Soundtrack - American Gigolo (1980)

Artist:  Soundtrack
Title:  American Gigolo
Release:  1980
Format:  LP
Label:  Polydor Records
Catalog#  2391447

“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 Giorgio Moroder and was released worldwide on the Polydor label.
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 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 is credited on the soundtrack as Moroder’s collaborator on the up-tempo “Love and Passion.” actress/vocalist Cheryl Barnes 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.


Side one
1.  Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo) (Vocals: Blondie)  (8:04)
2.  Love And Passion (Vocals: Cheryl Barnes)  (6:34)
3.  Night Drive  (3:52)

Side two
1.  Hello Mr. W.A.M. (Finale)  (4:30)
2.  The Apartment  (4:27)
3.  Palm Springs Drive  (3:22)
4.  Night Drive (Reprise)  (2:50)
5.  The Seduction (Love Theme)  (3:14)

available at: http://www.ad-vinylrecords.com