A sequel to the soundtrack for a sequel? The Austin Powers cash cow seems just about ready to kick the milking stool. Fortunately, More Music from the Spy who Shagged Me remains a coherent work; unlike the hero of the execrable movie, the album remains firmly fixed in the 60s, and tries to avoid the charge of cashing in by including snippets of dialogue and movie-relevant songs (They Might Be Giants’ “Dr Evil”). The album sadly lacks the Bacharach tunes and kitschy cover versions of the first two soundtracks, but it has a lovely sense of pop music in Swingin’ London, including such classics as the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer”. The Guess Who’s original “American Woman” also surfaces, the anti-American lyrics making more sense in the hands of Mike Myers’ fellow Canadians than in flag-waving Lenny Kravitz. Even the modern pieces included have a retro groove: the Propellerheads’ “Crash!”, released in the U.S. for the first time, smacks of a-go-go, while Fantastic Plastic Machine’s “Bachelor Pad”. And once again straddling the decades is Madonna’s 60s-tinged “Beautiful Stranger”, this time given a none-too-inspiring remix by Vic Calderone. B
This review first appeared in The Harvard Crimson.