VA - Varsity Blues - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (1999)

Loudmouth, the Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind, and even vintage Van Halen show up on the Varsity Blues soundtrack, a disc that pretty accurately captures the sounds you'd hear coming out of a Middle American high school parking lot circa 1998-1999. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Green Day's "Nice Guys Finish Last" and Fastball's "Are You Ready for the Fallout?" are two of the collection's standout tracks. There's also a nice thematic slant to the music, with several tracks addressing the perils of competition and sports. Monster Magnet's "Kick Out the Jams" is one of the better rock anthems, and Redd Kross's "Teen Competition" (along with Black Lab's "Black Eye") adds some needed pop diversity to this collection. Sure, it's heavy on the testosterone and guitars, but for a movie about 17-year-old football players living in rural Texas, it sounds just about right. --Jason Verlinde