Various Artists—Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack
Kill Bill (2003) Dir. Quentin Tarantino, was the first of his movies I was allowed to see and one of the first rated R movies my parents let me watch. I have fond memories of the movie and by extension, the soundtrack.
RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan collaborated with Tarantino to orchestrate the soundtrack for the first part of the Kill Bill movies. The final CD release contained twenty-two tracks, however, the vinyl was parsed down to 15. The album peaked at no. 45 on the Billboard charts and is certified Gold in 8 separate countries.
Beginning with Nancy Sinatra’s cover of Sonny & Cher’s “Bang Bang — My Baby Shot Me Down” the soundtrack and movie set the stage in the most literal sense. “The Grand Duel (Parte Prima)” is from Sergio Leone’s film of the same name. Here Tarantino establishes his inspirations and tone, this is a modern western revenge tale. “Twisted Nerve” also comes from a movie of the same name. It is impossible for me to hear this song without picturing Daryl Hannah in her nurse outfit whistling down the hospital hallway. “Queen Of The Crime Council” is a spoken word excerpt from Lucy Liu’s Oren Ishii after decapitating a member of her crime syndicate. This leads into the “Ode to Oren Ishii.” An original rap track by RZA featuring building orchestration in lieu of beats. “Green Hornet” is the theme from the 1960s show of the same name and features frantic brass work and feels of the time. The Side A closer is “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity.” Often mistaken for an original piece for the film, this was in fact from the Japanese film New Battles Without Honor and Humanity (2000) Dir. Junji Sakamoto. Side B claps to an open with “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” This latin flared guitar funk song has similar composition to the preceding two songs. Perhaps the most well known song from the album “Woo Hoo” by The 5.6.7.8’s is a cover of a rockabilly track by the aforementioned Japanese rock band. The song only features the lyrics “Woo hoo” and is somehow still a fun and engrossing experience. “Crane/White Lightning is an RZA mashup with the theme from a 1973 Burt Reynolds’ film of the same name. “The Flower of Carnage” and “The Lonely Shepherd” both accompany the film’s grand finale duel between Thurman and Liu. The album ends with another spoken word film excerpt, with The Bride sending a warning to Bill.
Must Listen To: Woo Hoo
“Woo Hoo!”
