Judgment Night is a 1993 film directed by Stephen Hopkins, starring Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and Denis Leary.
But I’m not here to talk about the film. Hell, I’ve never even seen the film. I’m here to talk about the SOUNDTRACK album, because it KICKS ASS!
Judgment Night: Music from the Motion Picture was released on September 14, 1993. Every song on the soundtrack is a collaboration between a rap artist and a rock artist, and in spite of any misgivings one might have due to the subsequent emergence of the “rap-rock/nu-metal” genre a few years later, these songs RULE!
Your mileage may vary, but my personal favorites are “Just Another Victim” by Helmet & House of Pain, “Fallin'” by De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub1with an assist from Tom Petty, “Judgment Night” by Biohazard & Onyx, “Disorder” by Ice-T & Slayer, “Another Body Murdered” by Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. & Faith No More, “I Love You Mary Jane” by Cypress Hill & Sonic Youth, “Freak Momma” by Mudhoney & Sir Mix-A-Lot, and “Missing Link”2Speaking of “missing”, there are at least a dozen different uploads (both official and unofficial) of this song, but the video I’ve linked here is the only one I could find that is the same as the mix on my CD copy of the album. Since the sample at the beginning is missing from all the other uploads, I assume it must have been changed due to some sample clearance issue; though J’s guitar is more prominent in the apparently more common version, that mix is also bass heavy to a point where it sounds really muddy (to my ears anyway) by Del tha Funkee Homosapien & Dinosaur Jr. (so basically, my “favorite tracks” are most of the album, then).
Push comes to shove though, my favorite track is probably “Missing Link”. The song was performed live only once: on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1993, with a slightly augmented Dinosaur line-up featuring Mike Watt on bass, Mike D on drums, and then-Dino bassist Mike Johnson on rhythm guitar:3I’m seeing double here: SIX MIKES!
To learn more about the Judgment Night soundtrack, consult your local library (or read this oral history compiled by Rolling Stone magazine for the album’s 25th anniversary).
Optional discussion prompt: What are some of your favorite soundtrack albums?
Have a Great Night Thread, Avocado!