Gonzo: Music from the Film (EXPLICIT) (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Soundtracks  »  General/Soundtrack
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: November 18, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Legacy Recordings
• UPC: 886974048121
• WAPI (Tower ID): 112503552
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #28214 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #1462 in Soundtracks (See Top 100 Soundtracks Bestsellers)
• #1378 in General/Soundtrack (See Top 100 General/Soundtrack Bestsellers)

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Released as a five-disc set boasting over 100 tracks of audio recordings from Duke's vault, taken specifically between the years 1965 and 1975, The Gonzo Tapes: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is an extensive listen: extensive, but exhaustive in every sense of the word. While Thompson was on his assignments, whether it was on location for Rolling Stone or during a phone call with his editor, he documented everything; muttering thoughts onto cassettes haphazardly as his pill-propelled mind raced, before coming down to earth and typing his notes into fully realized stories. Thompson was an obsessive archivist and the basis for all of his written works was his tape recorder. Having a key to this vault and a chance to hear all these original tapes should be, in theory, a dream come true for his fans. It seems like a no fail. Here we have a raw voyeuristic look into the mind of a genius writer. Unfortunately, because the content at hand is so completely indecipherable, the collection falls way short of expectations. If it wasn't already hard to understand Hunter's speedy and sporadic lock-jawed ramblings in live interviews, the excessive background noise (air ducts, cover bands, outside conversations, howling Hell's Angels, Andrew Lloyd Webber albums, his lawyer's pan flute) makes his slur even more difficult to understand, as do the random mic bumps and variety of recorder settings (the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt is one, the sink of a bathroom while he showers is another). Even with a solid, 42-page booklet of notes, diehards will have a tough time determining exactly what is taking place, leaving one to wonder if this content should have only been pulled from its basement resting place for its original purpose of supporting the film documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and then laid to rest. Museum curators will get a kick out the historical value (especially the two and a half hours of material that would ultimately make up Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), aspiring writers will find his technique of getting ideas to print inspirational, but casual listeners will find it frustrating trying to decipher the babble from the static. ~ Jason Lymangrover

It's fair to assume that Hunter S. Thompson's medicine cabinet sparked the fire for his journalistic style, but a lesser-known fact is that music motivated his writings just as much, if not more. John Prine's "Samstone" was spun countless times on his turntable as he furiously pounded "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" out on his typewriter, Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow was on heavy repeat while drafting "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", and James Booker's "Gonzo" not only fueled the momentum of "Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga", but it was the original source for the term used to define Thompson's New Journalism writing style. Even more notable than the chance to peek at the ingredients used to concoct Thompson's creative juices (a smidge of Bob Dylan here, a splash of Warren Zevon there), is the rare opportunity to hear the one and only song that he penned himself. "Weird and Twisted Nights" was co-written with his illustrating partner in crime Ralph Steadman, and, despite its lacking fidelity, it is a downright wonderful pop gem; one that circus-mirrors an LSD-fueled sea shantey and effortlessly brings together the reckless abandon of Dr. John and the trippy weirdness of Tomorrow's psych nugget "My White Bicycle." Many of the songs on Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Music from the Film seem especially fitting for analyzing the pretty colors of Haight Ashbury, but instead of merely piling on bender-influenced songs of the '60s, there are a number of straight forward, mellow ballads that Thompson used to soothe his soul while coming down. Lyle Lovett's "If I had a Boat" and Jo Stafford's "Haunted Heart" don't immediately bring to mind the madcap depravity often associated with Thompson, but make sense when remembering that Thompson spent much of his down time relaxing in a hammock on Owl Farm. Encapsulated with Californian peace power staples by his personal favorites the Youngbloods and Jefferson Airplane, story-driven narratives "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Send Lawyers, Guns and Money,", and the obvious ganja-referencing inclusions "Tambourine Man" and "One Toke Over the Line", the album becomes a fascinating porthole to Hunter's essence, excellently pieced together. Snippets from cassette-taped rough drafts (featured in full on the overly bloated box set The Gonzo Tapes) and soundboard clips of Johnny Depp reading Thompson's works tie everything together neatly in a tidy package that pays perfect tribute to the one of a kind icon. An insightful photo-filled 40-page booklet with notes written by Depp is icing on the cake. ~ Jason Lymangrover

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