Various Artists - Friends (1995)

I doubt there was ever a time when I would have purchased this CD on impulse. However, this one was included in an inexpensive, large lot of CDs I recently won on eBay and has been sitting on the shelf taunting me ever since. Here's hoping it's better than the other Friends CD on my shelves.

Will "Must See TV" translate into "Must Hear CD" 20+ years later? Let's find out:

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #41

Tracks: ("live" blog as I listen to the first time)

1. TV theme by The Rembrandts - as to be expected. Oh jeez there's dialogue from the show on this thing. And its attached to the previous track and bleeds into the next one. Bad move.
2. I Go Blind by Hootie and the Blowfish - didn't the gang go to a Hootie concert? Admittedly, this is one of the group's better songs - got some airplay but didn't crack the Hot 100. Very '90s (I may be writing that a lot within the next hour). No dialogue!
3. Good Intentions by Toad The Wet Sprocket - Nothing special about this one. I'd rather have had All I Want or Fly From Heaven, but this it's not making me want to push the ffwd button. Dialogue.
4. You'll Know You Were Loved by Lou Reed - Lou Reed contributed an original to a TV soundtrack? Go figure. Maybe he was on the show? And it's not a bad little tune. No dialogue.
5. Sexuality by k.d. lang - a fantastic, moody thing. I've liked every k.d. lang song I've ever heard and for some reason have never picked up any of her releases. I'll fix that soon. Dialogue.
6. Shoe Box by Barenaked Ladies - dadgummit, I'm liking the music on this thing more than I had thought. Another song as catchy as this and I'll hoisting the white flag. No dialogue.
7. It's A Free World Baby by R.E.M. - In which the boys from Athens unsuccessfully try to channel Peter Gabriel. I was done with this group after the Out Of Time album (pun unintentional but funny nonetheless). This song is the worst on the album yet. Dialogue.
8. Sunshine by Paul Westerberg - Alt/lo-fi cover of the Johnathan Edwards hit from 1971-72. Not terrible, but I prefer the original. No dialogue.
9. Angel Of The Morning by The Pretenders - Another cover. Basically Chrissie Hynde's vocals backed by percussion and strings with intermittent guitar. And the thing works. White flag hoisted. Dialogue.
10. In My Room by Grant Lee Buffalo - Third cover in a row. I had to look up this band because I'm unfamiliar with that name. This alternative group from Los Angeles completely ruins one of the most beautiful pop songs ever written with their guitar arrangement. I can't hate it because the writing is so good, but these guys should be punished for ruining the thing. No dialogue.
11. Big Yellow Taxi (Traffic Jam Mix) by Joni Mitchell - Same punishment for whoever remixed this classic. As with the previous track, stick with the original. Dialogue and singing from the Phoebe character (no Smelly Cat).
12. Stain Yer Blood by Paul Westerberg - The former leader of The Replacements gets two songs on this one. Very '90s, but not doing much for me. Dialogue.
13. I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts - the full length version of the first track. This one hit #17 on the pop chart. Has a TV show theme charted since then? And because it's the '90s, there's a hidden track: the instrumental version of the show theme that usually plays over the closing credits. But the last thing we get here is more dialogue, of course.

Evidently there were sequels to this thing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'll admit to watching this show every week with my wife and being infatuated with Jennifer Aniston. I caught a rerun the other day and couldn't even watch ten minutes of the thing.