Various Artists - The Lost Boys: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)

Typical '80s movie soundtrack: one "hit" single, a few covers, a couple of bands/artists you've never heard of before or since, a clip of original soundtrack score, and at least one tune that incorporates the title of the movie.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #15
• CashBox: #11

Tracks:

1. Good Times - INXS and Jimmy Barnes
   This cover of a 1968 Easybeats tune was supposed to be the hit single - and it indeed was a big hit in Australia and New Zealand - but it peaked at only #47 on the Hot 100 here in the U.S. Over on the Rock charts, it peaked at a much more respectable #3. Regardless of chart position, it's a energetic rocker and one of the top cuts on the album.
2. Lost In The Shadows (The Lost Boys) - Lou Gramm
   Those aggressive drums are like a sledgehammer on my brain. Why are they so high in the mix? And for over 6 minutes? A mostly forgettable track, but every now and then Gramm recaptures some of that old Foreigner magic.
3. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Roger Daltrey
   Cover #2. I understand why the producers might want a song with that title in a vampire movie and I guess they went with Daltrey for name recognition? It's just as you'd expect and longer than you'd want.
4. Laying Down The Law - INXS and Jimmy Barnes
   Sounds like a Rod Stewart b-side.
5. People Are Strange - Echo And The Bunnymen
   Cover #3. The best cut on the album. In fact, if E&TB want to record an entire album of Doors tunes, I'm here for it.
6. Cry Little Sister (Theme From The Lost Boys) - Gerald McMann
   Longtime readers of this blog are aware of my dislike for the use of children's choirs in pop music and that's what we've got here. I don't particularly like this tune, but I'll admit it perfectly captures the mood of the movie. As Theresa E. LaVeck writes over at Allmusic: "Singer Gerald McMann's pained phrasing and creepy lyrics, and a chilling chorus sung by what sounds like disembodied children, exemplify the best parts of the movie and the soundtrack." And I was shocked to read the credits and discover that this track was co-written and produced by jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri.
7. Power Play - Eddie And The Tide
   A nice enough filler tune, but nothing I'll be humming later this afternoon.
8. I Still Believe - Tim Cappello
   Cover #4. A fantastic tune completely ruined by the unholy screeching of what I'm led to believe is a saxophone.
9. Beauty Has Her Way - Mummy Calls
   Sounds like an ABC b-side.
10. To The Shock Of Miss Louise - Thomas Newman
    A brief excerpt of the original score utilizing a fairground organ.

Looks like a bootleg 2 CD reissue is available with bonus tracks on the first disc with the second disc dedicated to the Thomas Newman score.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In the Summer of 1987, I took a couple of classes at San Antonio College. I carpooled to campus each morning with a girl who lived nearby and whose parents attended the same church as mine. There was no spark between us, but we went out a couple of times out of boredom and familiarity. In any case, we went to see this movie and she snuck in a few beers in her purse. She instructed me to cough every time she opened one, so I did. That's certainly not the only time I've smuggled in contraband to a movie theater, but it is the only time that contraband was of an alcoholic nature. Until recently, I only vaguely remembered the movie as a campy vampire flick with a weak joke ending that left me feeling cheated. Thinking it surely must be better than I remembered, I watched it again this week and, even after 37 years, it is exactly as bad as remembered. Even Dianne Wiest couldn't save it. I know it is now considered a "cult classic;" I'm simply not a member of that particular cult. But it makes for a fun time capsule of mullets, denim jackets, video arcades, and Coreys.

As for the Second Summer Session at San Antonio College, I received a B in PHIL 1301: Introduction to Philosophy and a B in GOVT 1305: American Government - National, State, Local. I remember very little from either course, but what's more important is that both course credits transferred towards my degree.

Back when I was attending my son's JV baseball tournaments (2013-ish?), I once heard Cry Little Sister played over the PA between innings at a game in Carthage. Odd choice, no?