Almost Famous

I’ll let you in on a little secret…I fucken adore this film. There is something about the way Cameron Crowe tells a story that makes my heart melt. Maybe because he does it with heart…and a ripping story.

Almost Famous not only fits snuggly into his stereotype of filmmaking, but it also brings an early 70’s soundtrack with it. And if there was ever an era that I think that I should have been a part of…it was the early 70’s. [Does anyone else subscribe to the theory of being affiliated with the music that was being made when we were born?]

So perfect in so many ways, this film is all about music. The fact that it is semiautobiographical, makes it all the better. Real names and places alongside some pretty awesome characters makes Almost Famous…well, almost famous. Cameron Crowe has a knack of writing some real heartbreaking storylines to go along with the uplifting heartwarming side to his films. I think in some way, it makes them more human though. Maybe thats why I like them…and the music. I love the fricken music

As with any era of music, it can be defined in many differing ways. You can look at the 80’s through the eye’s of Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys and Bananarama. Or, you can see it looking a lot like Metallica, Iron Maiden & Slayer. It’s the same with any decade. In this bubble of goodness though, Crowe has used some pretty awesome tracks that for me very much shape what I see as my kind of 70’s.

Mykel’s Youth Insight #587: In the late 80’s when the world of music was being populated with tracks from the likes of Morris Minor and the Majors, Samantha Fox and The Proclaimers, I spent a large part of that time searching for music with a little more substance. Enter Led Zeppelin, The Doors and early Billy Joel [Yes, I know that Billy Joel crosses that line in more ways than one, but it is what it is…] So you can imagine how chuffed I was when I came across a film with a decent handful of very familiar artists from an era that I have been enamoured with for quite some time.

Lets begin with a little rundown of some artists on this album. Simon & Garfunkel, Rod Stewart, The Beach Boys, David Bowie…and the list goes on. What I really appreciate though is that most of the tracks are very ‘BSide’ oriented. They aren’t so much the most famous tracks from each artist..you could even say they are the ‘Almost Famous’ ones…sorry, I didn’t have to go there…but I did.

So lets just agree [see, I can do that because there is no one here to argue with me] that it is a kick arse album with heaps of really beautiful tracks that may just make me wanna watch this film again. So I will touch on a couple of tracks that make it a stand out.

Led Zeppelin’s ‘That’s The Way’ is possibly one of the best Zeppelin tracks ever. I mean, they are awesome in so many ways, but their more acoustic folk tracks are really beautifully made when you look a little deeper and this is no exception.

Stillwater’s ‘Fever Dog’ is funnily enough an awesome track. There is a bit of a grey area as to whether Stillwater is actually a fictitious band created especially for the film, [which is what it is billed as] but when you look a little deeper, there are credits to Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton associated with the track. Either way, my understanding is that Jason Lee who plays Jeff, the lead singer in the band in the film actually sang this. Makes me love the song even more.

Thunderclap Newman’s ‘Something in the Air’ has to be mentioned simply because it is such an amazing song. If you don’t know which one this is, take the time to Google it and I’ll put $5 on the fact that as soon as you hear it, there will be a moment of “Oh, that song…I love that song.”

Finally, it must be said that there is a defining track on this album that is sung by the whole cast during a pretty tense moment in the film. It’s a very familiar one to most, but Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ brought a tear to my eye when I saw this film…at Northlands…the very first time I went to the movies with my beautiful wife. [We didn’t go to the movies much back then…it cost money].

But for those of you who can attest to attending a wedding party in the September of 2004, you will also be able to vouch for the fact that I serenaded my newly wed wife to this song [albeit it terribly out of tune]. Took every bit of courage I had to do it, but I’m glad that I did. So we have a little bit of a connection to this film you see. A connection that is good. Makes me think of Rach every time I hear it.

So, here it is…

M /