Xanadu (1980)

[weir]

A presentation of the soundtrack over the years with the ONJ and ELO sides of LP and cassette tape.

8-track

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LP Jacket Front Cover

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LP Jacket Back Cover

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LP Jacket Inside

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LP Record ONJ Side (Side 1)

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LP Record ELO Side (Side 2)

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(Thanks to Discogs for the LP photos)

Cassette Tape

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[Jamescush]

XANADU - Complete Original Soundtrack - YouTube

Love this soundtrack.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

Timing is everything and XANADU had bad timing to be a commercial success.

It is the quintessential 70's movie with all of the polyester hedonism and blind escapism of the era. And it has every possible disco era cliche you can imagine. It's the movie that encapsulated and celebrated the 1970's in ninety minutes.

Unfortunately, by the summer of 1980, change was coming. Even at the tender age of 22 (when this movie opened), I knew that the 80's would be a completely different era. When disco died, it died fast and hard. The 80's would be about getting down to business...and the 80's were good; I made a lot of money and lived the good life. But the 1970's went out of fashion almost overnight. When XANADU hit in 1980, everything about it was dated. This roller disco/break dancing extravaganza was already out step.

Luckily for us fans, the fact that it was out of style in the summer of 1980 has had no effect on it's long term popularity as a cult movie. What seemed "dated" at the time, has been preserved as a wonderful period piece for those of us lived the era (or, at least, think of it fondly). As somebody born in 1958, graduating high school in '76 and buying my first Trans Am in 1978, I LIVED the 70's and cruised to the sounds of ELO on my 8-track. This movie is the 1970s as I want to remember them...complete with over-the-top fantasy and rose-colored glasses.

Good post.

I'd have to disagree w/ you in one instance.

Roller-skating was still popular, and didn't fade until the mid- eighties.

Brake-dancing wasn't in Xanadu. Popping & Locking, a West Coast staple, you could say was "fading", But Electric Boogie & Breakin in 1980 had not gone national pop yet. Rapper's Delight (rap record) just came out in 1979.
The commercials, sit-com appearances, dance contest tv shows, and films were right around the corner.

[Dex Robinson]

I just pre-ordered this from amazon.ca for $10.49CDN...about $7.55US! I put it with another disc so I'll get free-shipping (I'm in Canada).

Funny; you wait years for one of your all time favorite movies and when it's finally announced, it costs less than breakfast at IHoP .

[Dex Robinson]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Roller-skating was still popular, and didn't fade until the mid- eighties.

Brake-dancing wasn't in Xanadu. Popping & Locking...

You're absolutely correct.

When I wrote "break dancing'", I knew it was popping and locking...but I was afraid if I used the term "poppin' and lockin'" I would have to explain it so I took the easy way out .

One of my most aggravating photo experiences involves a grand old roller rink that we had in Winnipeg. It was a giant building built around the turn of the last century. Originally, it was an ice rink and later became a street car maintenance building before becoming a roller rink. It survived almost 100 years as one of the largest indoor roller-skating palaces on the continent. When the land was sold for university student housing, I went back and photographed it in detail.

I would later discover that, of my thousands of digital photos taken over the years (maybe tens of thousands), these pictures were NOT backed up. I normally back up my photos on at least two and usually three external hard drives. The roller rink pictures were gone for good...just like the roller rink itself (demolished in 2007 as I recall) .

[Musicguy]

ah, the film with no conflict, character development, tension or dramatic range. Forget about the acting, there isn't any either and Olivia's big song hit is a throw away used in the background as the leads discuss nothing relevant.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

ah, the film with no conflict, character development, tension or dramatic range. Forget about the acting, there isn't any either and Olivia's big song hit is a throw away used in the background as the leads discuss nothing relevant.

Hmmm....I recall the muse & human love conflict.

Its bad movie and picking out its flaws doesn't remove its cult status.

Its the flaws that make it cult, along w/ many other factors that don't fit into the box of film rules.

[Dex Robinson]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

ah, the film with no conflict, character development, tension or dramatic range. Forget about the acting, there isn't any either and Olivia's big song hit is a throw away used in the background as the leads discuss nothing relevant.

I have NO interest in about 95% of all Blu-ray Discs. Some bore me. Some are, in my opinion, just bad movies.

But I feel no need to go into those threads and announce that I think a given movie is bad. That's thread-crapping and it's just plain rude.

If I don't like a movie and I don't plan to buy the BD, then I just shut the hell up and stay away from those discussion threads.

[Batmon77]

5.1 audio?

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

5.1 audio?

You bet cha! Generally, Universal blu-rays have DTS-HD 5.1-7.1 Master Audio.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by slimdude

You bet cha! Generally, Universal blu-rays have DTS-HD 5.1-7.1 Master Audio.

Im not in front of my DVD to see what that audio was, but is there a possibility of a 7.1 "boost"?

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Im not in front of my DVD to see what that audio was, but is there a possibility of a 7.1 "boost"?

The DVD was 5.1

[ccinsf]

There's some fascinating stuff on YouTube including a completely different scene for 'suspended in time'. There has to be some great unseen footage. I doubt they will go to the effort but if we can get Troop Beverly Hills deleted scenes after all these years maybe there's some hope for this.

[iwanttobeabmoviestar]

This gets a release but we cant get True Lies or Abyss on blu ray the world is truly sad

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

I have NO interest in about 95% of all Blu-ray Discs. Some bore me. Some are, in my opinion, just bad movies.

But I feel no need to go into those threads and announce that I think a given movie is bad. That's thread-crapping and it's just plain rude.

If I don't like a movie and I don't plan to buy the BD, then I just shut the hell up and stay away from those discussion threads.

wouldn't it be nice for others to follow suit?

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by iwanttobeabmoviestar

This gets a release but we cant get True Lies or Abyss on blu ray the world is truly sad

Honestly, I'll take Xanadu over The Abyss.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Im not in front of my DVD to see what that audio was, but is there a possibility of a 7.1 "boost"?

Probably not. Most likely it'll be 5.1 lossless.

[Crimson King]

the new ELO album is darn good!

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by MechaGodzilla

Honestly, I'll take Xanadu over The Abyss.

Ditto.

[Lutz]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

ah, the film with no conflict, character development, tension or dramatic range. Forget about the acting, there isn't any either and Olivia's big song hit is a throw away used in the background as the leads discuss nothing relevant.

Yes but you are ignoring that XANADU also plays to it's own strength.

The second part of the movie is cannily wall to wall musical numbers with perfunctory - blink and you'll miss it - bridges between each set piece. I can't think of many movies that have the intelligence to realise that conflict/character/development/tension/dramatic range are not their strength and then edit them out of the movie. Even the set up of the movie which has a little development balderdash's it to get to the set pieces.

Instead of criticising things that have been happily left out of the film maybe you should try pointing out things like how wooden Olivia Newton John looks next to Gene Kelly? edit: which I love.