🎵 AotW AOTW: Phantom of the Paradise S.T. (A&M SP 3653)

[LPJim]

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING:
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE
A&M SP-3653

A 20th Century-Fox Release/ Harbor Productions presents a Presssman Williams Production

Paul Williams & William Finley in Brian De Palma's PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, co-starring George Memmoli, Harold Oblong, Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor, Gerrit Graham and introducing Jessica Harper

Executive Producer Gustave Berne/ Produced by Edward R. Pressman/ Written and directed by Brian De Palma/ Words and Music by Paul Williams/ Color by Movielab.

SIDE ONE

Goodbye Eddie, Goodbye 3:32 - performed by The Juicy Fruits - lead vocal Archie Hahn/ Faust 3:28 - vocal by Bill Finley/ Upholstery 2:41 - performed by the Beach Bums; lead vocal by Jeffrey Comanor/

Special to Me (Phoenix Audition Song) 2:47 - lead vocal by Jessica Harper/ Phantom's Theme (Beauty and the Beast) 4:40 - vocal by Paul Williams.

SIDE TWO

Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song) 4:38 - performed by The Undead; lead vocal by Harold Oblong/ Life At Last 2:15; lead vocal by Ray Kennedy/

Old Souls 2:43; vocal by Jessica Harper/ Faust 5:08; vocal by Paul Williams/ The Hell of It 2:57; vocal by Paul Williams.

All selections written by Paul Williams and published by Almo Music Corp. ASCAP.


Recorded and re-mixed by Tommy Vicari at Sound Labs/ Guitars: Art Munson/ Pianos: Craig Doerge, Mike Melvoin and Dave Garland/ Bass: Leland Sklar, Max Bennett and Jim Hughart/ Drums: Gary Mallabar/ Background Voices: Jerry Whitman, Kerry Chater, Jon Joyce, Jim Haas and Tom Bahler/ Ray Kennedy is the voice of "Beef."

Music supervision by Michael Arciaga and Jules Chaikin

Art Direction: Roland Young/ Design: Junie Osaki/ Cover illustration by Anthony Golschmidt, Graphic Design Ltd./ John Alvin.

PHANTOM entered the Billboard Top 200 on March 1, 1975 and remained in the charts for one weak, peaking at Number 194, according to Whitburn's "Top Pop Albums."

JB

 

[Dave]

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING --

SIDE ONE:

Goodbye Eddie, Goodbye -- ...We'll remember you forever, Eddie; For the sacrifice you made, we can't believe the price you paid for... ...Love... --Love, love, love, love, love, love, love...; Little Eddie Mitty born in Jersey City, started singing when he was five; Never knew his father, mother didn't bother to remember his name; Yes, he was gone, just as fast as he came; Soon another "mister" then a baby sister... --The movie also begins with The Juicy Fruits, featuring Archie Hahn singing this number on stage...

Faust -- ...I was not myself last night, couldn't set things right, with appologies or flowers... --Bill Finley sings this one, and in the movie, his role is being the hapless singer/musician peddling around his "cantata"; hoping to make an audition in a semi-fictional exposure of a seemingly "corrupt" music industry in order to get a break...

Upholstery -- ...I was not myself last night, got into a fight with my Woody barely running... ...A blow like that should be stunning... ...I went and lost control... ...Tore a hole in my tuck-and-roll upholstery, where my baby sits up close to me, that's suppossed to be what my life is all about... --Jeffrey Comanor and Company, as a Surf-Band mock-up (a Beach Boys-parody, or perhaps a "surfer group" portrayed by The Turtles in their Battle Of The Bands concept album)... The song is a re-write of "Faust" as you can tell... As though the appearance of the song and Surf Band in the picture is a portayal of a "plagerism", which Finley's "cantata" fell victim to...

Special to Me -- Jessica Harper, as singer, "Phoenix", sings this, as "her audition song"...

Phantom's Theme (Beauty and the Beast) -- Paul finally gets his "input" into this Soundtrack as a vocalist/artist; his role, Swan as the "music industry mogul"...

SIDE TWO:

Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song) -- Is this where Tim Curry got the idea of an acting/sining career...?? Harold Oblong sounds suspiciously like him, down to his singing of every "Super-Natural!!!"... Very ROCKY HORROR-esque, indeed...

Life At Last -- ...Ditto! This time Ray Kennedy sings this one; before collaborating with Bruce Goldberg and Mike Bloomfield in the short-lived 'supergroup', KGB...

Old Souls -- Paul Williams song, he did himself on one of his own follow-ups... Jessica Harper, as "Phoenix", again...

Faust -- This time Paul, himself sings the ballad done earlier by Bill Finley... Augmented by the Background Singers and as a Climax for both the Soundtrack and the Movie, seems to be more "upfront" and effective...

The Hell of It -- A bit of a silly conclusion as far as an "Ending Theme" goes, but that's basically what... well, The Music Industry and ones role seems to be about...

I did rent this movie, a few years back, so my appologies for not specifically remembering Characters, Plots, Story-Lines, etc. My Soundtrack has been long-gone, too... There was a scene or two where the main character, Finley, was briefly working in a toy factory and gets himself shipped out in a box, which I'm sure parts of ended up on the cutting-room floor... A Buick Dealership is where in one scene he is flung across a row of cars, too... Very satiric, comical, dramatic, and of course a campy, cult classic... Better dig up my Video Store card and see if I can rent it and refresh my memory again...



Dave

 

[phantomoftheparadise]

I love this album. Every song is great; my personal favorite is "The Hell of it." Both Bill Finley's and Paul Williams' versions of "Faust" are excellent as well. This is an album I never tire off hearing. I would highly recommend the movie too, which is funny, sad, somewhat scary, and exciting all at the same time. Paul Williams is excellent as Swan. His acting in "Phantom" is much better than later films, such as the "Smokey and the Bandit" series, "The Lost Samurai," and "Stone Cold Dead." Also, some of the versions of the songs in the film beat those which appear on the soundtrack, making the film worthwhile to watch for that reason.