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Playlist: MY NAME IS EARL - Season 1

Once upon a time the great Eastern guru Carson Daly said "do good things, and good things will happen to you" and it was a morphine-induced Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) that heard that karma call. Today the first season of MY NAME IS EARL comes out on DVD, and in celebration of that I've compiled all the great (and so-so) musical moments from show's inaugural bow.

Heavy on the classic rock (Earl's mustache demands it) you could call this EVEN MORE DAZED AND CONFUSED, except for the occasional deviation. In the middle of all the Allman Bros., Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bachman-Turner Overdrive are songs from Nick Drake, The Cardigans and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But if you had to pick one artist that encompasses the show, it would be Country Funk legend Jerry Reed. You might remember "East Bound and Down" (from SMOKEY & THE BANDIT) was used during an episode (Episode 1x07 - 'Stole Beer From a Golfer') when Earl and Randy drove in the original BANDIT car from the movie.

Also out today is MY NAME IS EARL - THE ALBUM, which has many of the best song memories from the show, including both Jerry Reed songs ("Amos Moses" being the other,) Young MC's "Bust a Move" (which you might remember from Joy's wedding) and Sammy Davis busting out the great "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette.)" But like the show itself, the soundtrack takes some sharp corners. Instead of using the original versions of many songs, artists like John Hiatt and Matthew Sweet contribute covers. On paper it sounds interesting, but even the dream matchup of Sweet doing ELO ("Livin' Thing") falls flat. The others are, at best, wholly unnecessary.

tags: television, music, soundtrack, my name is earl, jerry reed, dvd, lynyrd skynyrd, rhapsody