the likes of P.M. Dawn on their 1991 hit "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss." The "guilty pleasures" from the Carter-Reagan era include enough cheese to make an off-the-hook party dip: Tavares' "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel," Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," The Vapors' "Turning Japanese," the Looking Glasss "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", and the junior high sleep-over classic, "Barracuda," from Heart.

For good measure, the soundtrack hedges its bets with some super strong '90s dance tracks, including the infectious "Groove Is In The Heart," from Dee-Lite, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot's hilarious ode to maximum Gluteus Maximus, "Baby Got Back."

But wait, there's more! (Now how much would you pay?) The soundtrack also boasts excellent new music from artists you know and artists you don't yet know.

Aerosmith fans will be thrilled to learn that their band tosses aside the Dianne Warren-penned power ballads of late, to rock out for real, careening recklessly with the melodic yet thrashing "Angel's Eye," written by the boys in the band. Of course, there's also the R&B single "Independent Woman (Part 1)" ("Charlie, how your Angels get down like that?") from the chart-topping vocal trio Destiny's Child. A second offering from Destiny's Child, "Dot," will also be of interest to fans.

Another great new track comes from Fatboy Slim. His "Ya Mama" is a noisy, driving, dance number ("Push the tempo . . . Push the tempo . . . Push the tempo . . . ") utilizing an array of obscure samples and electronic colors, along with a dose of heavy rock guitar. There's also a hyper techno-dance re-working of the famous Charlie's Angels' theme song put together by Apollo Four Forty. It brings the bass, raises the beats per minute, and transfers the theme's lead melody from strings to synthesizer.

Finally, the album closes with a fantastic offering from a new alternative rock band, Caviar, whose debut release has received more critical acclaim than commercial success. Their welcome contribution here is the quirky, bossa-nova-inflected, head-banging lounge rocker, "Tangerine Speedo."

The Charlie's Angels soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to the silly, high-energy movie, and also to your next assignment from Charlie.

By Todd Spencer