SOME KIND OF WONDERF - CD

Personnel: Ronan Heenan (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Greg Whelan, Timothy Whelan (vocals, guitar, piano); Peter "Pops" Walsh, Nick Marsh , Pete Shelley, Stephen Duffy, William Reid, Jim Reid (vocals, guitar); Alison Marr (vocals, pennywhistle); Kevin Mills (vocals, background vocals); James Irvin, David Joyner, Linda Hall, Sally Still (vocals); Rocco Barker (guitar, background vocals); Tom Ashton (guitar); Judy Anderson (piano); Maya Gilder (organ, keyboards); Paul Mansfield, Aiden McCrorey (keyboards); Hamilton Lee (drums, percussion); James Mitchell , James J. Mitchell, Andy Tolson, Geoff Lincoln, Nick Allum (drums); Claire Kenny (tambourine, background vocals); Simon Ryan (percussion). Audio Remixers: David Jacob; Tom Lord-Alge. Editor: Bud Smith. Unknown Contributor Roles: Flesh for Lulu; Blue Room; Furniture; The Jesus and Mary Chain; Lick the Tins; March Violets; Pete Shelley; Stephen Duffy; The Apartments. No other popular filmmaker in the '80s exhibited a thirst for new wave more than John Hughes. The soundtrack for Hughes' Pretty in Pink exposed such college-radio heroes as New Order, the Psychedelic Furs, the Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen to the Top 40 crowd. Consider the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack as its even hipper sequel. While the Pretty in Pink soundtrack assembled new wave artists with substantial cult followings, Some Kind of Wonderful digs deeper in the import section; names like Blue Room, Lick the Tins, and the Apartments are probably unfamiliar to the most hardcore of new wave enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the songs are accessible and catchy, as if they were ripped from an underground pop station's nightly countdown. The wounded emotions in Blue Room's piano ballad "Cry Like This" simmer with palpable teen angst; Flesh for Lulu's "I Go Crazy" is high-spirited synth pop with glam rock guitars; and Furniture's brooding "Brilliant Mind" reflects the icy detachment of adolescent depression. The March Violets also transform the Rolling Stones' "Miss Amanda Jones" into a new wave singalong, while the Apartments sneak coy indie pop onto a major label. Lick the Tins' remake of "Can't Help Falling in Love" encapsulates the innocence of teen love with its little-girl vocals. The Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack offers minor-leaguers an opportunity to play for the masses, and each one scores a home run. ~ Michael Sutton