Why do soundtrack fans keep buying the same score repeatedly? Admittedly, it's a question no one but friends and family of those fans might ask, however it can indeed become an odd quirk of the collector's habit. Sometimes it's all due to a simple format change - LPs to cassettes, cassettes to CDs, digital downloads and somewhere in this evolution are 8-tracks. It's not that far-fetched for the average music fan, since most everyone has upgraded at least one favorite album of theirs over the years, especially once our cars stopped being built with cassette decks. However, it might be only on a soundtrack collector's shelves where a curious person finds two, three or even four copies of the same score, represented in multiple ways, all for various reasons that make total sense to the collector. BLADE RUNNER became such a score for me.
When growing up, I didn't have any "sci-fi" mentors - a peer, a cousin nor crazy uncle - to help me navigate that expansive world of books, TV shows and movies. Since there was no internet available, I was left to my own devices to explore what was out there, often relying on magazines with a science-fiction slant
for guidance, such as Starlog and Cinefantastique. I spent hours at the bookstore, sitting cross-legged in the far back corner where the staff decided the genre should be sequestered, randomly sampling chapters from any number of books. Each cover crowded with brilliant starbursts and gleaming rocket ships promised such excitement and unimagined adventures, I wished I could have read them all once.
And of course, there were new discoveries when simply perusing the soundtrack section at any record store. Exotic titles such as LADYHAWKE and THE ROAD WARRIOR, movies I'd still not yet viewed, might alternately showcase either an immediate beloved score or perhaps instead a dull listen. Great potential at higher financial risks - paperbacks were still cheaper than records. But if a top ranked composer of mine scored a sci-fi or fantasy film, it was a sure bet I'd rent it or scan through TV Guide for any broadcasts. Persuasive and intriguing mentions in a magazine was another method of nudging me to take a chance. Into this mix appeared BLADE RUNNER. It continued to appear in article after article, noted by some as an unheralded masterpiece and simply waiting to be appreciated during the ensuing years. The director, Ridley Scott, had already provided me with persistent nightmares thanks to his previous film, ALIEN (1979). The composer, Vangelis, however was new to me, as his biggest feature to date, 1981's CHARIOTS OF FIRE, failed to enter my spectrum of interest. Nevertheless, I felt I had to see this film and hear its music.
And of course, there were new discoveries when simply perusing the soundtrack section at any record store. Exotic titles such as LADYHAWKE and THE ROAD WARRIOR, movies I'd still not yet viewed, might alternately showcase either an immediate beloved score or perhaps instead a dull listen. Great potential at higher financial risks - paperbacks were still cheaper than records. But if a top ranked composer of mine scored a sci-fi or fantasy film, it was a sure bet I'd rent it or scan through TV Guide for any broadcasts. Persuasive and intriguing mentions in a magazine was another method of nudging me to take a chance. Into this mix appeared BLADE RUNNER. It continued to appear in article after article, noted by some as an unheralded masterpiece and simply waiting to be appreciated during the ensuing years. The director, Ridley Scott, had already provided me with persistent nightmares thanks to his previous film, ALIEN (1979). The composer, Vangelis, however was new to me, as his biggest feature to date, 1981's CHARIOTS OF FIRE, failed to enter my spectrum of interest. Nevertheless, I felt I had to see this film and hear its music.
The extreme violence and adult content jolted my developing sci-fi mind. Nevertheless, the movie provided rich fodder for ruminations on big questions of immortality, the value of experience, the sadness of memory and whether androids crafted to emulate humans could ever be counted among humans. Yes, my pensive, fifteen year old mind often pondered these questions. My initial introduction was the infamous version sporting narration by star Harrison Ford, added late in production due to studio pressure. I never really minded this narration. It seemed to bolster ties to the "film noir" genre and its world-weary, hard-boiled gumshoes. Oddly enough though, seeing the non-narrated version several years later resulted in diametrically opposing reactions. Lacking the narration, the film becomes more inscrutable, leaving the viewer without a navigator through the myriad details of replicants, Voight Kampff tests and "gutter speak". On the flip side, I found that there was new freedom to connect with characters other than the protagonist, detective Rick Deckard (Ford).
So, by 1994, some fans had already owned three, if not four, copies of the BLADE RUNNER soundtrack, although the aforementioned Vangelis compilation includes many other excellent tracks. Then, in 2007, another set was issued to celebrate the 25th anniversary and you can bet your Apple products that I sought this out on day one of its release. I mean, come on, there had to be additional music from movie actually included this time, right? Well, yes, finally more music was represented, but I began to perceive this endeavor as akin to a music cue scavenger hunt. Or perhaps maybe it was a movie music jigsaw puzzle, where I had to collect the different album releases to piece together a somewhat complete picture of the score. But so help me Jerry Goldsmith, I did just that.
Ironically enough, there's been as many versions of the actual film released as there are versions of the soundtrack. From the 1982 original, studio-edited and narrated, to the International cut and both Director's and Final Cut editions, BLADE RUNNER unexpectedly kept evolving and morphing in the years since following its introduction to audiences. I doubt anyone involved imagined one film with no sequels could generate and sustain such a level of interest. For me, the production held as much mystery and interest as the fictional world displayed onscreen. From the music angle, I wonder if the perennial screenings to mainly hear the score helped further endear the entire movie to me.
My viewings of BLADE RUNNER have diminished in recent years, whether due to changes in myself or changes in my life. I'm still very fond of it, of course, but like many of my favorites I tend to make more time for the music than the movie. What prompted me to essay my thoughts on this was that I randomly ran across a previously unknown French bootleg of the score. I took a chance, bought it and ended up disappointed overall, as what I wound up with instead showcased terrible sound quality and content that matched what I already owned. It could be that the habits of a soundtrack collector align with fervent Beatles or Grateful Dead fans, both groups seemingly seeking out all manner of early recordings, studio tracks, different mixes, often all of the same songs.
Mood is the essential to BLADE RUNNER, both the movie and its music. It conjures up a unique, immersive mood that has yet to be duplicated elsewhere, even while elements of the film bled into the nooks and crannies of the cinematic science fiction genre during the ensuing years. In terms of visual influence alone, it stands shoulder to shoulder with STAR WARS in affecting the entire genre. It's interesting that its most powerful effect was primarily the look and feel of its world and that its story and character aspects didn't seem to resonate in such far-reaching terms.
And as for Vangelis's score, it wound up being almost a singular accomplishment. Maybe in some alternate universe, Vangelis has composed music for a string of sci-fi flicks, much as how John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner followed up incredible initial entries with further trips into space-set sagas. But alas, this was his only musical sojourn into the Fantastic and the what-if scenarios posed by futuristic films. BLADE RUNNER can then be categorized under the "lightening-in-a-bottle" heading for all involved. Yet with those multiple versions of the film now all available, each of us can choose to experience this "lightning" in presentations that suit our own mood and mindset. Trouble is, how do I make time to watch any of those versions, when I have about five ways I can listen to the music too?
Mood is the essential to BLADE RUNNER, both the movie and its music. It conjures up a unique, immersive mood that has yet to be duplicated elsewhere, even while elements of the film bled into the nooks and crannies of the cinematic science fiction genre during the ensuing years. In terms of visual influence alone, it stands shoulder to shoulder with STAR WARS in affecting the entire genre. It's interesting that its most powerful effect was primarily the look and feel of its world and that its story and character aspects didn't seem to resonate in such far-reaching terms.
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