release date: 1986
format: cd (VCD47277)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: David Lynch
label: Varese Sarabande - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Main Title" - 2. "Night Streets / Sandy and Jeffrey" - 3. "Frank" - 6. "Frank Returns" - 8. "Blue Velvet / Blue Star (Montage) (feat. Isabella Rossellini)" - 10. "Akron Meets the Blues" - 11. "Honky Tonk Part I (performed by Bill Doggett)" - 12. "In Dreams (performed by Roy Orbison)" - 13. "Love Letters (performed by Ketty Lester)" - 14. "Mysteries of Love (feat. Julee Cruise)" 👉 [ Soundtrack playlist ]
Soundtrack album to the film "Blue Velvet" by David Lynch featuring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern. The soundtrack is Badalamenti's first full-length soundtrack under his own name, although, he debuted as soundtrack co-composer as Andy Badale together with Albert Elias (as Al Elias) - together they were credited as Badder Than Evil - and they stood behind the majority of the music for the 1973 film "Gordon's War" (directed by Ossie Davis); a year later, again with Al Elias and still credited as Andy Badale they made the music for "Law and Disorder" by Ivan Passer, they also made music to one episode of the "NBC Special Treat" TV-series in '77, and then in '83 he released the album Nashville Beer Garden under the name of 'Andy Badale and The Beer Garden Band'; however, the Blue Velvet soundtrack is his first soundtrack under his own name and as a solo artist.
The music here represents a huge mix of styles - from traditional r&b, blues, jazz, popular standards, classical, and contemporary pop music, but not in a big melting pot, but various tracks contain bits and pieces from this or that and altogether its a highly coherent mix. Like the film has a disturbing element, so does Badalamenti's soundtrack contain an eerie dimension that helps transporting the film to its status as a certified classic, and perhaps the film rocketed Lynch to the top of hot directors in the 80s.
Badalamenti's soundtrack is regarded as a major work and one of the best soundtracks of the 1980s, and 'frankly' [!] it's one of those, which really works on its own. It's really not a collection where the single compositions compete in gaining the listener's attention but the type of albums where the whole works as the biggest accomplishment.
As the film is a must, the soundtrack by Badalamenti is worth every penny.
