Lakeshore Records release The End of the Tour soundtrack which includes the original score by Danny Elfman as well as various artist tracks. The film tells the story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter and novelist David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties – but it’s never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audiotapes were packed away in Lipsky’s closet. The two men did not meet again. The film is based on Lipsky’s memoir Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace about this unforgettable encounter, written following Wallace’s 2008 suicide...

The soundtrack for The End of the Tour contains 18 tracks (42 min, 42 sec) of these 12 (22 min, 29 sec) are tracks composed by Danny Elfman, whilst the remaining 6 tracks (20 min, 13 sec) are made up of various artist songs.

Personally, Elfman's score didn't really impress me. Maybe it works wonders in the film, where it was designed to be heard, but I have to review this on its own merits and I wasn't overly a fan. Likewise, the various artist tracks are a little subjective. Being a child of the '80s I've heard most of these a thousand times and have no real desire to own them again.

That said, fans of the film may take something away from this.

Track listing:

01 - 'Intro' - Danny Elfman
02 - 'Talk to Jan' - Danny Elfman
03 - 'Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow' - Felt
04 - 'Perfect Circle' - R.E.M.
05 - 'Room of Books' - Danny Elfman
06 - 'Minneapolis' - Danny Elfman
07 - 'Reprise 1' - Danny Elfman
08 - 'They Don't Know' - Tracey Ullman
09 - 'Our Lips Are Sealed' - Fun Boy Three
10 - 'Going Sour' - Danny Elfman
11 - 'The Tour’s Over' - Danny Elfman
12 - 'Mall Of America' - Danny Elfman
13 - 'Walking the Dog' - Danny Elfman
14 - 'Invasion' - Danny Elfman
15 - 'The Shoe' - Danny Elfman
16 - 'The Big Ship' - Brian Eno
17 - 'Here' - Tindersticks
18 - 'Reprise 2' - Danny Elfman

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Darren Rea