The Return of the Living Dead (soundtrack)

The Return of the Living Dead is the original soundtrack from the film of the same name, released in 1985 by Enigma Records.[2] The film itself is a horror comedy film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon about a group of teenage punks dealing with a horde of brain-hungry zombies.

The Return of the Living Dead
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released1985
Genre
Length34:38
LabelEnigma
Producer
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

The soundtrack features classic punk rock, horror punk/death rock, psychobilly songs by groups like the Cramps, 45 Grave, T.S.O.L., the Damned and the Flesh Eaters.

The soundtrack has undergone numerous releases in different countries.

A limited vinyl edition was released in 2016.[3]

Reception

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John Leland of Spin wrote, "All of the songs deal with death—though usually not the kind that prevents you from living a normal, active life, The tunes range from the bad to the bad, encompassing all shades of meaning of the word."[4]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Surfin' Dead"Ivy Rorschach, Lux InteriorThe Cramps4:11
2."Partytime (Zombie Version)"45 Grave2:48
3."Nothing for You"T.S.O.L.T.S.O.L.2:24
4."Eyes Without a Face"
The Flesh Eaters3:12
5."Burn the Flames"EricksonRoky Erickson6:00
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Dead Beat Dance"The DamnedThe Damned3:51
2."Take a Walk"Nigel Lewis, Mark RobertsonTall Boys2:28
3."Love Under Will"Gary TrainerJet Black Berries2:56
4."Tonight (We'll Make Love Until We Die)"Stacey Swain, Jon St. JamesSSQ3:37
5."Trash's Theme"St. JamesSSQ2:55

Other musical credits

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  1. Francis Haines, "The Trioxin Theme" (Main title)[5]
  2. The F.U.'s, "Young, Fast Iranians" : 1991 Hemdale version and subsequent DVD and Blu-ray Releases, though not on official soundtrack album.
  3. 45 Grave, "Partytime (Single Version)": version actually used in the film, though not on official soundtrack album.
  4. Norbert Schultze, "Panzer Rollen in Afrika vor": song playing on Ernie's walkman, though not on official soundtrack album.

Personnel

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  • Cover (Album Cover Design) – Brian Ayuso;
  • Mastered By – Eddy Schreyer;
  • Producer (Executive Soundtrack Album Production) – Budd Carr;
  • Producer (Soundtrack Album Production) – Steve Pross, William Hein;

Releases

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  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Album), Enigma Records, US 1985.
  • Le Retour Des Morts Vivants "The Return Of The Living Dead", (LP, Pic, Comp), New Rose Records, France 1985.
  • Le Retour Des Morts Vivants (The Return Of The Living Dead), (LP, Comp), New Rose Records, France, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead OST, (Cass, Album), Big Beat Records, UK, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (CD, Album), Big Beat Records, UK, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (CD, Album, Comp), Metal Blade Records, Restless Records, US, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (Cass, Album) Enigma Records US 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (Cass, Album, Comp) Enigma Records New Zealand 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Album) Big Beat Records 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Album), Enigma Records, Big Time, New Zealand, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Comp), Big Beat Records, UK, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Comp, W/Lbl), Big Beat Records, UK, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Ltd, Pic), Enigma Records, US, 1985.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Soundtrack), (LP, Album) Enigma Records 2004, Netherlands, 1985.
  • Various – Le Retour Des Morts Vivants (The Return Of The Living Dead), (LP, Comp, TP), New Rose Records, France, 1985.
  • Battalion / The Return Of The Living Dead - Original Soundtrack, (LP, Album), Victor, Japan 1986.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (LP, Album), Enigma Records, Spain, 1986.
  • Battalion / The Return Of The Living Dead - Original Soundtrack, (CD, Album, RM), Victor, Japan, 1987.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), (CD), Enigma Records, US, 1987.
  • The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Soundtrack), (LP, Album, Ltd, RE, Bla), Real Gone Music, 2016.

The making of the soundtrack - Blu-ray bonus features (2016)

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Blu-ray review: The Return of the Living Dead: Collector's Edition

  • "Party Time: The Music of The Return Of The Living Dead" (Expanded Version) (30 minutes), with Music Consultants Budd Carr, Steve Pross and Soundtrack Artists: Dinah Cancer (45 Grave), Chris D (The Flesh Eaters), Roky Erickson, Karl Moet (SSQ), Joe Wood (T.S.O.L.), Mark Robertson (Tall Boys). Also featuring musicians: Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) and John Sox (The F.U.'s, Straw Dogs)[6] — As mentioned, the soundtrack for the film is a loving ode to 1980s punk rock, and some of its stalwarts look back at the process of getting on the soundtrack.

References

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  1. ^ Torreano, Bradley. "The Return of the Living Dead – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Various – The Return Of The Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. ^ "The Return of the Living Dead - Vinyl Edition Limited Edition of 2,660 Copies". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. ^ John Leland (September 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 5. p. 29.
  5. ^ "The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  6. ^ Szadkowski, Joseph (August 5, 2016). "Blu-ray review: 'The Return of the Living Dead: Collector's Edition". The Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

See also

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