Be Positive

Arguably the last masterpiece of theatrical adult filmmaking, 1982's Café Flesh became a full-fledged midnight cult hit thanks to its striking blend of sci-fi, social satire, and, of course, sex, usually with people dressed up as rats or pencils. (Really.) The story follows the unfortunate souls in the audience and onstage at Café Flesh, a post-apocalyptic club where the few remaining humans with functioning libidos are forced by law to perform for everyone else. Dark humor and numerous plot twists ensue. Scream queen Michelle Bauer stars under the name "Pia Snow," though reports differ on whether she used a body double during some of the big finale. The mad genius behind this one is Stephen Sayadian (under the name "Rinse Dream"), who had already made the almost-as-good Nightdreams and went on to semi-mainstream cultdom with 1990's Dr. Caligari. The outstanding new wave instrumental score comes from the eclectic Mitchell Froom (ex-husband of Suzanne Vega), who went on to fame with acts like Crowded House. (Too bad he'll always bear a certain badge of shame for inflicting the worst James Bond theme ever upon the world, Sheryl Crow's "Tomorrow Never Dies.") Here's the full score (long out of print under the title The Key of Cool), sequenced to play in the original film order and expanded to include some of the more memorable monologues and dialogue exchanges from the film.

Café Flesh
1. Thrill Factor
2. Welcome To Café Flesh
3. Fruto Prohibito
4. Strangle A Girl With Love
5. We Don't Dream
6. Pleasure Is A Widow Maker
7. Face Down
8. The Skull in The Cage
9. Miami Priests
10. Moms
11. Blue Lips
12. Be Positive
13. The Key Of Cool
14. Press The Panic Button
15. Jungle Of Cities
16. Patio
17. The End Of The Line
18. Zip Code
19. Thrill Factor (Reprise)