CoronaVinyl Day 235 (Various Artists): The Big Chill Soundtrack

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "Various Artists," and I'm going with the fantastic soundtrack to the 1983 film The Big Chill.

I've never seen the movie, but I know the premise.  A group of Baby Boomer friends -- played by Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, and JoBeth Williams -- who all went to Michigan together in the late '60s get together at one of the couples' summer houses after, after one of their friends from college -- who was played by Kevin Costner, but apparently they cut all his scenes -- commits suicide in said house.  The Boomers, along the dead guy's young girlfriend (played by Meg Tilly) listen to great music from the '60s, reminisce, and put themselves in various uncomfortable and compromising situations.

While the movie was highly acclaimed and nominated for several Oscars, the soundtrack is one of the best ever, dare I say.  It features five classic Motown songs and five other classic '60s songs from the likes of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Miracles, Aretha Franklin, Three Dog Night, The Young Rascals, Procol Harum, and The Exciters.  It's basically an album you could listen to at any time.  

Every song was a big hit in its day and an instantly recognizable classic.  Of the songs on the album, four were #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 (Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," The Temptations' "My Girl," The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'," Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World"), and the rest were all Top 20 songs.  It's no wonder the soundtrack went to #17 on the Billboard album chart, and it has gone platinum six times in the U.S.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "The Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles
Though it was a tough call between "Tracks of My Tears" and "Good Lovin'," I had to go with the former, as it's my favorite song that Smokey Robinson ever wrote, and one of my favorite songs from the '60s, period.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum
The only non-American selection on the soundtrack is Procol Harum's soulful psychedelic classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale."