Saturday, September 02, 2006

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs

It's safe to say Hollywood will never again make a movie like Cruising, the infamous 1980 William Friedkin thriller that kicked off a storm of controversy and nearly killed off the career of Al Pacino, who plays a New York cop posing as a leather bar regular to catch a vicious serial killer. Seen today it's a bizarre, fascinating, incredibly skewed depiction of a subculture soon to be threatened with extinction, and the pulsating soundtrack is an equally compelling mixture of early punk, funk, and flat-out weirdness. Included here is the full original song soundtrack (including the immortal "Lump"), plus additional tracks by the Germs recorded for the film but not used in the final cut and a suite of Jack Nitzsche's nerve-jangling score. For extra fun, a few choice dialogue samples (some of them a little raunchy, so be warned) have been added to recapture the distinctive, er, flavor of the film. Friedkin's original cut of this often-mangled curio supposedly runs nearly three hours and now languishes somewhere in the Warner vaults; somebody save it, please!

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19 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

tanx a lot i'm looking for this soundtrack a several years couldn't buy it anywhere fanx a thousand times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i too have been looking for this one for my ipod since....forever.

i had the LP but then lost it when i moved a few apts ago.

i recorded the audio directly from my videotape (as its not on dvd yet for some reason) as i always wanted the classical-sounding piece that plays whenever pacino's girlfriend in the film is on screen (any one know what piece of music this is, exactly?).

so i am most appreciative for this posting.

thank you so much.

2:34 PM  
Blogger Isbum said...

I miss Jack Nitzsche. An original voice in film music.

For his fans

http://rapidshare.de/files/
31744205/Blue_Collar.zip

If you are going to roll out "Mother,Jugs,and Speed" or "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" next, don't stop. I'd love to have either of them again!

5:10 PM  
Blogger 7 Black Notes said...

Thanks ISBUM; the Blue Collar score is a lot of fun (almost sounding Ry Cooder-ish at times). Nitzsche was really great -- his Razor's Edge is one of the best scores of the '80s, easily.

Hi CL, the classical piece is Boccherini's "Passacalle" from Quintettino in do maggiore: La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid No.6, Op.30. It's present on many classical compilations and recently turned up in Master and Commander.

6:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THANKS!

7:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! Wow, I never dreamed this score would pop up here. Why in heck is this not on dvd? Guess I better hold on to my vhs for now.

PS - I`m now the proud owner of DVD Delirium Vol. 3, and having to ration reading it each night so`s not to finish too quick! Nice job.

7:15 PM  
Blogger New Texture said...

Thank you, and thanks to isbum for BLUE COLLAR as well! (You're dead on about THE RAZOR'S EDGE, too.) More Nitzsche is always welcome.

9:30 AM  
Blogger Isbum said...

I don't have Razor's Edge.
It would be a welcomed surprise.

12:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for this soundtrack. I love the film and always searched for the soundtrack but nobody even heard of the film let alone a soundtrack so this is a big appreciation for me. It's even better than I expeced. THANKS!!!

8:33 PM  
Blogger Snowbag said...

Thanks for the post: a really interesting soundtrack comp.

6:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've wanted this soundtrack on CD forever. You are amazing--I can't believe I haven't discovered this unbelievable blog until now. I second the request for LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR, and while we're on '70s New York decadence, how about EYES OF LAURA MARS?

7:26 PM  
Blogger 7 Black Notes said...

Thanks! Laura Mars is coming very soon; Goodbar is a possibility soon as well.

10:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow thanks!

12:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is the link for the soundtrack not working anymore? I just tried to download without any success. Please repost the soundtrack. I have been trying to find it for along time and would really appreciate it. Thanks :)

12:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

10:39 PM  
Blogger Jonathan said...

Thank you for making this available. The link is no longer working...do you think you could re-post it? Thanks again.

BTW, CRUISING is coming to DVD later this year complete with a new retrospective documentary.

10:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Best LP of the World!

491784559261

12:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Soundtrack Cruising:

Willy de ville:
+heat of the moment
+pulling my string
+its so easy

The cripples:
+loneliness
+hypnotize


John hyatt: spyboy

Madelynn von ritz: whem i close my eyes i see blood (wods nad music Phil lee)

Mutiny: lump

Rough trade: shakedown

Germs: lions share

5:45 PM  
Blogger BeachBoi33 said...

could someone please upload this again? i can't believe i found it, but the link is down! thanks

8:20 PM  

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