HAROLD FALTERMEYER - Top Gun unreleased score [Camelblue's version] (1986)

This is a revamped post from years ago, per request. The quality and the cult-status of this music deserves it.
Get it while it's hot...

As you may know, this is not a movie score music blog.
This will be the only one ever posted here, because it's special. It belongs to the # 1 icon movie of the '80s, and remains unpublished.

Harold Faltermeyer's score couldn't have complimented the film any better.
His work defined the 80's style of action scoring, heavily synthesized, tuneful and rhythmic. It was years ahead of everything in it's genre for the time.
This music score was the first to be performed and recorded DDD on the polyphonic 16 bit stereo Synclavier Digital Music System.
All started jointly with Giorgio Moroder with the idea to also compose catchy AOR / arena rock songs to complement the incidental music. But Faltermeyer left the project (apparently due to differences with executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer) and the Top Gun score incomplete. That's why never was released.
Some tracks were re-recorded for the film, but Harold's takes are far better.


I made my own version of this score.
Sources vary; most of them from a very rare big Harold folder I own containing true gems like rock&pop songs used in different OST and never released in any format, rejected scores, amazing demos and this, the Top Gun unreleased score. Some tracks were ripped (not by me) from the 5.1 DVD version of the movie.
There's not included here any song / version present in the official V.A. soundtrack, just the unreleased stuff.
As bonus, you have Giorgio Moroder's "Radar Radio", the first song playing on the jukebox at the end of the film, track only appeared as b-side of the movie promo vinyl single 'Take My Breath Away' by the band Berlin.

There's a CD bootleg release of this score-soundtrack (German I think), but miss many tracks. Recently I've seen another double-boot on eBay including my 'Radar Radio' vinyl rip! And even a complete rip-off of this file sold as 'original CD'.
Hope you enjoy my version. I didn't followed the movie's sequence, my tracklist order is just according to my taste.
Some track names may differ from the bootlegs, like 'Flying Again' = 'Get Back In The Saddle', 'New Mission = Mission Briefing', etc.
That's how they are labeled in my archives.

All tracks are original 320 Kbps files.
Artwork designed by me included.


01 - Opening Theme (2:39)
02 - MIG 28's (1:42)
03 - Viper's Dog Fight (2:08)
04 - Flying Again (3:20)
05 - Duke Mitchell's Story (1:09)
06 - Goose's Death / Goodbye Goose (1:49)
07 - Negative G Pushover (3:22)
08 - Who's Side Are You On / Never Again (3:30)
09 - Top Gun Anthem [film version] (3:45)
10 - Dog Fight #3 (2:38)
11 - Mighty Wings [instrumental] (1:40)
12 - Still Awake / Can't Sleep (2:07)
13 - Take My Breath Away [instrumental] (1:40)
14 - MIG's Dead Ahead (3:00)
15 - Flat Spin (4:26)
16 - New Mission (2:28)
17 - Memories (2:50)
18 - Great Balls Of Fire [demo] (2:33)
19 - Radar Radio [G. Moroder feat. Joe Pizzulo] (3:38)


TOP GUN SCORE - UNRELEASED

AOR TREASURES Vol.4 - The Blasting Years 84 - 85

Closing the circle.
Great songs from 1984 to 1985, when the genre exploded and you could turn on the radio to listen good music.
As usual in this series, no bands belonging to major labels and mass distribution (SURVIVOR, LOVERBOY), and not subgenres like scandi, westcoast, etc.

Perhaps many feel that I've left out lots of good bands / tracks, I have tried to select the most representative of those years.
Or maybe consider that some actually belong to the Melodic Rock area, in my book, all these songs are AOR-Rock monsters.
The premise here is; tons of keyboards, huge choruses and big guitars.

Mostly ripped from remastered CD's.
REFUGEE's first album was transferred from vinyl (not from the master tapes) by the reissue label. Has a good sound anyway.
This '85 version of CRYSTAL's "Piece Of My Heart" never was released on CD, it is the only track ripped from vinyl here, but sounds million bucks.
Get your AOR dose now...


01 - Van Zant : 2 + 2 (1985)
02 - Fortune : Thrill Of It All (1985)
03 - Urgent (USA) : Running Back (1984)
04 - Giuffria : Lonely In Love (1984)
05 - Refugee : Exiles In The Dark (1985)
06 - Franke & The Knockouts : So Cool (1984)
07 - Coney Hatch : Fantasy (1985)
08 - Little River Band : Playing To Win (1984)
09 - Strangeways : Power Play (1984)
10 - Dakota : Runaway (1984)
11 - Orion The Hunter : So You Ran (1984)
12 - Sharx : Maybe [We Lost Our Love] (1985)
13 - Crystal : Piece Of My Heart (1985)
14 - Urgent (Canada) : Killer Love (1984)
15 - Honeymoon Suite : Words In The Wind (1985)
16 - White Sister : Can't Say No (1984)
17 - Duke Jupiter : Dancin' On The Ice (1985)
18 - Shooting Star : Don't Walk Away (1985)


Back Tray preview, CLICK HERE:



ENJOY

AOR TREASURES - The Seminal Years 80 - 83

Already it has been three years since I did my first compilations for this site.
The aim was to introduce some uncommon AOR / Melodic Rock bands and encourage readers to explore this genre.
But I'd only covered the years 1986 to 1993 across two volumes.

Well, I have taken up the idea and it's fair completing the circle with all those who 'started all' at the beginning of the glorious decade (1980-1983), also with a forthcoming volume covering the 84-85 period.
Again, no major acts like Survivor, Journey, etc.

Years have passed and today it's pretty easy to get material from these bands browsing the web.
But not always ripped at highest CD quality and most of them from remastered reissues.
DVC was never officially released on CD, but this rip is from the bootleg edition that sounds really good.
Other bands difficult to find on CD are CALL ME and VERITY's debut.

As said, absolute classics, 320K CD rips, the vast majority remastered.
Load your iPod or your car stereo with these wonderful songs and rock 'til you drop!


01 - Aldo Nova - Fantasy (1982)
02 - Balance - I'm Through Loving You (1981)
03 - ArcAngel - Tragedy (1983)
04 - Preview - Open Your Heart (1983)
05 - Prism - Wired (1982)
06 - Hughes-Thrall - The Look In Your Eye (1982)
07 - Call Me - Running Out Of Love (1981)
08 - Alliance - Make It Right (1982)
09 - Shelter - On The Line (1983)
10 - Le Roux - Lifeline (1983)
11 - Harlequin - Innocence (1980)
12 - Grand Prix - Give Me What's Mine (1982)
13 - i-TEN - Time To Say Goodbye (1983)
14 - Thrills - You Don't Remember Me (1981)
15 - D V C - Let Me Be Your Fantasy (1981)
16 - RPM - Firestarter (1982)
17 - Streets - So Far Away (1983)
18 - Verity - Love Is Blind (1983)


Back Tray preview, CLICK HERE:




AOR TREASURES - The Seminal Years
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