THE
WIRE: BEYOND HAMSTERDAM TRACK
LISTING |
1 |
WAY
DOWN IN THE HOLE - DoMaJe |
2 |
PROJECTS
- Tyree Colion |
3 |
DANCE
MY PAIN AWAY - Rod Lee |
4 |
MY LIFE EXTRA - DJ Technics |
5 |
WHAT
YOU KNOW ABOUT BALTIMORE - Ogun feat. Phathead |
6 |
JAIL FLICK - Diablo |
7 |
WHEN
YOU SEE US - The Get'em Mamis feat. L. Cash |
8 |
THAT'S THE SOUND - Dirty Hartz feat. Verb |
9 |
AYO - Bossman |
10 |
THE
LIFE, THE HOOD, THE STREETZ - Mullyman |
11 |
ASSUME
THE POSITION - Lafayette Gilchrist |
THE
WIRE: AND ALL THE MATTER PIECES
TRACK
LISTING |
1 |
“This
America, man.” |
2 |
WAY
DOWN IN THE HOLE – The Blind Boys of Alabama |
3 |
“Why
would anyone ever wanna leave Baltimore?” |
4 |
OH MY GOD – Michael Franti & Spearhead |
5 |
DANCE
MY PAIN AWAY – Rod Lee |
6 |
MY LIFE EXTRA - DJ Technics |
7 |
“The
king stay the king.” |
8 |
WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE – The Neville Brothers |
9 |
“We used to make shit in this country.” |
10 |
SIXTEEN
TONS – The Nighthawks |
11 |
ASSUME
THE POSITION – Lafayette Gilchrist |
12 |
“What
the fuck did I do?” |
13 |
STEP
BY STEP – Jesse Winchester |
14 |
I
WALK ON GILDED SPLINTERS – Paul Weller |
15 |
FAST
TRAIN – Solomon Burke |
16 |
THE
BODY OF AN AMERICAN – The Pogues |
17 |
“All
the pieces matter.” |
18 |
EFUGE
EFUGE – Stelios Kazantzidis |
19 |
“Omar
comin’!” |
20 |
WAY
DOWN IN THE HOLE - Domaje |
21 |
“If
it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie” |
22 |
PROJECTS
– Tyree Colion |
23 |
“Later
for that gangsta bullshit.” |
24 |
AYO
- Bossman |
25 |
ANALYZE
- Sharpshooters |
26 |
“Wars
end.” |
27 |
UNFRIENDLY
GAME – Masta Ace Feat. Stricklin |
28 |
WHAT
YOU KNOW ABOUT BALTIMORE – Ogun Feat. Phathead |
29 |
JAIL
FLICK - Diablo |
30 |
THE
LIFE, THE HOOD, THE STREETZ - Mullyman |
31 |
“An
act of daily journalism.” |
32 |
I
FEEL ALRIGHT – Steve Earle |
33 |
WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE – Tom Waits |
34 |
I
FEEL ALRIGHT – Steve Earle |
35 |
“You
remember that one day summer past? |
36 |
THE
FALL – Blake Leyh |
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:
We don’t get The Wire on our free-to-air television
channels here in sunny Singapore, but this critically-acclaimed
American drama series is a hit on HBO. Created, produced and
mostly written by a former police reporter, it has run for
five seasons from 2002 to 2008, and here comes to soundtrack
albums celebrating the music on the series.
The Wire:
And All the Pieces Matter is a representation of the glorious
music that has appeared on the show. There are 79 generous
minutes of music on this disc, and other than the different
versions of the theme song “Way Down in the Hole”,
different versions of the opening theme music, there are also
dialogue snippets, a rugged mix of music from artistes like
hip-hop performer DJ Technics, punk rock band The Pogues and
legendary musician Jesse Winchester which were featured on
different episodes of the show. Those who have watched the
series will reminisce those moments when these pieces of music
told the story of the police units and drug dealers in Baltimore.
There is a good mix of music on this album, from the big band-styled
“Assume the Position”, the exotic “Efuge
Efuge” and the angst-ridden “Projects”.
The Wire:
Beyond Hamsterdam is another album released with the abovementioned
soundtrack that contains tracks performed by Baltimore artistes.
Here, the music is more focused and the style is more unifying.
Gone are the short snippets of dialogue. Fans of hip-hop will
love this album for its street-styled selection of music.
The infectious “Projects”, the dance “My
Life Extra” and the interestingly-arranged “The
Life, The Hood, The Street” will be spinning on your
player if you have a liking for thumping rhythms. The 49-minute
disc closes on a nice jazz band performance of “Assume
the Position”.
If
you are a fan of this much raved about series, then these
two discs are a must-have.
THE
WIRE AND ALL THE MATTER PIECES
RATING:
THE
WIRE: BEYOND HAMSTERDAM RATING:
Recommended Track:
The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter - (18) Efuge Efuge
The Wire: Beyond Hamsterdam - (11) Assume the Position
Review
by John Li
|