A few short weeks ago, we noted that the soundtrack to Jody Hill’s “Observe & Report” starring Seth Rogen as bi-polar and bitter mall cop, looked like it was going to be excellent. Well, we’ve got the exclusive details and yes, pretty much; this is a great and tastefully curated soundtrack that you normally wouldn’t see in a big mainstream Warner Bros. comedy with some nice, off-the-beaten path musical choices (which we always like to see).
But then again, everything about this dark comedy sounds like it’s pretty damn subversive for a studio picture (it’s supposedly off-the-rails dark, “Taxi Driver” meets “Bad Santa”).
The awesome soundtrack features songs by The Band (their cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” though their version was released before Zimmy’s in 1971 by two months), defunct British noise rockers McClusky, ’60s British mod act, The Action and gnarly Chicago punk rockers, The Dwarves and the songs featured in the trailer people seemed to love so much, The Yardbirds and ’70s British progressive jazz-rockers Patto.
‘Observe’ director Jody Hill is part of the whole, North Carolina filmmaker scene that begat Danny McBride, cinematographer Tim Orr and filmmaker David Gordon Green. And it appears he hasn’t stayed far from that crew musically either. The NC indie collective Pyramid, scored Hill’s debut, the kung-fu comedy, “The Foot Fist Way,” and one of their founding members, Joey Stephens has also scored, “Oberve & Report.” Stephens is all over the soundtrack, including a score piece, a Pyramid song called, “Babyteeth” (which closes out the movie in the credits) and his other band, City Wolf, recorded a cover of the Pixies’ classic “Where Is My Mind” for the film as well.
The Pyramid member Ben Best also played the antagonist Chuck “The Truck” Taylor in “The Foot Fist Way,” (they’re considering a prequel) and Stephens also scored the HBO series “Eastbound and Down” with Wayne Kramer. Overall, a pretty great soundtrack. One has to congratulate Hill for maintaining this much power over Hollywood. It’s not easy getting your friends who have written one film score the job of composing music to a mainstream comedy (and we’ve seen the opposite happen to). Good on ’em all.
“Observe and Report” soundtrack tracklist
1. When I Paint My Masterpiece – The Band
2. The Man – Patto
3. Lightsabre C**ksucking Blues – Mclusky
4. Sittin¹ Back Easy – Patto
5. Brain – The Action
6. Over Under Sideways Down – The Yardbirds
7. Dwarves Must Die – The Dwarves
8. Help Is On Its Way – Little River Band
9. Where Is My Mind? – City Wolf
10. Babyteeth – Pyramid
11. Observe and Report Score Suite – Joseph Stephens
12. Super Freek (Remix) – Amanda Blank, Nina Cream and Aaron LaCrate
Here’s the great McClusky song in the film.
PS, filmmaker should note: WB could be the mainstream studio to be at. Not only did they let Zack Snyder do whatever the hell he wanted for “Watchmen” (which didn’t turn out so great), they let Hill get away will all kinds of things. “Warner Brothers was great to work with. They let us go places that most studios wouldn’t and I thank them for that. I’ve heard horror stories, but luckily I don’t have one myself,” Hill said in a recent interview.