Does anyone know whether this CD contains the complete score as heard in the film? If not, how much music is missing from the CD? Which film scenes contain the missing music?
If You are talking about 'Thief', I haven't seen the film in ages, but there's an early sketch of music on Johannes Schmoelling's 'Early Beginnings' CD, which also includes some unreleased and demo tracks from 'The Soldier', 'Legend', 'The Keep'.
Sorry about the confusion. I meant the "To Live and Die in LA" soundtrack by Wang Chung. Does anyone know whether the "To Live and Die in LA" CD contains the complete score as heard in the film? If not, how much music is missing from the CD? Which film scenes contain the missing music?
Sorry about the confusion. I meant the "To Live and Die in LA" soundtrack by Wang Chung. Does anyone know whether the "To Live and Die in LA" CD contains the complete score as heard in the film? If not, how much music is missing from the CD? Which film scenes contain the missing music?
From my recollection the LP/CD contains pretty much the entire score. However, there are minor differences between the LP release and film soundtrack. Several cues and even a few of the songs sound like different takes. There are noticable differences in the tempo and instrumentation from film to LP. If there are any completely missing cues, they were probably so sparse and insignificant as to not take notice of them. Another thing to remember is that quite a few of the tracks on the LP may also sound different than in the film because the film/music editors may have altered-edited certain pieces for the film.
I seem to remember that the two songs from WC's 1984 album, Points of the Curve, are featured in the film. The big hit Dance Hall Days and also the track Wait. Dance Hall Days is not on the soundtrack album.
I think the score is fantastic, but more like a New Wave synth band doing a concept album than Jan Hammer (whom I consider to be more prog pop, ala 80s Phil Collins and Genesis). WC's TLADILA very much to me sounds like a pop group making a pop music score the way they make their pop albums, which in my opinion isn't something I can say the same for something like Daft Punk on Tron (which to me often sounds like a pop group trying to sound like a modern film composer). That said, WC's TLADILA does have that minimalist, Glass-esque sounding (to me) textural cue called Red Stare, with the piano and cello, although listening to the track now it sounds very much like a Fairlight creation rather than accoustic instruments.
In my opinion, I kind of get the feeling that, like the Tron comparison, had this score been made today by a synthpop band, the musicians would try to sound like film composers, bring in a huge orchestra lead by strings and get them to perform textures similar to established film music already out there, rather than creating expansive synthpop instrumentals that are used as film music. That's just my opinion.
I really love the song Wake Up, and think it should have been a massive hit. I wish the 12" was on the album, with some very unexpected use of a 909 drum machine, as well the shakuhachi flute sample that predates Peter Gabriel's SledgeHammer by a whole year.
Wang Chung also had two more wonderful but very different movie songs with Keith Forsey on The Breakfast Club (Fire in the Twilight) as well as the Peter Wolf produced Hypnotise Me used on the Innerspace soundtrack. Both I think very much reflect the sonic trademarks of their respective producers, but still retain Wang Chung's signature pop sophistication. Jack Hues also wrote another score for Friedkin in 1990, although I haven't seen the film.
Bumping this for no reason, aside for nostalgia and I'm rewatching the film now.
I see my old self raving in this thread too, that was fun, as well as the things that don't work on this board anymore like links and emoji.
Not hearing a ton of unreleased score, but interesting how the 8+min. opener to Side 2, City of the Angel's, is cut up and worked in throughout the film. I'd buy for an essay by one of our revered colleagues, alone.
Would be an interesting revisit, film tracks & album & songs. Still a terrific film and excellent score. 80s-centric, yes, but I love it.
Watching the end title, such a fave with 'Wait' seemingly cut to certain edits in the film (I wish more end titles ended with image than black background!), I noticed there is quite a bit of Mann's favored Chicago blues, barely heard in the film. In or out, guess that adds another layer of difficulty to revisit.
Eh, nevermind. The Geffen album is perfect. I can chop up 'City of the Angels' on my pc and sequence it myself!
Nothing to see here, Dear Labels! (It still is a terrific film, score and song package altogether).
I have mxed feelings about the Keep- the intro stuff when the jeeps roll into the Romanian mountainside is TERRIBLE,totally misplaced and anachronistic- It felt like Britain's AUF WIEDERSEIN PET TV show.
Later on the Golem themes were so netherworldish and bringing in Blakes The Snowman was also a curious yet mysteriously successful choice-certainly one to uplift the humanityof the film at that point- in fact, the image of Ian McKellen regaining his old age really kicked in as nerve-aching afterthought once the credits were in motion.
Having this fresh pop-synth youth electronica band amid all of this pseudo goth-toture imagery realised a Neil Gaiman styled quality to the film, as though it was the thoughts of a naive art student obsessed with death and destruction.
The most effective, ambient synths I have heard are those used for the SWAMP track for FLASH GORDON. They sound so timeless and elsewhere-
I wish I shared your enthusiasm for any of the score for The Keep. The art direction and atmosphere are so powerful that I have a lot of affection for it, but the music is completely wrong -- one of many problems with that film which, in its released state, is essentially a workprint. To Live and Die in LA on the other hand is brilliant. Great score, great film.
I've know of this movie only by reputation and the score wasn't on my radar until earlier this year when I was researching titles to include on Vol 2 of my "Synth-tastic Sounds of the Eighties! - 1980's Highlights" CD length compilation. This was mentioned in a Reddit thread, I think, and I grabbed the "City of The Angels" track, loving it's propulsive drive. It reminded me of Vince DiCola's music for Rocky 4 and Transformers: The Movie, and maybe a little Tangerine Dream.
I remember sampling the album years ago, but was bummed that it was only SONGS -- and loads of whiney new wave indie songs that didn't appeal to me at all. Apparently, I must have turned it off before it got to the instrumental score tracks? Will look around streaming services to see if it's there, to give it another chance.
