If you haven’t seen the original 1980 Blues Brothers film with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, put it to the top of your list this week. It’s an excellent film filled with excellent music, a real cult classic that has aged like a fine wine. Belushi and Aykroyd created the characters as a bit for Saturday Night Live in the 70’s, and spun off that success into both a feature film as well as a real-deal blues band that played live shows and created original songs like the ones on this soundtrack.
It’s impossible for me to separate my love for the film from my love for this soundtrack, especially since nearly every one of these songs play a major role in the plot of this film. There’s so many great cinematic moments paired with music in this movie– Ray Charles cameo as the rough and tumble owner of Ray’s Music Exchange during “Shake A Tail Feather”, Aretha Franklin spicy rendition of “Think” in a soul food restaurant before her husband re-joins the band for a final show, the incomparable Cab Calloway leading a rousing rendition of “Minnie The Moocher” at the Palace Hotel Ballroom with the sold out crowd in the palm of his hand the entire time. The comedic timing of Belushi and Aykroyd are what draw you to the film, but these iconic musical moments are what stick with you long after.
To this day I can recite from memory the entirety of “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, from Aykroyd’s long and winding introduction all the way to the final chorus. It’s the standout song on an album that is filled to the brim with standout songs.
Standout Songs: “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”, “Minnie The Moocher”, “Gimme Some Lovin’”, “Sweet Home Chicago”
