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63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Superb Mix of Genres, Voices and Styles, April 29, 2002
The film "Xanadu" received what I consider the best movie review of all time on its release in 1980: a single sentence that read... "In a word, Xana-don't"! To be sure, this campy roller-dancehall fairy tale still has its enthusiasts and remains a guilty pleasure for some. In the end, the film was a catastrophe but remains in the Hollywood Babylon pantheon of nostalgia and cult classics for three reasons. First, it ended up being Gene Kelly's swan song from a 4 decade career in film as in the movie, he dances to a charming time-warping tune with a soft-shoeing Olivia Newton-John (his last on screen partner.) Second, ONJ met her future husband Matt Lattanzi on the film set, and the tabloids feasted on their decade-plus age difference while rumors of Matt (and Olivia's) sexual orientation percolated under the surface during the hateful "outing" campaigns of the early 80s. Perhaps the most lasting legacy of the film, however, rests in this soundtrack - a uniformly strong collection of tracks from the former girl-next-door-gone-bad Olivia and the legendary Electric Light Orchestra, a fusion rock band of operatic depth (alongside the Moody Blues, Yes and Queen - ELO ranks as rock-opera royalty.) Thrown in for fun and easy digestion are guests like Kelly ("Whenever I'm Away from You") Sir Cliff Richard (the sweet easy listening classic "Suddenly" - a top 20 hit with Olivia) and the punkish sound of the Tubes ("Dancin'" - a pop-punk confection with an irresistible hook that gets lost when viewing the unwatchable scene on film or video.) Far superior to that other camp cult classic - "Can't Stop the Music" - Xanadu, the soundtrack, accomplishes a romantic, sweeping vision that the film could only struggle with. ELO's contributions are terrific - essential ELO songs in my opinion, from "All Over the World" and "I'm Alive" to the title song performed with Olivia (a gold selling, top 5 treat.) Stronger still is Newton-John, who comes into her own here in a passionate, forthcoming way. The astounding #1 track "Magic" remains one of the singer's shining moments, and Livvy takes unexpected risks in her delivery, at once gutsy and shy and always singing from the heart. Her "Xanadu" is pitch perfect, and "Suddenly" is every adult contemporary artist's dream song...a lilting ballad of fresh love and hopeful romanticism. Simply said, say "Xana-don't" to "Xanadu" the movie. But say YES to its accompanying soundtrack, and you'll be singing your heart out before you know it. A true, indelible treat!
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Sountrack That Should Have Been A Disaster, July 26, 2003
When you consider that the music on this CD comes from the cheesy (guilty pleasure for some) 1980 musical "Xanadu", starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, you'd assume that it's soundtrack would not have a chance; however this is soundtrack simply astounds as each song is simply amazing.It features 10 tracks, including some of E.L.O.'s strongest songs ("I'm Alive, "All Over The World", among others), Olivia Newton John's #1 smash "Magic", a gorgeous duet by Newton John and Cliff Richard ("Suddenly") as well as the E.L.O penned "Xanadu" sung by Newton John. It also has a duet between Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly that would seem iffy at best on paper, but it also works. I can't say enough about this release, which was unavailable in the U.S until a few years ago. It may be in my top 10 soundtracks ever. Enjoy the magic!!!! When I compare this CD to a lot of the junk that is put out there by way of soundtracks, it's amazing that a pre-marketing package can wipe the floor with all the focus group cross-marketing efforts that are now a material part of the music business.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forget the movie - the soundtrack is a definite 'Xana-do', March 15, 2003
Firstly, let's face facts. 'Xanadu' the movie was pretty bad. Scrap that, it was painfully bad. Apart from the hideous acting (sorry Olivia, not even you get off the hook for that one), paper-thin storyline, and ridiculous dialogue - has anyone noticed the number of inconsistencies here?! How on earth did an out-of-work actor and a once-rich now clarinet-playing geriatric get the go-ahead with a rollerskating disco derby nightclub? Oh. That's right.They had a muse. Please, people, don't even get me started on the Don Bluth animation scene. Its relevance was, what, again? Curiously enough, for all the film's shortcomings the music itself made up for about ten times over. (And granted, the musical sequences in the film were superb - well filmed and well choreographed, perhaps an indication of the MTV generation about five years before it really erupted?) The album is split into two sides, giving equal credit to both artists whose music was primarily showcased here: Olivia Newton-John, and Electric Light Orchestra. Olivia takes the helm for side one, with a collection of dreamy pop tunes and forties-inspired swingfests. 'Magic' hints at the more edgy adult market Olivia was aiming for on her past record 'Totally Hot' (and would properly infiltrate with the uber-hit 'Physical' the following year), whilst 'Suspended In Time' remains the best pop ballad in Olivia's catalogue. 'Suddenly' was a colour-by-numbers duet with Cliff Richard which, perhaps due to John Farrar's lyrics or the natural chemistry between Britain's Peter Pan of Pop and Australia's girl-next-door, is turned into a specialty. 'Whenever You're Away From Me' is a catchy duet between Olivia and Gene Kelly paying homage to the swinging sounds of the forties, whilst 'Dancin'' sees Olivia and eighties rockers The Tubes go head-to-head in a Big Bang versus Synth-Rock sing off. The end result sees the two songs being sung over the top of each other ... and it works frighteningly well. On the flipside of things, Electric Light Orchestra lend their chops to five songs which are equally as appealing as Ms Newton-John's contributions. Although Jeff Lynne shies away from the 'Xanadu' project now (sour grapes, mister?) the songs remain as strong as they were in 1980. 'I'm Alive' is a little lyrically blase, but its shimmering optimism amongst the synthesised bleeps and bloops makes it one of Lynne's best recordings. 'The Fall' is perhaps slightly darker than the rest of the songs on the soundtrack, an ode to lost love with a synthesised heartbeat, characteristically Jeff Lynne 'telephone line' vocals, and a booming chorus. 'Don't Walk Away' is the perfect pop ballad to compliment Olivia's 'Suspended In Time' on side A (as long as you can get that hideous Don Bluth animation sequence out of your mind ... yes, I'm bitter), and 'All Over The World' is The Last Great Disco Song of All-Time. Party sounds in the background, rollicking drums,delicious vocals from Lynne slipping up and down the melody, as well as a little 1980 rap-sequence. Poptastic! Arguably the piece-de-resistance is the collaboration between Olivia and ELO, the film's title track. Olivia sounds divine (and have you SEEN how she looks at the end of the film?! Enough to melt even the gayest of hearts and send them hurrying back to the closet) and the melody is irritatingly catchy. It gave the musical pair a #1 hit in Britain and a lasting legacy at eighties nights and gay clubs alike. This soundtrack is close to perfect. Varied enough to work as a soundtrack, but cohesive enough to warrant it being as much a 'concept record' as it was the musical companion to a film. This new 1998 issue from MCA Records US (an almost identical version issued a few months earlier is available from Sony in the UK) faithfully restores the original packaging of the record with album photos, lyrics, and superb sound quality. My only gripe is the ommission of three additional tracks from the movie which are now only available on the original vinyl pressings of the singles lifted from this soundtrack. 'Fool Country' is the fantastic punk-rock/country medley Olivia sings at the end of the film in tigerprint miniskirt and tassled cowboy gear respectively, whilst 'You Made Me Love You' is the forties cover you can hear Olivia singing when Sonny visits Danny's mansion. 'Drum Dreams' is the instrumental which you see Gene Kelly and the dancers skating to before Olivia sings 'Xanadu' at the end of the film. Still, additional tracks or no additional tracks, 'Xanadu' remains one of the best soundtracks of the past thirty years. Do yourself a favour, set aside your bias against the shonky film, and indulge in a shockingly good album.
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