The songs go from the campy (Peter Gunn & Rawhide) to the dancable (Shake Your Tail Feathers) to the standard (Sweet Home Chicago & Minnie the Moocher). With a phenomenal backup band (The old Saturday Night Live orchestra) and some classic guest vocalists (Chaka Khan, James Brown and Ray Charles to name a few) it's a treat for the ears. Eleven songs pack both a variety and depth of fun music.

The only downside on the album is two missing songs. Some might expect Soul Man, which was perhaps Belushi & Akroyd's most famous tune. I personally missed John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Boom Boom, my favorite song and artist from the movie.

That said, the CD is great for those looking for a smiling memory of the movie or a wide pop introduction to the blues. I'm generally not one to review too many CDs, but this one warrants a good plug!


A CD Soundtrack that supports a cult classic   November 26, 2002
 20 out of 21 found this review helpful

Time has been kind to the original Blues Brothers film. Lambasted by critics, but embraced by SNL fans and R&B lovers. The musical comedy is one that I have never grown tired of, and I played out my original LP and CD to death. The remastered CD brought this music back to life.

It is a testament to the conviction of Jon Landis, and especially to Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, that they were able to re-immortalize Blues, R&B and Soul legends Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway and (on film only, unfortunately) John Lee Hooker, by introducing them to people who had no idea who they were, and reminding fans of the past how good these people were, and continued to be.

Aretha Franklin acknowledged she was grateful to them for re-vitalizing her career. It is a worthy testament. Every appearance by these greats is a show-stopping number, and for me a personal favorite of Jake & Elwood is Sweet Home Chicago, a nod to Blues legend Robert Johnson, who influenced so many with his short body of work.

Paul Schaeffer's musical direction is outstanding (He was unable to appear in the film due to his commmitment to Gilda Radner's stage show), and personally I believe he peaked here, becoming a parody of himself as bandleader for David Letterman.

Those who don't 'get' the album should really listen to the roots of what made the Blues Brothers happen - check out the Atlantic Rhythm & Blues CD set, and the Stax Records set to get an understanding of some of the more 'contemporary' influences that drove Ackroyd & Belushi to build the band and even use original Stax musicians Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn at the core of the band's rhythm section.

The Blues Brothers 2000 film may be a letdown to those who saw it, but the original (and its soundtrack) are tributes to hard driving soul and R&B, and one can't help but enjoy the musical journey.


Take it for what it is   September 26, 2003
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Some reviewers here (the ersatz blues/jazz/R&B/gospel 'purists') are taking this album waaaay too seriously. The boys in blue -- and remember, they are/were comedians first and foremost -- are celebrating the great musical traditions found on this soundtrack with the utmost respect, not trying to compete with them. The fact that the theme from "Rawhide" should clue in the most pedantic blues critic that this is all in fun. Take it as such, and it's a great repeatable soundtrack.


Shake it, Baby!   May 21, 2005
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

More than half of the immense cult appeal that the Blues Brothers have comes from its amazing, once in a lifetime soundtrack. How can anyone say that this is not a real blues album? Sure, the Blues Brothers were first and foremost a comedy act (spawned like so many others by Saturday Night Live) but the blues was deep in their souls. It's clear from their performances of 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Sweet Home Chicago' and 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love' just how talented and soulful a vocalist the late great John Belushi was - as talented as a singer as he was as a comedian. Not to mention the fact that the Blues Brothers were backed by a group of some of the best, most celebrated session musicians of the time, including Donald 'Duck' Dunn and Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, among others.

And if that's not enough - if you're so much of a purist that you're still not convinced - where else do you get James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway - four among the true gods of blues, R&B and soul - on one album? All of their performances on this soundtrack are truly classics. James Brown does classic gospel with 'The Old Landmark', a powerhouse of a spiritual that will have you bouncin' and praisin' all over the place. Aretha, in one of the most famous performances, sings 'Think' and sends shivers down my spine. The Genius performs 'Shake a Tail Feather', an energetic and funky R&B classic that matches his greatest songs. And finally, the wonderful Mr. Calloway, in a rare performance shortly before his death, sings his signature song, Minnie the Moocher, and I'll be damned if it doesn't sound as good as he did nearly half a century before.

Still, mainstream, you say? Well, maybe it is, in a sense. It wouldn't be the first time for any of these artists. But even when Ray, Aretha and James were making softened up pop for white audiences they were still the best of the best, and this recording is no exception. With the instrumental power of the Blues Brothers Band behind them (also present on the classic recording of the Peter Gunn theme), they sound as good as ever, and so do Belushi and Aykroyd, comedians first but also two of the best damn white blues singers I've heard. Only one track, in fact, reminds us that this is actually a comedy, and that is of course the theme from Rawhide (the producers made the smart move of giving us only a small taste of the Brothers' performance at Bob's Country Bunker by excluding their version of 'Stand By Your Man'); had it been replaced by John Lee Hooker singing 'Boom Boom' (sadly missing from the CD) the album could have had a different name and then blues fans would have hailed it as the fantastic collection that it is. Even without Hooker, the soundtrack is still wonderful and a great purchase to any lover of blues, R&B, soul, funk or rock n' roll and to any fan of this classic movie. Highly recommended.