Friday, April 16, 2004 | 8:38 a.m.
Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of movie soundtracks.
I've picked up my fair share over the years, usually to hear an exclusive track by a favorite band or artist.
But most wind up collecting dust on my CD racks, marred either by listless score work ("The Graduate," "Cold Mountain") or spoken passages from the accompanying film ("Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction") -- material that makes repeated spins difficult.
Once in a great while, though, a soundtrack actually works as a cohesive album, one deserving of returning to with some frequency.
The 1992 "Singles" soundtrack is one such example. Released just as that decade's grunge movement was gaining momentum, the disc primarily showcases outfits from the Seattle scene, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden among them.
Although many of the once-rare tracks have since been reissued on B-sides collections and the like, "Singles" remains an inviting listening experience more than a decade after the romantic comedy exited theaters.
The disc works well as a grunge primer, perhaps better than any other album from the era save Nirvana's "Nevermind" or Pearl Jam's "Ten."
Most of the selections are topnotch, among them Alice in Chains' crunchy "Would?," Pearl Jam's hard-charging "State of Love and Trust" and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell's haunting "Seasons."
Another highlight: the fantastically melancholy "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" by Mother Love Bone, a band that give birth to Pearl Jam following the tragic death of vocalist Andrew Wood at age 24.
The soundtrack includes a trippy, feedback-infused cut by like-minded band Smashing Pumpkins (a Chicago group) and a catchy contribution from the Screaming Trees (who technically hailed from nearby Ellensburg, Wash.).
"Singles" also pays tribute to the roots of the Seattle scene, with tracks by Jimi Hendrix ("May This Be Love) and Heart's Wilson sisters (billed as the Lovemongers for a live cover of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore)."
Ironically, two of the disc's best songs are its least thematically related: hooky pop songs by ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg.
That does nothing to lessen the overall impact of "Singles," however. The movie's not bad either, though it doesn't hold up as well as its excellent soundtrack.
Artist: Various artists.
Title: "Singles" (original motion picture soundtrack).
Year of release: 1992 (Epic).
Tracklisting: "Would?" (Alice in Chains); "Breath" (Pearl Jam); "Seasons" (Chris Cornell); "Dyslexic Heart" (Paul Westerberg); "Battle of Evermore" (The Lovemongers); "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" (Mother Love Bone); "State of Love and Trust" (Pearl Jam); "Overblown" (Mudhoney); "Waiting for Somebody" (Paul Westerberg); "May This Be Love" (Jimi Hendrix); "Nearly Lost You" (Screaming Trees); "Drown" (Smashing Pumpkins).
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