Watchmen (Music from the Motion Picture)

Since the 2009 film adaptation of the celebrated graphic novel Watchmen takes place in an alternate version of 1985, it would have been too easy and obvious for the movie’s accompanying soundtrack to be peppered with all those ‘80s hits you’d expect from a K-Tel collection. Instead, the music selections (ranging from Nina Simone to Philip Glass) follow along with the ever-changing timeline of the story’s plot up to ‘85 – but not in the order the songs were played during the film. So instead of My Chemical Romance’s early-‘80s-inspired punk take on Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row” ending matters (the only new song here, by the way), it opens the compilation. If you listen to this soundtrack with the mindset that it’s an album unto itself, there are some unarguably awesome songs here that flow well in their order presented. Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” is a relevant tune in most any setting and hearing Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” furthers the fantastic notion that all roads on the map of popular music begin and end with Dylan.