The Departed (Music From the Motion Picture)
WithGoodfellas,Martin Scorsese completely reinvented the way popular songs--instead of a made-to-measure score--can be used all the way through a movie to emphasize mood and action. He continues in that vein forThe Departed, whose soundtrack is full of tunes by classic acts. If a theme emerges, it's great guitar work: on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," on the Allman Brothers' "One Way Out," on Badfinger's "Baby Blue," and on Roy Buchanan's "Sweet Dreams." (Even the two selections from Howard Shore's score highlight that approach, with performances by Marc Ribot and Larry Saltzman on "The Departed Tango" and by Sharon Isbin on "Beacon Hill.") A couple of numbers also deliver slight twists: the version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" is the live one from 1990, when it was performed with Van Morrison and the Band; and the Beach Boys' obscure 1972 song "Sail On, Sailor" isn’t sung by its cowriter Brian Wilson. Thankfully, LaVern Baker and Patsy Cline help offset a very white, very male, very classic-rock selection. While it looks as if Scorsese stopped listening to music sometime around 1975, Beantown's Dropkick Murphys do contribute "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," a nod to the movie's setting.--Elisabeth Vincentelli