Once the
soundtrack
to the
Adam Sandler
/
Drew Barrymore
romantic comedy
The Wedding Singer
climbed into the Top Ten, the appearance of
Wedding Singer 2
was nearly a sure thing. After all,
Grosse Pointe Blank
and
Romy & Michele's High School Reunion
, two other '80s-themed films with predominantly
new wave
soundtracks, spun off two hit albums apiece, and none of those four albums sold as well as
. If you overlook the fact that
is a cash-in, just like any other
sequel, you may find that the album is quite an enjoyable
compilation. Of course, there are a number of familiar items here, including
"Too Shy,"
"Private Idaho,"
"Money,"
plus
"True"
"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),"
two items showcased in the film itself, so their absence from the first album was puzzling. Nevertheless, what makes this fun is the appearance of songs that usually don't make
comps -- not only is
Depeche Mode
's
"Just Can't Get Enough"
here (it provided the title for
Rhino
's exhaustive
series, but never appeared on any of the 15 discs), but so is the forgotten
Flock of Seagulls
' tune
"Space Age Love Song"
Madonna
"Holiday,"
which rarely appears on comps. Also, it's nice to hear
the Cars
'
"It's All I Can Do"
instead of
"My Best Friend's Girl,"
and it's cool to have the
J. Geils Band
"Love Stinks"
Hall & Oates
' timeless
"You Make My Dreams"
thrown into the mix. It's all entertaining enough to make
's album closer
"Grow Old with You"
tolerable for those who don't git wit his style of humor. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine