VARIOUS ARTISTS”Boogie Nights” soundtrackCapitol* *The remarkable thing...

VARIOUS ARTISTS

“Boogie Nights” soundtrack

Capitol

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The remarkable thing about the parade of Top 40 hits that runs through Paul Thomas Anderson’s frequently engrossing film about a cadre of porno filmmakers in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s is how well the records mirror the sensibilities of the characters in the movie.

Whether disco, funk, rock or ear-candy pop, the hits--from Melanie’s “Brand New Key” to the Commodores’ “Machine Gun” to ELO’s “Livin’ Thing”--are universally catchy, but rarely reflective. The only song in the soundtrack that asserts a sense of introspection or depth is the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.”

While that focus works well in the film, it becomes a limitation once these songs are separated from the story. On its own, “Boogie Nights” is simply a standard ‘70s-’80s retrospective, so you should check its contents against rival packages in the oldies bin to see what will best trigger the memories you want stirred.

The album’s producers could have better captured the feel of the film by including more of the dialogue, a la the albums from “Pulp Fiction” and “Natural Born Killers.” The collection starts off in this direction with an amusing recording-session scene from the film, but then allows the movie’s personality to be neutralized.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).