and roll deejays whose "pirate radio" captivated and inspired 1960s Britain. Playing the music that rocked a nation and a decade, the group boldly and hilariously defies the government that tried to shut them down. Broadcasting live 24/7 from an old tanker anchored in the middle of the North Sea (just beyond British jurisdiction), Radio Rock sends out a vibrant and unifying signal to millions across the nation, ranging in age from wide-eyed pre-teens secretly tuning in long past their bedtimes to everyday people in need of a musical pick-me-up.  (less)

and it’s unlikely he thinks of himself as plural poets and pirates--the material, performances, and support rank from solid to state-of-the-art. He waxes philosophic on the hit "Don’t Blink." He teams with George Strait for the Caribbean-flavored "Shiftwork," a song that will doubtlessly inspire double-entendre barroom sing-alongs. He channels of the soul of a stripper who’s just trying to support her family on "Dancin’ for the Groceries." And he does a convincing Dwight Yoakam sound-alike on the honky-tonker’s "Wild Ride," with Eagles’ Joe Walsh riding shotgun on lead guitar (and "Rocky Mountain Way" voice box). When you’re as hot as Chesney, you get your pick of material and musicians, including Vince Gill on guitar and Mickey Raphael on harmonica. Chesney...  (less)

charm, then unleashes a furious broadside of symphonic and choral thunder to rival his ominous score for K-19 . The composer's fellow German mentor is an obvious influence throughout (the album is credited with a wink as "Score overproduced by Hans 'Long John' Zimmer") but Badelt brings his own muscular instincts to bear throughout. Perhaps shrewdly realizing that genre cliches are nothing if not for reinventing, Badelt delivers his rhythmically nervous Eurocentric sensibilities--sort of Holst duels Shostakovich on the Spanish Main--with the subtlety of a scorching cannonball. It's seasoned with a little romantic respite in the final act, if a bit gingerly, and could no doubt profit by...  (less)

without developing nightmares. That's not to say that bigger kids won't whistle yo-ho-ho merrily after a casual listen, too: salty classics like "Blow the Man Down" set the mood for a plastic sword fight in the basement; "Pirates of the Black Tide" and "Stowaway" deliver mutinous tales made mild by friendly-sounding flutes and fiddles; "The Pirate King" sallies forth with regal, dramatic flair; and "Shiver Me Timbers" and "The Legend of Davy Jones" are sufficiently menacing-sounding to keep the whole thing afloat with kids who'd sooner walk the plank than be caught listening to a kiddie CD. The packagers didn't forget that any pirate worth his eye patch expects a little buried treasure with his purchase: Pirate lore--cool tidbits on flags, s...  (less)

Jones (Bill Nighy), captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. And as if this weren't enough, the captain's problems manage to wreck the wedding plans of a certain Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), who are forced to join Jack on yet another misadventure. Soundtrack features original score by Hans Zimmer plus a bonus remix track by the world-renowned DJ Tiesto. More Pirates and Hans Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Score Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD The Da Vinci Code Score The British Years Gladiator Score The Lion King Soundtrack  (less)

in the CD's liner notes include pirate-themed nicknames, like the roll call in a Simpsons Halloween episode) isn't in doubt--he sure is one in-demand composer--but afficionados are divided about his artistic worth, and this score isn't about to reconcile them. Some think that Zimmer relies too much on his stable of composers and sticks to tried-and-true recipes; others admire his capacity to weave themes in and out of cues, creating a whole made of subtly interrelated parts. At World's End feeds both camps: Seven of his collaborators are credited with writing "additional music," and the album feels by-the-numbers at times; but those inclined to listen very closely will be rewarded by the way Zimmer sneaks in bits of two main melodie...  (less)

Ronstadt, who by this point had already proven she could tackle pre-rock pop standards, stretches successfully as its heroine. Rex Smith, then dismissed as a pop-rock heartthrob, proves he could be a "legitimate" musical leading man, a niche he's since inhabited comfortably. And Kevin Kline returns to his stage training as the hearty King of the Pirates. Onstage, Papp celebrated the slapstick possibilities of the deliberately silly plot, which weaves reliably tart observations about class consciousness and gender politics into a pirate band's invasion of a Cornish coastal town. A faithful big-screen adaptation added Angela Lansbury for marquee clout, but even without that grande dame of the Great White W...  (less)