Xanadu

Unavailable on CD in the U.S., this is CBS's 1989 reissue ofMCA's top five & double platinum 1980 soundtrack to directorRobert Greenwald's 1980 musical starring Olivia Newton-John at a high point in her career and Gene Kelly at the bottom of his. The album features 10 tracks, five each from E.L.O. & Olivia Newton-John, including the #1 smash 'Magic' by Newton-John, the top 10 title cut by both her & E.L.O. and the top 20 duet 'Suddenly' by Newton-John and Cliff Richard! Album Description

 the good and the bad with a little ugly
It was actually a bit tough to decide how to actually rate this product. Usually if an item is about what I expected, I give it a three or a four. If it's better than my expectations and anticipations, I give it of course a five. Lower is lower, of course.

This album goes somewhere in between. At any rate, I purchased this under the influence of so many positive reviews. Looking through the product, I realized it only had ten tracks. Musical soundtracks oughta have more tracks really. Somewhat dissuaded, I purchased this anyway. Hoping for something more than just the ten tracks. But nope... when I played the CD, it turned out to be nothing more than just ten tracks with nothing added. Six or so from the movie, with a few more from ELO which do not appear in the movie.

I probably would have hoped for something a bit extra. Something not listed in the track listing. That was the major problem with this. Hearing this album is sorta comparable to eating really well-made french fries, but with nothing added--no chili or even a simple thing like ketchup. Just ten tracks. Most movie soundtracks of musicals tend to have more than this. This one could have used something extra. Perhaps a few dialogue clips from the movie inserted. Maybe some of the movie's more obscure instramental tracks thrown in for good measure, "Guys like me shouldn't dream anyway." Y'now what I mean?

Overall though it is a fun listen for the romantic in heart. This album is not for everyone. It takes a real romantic soul to still understand it despite it's flaws. Anyway, I've spoken too much. Probably the only final complaint I might make about this album is just one:

One of the ELO songs, "Don't Walk Away" is a bit overwritten. I just hate songs that continually repeat the same phrase over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... get my point. A couple minutes definitely could of been chopped off of that one.

Overall, my final question about this album would be simply to ask why the producers did not think of adding those extra features to this album that it so desperately needed when originally released and decided instead to simply throw ten sung songs at you, most of which were plucked right from the movie. April 5, 2008

 A '80s Gem
The '80s produced some wonderful music and musical performers. ELO and Olivia Newton-John are two such examples. The music in Xanadu reflects the style and energy we remember the '80s having. As a DVD all the camp of the original movie is there in wonderful clarity and sound.

The scene where the 40's big band merges with the '80s rock group has to be one of the great musical scenes on film. Would that that scene could be extended !!!

A wonderful blend of the music style of the 40's epitomized by Gene Kelly and the 80's pop by Olivia Newton-John. This is a real treasure. March 18, 2008

 Xanadu
Purchased this movie as a gift. I hadn't seen this movie since it came out and really had forgotten all the music that it had. ELO is one of the gretaest bands from the 80's and I thoroughly enjoyed going back to some of those stored away memories. Olivia Newton-John is also a name that stuck out in the 80's. She helped to set a certain tone or theme to those times for alot of people. January 22, 2008

 Fabulous soundtrack to a forgotten movie
I really enjoy listening to this soundtrack. Perhaps it is because it consists of 2 of my favorite musical acts: Olivia Newton-John and ELO. Even though the movie itself is not highly regarded, (though I didn't think it was that bad) it does have some great music. My favorite tracks are #2 (a memorable duet featuring Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard), #3 (which alternates between a jazzy 1940s singer and a hard-rock band), and #9 (a great ELO number, representative of the group's fusion of classical and rock). For a movie that didn't get rave reviews, Xanadu contributed a handful of hit songs on the radio back in 1980. Needless to say, I will NOT see Xanadu on Broadway, as I think that any other version of the music will pale in comparison with this soundtrack. December 10, 2007

 Past Meets Present
In this album, the artists accomplish an amazing thing: They bridge the gap between the Big Band Era and the advent of Rock & Roll. Almost all of the tracks on the disc are hits, both individually and as part of the total project. For the listener who appreciates good 80s pop music, this is an album that I strongly recommend. It's well worth your time... November 24, 2007

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