* * * * (4 out of 5 stars)
Musically Holds Up Better Than Rocky
Due to the sheer nature of -why- this album exists it will always be rated against the soundtrack to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, it is nearly impossible to separate Rocky the Score from Rocky the Phenomenon. If an attempt is made to independently view the scores to both, Shock Treatment comes ahead as the more fully realized and compelling work.
First off, this album has a number of real gems that transcend just the film. “Bitchin’ In the Kitchen,” for instance, comes across as an early-Tubes song, replete with the lost-in-suburbia feel of that band’s first album. Backed up with a light and percolating arrangement, this song comes across as a creepy assessment of suburban life–perhaps the point of the film.
This is followed with the excellent “In My Own Way.” Jessica Harper’s voice is excellent on this track, the muted production maintaining the plastic-y feel of the movie to good effect.
One of the highlights of the album is “Farley’s Song.” Surprisingly powerful, Cliff de Young’s vocals are both menacing and slick at the same time. The chorus uses what was happening in the punk movement at the same time as using slick production to subtly reveal the menace of powerful corporate types.
The other track of note is “Lullaby,” a surprisingly sweet, yet still twisted tune. Personally, I play this song on the banjo all the time–it works great in that context. Basically, I love this song.
A few tracks don’t quite work (“Me of Me”, “Looking for Trade”), but some of the other songs are ebullient while still backed up with the seedy feel of the best on this album (“Little Black Dress”, “Duel Duet”).
So, this album deserves more attention than it has gotten–the songs are, for the most part, terrific. Additionally, they successfully did what a lot of artists at the time were trying to do (e.g., Steely Dan, Devo); Recontextualizing known music forms to illustrate a sinister world. Heck, if you like the way the song Blue Velvet was used in Lynch’s film of the same name, you may love this soundtrack.