Various Artists - Ghost World [RSD]

As he did with Crumb, director Terry Zwigoff has created a soundtrack as eclectic and riveting as his movie subjects. The sounds of early jazz and blues play a crucial role in the events of Ghost World, and the music heard here is some of the best ever recorded. Skip James's classic "Devil Got My Woman" from 1931 may be the best-known work on this soundtrack, but it hardly steals the show. Three tracks from weird but riveting jazz-meets-calypso bandleader Lionel Belasco are included; the 70-year-old recordings are so original, they sound timeless. The same praise can be stated of film opener "Jaan Pehechaan Ho," a Bollywood rarity that has elements of surf music, funk, and garage rock. Of course, we also have to hear "Graduation Rap" and Blueshammer's "Pickin' Cotton Blues," two intentionally bad contemporary tracks that make the characters in the movie (and anyone listening to this soundtrack) feel out of place in today's pop culture. Zwigoff wisely fills out the disc with tracks from his personal 78 record collection, a mix of '20s and '30s string band and blues tunes that are seldom found in compilations (including great cuts by the Dallas String Band, Joe Calicott, and McGee Bros). The haunting "Theme from Ghost World," composed by David Kitay, finishes off this disc, perfectly capturing all the bittersweet moods found in the film.

TRACK LISTING: 

1. Jaan Pehechaan Ho by Mohammed Rafi 2. Graduation Rap by Vanilla, Jade And Ebony 3. Devil Got My Woman by Skip James 4. I Must Have It by Vince Giordano And The Nighthawks 5. Miranda by Lionel Belasco 6. Pickin' Cotton Blues by Blueshammer 7. Let's Go Riding by Mr. Freddie 8. Georgia On My Mind by Vince Giordano And The Nighthawks 9. Las Palmas De Maracaibo by Lionel Belasco 10. Clarice by Vince Giordano And The Nighthawks 11. Scalding Hot Coffee Rag by Craig Ventresco 12. You're Just My Type by Vince Giordano And The Nighthawks 13. Venezuela by Lionel Belasco 14. Fare Thee Well Blues by Joe Calicott 15. C.C. & O. Blues by Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley 16. C-h-i-c-k-e-n Spells Chicken by The McGee Brothers 17. That's No Way To Get Along by Robert Wilkins 18. So Tired by Dallas String Band 19. Bye Bye Baby Blues by Little Hat Jones 20. Theme From Ghost World by David Kitay