The five albums Dennis Quaid could listen to forever: “It’s such a great record”
In this week’s instalment of “Films you probably haven’t seen but that you should really see as soon as you possibly can” let’s look at the 2000 thriller Frequency, starring Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid, which, even in the current climate of everyone online describing pretty much everything as underrated, is actually underrated.
A twisting and emotional story shot through with magic about a firefighter father and his son living thirty years apart but united through ham radio, it’s one that’s guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and sobbing by the end of it, especially if you’re a) a dad or b) a son, which let’s face it quite a lot of us are.
It’s one of Quaid’s best performances, up there with his snarling, hateful turn in 2024’s brilliant Substance and it has a comforting feel, the way many movies did up until the turn of the century, but not so much in the 25 years since. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons it has begun to be reappraised as a great film, harking back as it does to more innocent times and to things we simply can’t get back.
One element of the movie that wasn’t overlooked on release was the song that featured at the end, ‘When you Come Back to me Again’ by country star Garth Brooks, which was nominated for a Golden Globe the following year. And given Quaid’s predilection for country music, it’s probably no surprise that it was the tune that rounded out the film.
That love of country is featured prominently in Quaid’s pick of his favourite albums of all time in fact, along with the fab four and Jim Morrison’s Los Angeles rockers. Quaid made his selection for Spin, and kicked things off with the Beatles seminal 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, saying: “I was 12 or 13 when the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s. They were larger than life. Global figures, more excitement and wonder around them than any band today. The music they were creating will be the soundtrack to our lives for decades to come.”
Next up he went with country legend Waylon Jennings’ 1975 effort Dreaming my Dreams, which was a big hit that year and was certified gold. Quaid said: “I’m a lifelong Waylon fan and to this day I put on this record and it takes me back to the mid ‘70s when I was getting started in acting.”
Third on the list was Bob Dylan’s country-inspired 1969 record Nashville Skyline, with Quaid raving: “This is the first album Dylan shares vocal duties on the opening track featuring Johnny Cash, which is really cool. It’s such a great record overall, and I really appreciate how Dylan intertwined Nashville influences.”
Fourth was another album from 1975, husband and wife duo Captain & Tennille’s Love Will Keep Us Together, the title track of which won a Grammy for Record of the Year. Quaid said: “They’re not a duo you hear about every day, but they cemented themselves as respected singer/songwriters, and who doesn’t jam to ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’?”
Finally, he rounded off his selection with an album that sold in the millions in the early 1970s, namely The Best of the Doors. Quaid added: “The Doors are the greatest rock band of all time. What Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek did together is nothing short of genius.”
Dennis Quaid’s five favourite albums:
- The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
- Waylon Jennings – Dreaming my Dreams (1975)
- Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline (1969)
- Captain & Tennille – Love Will Keep Us Together (1975)
- The Doors – The Best of The Doors (1973)
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