Blade Runner (soundtracks)

Infobox Album
Name = Blade Runner
Type = film
Longtype =
Artist = Vangelis


Released = 1994
Recorded = 1982, Nemo Studios, London
Genre = Ambient
Length = 57:39
Label = EMI (Atlantic Records in the US)
Producer = Vangelis
Reviews = * Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:tzamqj2uoj0a link]
Last album = (1992)
This album = Blade Runner (1994)
Next album = Voices (1995)

The "Blade Runner" soundtrack by Vangelis is a dark melodic combination of classic composition and futuristic synthesizers which mirrors the film-noir retro-future envisioned by Ridley Scott. Vangelis, fresh from his Academy Award winning score from Chariots of Fire, composed and performed the music on his synthesizers. He also made use of various chimes and the vocals of collaborator Demis Roussos, as well as the haunting sax solo by Dick Morrissey on "Love Theme." Ridley Scott also used "Memories of Green" from Vangelis' album "See You Later" (an orchestral version of which Scott would later use in his film "Someone To Watch Over Me"). Along with Vangelis' compositions and ambient textures, the film's soundscape also prominently features a track by the Japanese Ensemble Nipponia (Ogi No Mato or 'The Folding Fan as a Target' from the Nonesuch Records release "Traditional Vocal And Instrumental Music") and a track by harpist Gail Laughton ('Pompeii 76 A.D.' from Laurel Records recently reissued "Harps of the Ancient Temples").

Despite being well received by fans and critically acclaimed – nominated in 1983 for a BAFTA and Golden Globe as best original score – and the promise of a soundtrack album from Polydor Records in the end titles of the film, the release of the original soundtrack recording was delayed for over a decade. There are three official releases of the music from "Blade Runner". In light of the lack of a release of an official score, an orchestral adaptation, recorded by The New American Orchestra, was released in 1982. Some of the film tracks would in 1989 surface on the compilation "Themes", but it was not until the 1992 release of the Director's Cut version of the film that a substantial amount of the score would see the light of day on an official release.

Releases

Original Releases

The first official release (on LP, tape and CD) was a reinterpretation by the New American Orchestra in 1982. Billed as an "orchestral adaptation of music composed for the motion picture by Vangelis", this release consisted of jazz-inspired, orchestrated renditions of the major tracks from the film, but not the original score tracks.

In 1989 the Vangelis "Themes" Collection LP was released. This compilation featured compositions from a variety of Vangelis film scores, including three tracks from "Blade Runner".

Although this release claims to be the "complete" score, there is still some music heard in the film that is missing (in sequential order):

# Longer-length track: "Main Titles", with prologue
# Heard in scene: Leon's Voight-Kampff test
# Heard in scene: Deckard meets Rachael for the first time (starting with the owl)
# Longer-length track: "Blade Runner Blues"
# Heard in scene: Deckard's dream, before, during and after the unicorn appears (1992 and 2007 film releases)
# Heard in scene: Deckard's dream (1984 US film release), actually an alternate recording of "Love Theme"
# Heard in scene: Deckard meets the snake guy, at the Snakepit/Taffey Lewis club
# Full track: before the "Love Theme" (called "I Am the Business" on the Esper Edition)
# Full track: when Batty walks around JF Sebastian's apartment (called "Morning at the Bradbury" on the Esper Edition)
# Missing prelude: "The Prodigal Son Brings Death"
# Heard in scene: Deckard enters the Bradbury and walks up the stairs
# Longer-length track: "Deckard and Roy's Duel" (which is an abbreviated version of "Dangerous Days" plus "Wounded Animals")
# Longer-length track: "End Titles"

The second disc, of previously unreleased music, contains additional music not present in the film, including two bonus tracks, one of which, "Desolation Path", is a slightly different version of "Alternate Love Theme/I Dreamt Music". [ [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bladerunner_soundtrack/ Yahoo Groups/Blade Runner Soundtrack] ] This track was originally used in the workprint version of the film, during the Deckard/Rachel love scene.

Bootlegs

The delays and poor reproductions of the "Blade Runner" score led to the production of many bootleg recordings over the years. A bootleg tape surfaced in 1982 at science fiction conventions and became popular given the delay of an official release of the original recordings, and in 1993 "Off World Music, Ltd." created a bootleg CD that would prove more comprehensive than Vangelis' official CD in 1994. A disc from "Gongo Records" features most of the same material, but more of it. The Deck Definitive Edition came about in 2001, with 27 tracks. In 2003, two other bootlegs surfaced, the "Esper Edition," closely preceded by "Los Angeles - November 2019." The double disc "Esper Edition" combined tracks from the official release, the Gongo boot and the film itself. Finally "2019" provided a single disc compilation almost wholly consisting of ambient sound from the film, padded out with some sounds from the Westwood game "Blade Runner."

tudio Tape

The first release of the Blade Runner score in any form was a tape suspected of coming from a sound engineer during the film's mixing. It was popular, despite subpar audio quality, given there were no plans to release a Vangelis score.cite book
last = Sammon
first = Paul
title = Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner
publisher = Orion Media
date = 1996
location = London
id = ISBN 0-7528-0739-0]

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Bootleg

A second bootleg "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Blade Runner" appeared in 1993 by "Off World Music, Ltd." on CD, which was of high quality and actually more comprehensive than the official release by Vangelis in 1994. This release includes a 1939 recording by R&B group The Ink Spots. "If I Didn't Care" which originally appeared in an early workprint of "Blade Runner," but was replaced by the Don Percival cut "One More Kiss, Dear" in the final version.

Esper Edition

In 2003 a bootleg – Blade Runner (Esper Edition) – was created, providing a comprehensive "Blade Runner" soundtrack. It contains some background music that has never been released. [ [http://www.anunna.net/vangelis-rarities/fic_file.php?methode=methode1&id=25 Blade Runner Rarities, Esper Edition] ]

Esper Edition Notes:
* Original Music Composed and Performed by Vangelis
* "Harps Of The Ancient Temples" written and performed by Gail Laughton
* Performed on tracks 3, 9 (disc I) and track 5 (disc II) by Demis Roussos
* Performed on "Rachael's Song" by Mary Hopkin
* Saxophone on tracks 2 and 9 (disc II) by Dick Morrissey
* Lyrics and vocals on "One More Kiss‚ Dear" by Don Percival (Note: the official 1994 release credits the vocals to Don Percival but the lyrics to English singer/composer Peter Skellern).

Trivia

*In March 2006, U.S. magazine "Variety" put "Blade Runner" at #16 in "The Gorgeous 100, the best moments in film music". Vangelis' score for "Chariots of Fire" was also featured at #18, making Vangelis the only composer to appear twice in the top 20. [http://www.elsew.com/data/latest.htm Dennis Lodewijks' Elsewhere] ]

*In the first episode of "Magnum, P.I." season five, "Echoes of the Mind Part 1," the New American Orchestra reinterpretation of "End Title" is played over the opening scene depicting a character (played by guest star Sharon Stone) driving a Porsche recklessly along a dangerous, winding, oceanside road.

*British electronica duo The Future Sound of London sampled the haunting female vocals of "Rachel's Song" for their 1996 single "My Kingdom".

References