Prime Video’s long-awaited Daisy Jones and The Six has finally arrived, pulling the fictional band at the centre of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best-selling book of the same name into the real world. Adapting a book about one of the biggest bands in the world is no easy task when that band doesn’t actually exist, and while the show admittedly makes a few stumbles, it hits it big for one simple reason: it makes the band real, and releases their famous album ‘Aurora’ on music streaming services and vinyl.
That’s right, along with Prime Video dropping the first three episodes of the show today, the streaming service also released a full-length Daisy Jones and The Six album.
In case you haven’t read the book, or it’s been a while, let’s backtrack and do a quick, spoiler free Daisy Jones and The Six recap. The book follows the whirlwind career of a Fleetwood Mac-esque 1970s rock band and their beautiful but troubled singer. Told in a series of interviews with the band members 20 years after their sold-out arena tour, Daisy Jones and The Six reveals the mystery behind their infamous break up.
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s dive into the music of Daisy Jones and The Six (the show) and why it makes a good adaptation great.
The Soundtrack Is By A Grammy-Winning Musician
Obviously the biggest advantage of telling a story like this in a show versus a book is that you can actually hear the band’s music in a show. But what to do when your band doesn’t exist? For Daisy Jones and The Six, Prime Video tapped Blake Mills, a music producer who’s worked with Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, John Legend, Perfume Genius, and many, many more. Mills wrote 24 songs for the show, with help from Phoebe Bridgers, Marcus Mumford and Jackson Browne.
In the book, the band only releases one album before breaking up, but it catapults them to superstardom. It’s understandable that fans would be nervous about finally hearing Aurora, but Blake and his co-writers have created an album that captures the magical, unmistakable sound of the ‘70s.
“We finally have Aurora,” Taylor Jenkins Reid said in a statement. “A stunning, nostalgic, timeless album that captures the drama, pathos and yearning of the band’s zenith and nadir all in one. A snapshot of time, intoxicating and dangerous. That delicious moment that you know can’t last… Daisy Jones and the Six are real. And they are better than my wildest dreams.”
Yes, That’s Really Riley Keough Singing
Aurora is all sweeping choruses, guitar riffs, hard drums and soulful keys. But it would be nothing (or at least a lot less) without the soaring vocals of the show’s stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin.
The real-life granddaughter of Elvis Presley, Keough actually had no singing experience before filming. She told Vanity Fair she “sounded so bad that I started crying” when she started working with a vocal coach in preparation for filming.
“I was like, I can’t do it, and when I can’t do something it lights a fire in me to be able to do it. I was like, I have to do it. I’m gonna go to this vocal coach, and he’s gonna teach me how to f*cking belt, whatever I need to do to get this.”
Listening to Aurora, it’s staggering that Keough hasn’t been performing all her life. She belts out songs and commands attention on stage, so much so that it causes some tension between her character and Claflin’s Billy, the band’s other frontman.
For his part, Claflin also learned how to sing for the show. He’s another natural performer, and their voices sound so good together. Fans of the book adore Daisy and Billy’s “will they, won’t they” relationship, and none will be sad at how it comes to life in the show — especially when they’re in the recording studio.
‘Aurora’ Is A Genuinely Good Album
Even outside the context of the show, Aurora stands on its own as a genuinely good album. Fleetwood Mac fans especially will love it, but it also benefits from modern influences and recording quality — so much so that even people who don’t usually listen to ‘70s music will want to sing along.
But listening to Aurora after finishing the show is when the album is at its best. A handful of songs are played repeatedly in the show, like ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and ‘Regret Me’, but we only catch snippets of the rest. Hearing songs like the title track and ‘The River’ in full on the album is extra satisfying after learning what happened to the band.
It’s also a rare opportunity to connect with a story and characters you love — and to connect with them whenever you want, just by putting on some headphones or blasting it through speakers.
Daisy Jones and The Six is a whirlwind adaptation of a cult-favourite book, one that nails its cast and setting. Keough and Claflin, along with other stars Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be, Josh Whitehouse, and Tom Wright, bring the band to life with all the passion and drama the rock ’n’ roll era is known for. But it’s the soundtrack that cements its status as essential viewing, and Aurora will live on long after its release.
The first three episodes of Daisy Jones and The Six are now streaming on Prime Video. Start your free 30-day Prime Video trial today and check out the rest of our favourite Prime Video releases here.
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This article was originally published on POPSUGAR Australia.
