Customer Reviews

Fame

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I previously wrote a review for this CD last September, complaining that it was badly in need of remastering. I was thrilled to find out just a few days ago, that this has finally been done, and am very happy to report that the new version is a huge improvement over the original CD release; THIS is the album I loved back in high school! The depth and range of all the instruments are back where they should be, and all the nuances that were missing from the earlier Polydor release can finally be heard again. The finale, "I Sing the Body Electric", practically leaps from the speakers now. Many thanks to Rhino Records for finally getting it right. As a footnote; the bonus tracks are nice to have but only one is of any real distinction. The vocal track by Paul McCrane, "Miles From Here", is a lovely song and makes you wonder where it would have turned up in the movie, had the producers chose to use it. The remaining two, however, (instrumental versions of "Out Here on My Own" and "Fame"), are little more than duplicates of the originals with Irene Cara's vocals deleted. Call it "karaoke".

A favorite soundtrack of the 80's gets a sparkling remaster from Rhino on this near-immaculate version released just a few weeks ago. Comparing this to the quite-old previous disc reveals a wealth of detail, vocal nuances, and particularly crisp strings (whether on a guitar or in an orchestra).
It's a soundtrack with no filler...even the single instrumental "Ralph and Monty" feels part of a whole. The brisk uptempo tunes, like the title track, "Hot Lunch Jam" with it's irresistible piano line and the driving gospel of "Never Alone" balance the quiet "Out Here On My Own" and the anthemic "I Sing The Body Electric".
If you are familiar with the TV show, "ER", and unaware that Paul McCrane ("Rocket" Romano on ER) is a significant character in "Fame", you are in for a shock. His songs, "Dogs In The Yard" and "Is It OK If I Call You Mine?" form the emotional core of the soundtrack...the latter song is his composition performed solo on guitar.

Seriously, the sweet tender songsmith here and the testosterone ramrod from ER...the same guy? Staggering.
His previously unreleased song is a welcome addition, but the other extras are skippable.
This soundtrack does not sound dated at all. Compared to "Flashdance" and "Footloose" (which sorta define an 80's sound...), "Fame" is an ageless classic.

Composer Michael Gore and lyricist Dean Pitchford didn't exactly have an easy brief in writing the core songs for this movie about students at NeW York's High School of Performing Arts. How do you write about youthful artistic ambition without being schlocky? How do you take all the different styles of music which would be heard where the film is set and meld them into something musically satisfying and dramatically believable?

The proof that Gore and Pitchford succeeded lies in the enduring popularity of this soundtrack and by comparison with the pale imitations that followed it - eg. the songs for the "Fame" TV series, and well, "Flashdance".

Taken together, the songs on this soundtrack tell a vibrant and moving story.

Irene Cara's performance of the title song remains an exuberant statement of purpose while her performance of the ballad "Out Here On My Own" shows an exquisite mix of control and passion. Other highlights are Paul McCrane's wistful "Dogs in the Yard" and the exciting ensemble finale, "I Sing the Body Electric".

The original CD pressing of this album was one of the first CDs released. Listening to it now, you can hear why a lot of people prefer vinyl. It sounds pretty dull - it's missing a lot of the high frequencies and space which are there on the vinyl pressing.

This remaster is a significant improvement over the first CD edition and the vinyl LP, on most tracks. The music has far more presence and dynamic range - it's like lifting a veil. I do, however, have a few technical queries. Tracks 4-9 seem to have slightly more treble information on the right channel than the left. Checking with the original vinyl, this appears to be partly a characteristic of the stereo mix with cymbals and tambourines mainly appearing on the right stereo channel. However, the vinyl and first CD pressing seem to have compensated for this by shifting the balance somewhat towards the left stereo channel. On this remaster, this does not appear to have been done. Other factors might be responsible for this slight imbalance - the stereo master tape might have deteriorated over the years, or heaven forbid, there was a technical fault in the remastering.

Call me picky, but when you know and love this album as much as I do, these things can nag away at your enjoyment.

But hey, congratulations to Turner/Rhino for realising the need to remaster this album. It sounds great, for the most part.

The bonus tracks are wonderful. Gore and Pitchford's "Mile From Here", which was written for, but not included in the movie, is similar in feel to "Dogs in the Yard". And the instrumental tracks for "Out Here On My Own" and "Fame" spotlight some great playing and arranging and will, no doubt, inspire some singing along.

I purchased this together with another CD sometime in December 2004. All the tracks are carefully remastered. What makes it more awesome are the bonus tracks! The previously unreleased "Miles From Here, and the instrumental Out Here On My Own, and Fame. Wow! What an inclusion! Makes me sing along, too.

I was 15 years old when I saw FAME... I loved it! I was a drama geek at the time and it was a perfect match. This remastered edition with extra tracks is wonderful. The range of the music is expanded and the level is higher. The old versions of the CD were murky!

Paul McCrane's tracks shine...especially his original composition "Is It Okay if I Call You Mine." "Miles from here" is an extra track with McCrane's vocals as well.

If you are a FAME fan, order this one!

I loved this album when it came out on vinyl. The cd came with a few bonus tracks. Great to hear this music again.

What a marvelous flashback to 1980. I still remember listening to this soundtrack in my brand new car's cassette tape player, while driving down the highway to college. I was young, carefree, and working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts, so the music in this album was the perfect fit. What a fond memory! Although the tape is long gone, I still love the music, so I decided to download the MP3. Now it's time to make new memories as I listen to this fabulous soundtrack in my studio, on my iPod, or anywhere I go. In addition, with Amazon's Cloud, I can back up any music I purchase here for free!

This is an awesome soundtrack it is enjoyable and fun to listen to. The best songs on this cd are all of them

The first & the greatest for folks who saw the movie when it was released. It's fun to see kids who were unknowns when it came out and see what's happened to their careers.

Im a big fan of the original film to Fame(1980) and grew up listening to the tunes when my mother played this on cassette, it was a real treat to hear this again years later!
Recently when the new Fame(2009) came to theaters I rushed out to see it and was not dissapointed, but the new film needs some slight improvement.

Overall the classic film soundtrack is totally worth checking out, it has some great songs that Im sure any hardcore fans of the original Fame will like.