O.S.T: The Warriors 1979

 

Cyrus, the leader of the Gramercy Riffs, the most powerful gang in New York City, requests that each of the city's gangs

send nine unarmed delegates to Van Cortlandt Park for a midnight summit. The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island, send a delegation consisting of "warlord" (leader) Cleon; "war chief" (second-in-command) Swan; scout Fox; enforcer Ajax; graffiti artist Rembrandt; music-man Snow; bearer Vermin and soldiers Cowboy and Cochise. Cyrus proposes a citywide truce and alliance to the assembled crowd, allowing the gangs to control the city together since they collectively outnumber the police by 3 to 1. 
                            

CYRUS DEATH

Most of the gang members applaud this idea, but Luther, the unbalanced and sadistic leader of the

Rogues, shoots Cyrus dead as police officers arrive to raid the summit. In the chaos, Luther realizes that Fox witnessed his actions and falsely accuses the Warriors of responsibility, leading the vengeful Riffs to attack Cleon fatally. Meanwhile, the other Warriors escape, unaware that they have been implicated in Cyrus's killing. 
                   

The Riffs put out a hit on the Warriors through a radio DJ. To Ajax's disappointment, Swan

takes charge of the group as they try to get home. The gang called the Warriors is blamed for killing Cyrus as he gives his speech. The gang now has to cross rivals' territory in order to get to its own 'hood. The Warriors slowly cross the dangerous Bronx and Manhattan territories, narrowly escaping police and other gangs every step of the way.                      

  

The Warriors is a 1979 American action thriller film directed by Walter Hill from a screenplay by Hill

and David Shaber and based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Sol Yurick. The film features an ensemble cast which includes Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Marcelino Sánchez, David Harris, Tom McKitterick, Brian Tyler, Dorsey Wright, Terry Michos, David Patrick Kelly, Roger Hill, Edward Sewer, and Lynne Thigpen.
                    

Development on The Warriors initially began in 1969 after film rights to Yurick's novel was purchased

by American International Pictures, but production stalled until producer Lawrence Gordon obtained the rights and commissioned Shaber and Hill to work on the screenplay. Originally envisioned as a western, the novel was ultimately adapted as a stylized action thriller. Casting was extensive and production was troubled, with Hill clashing with some of the actors and going over budget. Principal photography took place in 1978 on location across New York City, including at Astoria Studios. 
                   

Initial screenings of the film were linked to vandalism and murders, prompting Paramount to

halt advertising or release theaters from their obligation to screen the film. The Warriors has been reappraised by critics and is considered a cult film. It has since launched a franchise which spawned several spinoffs, including video games and a comic book series. 
                     

At dawn, the Warriors finally reach Coney Island, only to find Luther and the Rogues waiting for them. Swan challenges Luther to single combat, but Luther pulls a gun instead. Swan dodges his shot and

throws a switchblade into Luther's wrist, disarming him. The Riffs arrive, acknowledging the Warriors' courage and skill before apprehending the Rogues. As the Riffs descend upon him, Luther screams. The radio DJ announces that the hit on the Warriors has been canceled and salutes them with a song, "In the City." The film ends with Swan, Mercy, and the rest of the gang walking down a Coney Island beach illuminated by the rising sun. 
                     

The Warriors has become a cult film, and some film critics have since re-examined it. As of December 2023, the film garnered an 88% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 51 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "As violent as it is stylish, The Warriors is a thrilling piece

of pulp filmmaking." In 2003, The New York Times placed the film on its "Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made". Entertainment Weekly named it the 16th-greatest cult film on its 2003 "Top 50 Greatest Cult Films" list, and ranked it 14th in its 2008 list of the "25 Most Controversial Movies Ever". The film's soundtrack, featuring music by Barry De Vorzon, Joe Walsh, and others, was released on the A&M label in March 1979. 

                    

THE SOUNDTRACK

               

Barry de Vorzon's bone-chilling compositions envelop hard rock and sub-disco funk with a gritty

apocalyptic urge. Conjuring strange film images, "Theme from The Warriors," "The Fight," and "Baseball Furies Chase" are testosterone-laden instrumentals, combining sinister guitars and plodding drum work peppered with creepy-sounding keyboards. Adding laid-back soul texture is a smooth Mandrill rarity, "Echoes in My Mind," highlighting solid basslines popping over funky horns and catchy vocals. 
                    

Memorable audio clips from the mysterious female DJ informing rival gang factions of brutal clashes

are placed between tracks, as well as the infamous battle cry "Warriors...come out to play-aay!" -- complete with clacking beer bottles. The film's exhausting conclusion is forever cemented to Joe Walsh's desperate survival anthem "In the City," as our heroes walk triumphantly into a dreary Coney Island sunrise. This dark slice of pop culture was available only on vinyl sources until 1995, when Polygram International released an import version on compact disc.
                            

Various – The Warriors (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Label: A&M Records – CD 3151
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Oct 1988
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Soundtrack

TRACKS

                    

01. Barry De Vorzon – Theme From "The Warriors"   3:57
Engineer – Gary Ulmer
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Barry De Vorzon
02. Arnold McCuller – Nowhere To Run   3:15
Written-By – Holland, Dozier, Holland
03. Kenny Vance With Ismael Miranda – In Havana   3:56
Written-By – Artie Ripp, Steve Nathanson
04. Mandrill – Echoes In My Mind   6:09
Written-By – C. Wilson, C. Cave II, L. Wilson, Dr. R. Wilson, W. Wilson
05. Barry De Vorzon – The Fight   1:23
Engineer – Gary Ulmer
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Barry De Vorzon
06. Joe Walsh – In The City   3:54
Engineer – Gary Ulmer
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Barry De Vorzon, Joe Walsh
07. Genya Ravan – Love Is A Fire   4:54
Written-By – Johnny Vastano, Vinnie Poncia
08. Barry De Vorzon – Baseball Furies Chase    2:26
Engineer – Gary Ulmer
Producer, Arranged By, Written-By – Barry De Vorzon
09. Johnny Vastano – You're Movin' Too Slow   2:54
Written-By – Eric Mercury, William Smith 
10. Desmond Child – Last Of An Ancient Breed    4:09
Written-By – Desmond Child

NOTES

Joe Walsh appears courtesy of Elektra / Asylum Records
Genya Ravan appears courtesy of 20th Century Fox Records
Desmond Child and "Rouge" appear courtesy of Capitol Records
Ismael Miranda appears courtesy of Fania Records
Mandrill appears courtesy of Arista Records

Flac Size: 252 MB

Goblin: Roller 1976 + Suspiria 1977

 

Goblin are an Italian symphonic/experimental band that evolved out of Cherry Five during the mid-1970s. Between 1975 and 1983, the band released three proper albums and more than 10 soundtracks on Cinevox. The fact that Goblin is an Italian progressive rock band already makes them

somewhat unique, but they also pursued an intriguingly unorthodox career path, recording the majority of their music for horror film soundtracks, many with director Dario Argento. Internationally, they're probably best known for their work on the Night of the Living Dead sequel Dawn of the Dead (where they were credited as the Goblins), though their work on Profondo Rosso (aka Deep Red) and Suspiria is generally more acclaimed.
                   

Formed in 1972, Goblin's roots lie in several other Italian prog rock bands of the time. Keyboardist and bandleader Claudio Simonetti and original drummer Walter Martino both played in Ritratto di Dorian

Gray, guitarist and occasional vocalist Massimo Morante was part of Era di Acquario, and bassist Fabio Pignatelli had been in Rivelazioni. With vocalist Tony Tartarini, the group initially dubbed themselves the Cherry Five and played British-style progressive rock in the vein of Yes, Genesis, and ELP. They signed with the Italian Cinevox label and issued a self-titled debut in 1975, which performed disappointingly.
                   

It did, however, catch the ear of film director Dario Argento, who contacted Cinevox after becoming dissatisfied with the jazzy work being done on his Profondo Rosso by composer Giorgio Gaslini. The Cherry Five rechristened themselves Goblin (in keeping with the horror movie theme), kept a small

portion of Gaslini's work, and completely redid the remainder of the score in a heavier, harder-rocking style. The results helped make the film a hit, and the soundtrack album topped the Italian charts. Just as the group was about to begin a supporting tour to consolidate its unexpected success, Martino and Tartarini departed, the former to start his own band (Libra); he was replaced by Agostino Marangolo, who had previously drummed in Flea and Etna.
                     

The quartet's next project was a non-soundtrack album titled Roller, released in 1976 and featuring a

more traditional prog rock sound, as well as second keyboardist Maurizio Guarini. The group, however, was unhappy with both the results and the label's promotional efforts, and nearly disbanded. Intervention by Argento smoothed things over, and he put Goblin to work creating a new soundtrack; this time, he shot the film only after hearing the music.
             

The result, 1977's Suspiria, became Goblin's most acclaimed work, combining the band's heavy

riffing and busy drum work with more eerie electronics than ever before, plus sinister experimental vocal effects. The film and soundtrack were both hits, and the Goblin/Argento partnership was firmly established. The band worked on over a dozen film soundtracks over the next two years.
                    

GOBLIN - ROLER 1976

                             

Goblin followed up the impressive Italian success of Profondo Rosso with one of the few non-soundtrack items in their catalog. Despite this fact, Roller finds the group's trademark mixture of prog rock complexity and horror movie atmospherics very much intact: The title track builds from staccato

piano passages into an epic riff powered by electric guitar and cathedral-style organ, while "Goblin" is an epic of prog fireworks that works in an array of complex solos from each of the group's members. The album also introduces a surprisingly gentle side to the group's sound through "Aquaman" and "Il Risveglio Del Serpente," two cuts that exchange the electric guitars and synthesizer excursions that dominate much of the album for quiet, delicate interplay between acoustic guitar and electric piano.
                    

However, the most surprising cut on the album is "Snip Snap," which temporarily puts aside the rest of

the album's overt prog rock style to create a funky excursion that starts with an infectious clavinet riff and builds into a spacey slice of funk drenched in synthesizer effect. The end result is a strong album that consolidates the jazzy prog rock theatrics that made Profondo Rosso so impressive while also working in unexpected elements that flesh their sound out in new and interesting ways. In short, Roller is a necessity for Goblin fans and is an album that's also likely to appeal to fans of European prog rock.

                          

Goblin – Roller
Label: Cinevox Record – CD MDF 634
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo 2008
Country: Italy
Released: 1976
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock

TRACKS

                  

01. Roller    4:38
02. Aquaman    5:22
03. Snip-Snap    3:35
04. Il Risveglio Del Serpente    3:27
05. Goblin    11:07
06. Dr. Frankenstein    5:51

LINE - UP

                     

Agostino Marangolo: drums, percussion, vocals
Massimo Morante: Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, vocals
Fabio Pignatelli: Fender Precision Bass (fretless), Rickenbacker bass (fretted), tabla, acoustic guitar, vocals
Claudio Simonetti: Mellotron (presets: 3-Violins, church organ and 8-Choir), Elka organ, Logan violin, Celesta, Fender Rhodes electric piano, grand piano, Moog synthesizers (Minimoog and System 55)

Flac Size: 256 MB

GOBLIN - SUSPIRIA 1977 (40th ANNIVERSARY DIGITAL EDITION) 2017

                  

This stunning soundtrack from 1977 is the favorite of many a Goblin fan because it represents their sound carried to its most powerful and intense extremes. Suspiria was another score for their cinematic

alter ego, director Dario Argento, and backed up the story of a girl who enrolls in a German dance academy only to discover it is a cover for a powerful coven of witches. The music is just as scary as the film itself, blending wailing electric guitar, whooping synthesizers, and screaming wordless cries into a spooky, bombastic sound that manages to be terrifying even without the benefit of the film's gruesome images.
                 

Suspiria has long been popular with heavy metal fans because it sports a hard-rocking edge equal in

intensity to the scariest works of Black Sabbath or King Diamond: the title theme slowly builds a spooky riff on bells, acoustic guitar, and synthesizer until it erupts into a hard-rocking mid-section where nimble synthesizer solos spar with ghostly cries of "Witch! Witch!," and "Sighs" mixes panting, wordless vocals with an array of furious power chords to create an unbearably high level of suspense.
            

Even when the score downplays the gothic rock theatrics on subtler tracks like "Black Forest" and

"Blind Concert," the group's members still manage to create an intensely creepy atmosphere. The end result is an album that is guaranteed to please Goblin fans and is highly likely to appeal to fans of gothic and heavy metal sounds. [Collector's note: the 1997 CD reissue of Suspiria sports four bonus tracks, consisting of three alternate version of "Suspiria" and a slightly different version of "Markos."]
                   

Goblin – Suspiria 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Label: Cinevox Record – BX MDF 002/a
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Limited Edition, Numbered, 40th Anniversary Edition Version Oct 31, 2017
Country: Italy
Released: 1976, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Prog Rock, Experimental

ORIGINAL ALBUM

                      
              

01. Suspiria    6:01
02. Witch    3:13
03. Opening to the Sighs    0:32
04. Sighs    5:16
05. Markos    4:05
06. Black Forest    6:08
07. Blind Concert    6:16
08. Death Valzer    1:51

40th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks

          

  
09. Suspiria (Celesta and Bells)    1:3
10. Dario Argento Speaks About the Genesis of the Soundtrack   0:35    
11. Suspiria (Narration)    1:50
12. Suspiria (Intro)    0:34
13. Agostino Marangolo Speaks About the Differences Between Suspiria and Profondo Rosso    0:36
14. Claudio Simonetti Speaks About the Main Theme    0:32
15. Markos (alternate version)    4:12
16. Massimo Morante Speaks About the Use of the Bouzouki    0:58
17. Fabio Pignatelli Speaks About Experimentation in Music    0:32
18. Suspiria (alternate take)    3:51
19. Suspiria (Intro #2)    0:31
20. Suspiria (Main Titles)    1:00
21. Witch (Film Version)    2:40
22. Markos (Alternate Version #2)    1:43

LINE - UP

               

Agostino Marangolo: drums, percussion, vocals
Massimo Morante: Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bouzouki, vocals
Fabio Pignatelli: Fender Precision Bass (fretless), Rickenbacker bass (fretted), tabla, acoustic guitar, vocals
Claudio Simonetti: Mellotron (presets: 3-Violins, church organ and 8-Choir), Elka organ, Logan violin, Celesta, Fender Rhodes electric piano, grand piano, Moog synthesizers (Minimoog and System 55)

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

              

Antonio Marangolo: Saxophone (on "Black Forest")
Maurizio Guarini (uncredited): Additional keyboards, including the Moog synthesizers and other keyboards listed on Roller

Flac Size: 336 MB

Goblin: Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) on Urban Aspirines HERE