The good, the bad, and the Toadies

Here's the at-a-glance lowdown on some of the latest soundtracks:

Phenomenon (Reprise). Hammy collection assembled by the Band's Robbie Robertson, who ought to know better. Good stuff: Marvin Gaye's "Piece of Clay" -- and anyone sappy enough to buy the album after seeing the movie will be pleased with nuevo-folk chick Jewel's version of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me." Bad stuff: Eric Clapton and Babyface's "Change the World"; Peter Gabriel's recycled "I Have the Touch" (note to Peter: no you don't); Aaron Neville and Robbie Robertson's version of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love."

The Cable Guy (Work/Sony). Alternative round-up proves that even an idiot like Jim Carrey could program MTV if he had to. Good stuff: Solo debut by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, "Leave Me Alone"; Primitive Radio Gods' phone-booth song; Jim Carrey's version of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love," wherein he sounds just a little bit like Jello Biafra. Bad stuff: Porno for Pyros' "Satellite of Love" (with space cadet Perry Farrell at the helm, it's entirely possible this dud is an in-character tribute to that refuge of bad sci-fi cinema, Mystery Science Theater 3000). Toadies watch: "Unattractive." These guys are a testament to the marketing principle that if you can't be good, be visible.

Harriet the Spy (Castle). What, no Rosie O'Donnell track? Good stuff: Jill Sobule's "The Secretive Life." Bad stuff: James Brown's "Get Up offa That Thing." That's bad as in good.

Heavy (TVT Soundtracks). Good stuff: Thurston Moore's score; Evan Dando's solo version of Gram Parsons's "How Much I've Lied"; Rosie Flores's "Boxcars." Bad stuff: Freedy Johnston's "California Thing."

The Nutty Professor (Def Jam). Good stuff: Montell Jordan and Slick Rick on "I Like"; Trigger the Gambler featuring Smoothe Da Hustler and D.V. Alias Khrist for "My Crew Can't Go for That," which gets bonus points for sampling Hall & Oates; 12 O'Clock featuring Raekwon's "Nasty Immigrants." Bad stuff: "Doin' It Again" by L.L. Cool J (believe me, he ain't).

Mission: Impossible (Island). Fifteen songs on the disc, only five in the movie. Which is a shame, because between Björk and Massive Attack, someone coulda taught Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen a thing or two about dance music. Good stuff: Massive Attack's "Spying Glass"; Björk's "Headphones"; Skunk Anansie's "Weak." Bad stuff: Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton's "Theme from Mission: Impossible." Destined for a Rhino "Kitsch Pop of the '90s" collection, this one's gonna need to ferment for a while before anyone realizes what a truly bad song it is.

Sunset Park (Flavor Unit/EastWest). Good stuff: Ghostface Killer featuring Raekwon on "Motherless Children"; MC Lyte featuring Xscape's "Keep On Keepin' On"; Tha Dog Pound's "Just Doggin'." Bad stuff: Onyx's "Thangz Changed."

The Crow: City of Angels (Miramax/Hollywood). Sequel to the double-platinum-selling The Crow, this is the kind of big-name marquee attraction labels would love to see their new bands -- like Pet, the first signee to Tori Amos's new Igloo Records imprint -- on. Good stuff: Hole's version of Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman"; White Zombie, in techno-funk mode, covering KC & the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogieman"; PJ Harvey's "Naked Cousin"; Bush's Joy Division cover, "In a Lonely Place"; and Iggy Pop covering his own "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Bad stuff: Linda Perry and Grace Slick's "Knock Me Out" (it's a sad state of affairs when Jim Carrey does Grace Slick better than Grace can); Seven Mary Three's "Shelf Life." Toadies watch: "Paper Dress."

Stealing Beauty (Capitol). The yuppie soundtrack of the summer -- Portishead segues into Axiom Funk, Billie Holiday segues into Mazzy Star, that sort of thing. Good stuff: Hoover (not the defunct Dischord band but a trip-hop act with great scuzzy guitar licks) doing "2 Wicky"; Liz Phair's new "Rocket Boy"; "I'll Be Seeing You" by Billie Holiday. Bad stuff: Cocteau Twins' "Alice"; Sam Phillips (T-Bone Burnett's wife, not the Sun Records producer) doing "I Need Love."

Basquiat (Island). An excuse to drag out all the suffering-artist clichés, now that drugs and suicide seem almost classical in their elegance. Predictable entries by Joy Division, Public Image Ltd., Tom Waits, David Bowie, the Pogues. Good stuff: PJ Harvey's version of the Peggy Lee standard "Is That All There Is?"; Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel with "White Lines"; Them featuring Van Morrison doing "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." Bad stuff: Tripping Daisy's PiL cover, "Rise"; John Cale's Leonard Cohen cover, "Hallelujah." Toadies watch: their David Byrne cover, "I'm Not in Love."

Escape from LA (Lava/Atlantic). Damn good industrial/metal/hardcore sampler, including surprisingly strong efforts from people you'd usually write off as lousy and derivative. Plus an early Tool song that totally rocks. Good stuff: Stabbing Westward (no, really, it's good), with "Dawn"; the Deftones' "Can't Even Breathe"; Sexpod (think Tool meet Hole) with "Foot on the Gas"; White Zombie, in ultra-techno mode, doing "The One" (not the Tracy Bonham song); the Butthole Surfers' "Pottery." Bad stuff: Clutch's "Escape from the Prison Planet," which is not so much bad as just plain funny; Ministry's "Paisley," a blatant Slayer ripoff and their most boring straight heavy-metal track to date. Toadies watch: "Get Me Out."

Lone Star (Daring/Rounder). All previously recorded, and all damn fine. Good stuff: Little Walter's "Boogie"; Little Willie John's "You Hurt Me"; Lucinda Williams's "The Night's Too Long"; Lydia Mendoza's "Jurame." Bad stuff: none.

Striptease (EMI). An oldies package looking to capitalize on '80s kitsch. It could have been worse -- in a rare fit of mercy, Annie Lennox prevailed upon the producers not to include in the soundtrack all the half-dozen songs by her that appear in the movie. Strangely alluring, but that might just be all the nipple showing in the liner notes. Good stuff: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold of Me." But like the rest of this junk, if you dig it, you already got it. Bad stuff: Blondie's "The Tide Is High"; Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car"; Billy Idol's "Mony Mony"; others too numerous to mention.

Twister (Warner Brothers). Will probably be remembered as the last recorded output of Van Halen with Sammy Hagar, and perhaps -- if the rumors are true -- the last recorded output of Belly. Good stuff: Soul Asylum with an eerily Hüsker-Dü-ish "Miss This"; Belly's sublimely melodic "Broken"; a remixed version of Goo Goo Dolls' "Long Way Down." (What, no "Take Me Out to the Funnel Cloud"?) Bad stuff: Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Melancholy Mechanics" (sample lyric: "It's raining in my cranium/My head feels like a stadium"); Rusted Root's "Virtual Reality"; k.d. lang's version of "Love Affair" (that's music by Ennio Morricone, mind you), here voted most likely to end up in a future Incredible Strange Music volume.

Foxfire (Nettwerk). Soundtrack to the movie, which is based on a book by Joyce Carol Oates about '50s girl gangs. Mostly recycled stuff that might've looked current about a year or two ago. Good stuff: L7's "Shirley," from their last album; the Cramps' "Let's Get Fucked Up," from their last album; Luscious Jackson's "Energy Sucker"; Kristin Hersh with a strings version of "Me and My Charms." Bad stuff: Candlebox's "You"; Shampoo's "Trouble"; Papa Brittle's "Stress Killer on the Loose."

Trainspotting (Capitol). Good stuff: Primal Scream's "Trainspotting"; Underworld's "Born Slippy"; plus old stuff from Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Bad Stuff: Elastica's "2:1"; Blur's "Sing"; Pulp's "Mile End." Yawn.

-- CC