I’ve been a fan of Wes Anderson‘s filmwork for a fairly long time, at this point, and unapologetically so.  It was my 19th birthday in 1998, when I first tried to see Rushmore in the theater — we missed the screening.  Then, while waiting for another film to begin, I distinctly remember seeing Bill Murray appear on the screen in a wetsuit, 6 years later.  As I’d soon discover, it was a trailer for the film, Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.  I wasn’t even aware that it was one of Anderson‘s films at the time, but after Murray began shimmying to an intriguing electronic groove, which was being piped in through the antennae in his deep sea exploration helmet, before the trailer kicked into one of my all-time favoirite DEVO cuts, “Gut Feeling,” I still knew immediately that I had to see it.  It would later make sense that the first track that I’d heard was composed by DEVO frontman, Mark Mothersbaugh, who produced/composed the film’s soundtrack, just as he had Anderson‘s first 3 previous films, (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums).  His next film, The Darjeeling Limited, would become the focus of one of the first — if not the very first — film-related articles that we ever posted on Monster Fresh, and although it would mark Mothersbaugh‘s (pun-intended) departure from the musical production and scoring role in Wes‘s films, it boasted a soundtrack as strong as anything that had preceded it.

Anyone who achieves a certain level of success is bound to face detractors and those of Anderson and his work often attack him for being too “Wes Anderson-y” or, in other words, for forging his own path in the industry with a strongly identifiable aesthetic and style all his own.  Most likely, such backlash comes not so much from his own work, but because he’s provided a blueprint for endless less original filmmakers to adopt and fumble through, while producing lesser imitations that are devoid of the substance and incredible detail the auteur that they are attempting to mimic has become so widely known for and what makes his work so successul.  Such intricacies and focus are infused into everything  from the scripts to the mesmerizing storybook look of his films, and the perfectly assembled soundtracks don’t only compliment his motion pictures, but are also an essential component in the overall experience and production of the work.  And while each of his film’s can lay claim to a near flawless soundtrack, perfect for each respective project, the one put together for The Darjeeling Limited still remains a standout.   Not only does the original soundtrack for the motion picture include a trio of brilliant tunes from The Kinks, as well as a truly affecting classic from The Rolling Stones, but it also presents a number of original compositions by late Indian master of film, Satyajit Ra, along with other artists known for their work in Indian cinema.

The Darjeeling Limited original soundtrack became an instant favorite for many since it was first came out in 2007, but it had never been honored with a vinyl release until ABKCO records corrected that issue by puttin out a limited edition transparent green pressing for this year’s record store day on April 18th.  A high demand item, not everybody got their hands on a copy, but the good news is that ABKCO has a 180 gram black vinyl edition set to hit the shelves on May 19th (preorders are already available).   And if that wasn’t fortunate enough, ABKKCO has also offered us 3 copies to giveaway to our readers via our various social media accounts (instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).  These giveaways will be hosted in a standard reposts/regram/retweet format through the links featured at the bottom of this post below the following product details..  GOOD LUCK!

via press release:

The Darjeeling Limited, the 2007 Wes Anderson-directed film starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman is notable for its eclectic soundtrack, which will be released on vinyl on May 19 by ABKCO Records. Set in India, the film incorporates the music of acclaimed director Satyajit Ray’s own films, scoring from early Indian Merchant-Ivory films, and pop hits by the Rolling Stones and the Kinks.  The soundtrack album was a significant success at the time of its initial release when it went to  # 1 on Billboard’s Top World Album Chart, going on to become the fourth top selling World Album of 2008.

The soundtrack had not been available on LP until a limited edition green vinyl pressing came out on Record Store Day of this year, making the RSD Best-Selling Titles chart. The May 19 release will be on black vinyl.

Randall Poster, the film’s music supervisor who co-produced the soundtrack album with Anderson, commented,  “Wes and I are thrilled that our friends at ABKCO will be releasing The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack on vinyl. Wes Anderson and vinyl go together like curry and chutney.”

The Kinks and the Rolling Stones feature prominently on The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack. “This Time Tomorrow,” “Strangers,” and “Powerman” all originally appeared on the Kinks’ 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. While Anderson has used Rolling Stones songs in his earlier films, “Play With Fire” (originally released in 1965 as a b-side to “The Last Time”) has the distinction of being the first song by the English rock legends to make it onto a Wes Anderson soundtrack album.

The films of Satyajit Ray, set in his native India, sparked Anderson’s inspiration for creating The Darjeeling Limited. During his lifetime, Ray not only wrote and directed, but also composed the music for his own films. The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack features music from Ray’s Teen Kanya, Charulata, Baksa Badal and Joi Baba Felunath, all dating from the 1960s and 70s.

American-born French singer-songwriter Joe Dassin provides the final song (“Les Champs-Élysées”) in both the film and soundtrack. Son of film director Jules Dassin, who was blacklisted from Hollywood during the McCarthy era, Joe Dassin became the first French singer to sign to an American record label when he inked a deal with CBS Records in 1964.

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TRACK LIST

SIDE ONE:
1) “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)” – Peter Sarstedt
2) Title Music from Satyajit Ray’s film Jalsaghar – Ustad Vilayat Khan
3) “This Time Tomorrow” – The Kinks
4) Title Music from Satyajit Ray’s film Teen Kanya – Satyajit Ray
5) Title Music from Merchant-Ivory’s film The Householder – Jyotitindra Moitra
6) “Ruku’s Room” from Satyajit Ray’s film Joi Baba Felunath – Satyajit Ray
7) “Charu’s Theme” from Satyajit Ray’s film Charulata – Satyajit Ray
8) Title Music from Merchant-Ivory’s film Bombay Talkie – Shankar/Jaikishan
9) “Montage” from Nityananda Datta’s film Baksa Badal – Satyajit Ray
10) “Prayer” – Jodphur Sikh Temple Congregation
11) “Farewell To Earnest” from Merchant-Ivory’s film The Householder – Jyotitindra Moitra
12) “The Deserted Ballroom” from Merchant-Ivory’s film Shakespeare Wallah – Satyajit Ray
13) Suite Bergamasque: 3. “Clair de Lune” – Alexis Weissenberg
SIDE TWO:
1) “Typewriter Tip, Tip, Tip” from Merchant-Ivory’s film Bombay Talkie (sung by Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle) – Shankar/Jaikishan
2) “Memorial” – Narlai Village Troubador
3) “Strangers” – The Kinks
4) “Praise Him” – Udaipur Convent School Nuns and Students
5) Symphony No. 7 in A (Op 92) Allegro con brio – Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
6) “Play With Fire” – The Rolling Stones
7) “Arrival in Benaras” from Merchant-Ivory’s film The Guru – Ustad Vilayat Khan
8) “Powerman” – The Kinks
9) “Les Champs-Élysées” – Joe Dassin

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