Fahrenheit 9/11 Soundtrack CD

2001 RELEASE FROM MICHAEL MOORE'S CANNE FILM FESTIVAL WINNING MOVIE

Composer: Jeff Gibbs.
The soundtrack to Michael Moore's anti-George W. Bush documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 wasn't released until the movie's video release on October 5, 2004. Usually, soundtracks are released nearly simultaneously with the theatrical release, but since Fahrenheit was pushed into theaters at the end of June, it took a little bit of time to get the soundtrack rights together -- plus, the later release places the soundtrack right in the midst of the election season, since it arrives in stores the day of the Vice Presidential debate and five days after the Squabble in Coral Gables. Anyway, the soundtrack is pretty much what you'd expect -- excerpts from Jeff Gibbs' original soundtrack interspersed between all the pop songs used in the movie, including the Go-Go's' "Vacation," Elmer Bernstein's "Magnificent Seven Theme," Joey Scarbury's "Theme From 'Greatest American Hero' (Believe It or Not)" and J.J. Cale's "Cocaine." As an album, it's a prototypical soundtrack, only holding together musically as a souvenir of the film itself, but on that level, it should please fans of the film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The soundtrack to FAHRENHEIT 9/11 is an integral part of the message in Michael Moore's important and incisive political film about the misdeeds of the Bush Administration. While some of the music is overtly political and clearly in line with Moore's thesis (Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," for example), much of it, like "Vacation" by the Go-Go's, "Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M., and Joey Scarbury's "Theme from 'Greatest American Hero' (Believe It or Not)," is used for ironic effect in the film.
Moore's use of music (whether in an ironic or sincere fashion) to highlight ideas in the film is one of his most powerful tools, and his choice of songs is always pointed, never incidental. The soundtrack also features FAHRENHEIT 9/11's original score, composed and performed by Jeff Gibbs. With titles like "The Un-President" and "Weapons of Deceit," Gibbs's synthesizer-generated pieces are at times atmospheric, at times mocking, yet always vaguely ominous, employing classical motifs and swirling textures to dramatic effect. As an independent listen, there is some fun to be had with this album, but as an accompaniment to the film, the aim is deadly serious.

Rolling Stone (p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he effectiveness of Jeff Gibb's smart and unusually supportive original score is a revelation..."