The Basketball Diaries: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Jim Carroll's harrowing saga of growing up troubled in New York City makes for a solid film with an excellent soundtrack to match. Cuts by a Vedder-less Pearl Jam (joining Carroll to rerecord his 1980 fav "Catholic Boy") and Soundgarden (offering the gloomy "Blind Dogs") merit the hype. P. J. Harvey gets extra mileage out of the brilliant "Down by the Water," Green Apple Quick Step's "Dizzy" is a winner and there's the curiosity factor of a, frankly, awful solo debut by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.--Jeff Bateman