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From the Vault...
12/22/2013
#1391 |
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info
Soundtrack
"That Thing You Do!"
© Play-Tone/Epic Records
Year of Release: 1996
Rating:
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track listing
Lovin You
Lots And Lots--
The Norm
Woodster Singers
That Thing You Do--
The Wonders
Little Wild One--
The Wonders
Dance With Me Tonight--
The Wonders
All My Only Dreams--
The Wonders
I Need You
(That Thing
You Do)--
The Wonders
She Knows It--
The Heardsmen
Mr. Downtown--
Freddy Fredrickson
Hold My Hand
Hold My Heart--
The Chantrellines
Voyage Around
The Moon--
The Saturn
My World Is Over--
Diane Dane
Drive Faster--
The Vicksburgs
Shrimp Shack--
Cap'n Geech &
The Shrimp Shack
Shooters
Time To Blow--
Del Paxton
That Thing You Do
(Live)--
The Wonders
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Soundtrack
"That Thing You Do!"
One of my favorite Rock n Roll movies, would definitely have to be That Thing You Do!, a film released in 1996. A Tom Hanks production,
he wrote/co-wrote songs for the soundtrack. If you're a fan of the early Beatles, the band portrayed in the movie, The Wonders, will definitely be
the comparison.
Plot (taken from the Wikipedia article): In 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is a drummer who works at his family's Erie,
Pennsylvania struggling appliance store -- "Patterson’s Appliances". Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech) and Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) ask Guy to sit in
with their band at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show, because their regular drummer Chad (Giovanni Ribisi) has broken his arm. The last member of
the group is the unnamed bass player (Ethan Embry). In the film, the character is never addressed by name and is credited as "T.B. Player". The group
rehearses a ballad titled "That Thing You Do". Afterwards, Guy asks if they only have to perform that one song for the talent show, and when told that's
the case, he says "Wonderful!" Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler), is inspired by Guy's exclamation and suggests that the group call themselves
"The Oneders" (pronounced "Wonders," after Guy's use of the word "Wonderful"); with various people mispronouncing it later in the film as "oh-need-ers".
At the talent show, Guy launches into a faster tempo for "That Thing You Do" than in rehearsal and the audience goes wild for the song. The Oneders
win the $100 top prize and obtain their first paying gig at a local pizza parlor. With the help of Guy's Uncle Bob (Chris Isaak), they begin selling a
single of "That Thing You Do", which attracts the attention of local manager Phil Horace (Chris Ellis). At a Pittsburgh gig, record company A&R
representative Mr. White (Hanks) offers the band a development contract with Play-Tone Records. The boys sign the contract, and White changes their
band name to "The Wonders" to avoid further confusion.
The Wonders tour state fairs across the Midwest during the summer with other Play-Tone artists, including Freddy Frederickson (Robert Torti), The
Chantrellines (Kennya Ramsey, Julie Harkness, and Darlene Dillinger), and Diane Dane (Chaille Percival). "That Thing You Do" enters and climbs the
Billboard Top 100. As time goes by, The Wonders go from being the opening act to the feature attraction, and throngs of teenage girls mob the band.
When the song enters the Top 10, The Wonders leave the Play-Tone tour for California where they appear in a low-budget beach movie and several radio
shows. The bass player leaves the band with a group of Marines and never returns. White brings in an experienced studio bassist, Scott "Wolfman" Pell
(Larry Antonino) to join The Wonders for a live performance on a prestigious national television variety show. During the broadcast, the caption "Careful
girls, he's engaged!" is superimposed beneath Jimmy's close-up. Jimmy is upset by this, and after the show claims he has no intention of marrying her.
A heartbroken Faye ends their relationship.
The next day, during a recording session without Lenny (who ran off to Las Vegas and eloped with a Play-Tone secretary), Jimmy resists White's plan to
cover songs from the Play-Tone catalog instead of songs of Jimmy's. White explains that their Play-Tone contract specifies the content of the album: one
original song per side, with the balance consisting of corporate-owned material, but the original songs must be "snappy", not ballads. Jimmy steps up to
the microphone and in a sarcastic "snappy" tone, sings that he's quitting the band and storms out of the studio. After Wolfman leaves, White tells Guy
that although "The Wonders" are now technically in breach of contract with Play-Tone, this is not an uncommon occurrence with young, emerging bands and
the record company will simply terminate their agreement and write them off as just another "one-hit wonder". White leaves, and a dejected Guy remains in
the recording studio, playing an impromptu jazz drum solo, which is overheard by the recording staff, who are impressed with his skills and offer to record
the session. Guy refuses at first, but then is bolstered when his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton (Bill Cobbs), who overheard Guy's impromptu drum solo,
suggests that they record a duet. Guy later tells Faye that Del thinks he has potential as a jazz musician. Faye tells Guy she plans on returning to Erie,
and Guy finally takes the opportunity to declare his feelings for her.
An epilogue details the subsequent lives of the band members: Guy and Faye marry, raise four children and start The Puget Sound Conservatory of Music
in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Guy teaches jazz composition. Jimmy records three gold albums with a new band (The Heardsmen) on the Play-Tone
label and becomes a successful record producer in Los Angeles. Lenny ends up single (what happened to the secretary is not revealed) and manages a casino
in Laughlin, Nevada. The unnamed T.B. Player serves two tours in Vietnam and is awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained at Khe Sanh and becomes a
building contractor in Orlando, Florida.
The soundtrack begins with "Lovin' You Lots And Lots" by the Norm Wooster Singers. This track has a 1960s sound similar (but is it really) to
that of Mitch Miller, or is it a political sounding song? Definitely mid-to-late '60s era here. The next three songs by the Wonders: "That Thing You
Do," (my personal favorite), "Little Wild One," and "Dance With Me Tonight." All these tracks have the early Beatles sound. "All My
Only Dreams" (by the Wonders) is slowed down, rather than up-tempo. "I Need You (That Thing You Do)" (The Wonders) is a very good Pop sounding
track.
(All of the other bands and artists [like The Wonders] in the soundtrack are fictious.) The Heardsmen's "She Knows It" has a '60s Beatles feel.
Another good track is Freddy Fredrickson's "Mr. Downtown," as it has an almost feel to that of the Peter Gunn Theme. The Chantrellines' "Hold My
Hand, Hold My Heart" defines the 1960s "girl groups" category, just as it was popular in the 1960s. Another popular music trend from the 1960s was
surf-instrumental music: The Saturn's "Voyage Around The Moon". More on the R&B/Soul side, Diane Dane's "My World Is Over" moves to the
Soul sound, just as this kind of music was also popular back in the '60s. The Vicksburgs' "Drive Faster" has the early Beatles feel. As another
surf-instrumental follows, Cap'n Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters' "Shrimp Shack." A very impressive Jazz track has Del Paxton's "Time To
Blow." And the last track is a live performance from The Hollywood Television Showcase, "That Thing You Do" by The Wonders.
As the movie was fantastic, so is the soundtrack. Interesting to learn that Tom Hanks wrote or co-wrote some of the tracks. Liv TYler was also cast
in the movie, and I can't help but wonder if the actor Steve Zahn (one of the Wonders bandmembers) is related to Michael J. Fox. They sure look alike.
If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Any fan of music (especially The Beatles) will enjoy this movie. Another Beatles-que band
that comes to mind are The Rutles. The Wonders, The Rutles, they both depict the early sound of the Fab Four. All in all, it's a great movie, and the
soundtrack is just as exceptional.
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without written permission. Cover art is the
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Play-Tone/Epic Records
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