Album review: Glee: The Music: Volume One
by Victoria Huntley A CHORUS of Brick Lane trendies bursting into song as a DJ plays Don t Stop Believin by Journey last Friday night has cemented Glee as the TV phenome
A CHORUS of Brick Lane trendies bursting into song as a DJ plays Don't Stop Believin' by Journey last Friday night has cemented Glee as the TV phenomenon of 2010.
A huge hit in the States, Glee's launch on E4 saw 1.3 million viewers tuning in and it has been crowned best TV comedy or musical at this year's Golden Globe Awards and the soundtrack to the series has revolutionised music sales.
Don't Stop Believin', sung by the cast in the first episode, exploded on iTunes in the US selling more than 600,000 copies and entering The Billboard Hot 100 at number four and, with new tracks released on the back of each new episode, the Glee cast has accumulated more than four million download track sales.
The success story is now continuing on this side of the pond with the anthem Don't Stop Believin' peaking at number two in the UK in the singles chart and eight other Glee cast tracks in the top 100.
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Glee: The Music: Volume 1 is the first collection of the cast's take on classic and contemporary pop songs and includes cracking versions of Kanye West's Gold Digger, Queen's Somebody To Love, Rihanna's Take A Bow and Defying Gravity from Broadway and West End musical Wicked.
Although there are these few gems on the album, it's the songs' context in the show which makes them enjoyable; all those beaming, fresh-faced American teenagers performing their immaculately polished routines make for pure, unadulterated, guilty pleasure.
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As comprehensive as the album is, there are a few glaring omissions from the track listing; no Rehab, no Push It by Salt N Peppa? What gives?
They seem to have been replaced by a frankly bizarre version of Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself and an irony free, but mercifully short, rendition of Sweet Caroline.
Glee: The Music: Volume 1 is out on today (Monday) on CD and to download from iTunes.
