2 totally random music suggestions: Joss Whedon's "Commentary" and Randy Newman's "Faust"

Randy Newman is an enigma. He was never super-big, but, as a recording artist, he was definitely bigger in the late 70s and the 1980s than he is now. These days, he is mostly known either for his hit single "I Love L.A." or his prolific work as a singer/ songwriter for Disney and Pixar films. And let me tell you, his work for Disney and Pixar is fine work indeed, often under-rated by the general public. But it offers only a hint of his songwriting range, and, because they are works for hire, they exhibit an aspect of Newman's talent, but not much of Newman's own personality. Newman can write show-tunes, yes, but he is equally at home writing country, folk, jazz, and a wide variety of rock 'n' roll styles.

Much of this considerable range, as well as a peek into Newman's own irreverent sense of humor -- thematically a million miles away from his Disney and Pixar work -- are represented by the soundtrack to Randy Newman's "Faust", Newman's own unique take on the classic German legend. As interpreted by Newman, Faust is sort of a rock opera, not dissimilar to the Who's Tommy, but the term "rock opera" may be a bit misleading, as Newman's Faust includes not only a few different versions of rock and roll, but also more traditional show-tunes, gospel songs, a heart-breakingly beautiful love ballad or two, and even a couple of opera-style songs.

Newman's Faust draws inspiration not only from the traditional Faustian legend of a man selling his soul to the Devil, but also from Paradise Lost, as well as a couple of original ideas from Newman's own imagination. In Newman's version, told from the Devil's point of view, Old Scratch (played by Newman himself) is determined to get back into Heaven, and so he makes a bet with God (James Taylor) with the Devil's own salvation hanging in the balance. As Newman sees it, neither the Devil nor God are above blatant cheating in their attempts to play the bet out, and self-centered loser Henry Faust (Don Henley) gets caught in the middle of the on-going wager.

As represented by the songs on this soundtrack album, the cast alone is worth the price of purchase. In addition to the already impressive trio of Henley, Newman, and Taylor in the lead roles (Newman gets fun duets with both co-stars), the album boasts supporting roles musically performed by Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, and Linda Ronstadt. But even if the whole thing had been performed by no-names, it would still be a good album, as the songs are fun to listen to, both on musical terms, and also in regards to Newman's constant wit, which infuses a lot of humor into the now familiar tropes of Marlowe and Milton.

Speaking of fun and musically impressive soundtracks that put a new spin on familiar tropes (how's that for a unique segue?), I'd also recommend the soundtrack to Commentary: The Musical. The year 2008 saw the release of Joss Whedon's Emmy-winning musical comedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris as Billy Buddy, a seemingly thoroughly normal guy who is also the master criminal known as Doctor Horrible. The movie tells the story of a love triangle between Billy, a young woman named Penny (Felicia Day), and the superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), the twist being that the "hero" is actually an arrogant, cruel, immoral man, while the "villain" is actually a sweet, well-meaning guy whose love for Penny is much more genuine and selfless than the alleged love displayed by the lustful and emotionally manipulative Captain Hammer.

Although Dr. Horrible did air on television once, most people familiar with it saw it in its original format, as an Internet download. But if you saw it in either of those formats, you're literally missing more than half the fun. Because if you buy or rent the DVD, you can access not one but two DVD commentary tracks. One of them, Commentary: The Musical, is a full-length musical in its own right, with original songs spoofing the now familiar conventions of DVD commentaries. The Dr. Horrible cast is so well represented on this commentary/ musical track, that even three of the extras get their own solos. Even the writers, who for the most part aren't usually performers, manage to get into the act with surprisingly well-performed solos of their own.

Trust me, both of these albums are a lot of fun. Commentary can be enjoyed on CD, although it's best listened to as you watch the DVD, as the lyrics are well timed to match the visuals of Dr. Horrible as the movie plays out. Faust, by contrast, may be the soundtrack to a stage musical but has no recorded visuals to accompany it, yet paints its characters so well that you can easily visualize their adventures in your imagination. Either way, you're bound for a really good time.