I Shot Andy Warhol (OST 1996)

I Shot Andy Warhol has the elements that every tribute album strives to capture: great bands interpreting great songs while injecting enough of their own personalities to make the recording and listening processes worthwhile. From Luna's smooth version of Donovan's "Season of the Witch" to Wilco's rendition of the Neil Young-penned "Burned" to Ben Lee's channeling of the Small Faces on "Itchycoo Park," no one missteps in their attempts to pay homage to the original artists. Even Jewel proves capable when tackling Donovan's "Sunshine Superman," which along with R.E.M.'s take on the Troggs' "Love Is All Around" and Bettie Serveert's interpretation of Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine," rounds out the cover portion of the album. Also included are classic tracks from the Lovin' Spoonful, Love, MC5, and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, as well as original tracks by Pavement and Yo La Tengo. Fittingly, the Velvet Underground's John Cale scores the "I Shot Andy Warhol Suite."

AMG Review by Michael Frey