Not since THE BIG CHILL has America been as captivated by a soundtrack as it has by FORREST GUMP. While THE BIG CHILL was more or less Motown-era songs geared towards baby-boomers, FORREST GUMP is a musical time machine spaced out over two discs. Opening with Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog," this aural odyssey ends with Bob Seger's "Against The Wind" followed by composer Alan Silvestri's instrumental "Forrest Gump Suite." In between, a host of popular genres are represented from the roughly thirty year span covered in the film. On the first disc there's rockabilly (Duane Eddy), Motown (The Four Tops), folk (Joan Baez), soul (Aretha Franklin), surf music (The Beach Boys), and pop (Jackie De Shannon). The second disc continues with protest music (Jefferson Airplane), more Motown (The Supremes), southern rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd), easy listening (B.J. Thomas), and country (Willie Nelson). This collection is tailor-made for the random button or a CD changer at any party.

Track list
Hero
Patricia's Rendezvous
Alien Opera (Hurry, Hurry)
Tugboat Opera (She Came to Me)
Patricia at the Convent
Trey's Plans
Julian and Tereza
I Love Cleaning
Falling (Night on the Tug)
Breakthrough
Falling (Tension)
Grew Up on This Tug
Stoking the Fire
Trey's Demands
Rising Strings (We Just Have to Keep Reminding Each Other)
Get Lost Steven
Panic Mirror
Escape
I Love Cleaning (Solo Piano)
Falling (Pizzicato)
Addicted to Romance (With Bruce Springsteen)

The soundtrack from Vincente Minnelli's 1943 debut film, Cabin in the Sky, makes a diverting and entertaining CD. There are ten songs on this 75-minute CD, written by Vernon Duke and John LaTouche, and Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg; Duke Ellington and Mercer Ellington are represented as well, and also included is most of the background instrumental music by Roger Edens. Musically, this low-priced CD is virtually a duplicate of Rhino's Cabin in the Sky soundtrack CD, with a slightly different track breakdown and none of the outtakes included on Rhino's CD. Also, in lieu of the handsomely produced booklet that comes with the Rhino disc, this CD has a plainer insert that does, at least, contain a good plot summary and full music and performer credits. Otherwise, one is as good as the other, except that the Rhino release is authorized by the actual owners of the film (Soundtrack Factory's release is a little cloudier in terms of legalities) and, therefore, not morally objectionable on its face. ~ Bruce Eder

Track Listings
1 : Whirlybird
2 : First Date
3 : Los Angeles News Service
4 : Getting the Story
5 : Sky Duo
6 : Lawrence Welk III
7 : First Pursuit
8 : 1992
9 : High
10 : News Junkies
11 : Story of the Century
12 : Whirly Suite
13 : Last Flight

Ty Segall meets a new non-rock challenge head-on; soundtrack music for the documentary film Whirlybird. A variety of synth sounds, electric keyboards, drums, percussion and saxophone (and yeah, a few guitars) form a shifting impressionist counterpart, instrumental music that dialogues with and serves to frame the film’s compulsive themes and images.