Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling

1	Overture/Going Through the Motions / Sarah Michelle Gellar 2:57
2	I've Got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together / Emma Caulfield 2:21
3	The Mustard / David Fury 0:19
4	Under Your Spell / Amber Benson 2:54
5	I'll Never Tell / Nicholas Brendon 4:01
6	The Parking Ticket / Marti Noxon 0:44
7	Rest in Peace / James Marsters 2:45
8	Dawn's Lament / Michelle Trachtenberg 1:18
9	Dawn's Ballet 1:12
10	What You Feel / Michelle Trachtenberg 3:01
11	Standing / Anthony Head 2:10
12	Under Your Spell/Standing (Reprise) / Amber Benson 1:34
13	Walk Through the Fire / Michelle Trachtenberg 3:43
14	Something to Sing About / Sarah Michelle Gellar 4:40
15	What You Feel (Reprise) / Hinton Battle 0:45
16	Where Do We Go from Here? / Amber Benson 1:52
17	Coda / Sarah Michelle Gellar 0:41
18	End Credits: Broom Dance/GRR Argh 0:33
19	Main Title / Nerf Herder 0:26
20	Suite From "Restless": Willow's Nightmare/First Rage/Chain of Ancients 5:04
21	Suite From "Hush": Silent Night/First Kiss/Enter the Gentlemen/Schism 6:56
22	Sacrifice From "The Gift" 2:57
23	Something to Sing About / Joss Whedon Demo Version 4:27

Barnes & Noble

Since its 1997 small-screen debut, the cult movie turned hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been hailed for its cutting-edge (no pun intended) attack. In 1999, the show spawned the alt-rock-heavy Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album, but for the series' second soundtrack, Buffy creator Joss Whedon scaled new heights of boob tube ingenuity by transforming Once More, with Feeling, the sixth season's musical episode he wrote and composed, into an original-cast recording. Bufffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), her vamp love interest Spike (James Marsters), her witchy best friend Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and the rest of the gang flex their surprisingly crisp chops on a campy set of solo and ensemble numbers. On the existential, new wave-ish "Something to Sing About," Buffy laments being awakened from an eternal, heavenly slumber by her clueless Sunnydale clique, who raised her from the dead, and Spike bemoans his lonely immortality. Other highlights include Spike's rockin' solo "Rest in Peace" and the zoot-suited demon Sweet (played by Broadway vet Hinton Battle) serenading Dawn, Buff's baby sis, on "What You Feel." The disc also includes score segments from three other episodes, plus a demo track from this episode sung by Whedon and Kai Cole. The package features a cover illustration by comic book artist Adam Hughes (X-Men, Wonder Woman) and liner notes from Whedon. On the Rocky Horror-esque "I've Got a Theory," the cast, including Buffy's "Watcher" Giles, bumbling cutie Xander, his demon lover Anya, and Willow's girlfriend Tara sum up the show's basic theme of friendship: "What can't we do if we get in it/We'll work it through within a minute/We'll have to try.../It's do or die." With this set of cheeky, killer songs, Once More, with Feeling shows why Buffy continues to slay her competition. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

The soundtrack of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first ever musical episode, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling, is every bit as fun as the episode itself. It manages to do a couple of things most musicals don't do: give a reason for all the bursting into song (a demon named Sweet has put a curse on the town that makes everyone sing) and move the plot forward (characters reveal thoughts and feelings they had been hiding, with mixed results). The range of musical styles is also quite impressive, ranging from ballads ("Under Your Spell"), to Billy Idol-esque rock ("Rest in Peace"), to a clever retro-pastiche ("I'll Never Tell"). The cast pulls off the fairly demanding vocals nicely. Standouts are Amber Benson on "Under Your Spell," James Marsters on "Rest in Peace," and, not surprisingly, the sublime Anthony Stewart Head on "Standing." Benson and Head's duet on the "Under Your Spell/Standing (Reprise)" is an especially affecting moment. The album is rounded out by, among other things, the suite from "Hush, one of the most acclaimed Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes. This soundtrack is, of course, a must-have for Buffy fans, but it wouldn't be out of place in anyone's collection. It's great music done, for the most part, with tongue firmly in cheek. Melinda Hill