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Anchorman - The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Label: Republic/Universal Records
Rating:  for Music    for Will Ferrell

Review By: Chuck G
 

Tracks: 1.) A Life, A Song - Ron Burgundy 2.) Ride Captain Ride - Blues Image 3.) Sunshine(Go Away Today) - Jonathan Edwards 4.) Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Bros. & Sister Rose 5.) Groovy Situation - Gene Chandler 6.) Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas 7.) Grazing In The Grass - Friends of Distinction 8.) Cherry, Cherry - Neil Diamond 9.) That Lady - Isley Brothers 10.) Shannon - Henry Gross 11.) Use Me - Bill Withers 12.) Help Yourself - Tom Jones 13.) She's Gone - Hall & Oates 14.) Afternoon Delight - Will Ferrell & The Channel 4 News Team 15.) Ron Burgundy's Sign Off

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From all advance notice, "Anchorman" looks to be the smash-hit comedy of the summer. Will Ferrell, riding the hilarious tide built up in "Elf" and a very capable supporting cast remake the 70's in all it's hard-drinking, sexual-freeing, mostache-wearing glory.
Critics are calling it a "can't miss."

Well, the summer movie season is not a sprint, but a marathon...so I think the critics should let Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public be the ones to decide what and what is not a smash-hit. I'm sure somebody pitched cartoonist Jon Davis that his "Garfield" would be
drawing in kids all summer long...see how fickle the masses are?

Anyways, the thought of reviewing yet another nostalgic compilation that's merely trying to capitalize on the good vibrations and keep-on-truckin' attitude of an entire generation just didn't appeal to me. I mean, this kind of thing had been done already this year (see "Starsky & Hutch" soundtrack review). And as far as eclectic song collections go, everything begins and ends with "Pulp Fiction." Period...the end.

But this...this was a bit different. This was for Will Ferrell as "the legend" Ron Burgundy. Now, that the movie's subtitle suggests that Mr. Burgundy's quote-unquote legend preceeds him is tongue-in-cheek enough. This was the guy that created hilarious characters on Saturday Night Live like the unhip to the extreme keyboard-player or assuming the role of holier than thou Mr. James Liption from "Inside The Actor's Studio." I knew I was in for some sweet surprises.

Quick note: The music is fine...it's everything you'd expect from a movie set in the 1970s. You got your funk ("Treat Her Like A Lady"), your folk ("Sunshine") and the obligatory rock anthem ("Carry On My Wayward Son"). Throw in the Hall & Oates and Neil  Diamond classics and you have a nice little 70s retrospective wrapped up in a tiny little box. 

But the real treat is that Will Ferrell, comic genius that he is, goes the extra mile. In character as anchorman, Ron Burgundy, Ferrell introduces at first the collection and then each and every song and gives a brief explanation as to why he felt it belonged on the soundtrack.

We find Mr. Burgundy bathing naked in the tub, all the while eating a t-bone steak ( or "top chop" as he puts it), some waffles and a pilsner glass filled with Bailey's. Ron's persona are many of the characters or imitations you've seen him portray to hilarious 
results on the SNL years. He's full of Robert Goulet chuztpah, the aforementioned Liption's pedestal-sitting and even his inappropriate story-telling Neil Diamond ("I murdered a man in a bar fight in Minnesota...") in a bring down the house "Behind The Music" send-up. 

I don't want to go into too many details about Ferrell's turn as Burgundy on the CD because there isn't oodles of material on there. But what's there IS gold! Is it worth rushing out and purchasing this disc? No. But after seeing the movie and you want a
nice remembrance of it with some quality 70's-era music on it...Ferrell's additions up the ante quite a bit. Although, I'll never understand Burgundy's fascination with the band Survivor.

Stay classy antiMUSIC readers! 

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