ABSTRACT
Critics and academics have previously neglected the soundtrack of The Commitments. Depicted primarily as a live band, performing in rehearsal and in concert, the film never features any footage of the band in a recording studio. However, their initial encounters with soul music take place via records and videotapes, and the young musicians have no truly ‘authentic’ ‘live’ link with the music they play or the era in which it was played. Nevertheless, the ideology of ‘liveness’, as defined by Philip Auslander, is expressed in the promotion of the film, in which Alan Parker emphasised the importance of recording vocals live on set, rather than having the singers lip-sync; and reiterating the musicianship of the cast. Sonic representation in The Commitments, including elaborate processes of rehearsal, shooting, and recording, undertaken by Paul Bushnell and Kevin Killen, demonstrate a commitment to liveness as an ideology, as well as a contradictory position in which Johnny Murphy who played Joey “The Lips” could not play trumpet, an inversion of his role in the narrative as elder musical mentor to the rest of the group. Discourses of authenticity concerning voice and body are central to soul music and its relationship to sonic mediation, and are further reiterated in relation to Andrew Strong’s striking vocal performance as Deco.
