Once More, With Feeling

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Mutant Enemy…

Once More, With Feeling

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Mutant Enemy Records

There’s no real fair way to rank the Buffy Musical soundtrack. If you’re a die-hard fan of the show, this is a four star piece of work, a powerhouse trip down television memory lane.

If you’re only reading this review because your psychology teacher won’t shut up about his Oedipus complex, then you’ve probably never seen “Buffy,” let alone its musical episode last season. To you, the incredibly misguided, er, I mean unfortunate person, this album won’t make any sense and probably gets a poor rating.

This part of the review will pertain to those who love “Buffy” with a deep passion or those who have, in the last 10 seconds, suddenly screamed aloud: “I’ve missed ‘Buffy’ all these years? What have I done?!” Whatever category you fit into, this album is a must-have.

Sure, you have probably downloaded all the scratchy versions of the songs from “Once More, With Feeling” off KaZaa by now. But the audio quality of this album makes it worth the money. Also, the liner notes are hilarious. By now those people who were screaming just minutes ago are going “OK, I need to read the liner notes, too? What lengthy penance!” These liner notes are special: They are written by half man, half demi-god Joss Whedon. The show’s creator unveils all the inspirations behind the musical and what it was like getting the actors to agree to sing their parts. The complete lyrics and pictures are here, too.

You’re still reading? Wow, that psych teacher needs to shut up. All the true “Buffy” fans have already put down the paper and run off to the record store, so the rest of this space will be used to talk about the soundtrack to the episode “Once More, With Feeling,” because obviously you didn’t see it.

“Feeling” finds the “Buffy” crew forced into song because of the workings of a big, red, note-humming demon named Sweet. During the show, all the characters are required to sing out their deepest secrets. There’s a whole bunch of inside jokes about “Buffy,” a few snappy dance numbers and a really bangin’ rock song.

With music from other “Buffy” classic episodes, such as “Hush” and “The Gift,” plus a bonus track of a demo Whedon did with his wife, this album is vein of gold for slayer excavators.

So are three stars a fair evaluation? Well, if you average the non-fan’s one star with the avid-viewer’s four stars, you get two. Then there’s an extra star because, well, whether you watch it or not, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” just kicks ass.