Bill Conti - Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score (1976)

I spent most of the first 12 years of my life in Odessa, Texas, which is situated on the Eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert. So, when sharing stories of my childhood with family, I often start with the phrase, "When I was growing up in the desert..." And here ya go:

When I was growing up in the desert, my friends and I went to the movies quite a bit. In my mind, we went every Saturday, but it was probably closer to twice a month. Our mothers were probably thrilled to have us out of their way and we were thrilled to see some entertainment in an air conditioned building. (At the time, my house as well as my school used swamp coolers instead of air conditioning.)

In addition to the drive-in places (which we never attended for whatever reason), there were four movie theaters in town. Two were downtown: the Ector theater and the Scott theater. Closer to my house were the Grandview Theater and the two screen cinema in the new Winwood Mall out on East 42nd Street.

So if there was a movie we truly enjoyed, we were limited in terms of options:

1. If the movie was "held over" at the theater, we could pay to see it again.
2. We could wait a few years for it to appear on television (for Rocky, the first broadcast was on CBS, Sunday, February 4, 1979).
3. We could possibly find a novelization of the movie.
4. Buy a copy of the soundtrack album.

That's it. No VCR, no DVD, no PPV, no streaming, no on demand. And Rocky wasn't on HBO until 1986.

Of course, me and my friends absolutely loved Rocky and probably saw it more than once at the theater. My friend Troy also picked up a copy of the soundtrack album and we would listen to it over and over when I was at his house. Until I picked up this CD, I had forgotten how often we listened to the thing because I remember almost all of it.

The album was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best Sound Track Album – Background Score from a Motion Picture or Television, losing to Star Wars (the first of John Williams's six consecutive wins in that category, 1978-83). The album was also nominated for an Oscar for best soundtrack plus Gonna Fly Now was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance, both also losing to Star Wars.

Press of the time:

• RPM: "powerful and exciting"
• CashBox: "short pieces that stand on their own even if you have not seen the movie"
• Billboard: "includes a couple of vocal cuts that are right-on contemporary"
• High Fidelity: "the main part of Bill Conti's score proves quite listenable and varied"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• Billboard R&B: #32
• CashBox: #5

Tracks: 13 tracks, 31½ minutes. Gonna Fly Now, the lead track here, was released as a single, peaking at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in July 1977 and #20 on the adult contemporary chart. It remains highly motivational at sports events a half-century later. There's an a capella doo-wop track written by Frank Stallone called Take You Back which may have been my first exposure to doo-wop and I'm amazed at how much of that one that I remember. I also recall Going The Distance and Fanfare For Rocky. Although I didn't know what a fugue was when I was 10 years old, I now recognize the counterpoint that closes the album, simply titled Rocky's Reward. The other tracks are brief cues from the movie that perfectly capture the mood of particular scenes and, like any good soundtrack, recycle a few leitmotifs. I had completely forgotten about You Take My Heart Away which features melodies from Gonna Fly Now and vocals from DeEtta Little & Nelson Pigford.

Gonna Fly Now also hit the Hot 100 in contemporary cover versions by Rhythm Heritage (peaked at #94, March 1977), Current (#94, April 1977), and most famously, Maynard Ferguson (#28, June 1977).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Various Artists - Sinners: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2025)

Disappointment. But it's my own fault for ordering the CD without checking any reviews or even glancing at the track listing.

I was listening to the blues channel on SiriusXM and heard a couple of tracks from this soundtrack, liked them, and thought I'd pick up a copy as way to learn of a few up and coming blues performers. I should note that I haven't seen the movie and have no plans to see it as vampire flicks aren't my thing. However, I'm sure it is a fine piece of cinema and all the awards are merited. Anyway, I picked up a copy of this soundtrack and it's certainly a mixed bag. There's some blues, yes, plus a couple of soundtrack cues as expected, but then there's a dance track, some rap, folk, rock, bluegrass, attempts at the next Old Town Road crossover hit, and an odd ballad that includes a brief conversation with an imaginary slave master. I'm guessing the point is that blues music transcends time and its influences are ongoing; a point to which I wholeheartedly agree. The album is never boring, it's just not the modern blues compilation I hoped for. I'll just pick out the blues tunes I came for (below) then put this disc away for good.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #133
• Billboard Blues: #1
• Billboard Soundtrack: #2:

Tracks:

3. Wang Dang Doodle
4. Travelin'
5. Juke
8. I Lied To You
10. Can't Win For Losin'
13. Pale, Pale Moon
16. Travelin'
20. Pale, Pale Moon
21. I Lied To You (Radio Edit)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

The Man From Snowy River (1982)

Soundtrack for an Australian film starring Kirk Douglas. Music composed, arranged, and conducted by Bruce Rowland. I don't think I've ever seen the show, but my high school buddy Scott somehow discovered the movie back in early '80s, loved the soundtrack, bought the album, and made us listen to it quite a bit. The soaring main theme is quite lovely and I'm 90% sure I played an arrangement of said theme with one of my junior high bands back when I made a living teaching in the public schools in the early 1990s. Scott's LP was also my introduction to the Varèse Sarabande label. I really wasn't looking for a copy of the soundtrack, but when you can buy a bit of nostalgia for 50¢ in a thrift store, you do so.

The soundtrack won prizes for Rowland in the category of best score from the Australian Film Institute as well as the Australasian Performing Right Association.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 14 tracks, 34 minutes. As with many soundtracks, you get two or three themes and then variants of those themes in all sorts of instrumentation and tempi.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above

Various Artists - Deep Blues: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

As I headed into my blues music deep dive this year, I discovered the 1991 documentary, Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads. During the time I was looking for it, the movie wasn't available on any streaming platform, but my local library had a copy on DVD (score yet more points for both physical media and libraries).

Hosted by music critic and author Robert Palmer, the film follows a journey from Memphis into the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi Hill Country, exploring traditional blues in its birthplace. It documents the culture and music of rural musicians of the early 1990s, featuring both live performances and interviews with blues artists. A few of those artists subsequently enjoyed a revitalized interest in their music. Sadly, many of the juke joints and all of the featured musicians (as well as Palmer himself) are now gone, but at least we've got this movie and its soundtrack as a sort of time capsule. The movie is highly recommended; the soundtrack is authentic, entertaining, captivating, and like many soundtracks, its enjoyment is only enhanced by seeing the movie.

I was already somewhat familiar with R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, but this movie and soundtrack album were my introductions to the other musicians. The movie not only taught me the difference between Delta blues and North Mississippi Hill Country blues, it also introduced me to several long-standing blues traditions such as fife & drum blues and the homemade diddley bow.

Press of the time for both the documentary and its music:

• Los Angeles Times:
  • movie: "It’s a genuine document, deep and earthy; a peek into our national soul."
  • music: "when we hear it there, there’s a jarring recognition. The music fits like a glove. Listening to it in these surroundings is almost like hearing it for the first time."
• CashBox:
  • movie: "tepid."
  • music: "rather swell."
• Billboard:
  • movie: "an estimable, essential look at life in the crucible of the blues."
  • music: "exemplary performances from all hands"
• Rolling Stone:
  • movie: "On porches and in front yards, sweaty bars and fields, Palmer enlists an array of artists...who provide both a history of the blues and firey samples of its myriad forms."
  • music: "the emotional repercussions of these songs will haunt you."

Current rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist
1	Jumper On The Line	R.L. Burnside
2	Jr. Blues	Jr. Kimbrough
3	Catfish Blues	Big Jack Johnson
4	Daddy When Is Momma Coming Home
5	Big Boy Now
6	Midnight Prowler	Frank Frost
7	You Can Talk About Me	Jessie Mae Hemphill
8	Shame On You
9	Long Haired Doney	R.L. Burnside
10	Heartbroken Man	Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes
11	Ain't Gonna Worry About Tomorrow
12	Love Like I Wanna
13	Terraplane Blues	Lonnie Pitchford
14	If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
15	Devil Blues	Jack Owens & Bud Spires

It's a literal soundtrack - music heard on the CD is heard in the movie. Not only that, the music is as seen in the movie, performed in such intimate settings as juke joints, front porches, and small bars.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm left feeling like I should have spent my mid-twenties exploring this scene before it disappeared forever.

Running Scared: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack (1986)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD. My copy has a smooth-sided jewel case but was once relegated to the cut-out bins. "Cut-out" is a term carried over from vinyl record overages in which a notch would actually be cut out of the album cover. In the case of CDs, it is sometimes a small hole drilled through the bottom right hand corner, but there's no firm rule of how or where.

But I digress. How's the music?

While this isn't the best pop/rock soundtrack of the '80s*, it's one of the better pop/rock soundtracks of the '80s. Four singles were released: one monster hit, two moderate hits, and one I honestly don't remember. Most tracks comfortably crossover between rock and R&B but with Prince tearing up the charts with that approach, who could blame the movie producers for going that route? The producers were wise enough to sign the incomparable Rod Temperton to write and produce most of the songs. By this time, Temperton had already written a dozen Top 40 hits for the likes of Heatwave, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, George Benson, and others. This soundtrack provided him with two more. All that quality work and the man doesn't even rate a credit on the album's front cover. I'm incredulous!

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #43
• Billboard R&B: #38
• CashBox: #88

Tracks (compositions by Temperton marked with an asterisk):

1. Man Size Love* (#15 pop, #43 R&B, #18 dance) - Klymaxx
2. Sweet Freedom* (#7 pop, #17 R&B, #8 dance, #4 AC) - Michael McDonald
3. I Just Wanna Be Loved* - Ready For The World
4. Running Scared* - Fee Waybill
5. Once In A Lifetime Groove (#10 R&B, #9 dance) - New Edition
6. I Know What I Want - Patti LaBelle
7. Say You Really Want Me (#44 pop) - Kim Wilde
8. El Chase (Instrumental)* - The Rod Temperton Beat Wagon feat. Larry Williams
9. Never Too Late To Start* - The Rod Temperton Beat Wagon feat. Tommy Funderbunk

Before buying this CD, I hadn't heard some of these tunes in over 30 years and I had forgotten how good some of the cuts are. If you bought this soundtrack solely for Sweet Freedom, you're in for a treat because here's the full 7½ minute 12" version. The other single releases are enjoyable as are the deep cuts Running Scared and especially Never Too Late To Start.

Confession: for years, I thought the title of the instrumental El Chase was a silly way of substituting a Spanish article for an English article. In my mind, the real title of the track should have been 'The Chase' but The was switched out for El. Many years after the fact, it finally occurred to me that the chase scene in the movie takes place on Chicago's elevated train system, nicked named 'The El.' Facepalm. That said, it's a nice piece of tension-building soundtrack work, even better when you consider soundtracks were out of Temperton's usual comfort zone. But maybe a better title would have been Chase On The El??

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I saw the movie with my future wife at the theater back in the summer of 1986. I rewatched it several months ago and can now opine that I prefer the soundtrack to the movie, your mileage may vary.


*So what's the best pop/rock soundtrack of the '80s? I have no idea, but I'd start the discussion by mentioning Footloose, Xanadu, Pretty In Pink, Times Square (yet to be released on CD! I'm incredulous again!), and Purple Rain. As others spring to mind, I'll give ya a call.

John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back: Original Soundtrack (1980)

Note: This release was originally given to me as a 2 LP set, later replaced by a CD (sorta). The CD I listened to was the very first CD issue, pressed in (then) West Germany for the international market.

A great soundtrack from the best movie of the ever expanding Star Wars saga. We not only get the famous theme from the original 1977 movie, we also are treated to a new Vader's theme - officially titled 'The Imperial March' - plus an immediately recognizable motif for my favorite SW character, Yoda. Yes, Williams borrows a lot from himself and Gustav Holst's The Planets, but it all comes together quite nicely and, in the end, who cares where he gets his inspiration? The score won the Grammy award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, eventually losing to Michael Gore's score for Fame.

I've written before about my youthful desire to become a film composer; perhaps this soundtrack was the impetus?

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "a more complex and functional score"
  
• CashBox: "thoroughly engrossing soundtrack"
• Record World: "you're swept away"
• Billboard: "in the same vein as its predecessor"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• CashBox: #6
• Rolling Stone: #18

Tracks: Outside the US, Canada, & Japan, this soundtrack was initially released as a 10 track single LP, a condensed version of the 17 track double LP I originally owned. This CD, however, follows that condensed 10 track sequence and clocks in around 42 minutes in length.

	Intl.		US
1	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)	1	Star Wars (Main Theme)
2	Yoda's Theme	2	Yoda's Theme
3	The Asteroid Field	3	The Training Of A Jedi Knight
4	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)	4	The Heroics Of Luke & Han
5	Finale	5	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
6	Star Wars (Main Theme)	6	Departure Of Boba Fett
7	The Training Of A Jedi Knight	7	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)
8	Yoda And The Force	8	Hyperspace
9	The Duel	9	The Battle In The Snow
10	The Battle In The Snow	10	The Asteroid Field
		11	The City In The Clouds
		12	Rebels At Bay
		13	Yoda And the Force
		14	The Duel
		15	The Magic Tree
		16	Lando's Place
		17	Finale

While this isn't the familiar sequence and length I grew up with, I prefer this disc's condensed version. It's the perfect length for my nostalgic needs plus it starts off with Imperial March and Yoda.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wouldn't consider myself a Star Wars fanatic (I've maybe seen 5 of the movies), but I've owned this 2" Yoda figure since 1980 - he even went to college with me.

I think he once had a cane?

My mother gave me the 2 LP set of this soundtrack for Christmas, 1980 and I listened to it often. It is only one of three times I can remember her buying a recording for me (the others were Barry Manilow's If I Should Love Again and, many years later, a CD by Pete Townshend & Raphael Rudd, which has since been misplaced).

And I am always on the lookout for this interpretation of the score by the likes of Ron Carter, Jon Faddis, Hubert Laws, Bob James, Billy Cobham, and Ralph MacDonald. For a physical copy, I'll have to look for a "vintage" vinyl copy to purchase as it has never been reissued on CD, but there's always hope.

One wonders what Lord Vader thinks about improvisation.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Joy To The World (1992)
JFK Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)
By Request (1987)

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?

The Sound Of Music Soundtrack (1965)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2015 reissue on the Craft label.

If you like Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals (I do) and are a fan of Julie Andrews (she's a treasure), you can't do any better than this album.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "outstanding soundtrack package"
• CashBox: "an unforgettable experience"
• High Fidelity: "much more palatable in its individual parts than as a whole"
• Record World: "RCA Victor must have one of the all-time top-selling soundtrack albums"
• Stereo Review: "The burden of the singing falls on Julie Andrews, and she almost succeeds in putting some spice into this overcooked stew of sentimentality."

For the record, the five Academy Awards won were Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Wise), Best Sound (James Corcoran & Fred Hynes), Best Film Editing (William Reynolds), and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment (Irwin Kostal).

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• CashBox: #2 (kept out of the top spot by another Julie Andrews soundtrack, Mary Poppins)

In 2015, Billboard named this soundtrack album the second-best charting album of all time, behind Adele's 2011 album, 21.

Tracks: I know it's an easy cliché to claim that My Favorite Things is one of my favorite things, but it's true so I'm gonna go ahead and claim it. Other favorites include Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, and Edleweiss. But I'll happily listen to the whole thing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I've seen both the stage musical and the 1965 movie multiple times; I always enjoy the show. I've never been in the cast of the show - my lone R&H cast experience was as Lt. Cable in South Pacific - but I once worked on the backstage crew of a touring company production when they passed through town back in the '90s.

When I was in high school, I received a Walkman knock-off for Christmas (probably 1983) and, for reasons unknown to me all these years later, opted to listen to my father's pre-recorded cassette of this album more than once that Christmas Day instead of any of my own tapes.

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 4 TV shows that were "appointment TV" for me while I was in college:
   • the aforementioned Moonlighting
   • Miami Vice
   • 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."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #157
• CashBox: #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:

Round Midnight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1986)

Soundtrack to the 1986 film which starred saxophonist Dexter Gordon as an jazz musician and addict who finds acceptance in the jazz clubs of Paris in the 1950s. The album, put together by Herbie Hancock, consists of jazz standards and a few original tracks performed by an all-star group of musicians:

Soundtrack cuts not on this album are included on Dexter Gordon's 1986 companion album, The Other Side Of Round Midnight, which features the last recordings released under Gordon's name before his death in 1990.

For his work in the movie, Gordon was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, losing to Paul Newman for The Color Of Money. However, this soundtrack won the Oscar for Best Original Score for Hancock. Many people consider that Oscar win to be controversial as there isn't much original music in the film and it beat out the wonderful scores of Ennio Morricone (The Mission) and Jerry Goldsmith (Hoosiers). Maybe those two split the vote and allowed Round Midnight to sneak in? It's happened many times.

I found this CD in the clearance bin and wondered how a star-studded Oscar winner could end up in such a place and then I spun the thing. Simply put, it's just ok. There are some great performances to be found - Hancock is fantastic throughout - but Gordon was dealing with health issues during filming/recording and sadly doesn't sound like the Gordon I know from his historic albums Go! and Our Man In Paris.

Reviews/ratings:

• High Fidelity: "[Gordon's] tone is weak, his facility faulty, and his ideas serviceable yet never soaring"
• Billboard: "Mostly standards, with performances of varying quality"
• Stereo Review: "not the best Dexter Gordon album of recent years, nor is it hard to find more satisfying jazz albums"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #196
• Billboard Jazz: #7
• CashBox Jazz: #3
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #2

Tracks:

1. Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk, 1944) - could use a real trumpet player instead of Bobby McFerrin imitating a muted trumpet.
2. Body And Soul (Johnny Green, 1930) - great solo from McLaughlin
3. Bérangère's Nightmare (Herbie Hancock, 1986) - incidental music, not particularly interesting but certainly not a nightmare (see what I did there?)
4. Fair Weather (Kenny Dorham, ca. 1964) - Not only was I surprised by Chet Baker's vocals, I was moved by them. One of the best cuts on the album.
5. Una Noche Con Francis (Bud Powell, 1964)
6. The Peacocks (Jimmy Rowles, 1975) - a tasty ballad featuring Wayne Shorter and an elegant solo from Hancock
7. How Long Has This Been Going On? (Ira & George Gershwin, 1927) - In which Lonette McKee does her best Billie Holiday imitation and succeeds
8. Rhythm-A-Ning (Monk, 1957) - Another choice cut. Wow does this thing swing - what a band!
9. Still Time (Hancock, 1986) - a great last-call melancholy ballad from Hancock. I'd bet it fit the scene perfectly.
10. Minuit Aux Champs-Elysées (Henri Renaud, 1969) - just Hancock on piano and the great Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. They play off each other perfectly.
11. Chan's Song (Never Said) (Hancock, Stevie Wonder, 1986) - McFerrin's wordless vocals on a pop piece that would be noticeably anachronistic in a period film such as this. A bizarre way to end the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I don't recall ever seeing the film and it's not currently available on any legal streaming service (very few films released in the 20th century are available via streaming, but that complaint/frustration/discussion/argument is beyond the scope of this blog); however, I see that there's a new Criterion Collection Blu-ray release available.

Hubert Laws & Earl Klugh - How To Beat The High Cost Of Living (1980)

2013 Wounded Bird reissue.

Soundtrack for a 1980 caper comedy starring Susan St. James, Jane Curtin, and Jessica Lange. In preparation for this post, I watched said movie and while I wouldn't watch it again, I didn't switch it off. If you're interested, there's a good summary/retro-review over at F This Movie.

And while there's some big names performing on the soundtrack, giving Laws and Klugh top billing was no doubt a marketing ploy. If you read the fine print, all the music is composed and conducted by prolific soundtrack composer Patrick Williams. So while I was hoping for some of Klugh's smooth jazz goodness, he's just a hired hand playing a typical soundtrack score - unobtrusive by design. It's not terrible, but it makes me wonder what an actual collaboration between Laws and Klugh might have sounded like. The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999) gives it 3 of 5 stars which seems a little high to me.

Billboard and Record World

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #134
• Billboard Jazz: #21
• CashBox: #134
• CashBox Jazz: #10
• Record World Jazz: #9

Tracks: 10 tracks, 32 minutes. The lead track, Down River, has a catchy bass line, courtesy of studio veteran Neil Steubenhaus. If I recall correctly, Down River is the main theme for the movie and that bass lick appears in other tracks. The best cut is Dream Something, featuring Klugh. The remainder is harmless soundtrack fare.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Move (1994)
Midnight in San Juan (1991)
The Best of Earl Klugh (1991)
Volume One (1991)
Collaboration (1987)
Soda Fountain Shuffle (1985)
Nightsongs (1984)
Two of a Kind (1982)
Dream Come True (1980)/Crazy For You (1981)/Low Ride (1983)
Late Night Guitar (1980)
Finger Paintings (1977)/Heart String (1979)/Wishful Thinking (1984)

Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi: Original Soundtrack Album From The Motion Picture (1983)

My CD is the 1993 Antilles reissue. The soundtrack was subsequently re-recorded and reissued in 1998 then a complete score was released in 2009.

Sometime during the autumn months of 1983, my buddy Scott and I piled into a car and headed into Houston to the Greenway 3 movie theater to check out the new art film Koyaanisqatsi. From the review in The Houston Post:

Call Koyaanisqatsi a Flashdance for would-be intellectuals, and you probably won’t be far off the mark. Still, it’s hard for me to be too critical of any film that elicits such a deliriously joyful response.

And, as would-be intellectual, I just couldn't resist. We both loved the movie and Scott almost immediately purchased this soundtrack. I did not, but eventually bought a DVD copy of the movie because that's really the way to experience this production. Nonetheless, I recently saw this CD in the clearance bin, so I picked it up. I've never heard the music without the stunning visuals - will the music hold up? Let's spin this thing and find out.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★): "Mozart as produced by Brian Eno"
• CashBox: "Highly recommended"
• Stereo Review: "you either enjoy being bludgeoned by interminably repetitive little motivic fragments or you don't"
• High Fidelity: "an aural counterpoint to the film's stream of visual information"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I'm liking it better than I would have guessed and, yes, it does hold up without the visuals. The first two tracks, the slow-moving title track and the a capella vocals of Vessels both sound great. About halfway through the latter piece, the synths enter and it loses its charm. Track 4, Pruit Igoe, sounds like a regular soundtrack cut mixed with a little Carmina Burana so it's a nice change of pace. The cut that gives you the best ride is The Grid, which starts slow and easy then gradually builds into a frantic mess of multi-rhythmic arpeggios over the next 15 minutes. Exhausting yet exhilarating. I had forgotten how much Glass relied on wordless vocals in this soundtrack, but I'm really enjoying the vocalists performances here. The analog synths sound dated but that's what I would expect from an early '80s joint. If you like Glass, you'll like this. Then again, if you like Glass, you've already heard this.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: see above. The film remains a fun watch on its own merits plus we now get the added feature of it being an early-'80s visual time capsule. On a side note, the Greenway 3, renamed and expanded, is still around and showing art films. Good for them.

This soundtrack was most likely my first exposure to minimalist compositions so I probably should have paid more attention to it as a 17-year-old kid but I was more interested in combing the import bins for the latest New Romantic album releases. Turns out my lack of knowledge of minimalism really didn't hinder me as I studied for my music degree a couple of years later because the music faculty at the time wasn't concerned with any music that wasn't at least 50 years old. I hope that paradigm has changed.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Philip Glass - Heroes/Low Symphonies (2003)
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (1995)

Diva - Original Soundtrack Recording (1981)

I'll let this (mostly accurate) review do the heavy lifting on this one:

Stereo Review, December 1982, p. 110

I recently rewatched the movie; poorly edited, but it is visually stunning and has an exciting chase scene through the Paris Metro if you like that sort of thing. Roger Ebert enjoyed the film a great deal. I'll admit a brief scene at an '80s record store made me wax nostalgic, too:

I don't mind reading subtitles, but while watching I was reminded of how much of the French language I've forgotten over the past 30 years - I took two years of French in high school followed by two semesters in college and, sadly, I couldn't follow the dialogue at all.

Regardless, this 37 minute soundtrack CD serves the movie well and tracks fall into three categories: 1) the opera stuff, 2) Cosma's moody sythn-driven background music to create atmosphere for scenes, and 3) solo piano work for a beautiful love theme that is so derivative Erik Satie should have been credited. That said, it's all enjoyable as far as soundtrack music goes but, as mentioned above, "it doesn't mean much out of context." Nevertheless, when I saw this Rykodisc release with a smooth jewel case in a used CD bin, I couldn't resist.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Opera: tracks 1, 6, 12; soundtrack music: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11; piano love theme: 2, 7

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The CD isn't much of a top-to-bottom listen, but a nice reminder of a very good summer in my life. Released in the US in 1982, I didn't see the movie until I learned of it during the summer of 1985. That was the summer after my freshman year in college and I worked at a local plumbing supply. The manager of the supply house became a close friend and he recommended this movie to me, among many others. When I think about it now, I can't believe the VHS of a sub-titled French movie was available in our little town's video store. Or had a Blockbuster location opened in town by then? Or maybe he taped the movie from HBO and handed me his VHS copy. Ah, well; one of the above scenarios has to be true.

Various Artists - Music From The Original Motion Picture Boogie Nights (1997)

"Oh, I think you need all that bass." - Buck Swope

One of two pop/rock compilation soundtracks released from the 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson film.

Revisiting 5 of Boogie Nights' Best Soundtrack Moments

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #84

Tracks:

1. Intro (Feel The Heat) - John C. Reilly & Mark Wahlberg
   I could do without it, but these guys should get a cut of the soundtrack profits too, right?
2. Best Of My Love - The Emotions (#1, 1977)
   If this sounds like an Earth, Wind & Fire song sung by females, maybe because that's what it is, written and produced by musical genius Maurice White. The bass line is awesome in its simplicity. Great groove throughout. This cut perfectly soundtracks the legendary introductory long-take that takes up the first 3 minutes of the film. Best of My Love deservedly won the Grammy award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, ironically winning over the nominated tune Boogie Nights by Heatwave.
3. Jungle Fever - Chakachas (#8, 1972)
   I can't imagine my mother letting a 6 year old Mark listen to this tune in '72 what with all the heavy breathing and moaning (which makes this cut perfect for a movie about people in the porn industry, no?). As a parent, I can understand that way of thinking, but I sure was missing out on a sweet groove from this Belgian group. There really isn't much to it, but what's there is enough.
4. Brand New Key - Melanie (#1, 1971)
   Not a bad little ditty, I just can't stand this singer's voice. The roller skate and key imagery isn't very subtle, but again, perfect for the setting of the movie.
   
5. Spill The Wine - War with Eric Burdon (#3, 1970)
   That laid back bass line punctuated by organ hits is irresistible and as good today as it was 50 years ago.  Add some flute work to bizarre lyrics about gnomes and whatnot then you've really got something.  But the real hook is in the chorus.  A classic.
6. Got To Give It Up (Part 1) - Marvin Gaye (#1, 1977)
   Another stone-cold classic that's been sampled and otherwise plagiarized for over 40 years. Best ever use of bottle in a disco song?
   
7. Machine Gun - The Commodores (#22, 1974)
   Dadgum, that's some good sequencing. And the best use of Clavinet this side of Superstition.
   
8. Magnet & Steel - Walter Egan (#8, 1978)
   That's Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham on the track, insuring that the song sounds like something from Fleetwood Mac.  That's it, Walt, play the hot hand. I don't understand the use of a toy piano under the chorus.  Magnet and steel is strained metaphor, for sure, but I dig this tune anyway.
   
9. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead (#13, 1979)
   Classic Philadelphia International sound.  I remember dancing to this one in the jr high gym.  I can't find any fault with any of it: the great string part floating above a funky bass line played by Jimmy Williams backed up with vocals from The Sweethearts of Sigma.  Immediately recognizable, immediately danceable, immediately classic. "Don't wanna stop, please don't make me stop!" The duo's only Top 40 hit, this one would peak at #13, but topped the R&B chart and reached #10 on the disco chart.
   
10. Sister Christian - Night Ranger (#5, 1984)
    A fun tune to play air drums to, if nothing else. All the ladies loved this one, so I went along for the ride but I still have no idea what the song is about. I'm not a fan of power ballads, but if you insist on one, you can't do much better than this cut. Bonus points for the shape and build of the guitar solo.
11. Livin' Thing - ELO (#13, 1976)
    Jeff Lynne was somehow able to combine a mock-Spanish flourish intro and interludes with a Motown backbeat on the chorus and have wordless background angel choruses float above it all. You can't really dance to all of this odd pastiche, but it works anyway. 
12. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys (#39, 1966)
    If this isn't the most perfect pop song ever written, it's certainly in the discussion. Absolute sublime beauty. I could listen to this ten times in a row. And have.
13. The Big Top (Theme From 'Boogie Nights') - Michael Penn & Patrick Warren
    I could do without it, but these guys should get a cut of the soundtrack profits too, right?
    The Touch - Mark Wahlburg
    The dreaded hidden track rears its ugly head, this time in the form of a cover of a tune from the 1986 animated Transformers movie. And then it's back to track 12 for this humble blogger.

The only tune from the soundtrack I'd add to this set would be Andrew Gold's Lonely Boy. But man-oh-man 10 good tracks out of 13 is a heckuva batting average (.769) on a soundtrack CD so I ain't complaining.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I am a big, bright, shining star. This album is a fantastic time capsule of a soundtrack and I've liked the movie from the first time I saw it, but as far as personal memories of the porn industry of the San Fernando Valley in the late '70s and early '80s? Nah - don't have any.

Various Artists - Music from the Motion Picture Ferris Bueller's Day Off (2016)

For the film's 30th anniversary, La-La Land Records put together this motion picture soundtrack. And most publishers allowed licensing, save those of Bert Kaempfert, The Beatles and Dave Wakeling. According to unverified sources, no official soundtrack was originally released for the film in 1986, as writer/director/producer John Hughes felt the songs would not work well together as a continuous album. Here's what Hughes did instead, in his own words:

You know how, when you're a kid, you love it when you get mail? You feel important, like someone's paying attention to you. Well, we used to do that - every time someone wrote a fan letter to one of our cast members, every piece of mail that came in, we'd put their names on our mailing list and mail out huge packages every time a new movie was about to come out, kind of like what Disney does now - posters, rolls of stickers, all sorts of neat stuff. In fact, the only official soundtrack that Ferris Bueller's Day Off ever had was for the mailing list. A&M was very angry with me over that; they begged me to put one out, but I thought "who'd want all of these songs?" I mean, would kids want "Danke Schöen" and "Oh Yeah" on the same record? They probably already had "Twist and Shout," or their parents did, and to put all of those together with the more contemporary stuff, like the (English) Beat - I just didn't think anybody would like it. But I did put together a seven-inch of the two songs I owned the rights to - "Big City" [sic] on one side, and... I forget, one of the other English bands* on the soundtrack... and sent that to the mailing list. By '86, '87, it was costing us $30 a piece to mail out 100,000 packages. But it was a labor of love. I cared about my audience and I cared about these movies.

*"I'm Afraid" by Blue Room - ed.

In other words, this is as close as we're going to get - although you can create your own soundtrack using the guide below. Package also includes extensive liner notes from film music journalist Tim Greiving.

What surprised me about this soundtrack was the high quality of Ira Newborn's original music cues, even when removed from the images of the movie. Also, the "Star Wars" theme is not the original recording, but a brief Newborn arrangement. (I said Star Wars and you just imagined the image below, didn't you?)

While I was re-watching the movie to compile the list below, two thoughts occurred to me: 1) there are an unbelievable number of huge plot holes in this thing and I could care less, and 2) Ira Newborn's cues play a huge role in the movie and this soundtrack compilation CD brings that fact to the fore.

You might also want to check out: Now Playing Podcast Reviewed 'Ferris Bueller's' 30th Anniversary Soundtrack (46 minutes)

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: Did not chart. The La-La Land Records website claims this is a limited edition of 5,000 units.

Tracks (35 tracks, 76:45):

Based on my 2009 Blu-Ray, the "Bueller...Bueller...Edition," here's a chronological list of the music cues from the movie:

1. Opening scene: WLS radio jingle
2. CD track 10, Ferris in Bed
3. Ferris showering/dressing: Love Missle F1-11 by Sigue Sigue Sputnik (Ultraviolence Mix) (CD track 1)
4. MTV Moonman Theme
5. CD track 11, Cameron in Bed/Ferris Goes Hawaiian
6. Ferris dancing in bedroom: Jeannie (Theme from I Dream of Jeanie) by Hugo Montenegro
7. Ferris on his synth: Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss
8. CD track 13, Nurse
9. CD track 14, Ferris on Line 2
10. CD track 15, Bueller, Ferris Bueller
11. Picking up Ferrari from Cameron's garage: Oh Yeah by Yello (CD track 2)
12. Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron head into Chicago: Beat City by The Flowerpot Men (CD track 3)
13. CD track 30, Couglin Bros. Mortuary
14. Entering parking garage: B.A.D. by Big Audio Dynamite (CD track 4)
15. CD track 16, Mom Checks on Ferris
16. Chez Luis scenes: CD track 31, Celebrated Minuet (actual title: Minuet from String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 by Luigi Boccherini)
17. CD track 17, Jeannie Turns Ugly
18. CD track 18, Rooney on Patrol
19. CD track 32, Ballpark Baloney
20. CD track 20, Rooney Sneaks Around/Star Wars (Main Title)
21. The Art Institute of Chicago: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Instrumental) by The Dream Academy (CD track 5)
22. Von Steuben Day Parade: CD track 33, Polka Medley (Wildfire Polka/Vienna Penny Polka)
23. Parade lip synching: Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton (CD track 6)
24. Parade with marching band: Twist and Shout by The Beatles (with marching band overlay, CD track 35). Original can be found on Please Please Me.
25. Picking up car from garage: CD track 33, Polka Medley (Wildfire Polka/Vienna Penny Polka)
26. Leaving garage: Radio People by Zapp (CD track 7)
27. Cameron's lakeside breakdown: I'm Afraid (Instrumental) by Blue Room (CD track 34).
28. By the pool with Cameron on diving board: Taking the Day Off by General Public. Can be found on the 1993 I.R.S. Records re-issue of the Hand To Mouth album.
29. CD track 22, Cameron Takes the Heat
30. CD track 23, Oh Shauna Jeannie
31. Ferris saying goodbye to Sloane: The Edge of Forever by The Dream Academy (CD track 9)
32. Ferris running home: March of the Swivel Heads by The English Beat. Can be found on several compilations and the 2012 Edsel reissue of the Special Beat Service album.
33. CD track 25, Dog Food Rooney/Ferris Goes to Bed
34. CD track 26, Mom, Dad and Ferris
35. Closing credits/Rooney on school bus: Oh Yeah by Yello (CD track 2)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I saw the movie in the summer of 1986 with my then-girlfriend-now-wife and loved it from the get-go. I think I've purchased it in VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray versions.