2012 soundtrack album by Various artists
Rock of Ages (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2012 film Rock of Ages based on the rock jukebox Broadway musical of the same name. The soundtrack is a collection of music from 1980s rock artists including Def Leppard, Journey, Scorpions, Poison, Foreigner, Guns N' Roses, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, REO Speedwagon, and others. The songs were performed in the film, by Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Åkerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston and Tom Cruise.[2][3] The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on June 5, 2012 and was commercially successful, becoming the second-best selling soundtrack of the year, behind The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond (2012).[4] It was further nominated for the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.[5]
Background
On April 30, 2012, WaterTower Music, the in-house label of the film's presenter, Warner Bros. Pictures had unveiled the song list of over 20 tracks featured in the album, set for June 5, release.[6][7] The cover art of the album was released through Entertainment Weekly, which featured the cast in its entirety.[8] The soundtrack was made free for streaming at AOL as a part of listening party.[9]
Reception
Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone rated the album 3 out of 5 and said "The film version of the musical is mild kitsch-karaoke fun; the real takeaway is how great the 1980s originals were."[10] Shaun Munro of WhatCulture wrote "Rock of Ages wont be regarded alongside the great musical soundtracks, but just like the film, it knows exactly what it is and entertains accordingly. Singing voices are surprisingly consistent, pushing the stronger ones to the forefront, and keeping the lesser ones "that's you, Giamatti" well back in the wings. Does it give you a reason to put away those old albums? Absolutely not. But for fans, it might be a nice little indulgence."[11]
Arlene R. Weiss of Guitar International wrote "Rock Of Ages is a warmhearted send up of, and ultimately, affectionate homage to, the music and popular culture of the ’80s told with wit, style, and much joy. It’s wonderfully over the top and overflowing with sparkling musical numbers, eye and ear candy, camp, and lots of cheese. Moreover, just as Stacee, Drew, and Sherrie take the stage and regale us along with their glittering, show stopping rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, Rock Of Ages is a heartfelt, sentimental salute to the joyous wonder, pursuit, and realization, of our rock and roll dreams."[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "the original soundtrack to Rock of Ages can’t help but feel like a faded photocopy, but somebody has taken great care to dress those smeared, blurry images in glitter and highlights, the sparkle deriving from a star-studded cast fronted by Tom Cruise."[13]
Commercial performance
By the week of June 23, 2012, the album debuted at number 15 on Billboard 200[14] and peaked at the fifth position on that chart in its third week.[15][16] It also topped the Top Soundtracks chart at its debut and stayed for six consecutive weeks until The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack topped on its debut on August 4, 2012, pushing Rock of Ages to the fifth position.[17] It debuted at number 6 on Top Rock Albums,[18] and peaked to number 2 on the week of July 14, 2012.[19] It further peaked at the Canadian Albums Chart to number 8. It sold 267,000 copies in the United States and became the second best-selling soundtrack album of the year.[4] As of May 2013, the album sold over 320,000 copies.[20] The release of the soundtrack propelled the digital downloads of "Juke Box Hero", a 1981 single by Foreigner, up to 400%, outperforming The Rolling Stones, Eagles, Def Leppard and Fleetwood Mac.[21] Other songs such as "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You" had also seen significant increase in the downloads.[21]
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