While I take exception to the argument I occasionally see that the soundtrack is better than the film (usually from the "derrrrr Tarantino isn't realistic enough derrrrr I expect gritty realism and seriousness from a guy who called a movie 'Kill Bill'" crowd), this succeeds for similar reasons as the movie does - it's a kickin' compendium of yesterday's kitsch allowed to function both as kitsch and evidence of how much ass Tarantino kicks. From proto-disco to surf rock, from early rock to Tin Pan Alley, it's a fun, eclectic ride that becomes amazing if you imagine the scenes from the movie playing as the songs go - the Twist sequence backed by "You Never Can Tell,' the radio-flipping "Miserlou"/"Jungle Boogie" scene, the arrival of Uma Thurman predicted by "Son of a Preacher Man," the freshly strung out Vincent driving around like he owns the place while "Bullwinkle Part II" plays, and of course the Gimp sequence that "Comanche" calls to mind... you don't need the provided dialog snippets to feel the film here, but it sure helps. Within this context, it really doesn't matter that aside from the first three songs, "Comanche," "Bullwinkle pt. II," and maybe "Son of a Preacher Man" if I'm in the mood for that sort of song, none of these are particularly great - the fact that I now associate each and every song on this album with the corresponding moments from the film even when I hear these songs outside of the "Pulp Fiction soundtrack" context is basically all I need to know. The moral? Tarantino's a brilliant filmmaker, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise.
By: Finerlanu