"History teaches us that men behave wisely once they've exhausted all other alternatives. For most rock bands, the pursuit of wisdom's a low priority, compared to fame, fortune and fornication.
Such a band was Strange Fruit."
Hughie (the roadie, played by Billy Connolly)



Dismissed as a slight comedy at the time 'Still Crazy' has slowly gained an underground popularity. So the time seems right to reappraise the sound track.
Off course it's hard to get passionate about songs that were clearly written to BE cliches, but (for the most part) they're done so well.
In the real world the songs were written by Cliff Difford out of Squeeze, Geoff Lynne, Mick Jones (from Foriegner not the Clash) and Uber producer Clive Langer. However the record is much more fun to imagine Tony, Les, Keith, Brian, Beano and Ray writing these things.
Curiously the album begins with the song that closes the film; 'The Flame Still Burns' stretched to 7min45secs this is ultimate pomp. This was the song Ray (the 'new' singer drafted in when Brian's brother Keith overdosed in a Little Chef on the A303 in 1973) would never let them do live because Les (the bassist played by Jimmy Nail) sang vocals on it. Bettering the version on the film for it's over-longness, silly guitars and the appearance from nowhere of a wailing soul diva, this is the set closer to close all sets (although I still think of 'Flashdance' when I hear the opening bar).
Before you're given chance to recover the 'Fruits batter into the award-nominated 'All Over the World'. Of course it's just a Thin Lizzy rip-off but it's brilliant. No-one can deny the genius of The Rutles and the fact that Neil Innes is the only man ever to come close to getting The Beatles 'sound', the same goes for the 'Fruits. 'All Over the World' should be the global national anthem.
Of course, as with all soundtracks there's filler. Jimmy Nail's 'What Might Have Been' is actually great (if you forget it's Jimmy Nail), but we can ignore 'Brian's Theme', 'Ibiza Theme' and the only really duff Fruits track 'Bird on a Wire'.
'Dirty Town' appropriates Clapton's 'Layla' riff then pisses all over it. 'Black Moon' Sabbath's it's way along. The next surprise is Hans Matheson's 'Live for Today'. Hans play's Luke in the film, the young guitarist recruited to fill the stack-heeled boots of, the missing presumed dead, Brian. The song is meant to be one of Keith's psychedelic numbers from the Fruits early days and uses the 'Dear Prudence' descend much better than Ian Brown ever could.
'Scream Freedom' is Ray's inflated ego at it's most ballooned and will forever recall the image of Peter Gabriel makeup, huge collar and too much dry ice. And the fantastic image, a few scenes later, of Ray's platform booted foot thrusting through the ice of a frozen canal and saving him from an early drug-replase grave.
Strange Fruit should have existed. In some other universe I hope they do. The message here is simple; see the film, buy the soundtrack. I'm not calling this cutting edge high art. I am calling this honest. A Full Monty for the Rock n Rollers.

"...and the flame still burns"

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