Customer Reviews

Flashdance: Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned this soundtrack in first cassette, then vinyl, now on c.d. format. What I would have hoped for in the remastered version was the classic extended versions of some of these tracks radio stations use to play when Flashdance was hot ! Tracks like What A Feeling, Maniac, and a couple of others had some remarkable extended counterparts which are now completely difficult to find.Flashdance did not conform to the "breakdancing" period like other movies or soundtracks did. It was pop-rock at it's best before the Top Gun soundtrack.The only artist to still carry some weight after all these years is Donna Summer.Everyone else is just a faint memory. Where's Kim Carnes ? Michael Sembello? Laura Brannigan? and let's not forget the blue-eyed soulful voice of Joe "Bean" Esposito who was a soothing cross between Michael McDonald and a lightweight version of Barry White on Lady, Lady, Lady.

There is very little difference in the remastered version with regards to sonic quality. The sound level is a little bit higher with a little more bass and a little more treble. Otherwise, nothing that could be considered a revelation ...

Update: April 1, 2011.

At the time I wrote above review on the remastered version of the "Flashdance" soundtrack,I was using an older home stereo system that did not do the remaster justice. Years later,with another stereo system, I am able to hear subtleties and nuances as well as an overall smoother presentation of tonality and clarity of the remastered version(doing an A-B comparison between my original early 80's pressing and the remaster); It was not just a slight boosting of bass,mids,and treble frequencies which had led me to hear or believe that not much had been sonically changed or improved over the first pressing.

The sound now has a warmer,deeper sonic quality.The music just seems to flow better to these ears as opposed to the first pressing---while a good pressing, the first just exhibited that all too familiar bright and harsh digital sound and mastering.Sometimes, this is the true test for some audiophiles of a well remastered cd; Does the listener hear certain subtleties coming from the instruments,vocals, and overall musical-aural atmosphere that was not noticed before(rolled off highs and vocal articulations,dull,masked,smeared, or blended instruments)? All of these negative anomalies are gone or 'cleaned up' in the remaster.There is a smoother,and I will say,warmer,fluid-like analog sound.

This cd version does contain an alternate mix of the song "Manhunt" by Karen Kamon. The original vocals had more of an echo-reverb type characteristic which is not the case with this current remaster.The vocals are now more natural and upfront(the reverb is subdued). The lyrics,this time, are very well articulated---I would almost suspect they(remastering engineer) had the vocalist 're-do' the song for this newer release (hard to say for sure).

In sum, there is more sonic detail and punch (without exhibiting any high frequency and bass saturation or eq coloring) to this later version of the soundtrack. The reason why this has been such a pleasure reviewing or "re-mastering" my old review of said cd remaster is because it remains,to this day, one of my all time favorite film soundtracks. While it does sound musically dated---the use of the synthesizer and electronic drumming machines(but NOT in a bad way)--- it is a superb representation of the best pop music of that era when done right by the writers,artists,and producers(especially,the early 80's as the disco era had come to a complete halt by then)! It still sounds very good and very relevant today (as so many new pop artists in the 21st cenury try to emulate this particular sound because they like to pay an homage and get retro with the 80's).

I must agree with all the reviewers who say this is one of the best soundtracks of the 80's. You can actually play this CD from beginning to end and not need to hit the "skip" button because every track of this soundtrack could've been released as a single and would've charted.
The remastered work is great, it sounds much better than the original issue, however, extra tracks that were used in the movie could've been included like Gloria (Laura Branigan) and I Love Rock 'N Roll (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts), and also 12" versions of the already included tracks. They could've also included liner notes, and perhaps the lyrics to the songs. They did a great job with the "Footloose" soundtrack, which to me is as good as "Flashdance".
In comparison to the original issue, the only difference I can hear is in the song "Manhunt", they did something to the vocal section and added some more guitar and synthesizer sounds that make it even better. Great job.
I want to dedicate this review to Laura Branigan (may she rest in peace) who played a big part on this soundtrack.
Anyone who buys this CD will not be disappointed.

This is definately one of the best - if not the best - soundtracks in the history of movie soundtracks. You cannot help but love it. It's so amazing. Yes it has that 80's feel, but to me it is timeless. I was 10 when this came out and I love it now even to this day. Manic, What A Feeling, Lady Lady Lady and Imagination are brilliant songs. Gloria was also in the movie but not on the cd. Well at least we got one fantastic song from the late great Laura Brannigan on here (Imagination).
I have friends younger than myself who haven't seen the movie yet (they think it's so old) but they love this music. I think it has such a wide appeal that you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like it. If you don't already own this, go out now and get it. You'll love it.

As many of you know, after the infamous "Disco-Sucks" period of late 79 in to 1980, Disco became a forbidden word for new music.
However as early as 1980 a number of "Dance" music hits starting to invade the Pop Charts. Songs like 1980's Take Your Time (do it right) by the SOS Band, 1982's Love Come Down by Evelyn King, and others reiterated that Dance Music was not going away.

By 1983, Michael Jackson's Dance Pop would dominate the airwaves, and the movies Flashdance was Footloose were released.

The creators of the movie Flashdance wanted an appropriate Soundtrack to support the movie, and they turned to the producer most known for his already by then Classic Disco Songs, Giorgio Moroder. Giorgio together with Keith Forsey and Irene Cara created the song, Flashdance, What A Feeling. Giorgio then recomended a song that he produced almost 2 years earlier from the then unreleased album by Donna Summer, I'm A Rainbow, and thus Romeo made the roster.

Giorgio also produced 3 additional new tracks for the album, including the ballad, Lady, Lady, Lady sung by Joe Esposito, best known for his vocals on the Donna Summer hit, Heaven Knows.

A relativly unkown singer/writer/producer, Michael Sembello, scored the second mega hit from the release with his own song, Maniac, and he contributed to the Laura Branigan track on this album, Imagination.

Polygram initially released this soundtrack on it's Casablanca label (which it then owned), and perhaps fittingly enough, the only Pop song that came near the chart profile of Irene Cara's What A Feeling during the summer of '83, was Donna Summer with her Michael Omartian produced hit, She Works Hard For The Money.

Disco lived, even in the 80's.

I love the movie "Flashdance", and the only thing better than the movie is the soundtrack. The title song "Flashdance...What A Feeling" is an absolute classic, and soared up to #1 on the Billboard charts for 5 or 6 straight weeks! One of the best soundtracks of the 80s!

"Flashdance...What A Feeling" by Irene Cara--The best song on the entire album. It is about the passion of dance, and is also about how it feels when she is dancing. One of the greatest songs in the world, the album is worth buying just for this song. 5/5

"He's A Dream" by Shandi--A good song. It is the song that plays the first time we see Alex dance in Mawby's Bar, along with the famous water splashing routine. Obviously, it is about a girl seeing a guy and falling in love with him. It is fun to dance to and catchy as well. 4.5/5

"Love Theme From 'Flashdance'" by Helen St. John--AWESOME! There are no words to it, it is just some of the most beautiful music ever written. It plays a couple of times in the film, particularly when Alex and Nick are starting to fall for each other. The music is very beautiful and relaxing. A highlight of the album by far. 5/5

"Manhunt" by Karen Kamon--Very rock n' roll. It is about a girl who is fed up with being objectified by men, so she turns the tables. It is a cool song to rock out to, and was the background music of Cynthia Rhodes's only dance in the movie. 4/5

"Lady, Lady, Lady" by Joe Ben Esposito--This is such a good song! It plays on Nick and Alex's first date in the film, and Joe's voice is very nice. This is a good song to listen to if you want to relax. 5/5

"Imagination" by Laura Branigan--A song I used to love, but now it is just OK. It is basically about using your imagination. In the movie, it is played during the famous strobe light routine. Laura's other song "Gloria" is also in the movie when Jeanie skates, but not on the soundtrack. I think that it would have been better than "Imagination". 4/5

"Romeo" by Donna Summer--My least favorite on the album. The music is cool, but the song itself isn't that great. They should have picked a better song instead. Sorry Donna! 3.5/5

"Seduce Me Tonight" by Cycle V--Another good rock song from the album. This plays during the scene where Alex stops Jeanie from working at the strip club. It is a pretty good song, but I usually skip it in the middle. 3.5/5

"I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is" by Kim Carnes--A tragic song. It plays in the movie after Hanna dies and Alex is at home all depressed. This song is awesome, and makes the best out of a bad situation. 5/5

"Maniac" by Michael Sembello--AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC SONG! This song is the reason I bought the CD. I had only seen the movie once, and only because I knew of this song. After I rented it, I got a gift certificate to FYE. I got the DVD and the soundtrack. I must have played this song 50 times in a row! It is the second most famous song from the album, and was also nominated for an Academy Award. Awesome awesome awesome! 5/5

When Flashdance the movie came out i was only 13 and now 18 years later i still love listening to the original soundtrack.The songs for me were motivating and they allowed me to dream and to be myself.The songs "Flashdance" and "Imagination" are really inspiring with their"you can do it no matter what"lyrics and the beautiful love songs are just that-BEAUTIFUL!Lyrics such as"running like the wind thoughts can come undone,Dancing behind masks just subtle pantomime"from Lady,Lady,Lady,or "it's just a song that just keeps playing on the radio and you know i haven't seen you for a while" from-I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is.The soundtrack is a classic and will always be.It's amazing!

I must say- this is some very excellent stuff. All the music in this thing sounds very great- especially the title track. The others are also just as good, even "Maniac". So- to sum things up- this is a great soundtrack!

Here we go with some more nostalgia, and probably scenes from the movie will flash before your eyes. But if we focus on the artists who made the background, the movie pulsates with action.

With artists like Laura Branigan, Irene Cara, Kim Carnes, Joe Esposito, Karen Kamon, and Michael Sembello, to name a few, we can see how these following cuts became so popular:

Imagination
Flashdance
I'll be where the Heart Is
Manhunt
Maniac, and others. Truly remarkable. Try dancing to Maniac, and tell me if you're exhausted after.

A nice collection for audiophiles. And recommended!!!!

Such fun, great music, wonderful for bopping around in the kitchen -- the room stops at the "water splash" moment. Highly recommended!

A true gem. If you are an eighties child or not, consider your self
quite lucky to be able to discover this album on your own and bathe
in its rare qualities of having the appeal to womens empowerment and
the softer sensitive side of male reverence for femininity.

Surpisingly stacked with winning numbers that are at wide
turns foot-stomping, melodic, hip swaying, hypnotic and even
to use the words just plain awe inspiring is not to be
overly gratituous.

This is how all music from the eighties through to the nineties
should have stayed.

This music is a gift you give to your self and a secret you
let only your best of friends in on.