By Jim Shea

It felt like yesterday that the film The Crow was the cool thing to watch. Ten years ago, this stylish flick starring the late Brandon Lee targeted the teenage crowd, and the soundtrack that went along with it was definitely a hot seller. While artists like Jane Siberry and Machines of Loving Grace won’t be known by the common music listener, bands like The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Pantera, Violent Femmes, and Rage Against The Machine are easily recognizable. In fact, it’s those popular artists that have the best tracks.

To top things off, The Cure’s “Burn” has to be one of The Cure’s best singles, which is evident throughout the entire song. “Burn” definitely has a classic Cure feel to it with the acoustic guitars and Robert Smith crooning away. Another track worth mentioning on The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the Stone Temple Pilots’ song, “The Big Empty.” Once again, this has to be one of Stone Temple Pilots’ best songs and with both “Burn” and “The Big Empty,” they may possibly be worth the purchase themselves.

On the down side, The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is littered with artists that people won’t care about these days. If there’s a band or artist you never heard about, then just don’t listen to it. (Though My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult is worth checking out if you’re a big fan of KMFDM or Sister Machine Gun.)

Another unfortunate waste of space is Rollins Band’s “Ghostrider.” Sorry Mr. Rollins, but this song felt like it was on a loop and it just doesn’t cut it. Even the most faithful toward Rollins will hate this song.With the songs ranging from acoustic alternative to metal, The Crow Soundtrack has its best picks with tracks like “The Badge,” “The Big Empty” and “Darkness,” but tracks such as “Ghostrider” and “Snakedriver” won’t impress a lot of listeners.