This is music that has inspired the show's writers, they say. Many TV shows use pop music, but almost none of the music on this CD has been aired on Heroes, other than the bits by Wendy and Lisa. Overall, then, the other tunes, even the "new releases," are in an "inspired by" bag, as opposed to being soundtrack pieces per se. Given that, one can't really blame the rather cynical reaction to this CD displayed by some reviewers.

Now, the Wendy and Lisa material doesn't thrill my pants off, but we all know I am a jaded old hippie with little tolerance for things that I can't tap my foot to. A lot of people really seem to like their stuff. I will say that "Fire and Regeneration" works well for me, but possibly because it recalls Paul Horn's amazing flute recordings made inside the Taj Mahal, in which he jams with his own echoes. Wendy and Lisa add a little tick-ticky-tick percussion track to Shankar's lovely vocals, but otherwise Winter did it better 32 years ago. Sheila Chandra's similarly spacey "Abonedronecrone 3" excerpt, Track 10, is more vocally interesting, but to anyone who knows her work that comes as no surprise. It'll give you goose bumps.

The first real standout is "He's Frank," by Brighton Port Authority with Iggy Pop. It's great to hear Pop growling his Lou Reed-y approach here, hard to see how the great little organ riff and the four-on-the-floor beat won't set the feet a-tappin.'

A less-than-super offering

Next up, the New Pornographers have a nice bit of pop fluff with "All for Swinging You Around." This is not one of the new releases, but it's fun to hear anyway, and—whoa—apparently has actually been used on the show. Some really nice drum work on this cut. It doesn't really seem to have anything to do with the show, though, or even the concept of the show. So go figure why it's here.

A certain amount of attention is being given to Track 13, "All Things Must Pass," which is the Jesus and Mary Chain's first studio recording since 1998, but it doesn't have much of the group's old punch. (And, unfortunately, it is not the George Harrison song.) Almost anyone could have done it, really. The real winners here are Imogen Heap (Track 11), with her swampy and delicate "Not Now But Soon," and Yerba Buena with "Maya's Theme," which starts off as a psychedelic little Spanish exercise but shifts gears a third of the way through into Afro-Cuban deliciousness. It's great, and after hearing Heap's offering—which ends with her footsteps walking out of the studio—I am even more interested in her work than I was before.

Speaking of George Harrison, Track 7 by Panic! At the Disco really channels the late guitarist and the Beatles in general with the catchy "Nine in the Afternoon." Bands are going to be mining the Beatles for inspiration for many years to come, which is not a Bad Thing, really.

We also have Bob Dylan and David Bowie (can you guess which Bowie song is here?), and they're nice to hear again, of course—can't beat Bob and Dave. "Chills" by Morning Jacket, Track 8, is pretty good, too, bringing to mind the Flaming Lips as it does.