Heroes tells the stories of ordinary individuals who discover that they have superhuman abilities and very human weaknesses! This has led to a soundtrack which offers a wide range of artists including: Panic! At The Disco, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Nada Surf, and The Jesus & Mary Chain's first new recording in more than a decade...

When I read on the press release that this soundtrack included songs featured "and inspired by" the series, my heart sank. "Inspired by" usually means that the show doesn't have enough quality tracks to make up a full album and so any old tosh is chucked on there to fill up space. Are fans of the show really supposed to swallow the "fact" that artists, who were not originally picked to have their music featured on the show, are such fans of the series that they bang out a song and then spend hours in a recording studio simply because they've been inspired by a TV show?

Also, this album does another thing I hate with soundtrack albums. It mixes Wendy & Lisa's (the show's original music composers) fantastic score with lots of well known artists recordings. If I wanted a mix CD of bands I'd make my own. Personally I would have preferred to see a whole album full of Wendy & Lisa's score.

There are some pretty impressive recordings on here. If you don't already own the original albums then I'm sure this will make you want to rush out and buy them. There's He's Frank by Iggi Pop; Man in the Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan; Keep My Composure by The Chemical Brothers (featuring Span Rock); and a new track from The Jesus & Mary Chain (All Things Must Pass).

All in all there are 18 tracks. This works well as a soundtrack to play in the car, or to chill out to, but as I mentioned before, those expecting an album full of Wendy & Lisa tracks will be disappointed - there are only four segments by them and there's less than four minutes of music (3 min, 36 sec to be exact). And while their theme works well for the series, it sounds a little flat as a stand alone track.

The press release also states:

"With the series emulating the aesthetic style of an American comic book using renderings from artistic consultant Tom Sale; similar illustrations have been created by award winning designer Steven Parke for each of the soundtracks musicians."

Now, whether these images will be included with the finished CD release is unsure. All we received was a vanilla review disc with no additional material. But, I'm hoping that a booklet will be included that includes these images.

This is very much a by the numbers release, purely aimed at appeasing the masses. If you want a mix CD of music included in (and inspired by) Heroes then you'll enjoy this collection. However, if you're looking for a Wendy & Lisa CD then you'll be more than a little disappointed.

6

Darren Rea