Friends Again' Music By Semisonic, Smash Mouth, Duncan Sheik, Loreta And More Captures Spirit Of The Smash Television Series

BURBANK, Calif., Oct. 12 -- "Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to this show and the appeal of these six actors. We've touched a nerve, got our fingers on the pulse -- whatever cliche you choose, the appeal of "Friends" is something magical and it's a magic that translates beautifully to music."

So says Kevin Bright, executive producer of one of the most successful half-hours in television history, on the subject of "Friends Again," the follow-up to 1995's solid platinum Reprise Records release, "Friends: Music From The TV Series." An A-list assemblage of cutting edge artists, "Friends Again" offers a celebration in sound of what has become a way of life for TV audiences around the world. It's a line up that boasts such breakthrough artists as Smash Mouth, Lisa Loeb, Duncan Sheik and Semisonic, whose track "Delicious" will be one of two singles released simultaneously from the album. "Friends Again" also boasts a sterling collection of promising newcomers including UK sensation Loreta, whose "Trouble With Boys" will also be a debut single for this eagerly awaited compilation. More than merely a variation on a proven theme, "Friends Again" brings the smart, sexy and heartfelt.

Now in its sixth smash season, the ratings giant consistently reaches over twenty-five million viewers weekly in America alone, a figure that effectively doubles when the international audience for "Friends" is folded in. It's an audience tuned into a unique sensibility that has much to do with the music that underscores the show's savvy, up-to-the-minute aesthetic.

"'Friends' appeals to a very wide demographic cross section," explains Karen Glauber, who served as Music Supervisor on "Friends Again." "Because of that, we wanted to reflect a broader range of music on this album. At the same time, all of the songs had to be something you might actually hear on the show."

Contributing to the "Friends"-familiar feeling of the collection, "Friends Again" includes selected sound bytes taken from various episodes as well as one of the show's most memorable musical highlights: a rendition of "Smelly Cat" as performed by Lisa Kudrow in her role as frontwoman for Phoebe Buffay And The Hairballs. The track features The Pretenders and was produced by Chrissie Hynde and Kevin Bright. "We knew we had to include 'Smelly Cat'," Glauber says, "especially when Chrissie agreed to be involved."

"After the success of the first album we felt like we could take a few more risks," continues Bright, who, along with Friends creators and executive producers Marta Kauffman and David Crane and Reprise Records President Howie Klein, served as the album's Executive Producer. "Because the cast is in their early 30's we wanted to bring in more of a rock sensibility. In the end, maybe we were too picky," he adds with a laugh. "After all, it took two years to put this together."

A quick glance at the tunestack explains why. "Friends Again" reads like a veritable Who's Who of today's most promising rock and pop artists, including the Grammy-nominated and platinum-selling Semisonic who contributed a newly recorded version of their original "Delicious," first heard on the group's debut release, "Great Divide." "We had played the song live during the past year," remarks Semisonic's founder and frontman Dan Wilson, "and that turned it into a much more rousing, tear-the-roof-off-the-sucker moment. When we were asked to get involved in the "Friends" project, I thought it would be great to record it the way we play it live. We even used a live audience to sing along with the chorus. It's a crowd from Toledo, Ohio, in April of this year - they were especially in the groove that night."

Another standout track is the above mentioned "The Trouble With Boys" by London-based vocalist Loreta, who has long been a "Friends" fan. "I've always wanted to have relationships like the ones on the show," she reveals. "But, of course, everyone else does, too. I think that's why it's such a huge success. All my friends know not to call each other at 9PM on the night "Friends" airs on SkyOne, because none of us will pick up until it's over." Being on "Friends Again" is, Loreta enthuses, "a thrill. I think the song 'Trouble With Boys' fits with the show perfectly," she explains.

"After all, that's what's happening, at least half the time. The other half," she adds with a laugh, "it's trouble with girls."

"Friends Again" also includes a rendition of the Pet Shop Boys' "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" as performed Robbie Williams, "Summer" by Lisa Loeb and Duncan Sheik's "View From The Other Side." The Smash Mouth original "Every Word Means No," provides an audio sneak peak at an upcoming episode featuring the band's lead singer, Steve Harwell. The album also features a rap version of the show's theme song "'Til The End (I'll Be There For You)" by newcomer Thor-El and selections from such promising new Reprise groups as Deckard ("What Reason") and 8STOPS7 ("Question Everything"). Rounding out the "Friends Again" assortment is "Beats The Hell Out Of Me," performed by the Waltons and produced by Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies and a once-in-a- lifetime duet between Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and punk music legend Penelope Houston on "Angel And The Jerk."

"With the first album, we connected strongly with people all over the world," remarks Reprise Records President and "Friends Again" Executive Producer Howie Klein. "This time around we have the opportunity to expand the musical franchise even further. 'Friends' is a show that uses music in a completely unique way and 'Friends Again' is an album that reflects the fact that its creators and cast are completely in sync with their audience. This album is another way for that audience to enjoy the 'Friends' experience."

"Friends Again" enters the music marketplace on November 23,1999.