Compilation Blues: Judgment Night - Music from the Motion Picture · Apr 5, 09:18 AM by Don
“Compilation Blues” is a newer feature here on Timedoor. I use it to show off the highlights (or maybe the fun lowlights) of whatever compilation is blowing my hair back that day. It’s named for the howling Sonic Youth song that appears on the 1994 compilation, DGC Rarities Vol. 1.
On a recent trip to Chicago, trolling thrift stores for cheap used CD’s, I came across the soundtrack for the forgettable movie, Judgment Night. Though hardly good, the Sonic Youth completist in me felt that paying a buck to get the band’s collaboration with Cypress Hill, “I Love You Mary Jane” (not-so-curiously absent from the band’s recent odds/sodds comp, The Destroyed Room) was worth it. Below is a review I wrote for the UWM Post in September 1993.
Inspired by the success of previous rap/rock hybrids such as Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy and Anthrax, comes the soundtrack to the movie, Judgment Night. The rap/rock gimmick makes sense. The happenstance urban adventures of a multicultural band of young men, portrayed by Emilo Estevez and Cuba Gooding, Jr. among others, should be accompanied by multicultural music. Working such an angle over 11 songs, though proves hit-or-miss.
I bet Helmet and House of Pain didn’t even meet during the creation of “Just Another Victim.” Helmet slam out a rote riff workout and Page Hamilton screams a lot for a couple minutes while House of Pain raps during the last half of the song. “Freak Momma,” by Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot, on the other hand, sounds as if the two parties have known each other forever (all involved do live in Seattle), but just never thought of collaborating until this year. Mudhoney’s trashy guitars and Mix-A-Lot’s commanding voice make a great pair. The song actually sounds like the guys had fun, and weren’t simply doing their record companies a favor by appearing on this “cool” album. The only other real standout is “Come and Die,” by Therapy? and Fatal, a blaring and gloriously negative number that suggests the two should work together in the future.
Other pairings include Slayer and Ice-T, Biohazard and Onyx, and Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. This soundtrack, though interesting in concept, proves to be an uneven offering. It is a novelty, not a harbinger of music innovation.
Track Listing:
1. “Just Another Victim” – Helmet & House of Pain
2. “Fallin’” – Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul
3. “Me, Myself, & My Microphone” – Living Colour & Run-D.M.C.
4. “Judgment Night” – Biohazard & Onyx
5. “Disorder” – Slayer & Ice-T (Medley of 3 Exploited songs: “War”, “UK ’82”, and “Disorder”)
6. “Another Body Murdered” – Faith No More & Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
7. “I Love You Mary Jane” – Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill
8. “Freak Momma” – Mudhoney & Sir Mix-A-Lot
9. “Missing Link” – Dinosaur Jr & Del tha Funkee Homosapien
10. “Come And Die” – Therapy? & Fatal
11. “Real Thing” – Pearl Jam & Cypress Hill
Thinking about this ’93 collection now, I can say that, though not great by any stretch, it is more listenable than most of the rap rock that became popular before the end of the ’90s. I want to clarify my thoughts on the Therapy?/Fatal song, “Come and Die.” Listening to it today, I can’t say I like the song. I didn’t even like it in 1993. Having said that, I still think it is the most organic product of the pairings on the album. One other song rivals the Therapy?/Fatal collaboration, the Exploited medley by Slayer and Ice-T. One reason it may be successful is because it drops one half of the equation (in this case, rap); the Ice-T here is the hard-rockin’ Ice-T of Body Count and not his more popular rap persona.
mp3: Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill – I Love You Mary Jane :: from Judgment Night – Music from the Motion Picture (1993)
mp3: Mudhoney & Sir Mix-A-Lot – Freak Momma :: from Judgment Night – Music from the Motion Picture (1993)
mp3: Therapy? & Fatal – Come and Die :: from Judgment Night – Music from the Motion Picture (1993)
mp3: Slayer & Ice-T – Disorder :: from Judgment Night – Music from the Motion Picture (1993)
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Songs in the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 format are offered for a limited time only. Songs that are no longer downloadable can be streamed at the Timedoor page at Hype Machine. Dead mp3 links take you to the top of page one.
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