Search - Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta :: Two Of A Kind (1983 Film)

A "Divine" Soundtrack

Mount_Olympus | above the delicatessan | 07/29/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was very suprised to see this soundtrack released on CD nearly 2 decades after its release. The CD is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name released in 1983. The movie itself is currently out of print and not available on DVD. There are some great songs on the album. However I think this one is aimed at the hard core fan of Olivia or John Travolta. The packaging is great, they included the gateway fold out of the original LP album. There are a few "filler" generic songs on the CD that are skip worthy, but there are some very strong points as well. Let me break it down one by one."Twist Of Fate" performed by Olivia Newton-John. This was the smash hit from the album. Reaching the top of the charts at number 5 in the USA. The song was released along with an imaginative video of Olivia being judged by a heavenly jury. Great lines in the song include "The gift of life extension, by divine intervention". Produced by David Foster. Still a favorite of Olivia fans and appears on many of her greatest hits compilations. 9/10"Take A Chance"(duet by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta). The public expected more from the couple that sang a number one smash in Grease. This song was intended to be the B-side to "Twist of Fate" but ended up being a minor adult contemporary hit. Co-written by Olivia and accompanied with a beautifully done video. 7/10"It's Gonna Be Special" by Patti Austin. This song was a R&B hit and deserved to be one. A nice adult contemporary song. 6/10"Catch 22" by Steve Kipner. Mostly forgettable filler song. Although I should point out he is the song writer of "Physical" for Olivia. 4/10"Shakin' You" by Olivia Newton-John. Stunning love ballad of trying to get over an ex-love. Accompanied by a piano, Olivia shines in this one. A tear jerker for sure. Accompanied by a stunning video shot in Venice. 9/10"Livin' in Desperate Times" by Olivia Newton-John. A top 40 new wave hit. The song has been edited for the CD version though, I cannot understand the point of the edit. But you'll barely notice it. A fun and funky song that was released with a fun new wave video. The single 45 version was also remixed to be funkier. 8/10"Perfect One" by Boz Skaggs. A nice adult contemporary song. It should have been a hit. Very suave and mellow. 7/10"Ask The Lonely" by Journey. I like the guitar in this song but it has a typical Journey sound. 5/10"Prima Donna" by Chicago. I am sure this song was included as a tribute to Olivia's character in the film. Not a bad song and carries the traditional Chicago sound. 6/10"Night Music" by David Foster. A wonderful song. This is an instrumental piece that deserved more attention. Written by the same composer who brought us "Love Theme From ST. Elmo's Fire". I just cannot praise this song enough, although I find it sad. A definite high point of the album. 10/10Other items released to coincide with the movie include:
A 12 inch remix of "Twist of Fate", with the B-side being a remix of "Livin in Desperate Times"
A VHS called "Twist of Fate" featuring the videos from the soundtrack, along with 2 additional ONJ videos.
A 45 single "Twist of Fate" with a picture sleeve.
A 45 single "Desperate Times" with a picture sleeve.
Various posters.
A VHS of the movie "Two Of A Kind""

It's a twist of fate this soundtrack's so good considering

Chris | Sydney, Australia | 04/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Oh sheesh, ANOTHER five stars for an Olivia Newton-John recording'Yes it appears I've been dishing out quite a few recently, but it's unfair not to give Olivia the dues she deserves when she delivers like this. Especially in comparison with her latest release, (2), which is quite possibly one of the weakest albums in her entire career.The 'Two Of A Kind' soundtrack is, somewhat self-explanatorily, the accompanying album to the film of the same name. Olivia shines in her four inclusions on this record, offering up three brave and stunning songs as well as one colour-by-numbers pop duet which if nothing else serves its purpose. The first single and opening track, 'Twist Of Fate', unintentionally became Olivia's swansong to the popular music world. Talk about going out with a bang. The single was an extremely successful #3 hit with a mega-budget video to boot, and no wonder - it is bouncy, dance-oriented, rock-synth at its very best with an amazing chorus and similarly awe-inspiring vocals from Ms Newton-John.'(Living In) Desperate Times' remains one of the most aggressive songs of Olivia's career. With a thunderous beat, frighteningly loud drum fills, and a powerful synthy chorus, it almost gave Olivia another Top 30 hit, stalling at #31. A fantastic video clip perfectly capturing the overbearing commercialisation of the modern world, Olivia's social commentary is all but forgotten in the intricate and compelling melody of this punk-pop classic! 'Shaking You' is Olivia balladry at its finest, up there with 'Boats Against The Current' from the 'Totally Hot' album and her fine 1973 offering 'Leaving'. Made even better by the heartbreakingly beautiful video (shot in Venice), this proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Olivia excels in a simple setting - just her, and those gorgeous words. The final Newton-John tune on this CD is her duet with John Travolta 'Take A Chance' which also proves something: singing was not his strong point. The song is very pleasant though, and Olivia sounds fantastic, and throughout all the overwhelming production and Olivia's backing vocal attempts to make John sound better, there's something appealing about this shimmery eighties pop confection.The other songs on this soundtrack are also rather spiffy. Patti Austin's 'It's Gonna Be Special' sounds like the predecessor to Madonna's 'Holiday', and 'Ask The Lonely' by Journey is powerhouse eighties synth-rock at its most memorable. Steve Kipner's offering, 'Catch 22', proves he was a better songwriter than he was a performer, but Chicago's fantastic 'Prima Donna' more than compensates.Overall, this is probably only a must-have purchase for Olivia fans, but for fans of eighties pop music this is probably also a viable release. A nostalgia-charged eighties aural feast!"

It Took a Strange Twist of Fate to make them Two of a Kind

Leonard Riggs Jr | Southern Illinois | 02/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was really glad that this cd was finally released on cd....the four Olivia songs on this shine as well as the contributions from Patti Austin, Boz Scaggs and Chicago. I love "Twist of Fate" and "Shaking You" by Ms. Newton-John and the duet with John Travolta "Take a Chance" sounds great....BUT what's with the lousy editing on "Livin In Desperate Times"...the song was shortened and is remixed from the original....(this isn't even the remixed single version from 1984)....that's my only gripe...."