Stewart Copeland - Rumble Fish Soundtrack (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

So here's how we got here today:

1. I randomly heard Al Jarreau's theme from the 1980's TV series Moonlighting
2. Fondly remembered that show, which starred the lovely and talented Cybill Shepherd
3. Recalled there were only 3 TV shows that were "appointment TV" for me while I was in college:
   • the aforementioned Moonlighting
   • L.A. Law
   • The Equalizer
4. The Equalizer had a great theme song written by Stewart Copeland of The Police and that thing popped into my head
5. Then I remembered that Copeland also wrote the soundtrack to the movie Rumble Fish (I didn't see the movie upon release, but I purchased a copy of said soundtrack in late '83 or early '84, probably based on the review in Rolling Stone)
6. Found a used copy of the soundtrack on CD, having parted ways with my vinyl copy around 1994
7. Checked out a Blu-Ray copy of Rumble Fish (Criterion Collection #869) from the local library and finally watched the movie

Director Francis Ford Coppola called his Rumble Fish movie "an art film for teenagers" and there's a lot of mythology and color symbolism throughout, but the main feeling you get from the film is that time is running out. There is a clock in almost every scene and Copeland's driving, percussion-heavy score make the viewer feel an urgency throughout. In other words, Copeland hits the nail on the head with his work. Does the music hold up as a stand-alone album, though? Just enough, I'd say.

The album starts off the released single, Don't Box Me In, a wonderfully odd collaboration between Copeland and former Wall of Voodoo vocalist Stan Ridgway. The remaining dozen tracks are reminiscent of The Police at times and consist of typical, repetitive soundtrack cues, heavy on tape loops of cymbals, clocks ticking, typewriters clacking, and street noises (trains, car horns, piledrivers). That's not really a putdown as the main rule of film scoring is to be heard but not noticed. Or is it noticed but not heard? I will admit that I enjoy the music more now that I've seen the movie than I did prior.

Copeland went on to score numerous films, TV shows, and video games.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "High-class noodling - nothing more, nothing less."
• CashBox: "nothing short of an aural masterpiece"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½ ): "Charming, evocative and slightly crazed, Rumble Fish is one album that should not be allowed to sneak away."

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #157
• CashBox album chart: #122

Tracks: Don't Box Me In didn't see any chart action in the US and only made it to #91 in the UK. However, I dig it so it got the majority of spins on my turntable when compared to the other tracks. The other tracks (all instrumental) seem to run together after awhile, but the cues that catch my ear are Tulsa Tango, Brothers On Wheels, and Father On The Stairs. The most Police-like cuts are West Tulsa Story, Hostile Bridge To Benny's, and Cain's Ballroom.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This soundtrack was originally purchased when I was 17 years old and had decided to pursue a music degree in college. My goal at that point was to study composition and try for a career in movie scoring or writing commercial jingles. I had listened to whatever soundtrack albums I could get my hands on (mainly stuff by John Williams, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith) but I also started buying more pop/rock-ish albums such as this Rumble Fish soundtrack as well as Joe Jackson's work for Mike's Murder and some Vangelis stuff.

To prepare for college study, I spent time during my senior year in high school writing and arranging music, taking piano and music theory lessons, and learning some rudimentary music programming on the family's TI-99 and the high school's Commodore PET computers. I've got to give my teachers at the time some credit, they were very helpful and supportive. However, school counselors and my parents all wanted me to have a career that provided me with a steady income, so they thought I should have some training in a "fall back" career, just in case this film scoring thing didn't work out. Of course, our society's go-to fall back career is teaching, so I enrolled as a college freshman as a music education major with plans to pursue composition. However, once that initial degree plan was registered, I was down that track and the course load for that major at the time was normally around 18-20 credit hours a semester. Add in 2-3 hours daily of practice time and an equal amount of time dedicated to *ahem* other college pursuits, and I barely even noticed that I was no longer writing much music or taking any composition lessons.

So I fell back into teaching (we all knew that was gonna happen, right?) and, to be honest, that actually worked out well for me. Plus, I got back into the composing/arranging game in the early '90s, published some pieces, received some commissions, joined ASCAP, and, thanks to my publisher, actually got some professional recognition in the field. With regard to my eventual career choices, I can't say "no regrets," but I'll say "few regrets." I guess I could get into film scoring now, but I'm somewhat of a realist and recognize that AI is going to take over most of that sort of work. But it sure was fun to have the dream for a while as a skinny kid: