So why is Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Once More, With Feeling Soundtrack on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
To start off, I’ll point out that I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer the TV show. In fact, as of this writing I have it all the way up at #13 of the best 100 TV shows ever.
The first of a number of shows on this list where we’re forced to separate what we now know about the series creator (Joss Whedon in this case… who also created Firefly, #25 below), Buffy is a wild genre mashup of horror, action, comedy, and teen drama that’s at its best when the supernatural Big Bads that heroine Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the “Scooby Gang” face mirror the everyday trials and tribulations of high school life. That’s what living on top of a hellmouth will do for you.
Now, let’s take a step back for a moment to talk about musicals. I’m one of those people who loves music (which is obvious, I would hope!) and loves stories, but I’ve just never really been a “musicals person.”*
* And this is after being exposed to musicals as a kid, and I was even in the cast of three high school musical productions.
But, as with many such proclamations, there are exceptions*. And, it seems, one of those exceptions for me are musicals that are part of Joss Whedon-related productions. See, as example, the zany and great Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog soundtrack, #691 of best 1,000 albums ever.
* One of which is a very unlikely selection that you’ll have to look out for coming up on the best 1,000 albums ever.
Which brings us to the Buffy’s musical masterpiece from Season 6, “Once More, With Feeling.”
Beyond the outstanding music that runs throughout the soundtrack, what’s extraordinary about it is that it manages to…
- “Make sense” as a musical episode within the rules and world that Buffy the Vampire Slayer exists
- Serve as a fantastic “musical” episode of a TV show
- And all the while, it moves multiple important storylines along six seasons deep into a groundbreaking television series
Sarah Michelle Gellar is impressive throughout, especially on ‘Walk Through the Fire,’ where the rest of the cast backs her powerfully.
On that note, check out the achingly pretty “Something to Sing About” (which, side note, also drops a major plot point that’s central to Buffy’s story).
My favorite song of all is “Rest in Peace,” sung by James Marsters as Spike the vampire. Spike, who started out on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an alternatively menacing and comic relief role, evolved into a character with real depth and range. “Rest in Peace” starts out as a dark acoustic number before ramping up into a highly effective mid-tempo rocker.
Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Buffy and the Scooby Gang’s mentor Giles, does a wonderful job with “Standing.”
And Amber Benson, who plays Tara, may have the best voice of the entire cast. “Under Your Spell” is simply flipping gorgeous.
Just as with Buffy the TV show as a whole, there’s plenty of comedy to leaven the dramatic and dark fantasy and horror elements. “I’ve Got A Theory / Bunnies / If We’re Together,” where in the story everyone is freaking out and trying to figure out why they are compelled to sing instead of speaking normally, is an outstanding example.
And by “everyone” is singing, everyone is singing. See: “The Parking Ticket.”
Some stats & info about Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Once More, With Feeling Soundtrack
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? TV Soundtracks, Musicals, Pop Music, Rock Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was Once More, With Feeling Soundtrack released? 2002
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #271 out of 1,000
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Once More, With Feeling Soundtrack on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Once More, With Feeling Soundtrack that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Give me something to sing about. I need something to sing about.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.