Album Review: Man on the Moon Soundtrack

If the soundtrack is any indication of the film to come, Man on the Moon, based on the life of comedian Andy Kaufman (Taxi), is going to be a very interesting, eccentric ride. The album has everything from the original Mighty Mouse theme (a favorite of Kaufman's) to a bizarre Jim Carrey/R.E.M. duet to the film's score, also composed by R.E.M. Some of the numbers are absolutely baffling, especially a whacked-out version of disco standard "I Will Survive," sung by Jim Carrey as one of Kaufman's alter-egos, Tony Clifton.

"Man on the Moon," R.E.M.'s 1992 song about Kaufman and the source of the film's title, is here in two forms--the original version appears along with a lovely orchestral arrangement that sounds almost completely different. This is R.E.M.'s first film score, and it's pretty good--some of their most delicate, beautiful work is here, though the sadder bits get a little melodramatic. The highlight of the album is "This Friendly World," with Michael Stipe and Jim Carrey trading off on vocals and at one point singing every other word; it will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this kooky number fits into the film. Man on the Moon is a must-have for die-hard R.E.M. fans; overall, it's a pleasant little hodge-podge with a few standout songs. B