Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me – Review

Austin Powers

The Spy Who Shagged Me (Maverick)
by Scott Hefflon

Word has it, as Mike Myers took The Spy Who Shagged Me to the next level, so did the people who put together this soundtrack. And while, even as a huge Austin Powers fan, I haven’t seen the movie cuz ya can’t smoke in most theaters, I have faith Myers lived up to his end of the deal. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is mostly a disappointment. “Taking it to the next level” evidently translates to having household names contribute songs whether they have anything to do with the film or not. And unlike the first soundtrack, which was so hip and fitting, this is just another loser soundtrack filled with pop stars playing songs your parents’ve heard, your older brother with lousy music taste likes, and yer ten year old cousin is already pleading to get for Christmas. In other words, it has nothing to do with the zany, quirkily retro, clever and borderline fuck-all spirit of the original, and in theory, the independent stance of the ’60s generation the movie is supposed to represent. This, as they say, is the big sell-out.

Madonna pumps out a hit (like that’s a surprise), and while the song’s OK, it has no place here. The Who contribute a gritty, BBC version of “My Generation” which, while a tired rebel anthem, sounds pretty good in present company. R.E.M. cover Tommy James’ “Draggin’ the Line,” and it’s the first song by the whiney poppers that I haven’t leapt across the room to shut off. Lenny Kravitz covers The Guess Who’s “American Woman,” a song that’s been covered by every shit bar band since it was a hit, and while the first half is pretty rockin’ and soulful, it falters and sucks itself off toward the end. Melanie G (aka Scary Spice) covers Cameo’s “Word Up” in bubbly pop style, the musical equivalent of girlish lip gloss. Dr. Evil sings the classic “Just the Two of Us” as adapted by Will Smith, so you know it’s funny and cheesy. Green Day offer the best surprise by getting all thick and groovy spy instrumental with horns and not an inkling of the jumpy punk they’re famous for. Big Blue Missile (with Scott Weiland) cover The Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” letting us know psychedelic acid wash was better before technology evolved and the quality of drugs declined. And head Stone Temple Pilot (“headstone,” get it?) stopped being intriguing a long time ago. The Flaming Lips provide the bass-heavy “Buggin’,” a good rock song for this or any other era, and The Lucy Nation (a new band signed to Maverick) have no place being pushed here whatsoever. Closing tracks by Burt Bacharach & Elvis Costello doing “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and the requisite sample-littered go-go in the form of Quincy Jones and Orchestra‘s “Soul Bossa Nova (Dim’s Space-A-Nova)” are cute, but ultimately a letdown.

So the whole soundtrack is one of those (I guess) necessary merchandising items that accompanies most films, but seeing as the movie is distinctive and’ll stand up years from now as a comedy classic (not bad for an over-hyped and potentially watered-down sequel), this soundtrack will barely get me $3 tomorrow at a used CD store.