Various Artists: The End Of Violence

Even at his highest level of pop-culture success, shortly after the release of 1988's Wings Of Desire, more people have heard the soundtracks to Wim Wenders' films than have seen the movies themselves. For instance, the soundtrack to 1991's Until The End Of The World assembled mostly strong new music from a cross-section of some of the most popular and influential pre-Nirvana alternative artists, including Lou Reed, R.E.M., U2, Patti Smith and Talking Heads. The soundtrack to Wenders' latest may not quite equal that one, but it comes close: U2 and Sinead O'Connor turn in a menacing collaboration, while Michael Stipe and Vic Chesnutt contribute a sweet-sounding duet. Beyond those big-name pairings, the soundtrack still has something for everyone, from trip-hop (DJ Shadow) to an unearthed Roy Orbison song completed by Brian Eno for this collection. Among the other highlights are "Theme For A Trucker" from the rising band Whiskeytown, and a great Tom Waits song. Though the snatches of dialogue are disposable, the sample of guitarist/composer Ry Cooder's music, which opens the soundtrack, will hopefully intrigue enough people to pick up the separate disc of Cooder's score. Most scores sound out-of-place when taken out of context, but Cooder's evocative, moody work should find a place beside his fondly recalled score for Wenders' Paris, Texas. Even if the movie disappears from the theaters quickly, as Wenders' movies tend to do, these two albums ought to be remembered for a while.