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Shock Treatment (1981)
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Reviews
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 Superior to the film
by a soundtrack collector (July 14, 2003)
One thing is certain when comparing the soundtrack to the film -- the soundtrack is far superior! Although an alleged follow-up to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," the movie lacks the charm of the original (and of course, Tim Curry) . Originally planned as a direct sequel, problems plagued the production and it eventually became a sequel following Brad and Janet (played by Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper) into the TV Studio that was Denton... Despite the presence of many of the original supporting cast and decent performances by the new leads, the weakened re-written script (which tried too hard to cater to audience participation) and lackluster direction left this film forgotten.
The movie's strongest merit lies here, in the soundtrack. Many of the songs were written while the script was still in its' initial stages as a direct sequel, and O'Brien's musical energy comes close to matching that of its' predecessor. Jessica Harper, who's singing always exceeded her acting abilities, delivers some great vocals work in all of her songs. Character actor Cliff DeYoung is also in great form (playing two characters with different vocal styles). Then, of course, there's Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn and Little Nell Campbell (all from "Rocky Horror," though playing different characters), who match their energy levels from the previous film. Also notable are actress/talk-show hostess Ruby Wax, comedian Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna Everage) and Britcom actor Rik Mayall, all in early roles, giving perhaps their only musical performances. Although I like the film in a it's-related-to-RHPS sort of way, I was overjoyed when the soundtrack finally made its way to disc.
The only complaint: two additional versions of the title cut exist, with vocals by only O'Brien and Campbell. The fast cut of "Shock Treatment" was released in a "Rocky Horror" boxed set, though the slow version was only ever released on a 7" single. Ode should have included those two tracks as extras on the disc. Still, a must-have for any fans of "Rocky Horror."
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