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Established groups are increasingly looking to sound tracks as an outlet for material that has otherwise been ignored or unreleased. For example, the Pretenders' version of Angel of the Morning, featured on the Friends sound track, was originally released as a bonus track of a CD single; lead singer Chrissie Hynde was looking for a sound track on which to place it. Paul Westerberg, former lead singer of the Replacements, recorded Sunshine years ago, but it was never released until it became part of the Friends sound track. Stain Yer Blood was another Westerberg track salvaged from an unused studio session for the Friends CD. "He wanted to get it out because he loved the song, but he didn't necessarily want to put it on his new album," says Reprise Records president Howie Klein.
Ultimately, lesser-known acts may benefit even more from TV sound tracks because the CDs provide them with a wider audience than they might otherwise receive. Following their appearance on the 90210 compilation, the R. and B. group Jade saw sales of their own CD climb 23%. Letters to Cleo was a largely unknown band when its cut Here & Now appeared on the Melrose Place sound track. The exposure helped the band sell 100,000 copies of its first CD, Aurora Gory Alice.
The TV show itself does not always get the same promotional boost. A few years ago, The Heights, a blue-collar Melrose Place on Fox, fell quickly even though it launched a hit single, How Do You Talk to an Angel? Last year's high school drama My So-Called Life boasted not only glowing reviews but also a winning sound track featuring hot alternative bands like Frente! and the Afghan Whigs. None of it mattered though--ABC canceled the show last spring. Fans can now and then console themselves with cable reruns--but at least they'll always have the record.
--Reported by Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles