Soundtrack - American Gigolo (composed by Giorgio Moroder) (Lp) (1980) - €10,00

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American Gigolo is the soundtrack album to the 1980 movie of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. The music was composed and performed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and was released worldwide on the Polydor label. 
It peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. All the cuts from the soundtrack also went to number two for five weeks on the disco/dance charts.

While this soundtrack is arguably most notable for introducing Middle America to Blondie, there is also some interesting incidental music written by legendary producer Giorgio Moroder and performed by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey -- the latter of which may be familiar to some as percussionist for the German prog/art rock collective Amon Düül. There is likewise a vocal contribution from actress/vocalist Cheryl Barnes on "Love and Passion." 
The album's pervading heavily manufactured and synthetically generated atmosphere is convincing in its aural depiction of the shallow decadence portrayed on the screen. The primary impetus for the release was the "extended version" of Blondie's "Call Me," which was unavailable on any Blondie album and was too long -- at over eight minutes -- to fit onto a single. 
The song was co-composed by Debbie Harry and Moroder specifically for this project, becoming the second chart-topper for the band, ultimately staying at number one for six weeks in March of 1980. The film's writer/director Paul Schrader -- whose lengthy list of cinematic endeavors include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Mosquito Coast -- is credited on the soundtrack as Moroder's collaborator on the up-tempo "Love and Passion." Vocalist Cheryl Barnes -- who may be best-remembered for her role in Milos Forman's Hair as "Hud's girlfriend" -- contributes vocals to the mostly forgettable track. 
The other six instrumentals blend a noir ambience with the utility of background music. The most notable is "Hello Mr. W.A.M" -- whose initials stand for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- which contains some interesting observations on his Concerto for Clarinet in A Major. 
Each work contains strong themes that take on lives of their own. This is not surprising given the heady talent behind the compositions and performances. Consumers of movie music will find as much -- if not more -- to enjoy here than those who are simply looking for "Call Me." 

"Call Me" by Blondie is the lead song for the soundtrack and was played during the film's intro. The song, which in the early stages was an instrumental demo titled "Man Machine," had originally been offered to Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, but Nicks declined and Blondie instead recorded the song with lyrics by lead vocalist Debbie Harry. 
The single, released on Blondie's label Chrysalis Records in February 1980, was a number one hit in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and a top ten hit in most other parts of the world. It was No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts for six weeks and named Billboard's No. 1 song of 1980. The song is listed at No. 44 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. 
In 1981, the song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. 
The band also recorded a Spanish-language version of "Call Me," entitled "Llamame," released both in the U.S. and South America. Giorgio Moroder's instrumental track "Night Drive," another variation on the "Man Machine"/"Call Me" theme, was also issued as a single in certain territories.

The song "Love and Passion" was written by director Paul Schrader and Moroder and was performed by Cheryl Barnes, and can be heard in the movie in the gay nightclub scene (filmed at Los Angeles gay club The Probe, which opened in 1978) where Gere's character Julian goes to find Leon, his pimp.

The Giorgio Moroder instrumental "The Seduction (Love Theme)" was also recorded by German bandleader James Last as a saxophone tune featuring David Sanborn (uncredited). This cover version peaked at number 28 in the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1980. 


Side A

  1. "Call Me (Theme from American Gigolo)" (Giorgio Moroder, Deborah Harry) – 8:05
  2. "Love and Passion" (Giorgio Moroder, Paul Schrader) – 5:51
  3. "Night Drive" – 3:54

Side B

  1. "Hello Mr. W.A.M. (Finale)" – 4:36
  2. "The Apartment" – 4:31
  3. "Palm Springs Drive" – 3:25
  4. "Night Drive (Reprise)" – 2:52
  5. "The Seduction (Love Theme)" – 3:13
All tracks written by Giorgio Moroder except where noted.


Personnel

Notes
Release:  1980
Format:  LP
Genre:  Disco, Soundtrack
Label:  Polydor Records
Catalog#  2391447

Vinyl:  Excellent
Cover:  Excellent

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