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 Posted:   May 30, 2016 - 7:06 PM   
 By:   SBD   (Member)



TRANCERS 1, 2, 3
Composed by MARK RYDER, PHIL DAVIES, and RICHARD BAND
INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 356

By virtue of being a synth score, it sounded futuristic. But this wasn't using electronics for electronics' sake.
It was electronics melding into the emotion of the film.
-- Richard Band

One of the most iconic films in the Empire catalog is the 1984 film Trancers, which became a cult hit and launched a series of sequels. Setting the series’ noir tone was its sleek, exciting synth score by composers Mark Ryder and Phil Davies. Overseen by Empire house composer Richard Band, Trancers’ memorable themes became the calling card of Jack Deth during his first adventures. The music is as moody as the '40s film noir, black-and-white pictures that inspired Deth’s character, yet as colorfully modern as Trancers’ time-warped detective. Given the throwback tone of a high-tech future meeting the retro present, Trancers seemingly begged for an electronic musical approach, a sound quite different from the mainly orchestral scores that Band had done previously for the studio. The score would be in tune with Vangelis’ approach to Blade Runner, as well as the new-wave and rock aesthetic of such synth composers as Tangerine Dream and Giorgio Moroder. A classic noir score invariably employs a jazz sound, a sultry sax supporting the femme fatale as darker strings establish the no-nonsense hero. However, the composers took the approach of a moody homage rather than electronically replicating that kind of iconic instrumentation.

To premiere the scores for the first three Trancers films on this 2-CD set, Intrada used the ½" four-track scoring session tapes which contained the finalized two-channel stereo mixes.

The hard-boiled, trench-coat-wearing gumshoe is a film noir staple, narrating his encounters with scheming psychopaths and sensual dames while cracking a big case. Trancers cleverly added in time travel, propelling the consciousness of a future cop from the year 2247 to Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, circa 1985. Bogart’s spirit was very much alive in Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson), a man out of his element in an ancestor’s body. Setting out to “singe” the zombie minions of a similarly transplanted foe from his era, Deth finds a May-December romance with Santa’s sexy helper Lena (Helen Hunt), who proves to be just as strong-willed at trancer hunting. Trancers had instant cult appeal that made it one of the most popular franchises in the prolific output of producer-director Charles Band.

INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 356
Retail Price: $29.99
SHIPPING NOW
For track listing and sound samples, please visit:
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.10210/.f

CD 1 TRANCERS
01. Main Title (2:39)
02. Diner Singe (2:06)
03. City Of Lost Angels (1:22)
04. Ancestry (2:07)
05. Santa Claus Killer (2:47)
06. Tropical Tube Tan (4:04)
07. Ethereal Union Of Two Lost Souls (1:57)
08. The Paper Mill (4:04)
09. Trancer Trooper (1:30)
10. Divide And Conquer (4:53)
11. Deal With Whistler (3:27)
12. The Fortune Teller (1:20)
13. End Title (3:07)
Total Time: 35:34

TRANCERS II
14. Jack Deth (3:49)
15. A Bad Day For Shopping (2:47)
16. Dr. Wardo (6:25)
17. Be Careful (0:37)
18. A Special Patient (2:56)
19. New Clothes (0:28)
20. Jack And Alice (1:03)
21. Exploding Ham (1:20)
22. Herbs Of The Future (3:53)
23. Van Getaway (0:55)
24. Ashby’s Rescue (2:27)
25. Barn Showdown (9:43)
26. Thank You, Jack And End Title (7:35)
Total Time: 44:11

Total CD1 Time: 79:50

CD 2 TRANCERS III
01. Main Title (3:32)
02. The Chamber (1:53)
03. Jack Is Taken (3:01)
04. The Basement Hospital (1:21)
05. Alarm Goes Off (0:54)
06. The Attack (3:09)
07. Club Fight (5:16)
08. The Seduction (1:53)
09. Underground Headquarters (0:54)
10. Jack On Phone (0:45)
11. The Newspaper (0:51)
12. Lena & Jack Argue (1:56)
13. Jack Leaves Lena’s Apt. (0:40)
14. The Pre-Fight (1:23)
15. The Fight (2:50)
16. RJ & Jack Escape (3:24)
17. Muthur & Jason (1:30)
18. About To Meet The Senator (1:05)
19. The Demo Fight (2:01)
20. Jack & Shark To The Kill (9:00)
21. Back To The Future (0:35)
22. Finale & End Title (4:44)
Total Time: 52:49

The Extras
23. Hot Wheels (From Trancers II) (0:32)
24. Christmas Source No. 1 (From Trancers III) (0:43)
25. Christmas Source No. 2 (Trancers III) (1:15)
Total Extras Time: 2:33

Total CD2 Time: 55:32

 
 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 2:57 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

Well, the response to this release seems somewhat underwhelming. Surely, this must be someone's holy grail.

 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 3:20 PM   
 By:   SBD   (Member)

If I'm being blunt, the sound samples were interesting, but not quite 'I gotta pay $30 for this!' interesting.

Still, that this even got a release (nearly forgotten B-movie trilogy scored by three composers to match, only one of whom is even slightly familiar to the film music listeners of the world) is remarkable.

 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 3:47 PM   
 By:   pooter   (Member)

This looks great!

I love the 'Santa Claus Killer' cue, and think this as used in the UK trailer.

Will this ever be available as a download or is it CD only?

 
 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 3:48 PM   
 By:   leagolfer   (Member)

yes, well done intrada, I bought this already, a nice set well worth $30, more horrors, sci-fi, thanks.

 
 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 10:41 PM   
 By:   Jim Bailey   (Member)

Excellent release, well worth the price. Thanks Intrada!

 
 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 10:56 PM   
 By:   barryfan   (Member)

Not interested, but thanks for effort Intrada, because I am sure someone has been dying for this.

 
 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 11:31 PM   
 By:   riotengine   (Member)

Not interested, but thanks for effort Intrada, because I am sure someone has been dying for this.

That would be me. It's been one of my holy grails. I couldn't make the L.A. event, so I bought an autographed copy off the Creature Features site.

It arrived autographed by Tim Thomerson, Richard Band, Danny Bilson, C. Courtney Joyner, and Richard Herd. That is a HELL of a deal, and exceeded my expectations.

Greg Espinoza

 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 11:47 PM   
 By:   On the Score   (Member)

Thanks so much Greg. Glad you enjoyed the CD!

 
 Posted:   May 31, 2016 - 11:51 PM   
 By:   Josh   (Member)

I haven't even seen these movies yet I'm extremely stoked for this set.

 
 
 Posted:   Jun 1, 2016 - 12:00 AM   
 By:   riotengine   (Member)

I haven't even seen these movies yet I'm extremely stoked for this set.

The first film in particular is a triumph of low-budget filmmaking. It's got a smart, funny script that emphasizes humor and characterization, with a game cast. Helen Hunt is darned cute in this.

The recent blu-ray release is the way to go.

http://www.amazon.com/Trancers-Blu-ray-Helen-Hunt/dp/B00LCDUG8K

Greg Espinoza

 
 
 Posted:   Jun 1, 2016 - 12:06 AM   
 By:   riotengine   (Member)

If people are interested in the CD set, autographed copies are still available on the Creature Features site.

http://creaturefeatures.com/shop/cds/trancers/

Greg Espinoza

 
 
 Posted:   Jun 2, 2016 - 12:43 PM   
 By:   bobbengan   (Member)

The first film in particular is a triumph of low-budget filmmaking. It's got a smart, funny script that emphasizes humor and characterization, with a game cast.

Words that can be applied to perhaps 0.001% of Charles Band's overall cinematic output!

 
 
 Posted:   Jun 2, 2016 - 4:38 PM   
 By:   riotengine   (Member)

The first film in particular is a triumph of low-budget filmmaking. It's got a smart, funny script that emphasizes humor and characterization, with a game cast.

Words that can be applied to perhaps 0.001% of Charles Band's overall cinematic output!


This is very true, but occasionally Band succeeds in spite of himself. smile

Greg Espinoza

 
 
 Posted:   Jun 3, 2016 - 5:55 AM   
 By:   wayfarer_1969   (Member)

Despite having a bootleg of the original Trancers score, and having resorted to recording Trancers 2 tracks from the DVD using a mini-disc player, this has been a "Holy Grail" for me. The whole score is atmospheric but you just can't beat that awesome, haunting theme! I love every electronic iteration, including that from Trancers 6.

There might not have been an initial interest in this thread because it has already been discussed on another ;-)

I'm looking forward to my copy arriving from Creature Features. (Not arrived yet as I live in the UK).

Charles Band gets a bad rap. He's often been creative with his low budget movies, with Trancers being one of those lightning strikes of genius. I can appreciate that his shows aren't for everyone but he has a lot of heart. I can forgive movies about Bongs for that lol.

 
 Posted:   Jun 3, 2016 - 6:11 AM   
 By:   johnjohnson   (Member)

If people are interested in the set, autographed copies are still available on the Creature Features site.

http://creaturefeatures.com/shop/cds/trancers/

Greg Espinoza


There's also a UK release on Blu-ray, which is region free. This release comes with quite a few extras:

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=15203

 
 Posted:   Jul 1, 2016 - 12:42 AM   
 By:   Josh   (Member)

Spinning disc 1 now and it's about 356 shades of '80s synth radness. My kinda party.

 
 Posted:   Nov 13, 2017 - 5:17 PM   
 By:   SBD   (Member)

AVAILABLE UNTIL NOVEMBER 21 OR WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.10210/.f

So, this is a thing again, apparently.

 
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