When it was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2007 that a new "extended" 3-disc soundtrack of Vangelis' Blade Runner score would be released by the end of the year to coincide with the release of Ridley Scott's "Final Cut"

, fans rejoiced with the assumption that the complete film score was finally getting an "official" release after numerous releases and bootlegs of varying lengths and sub-standard quality. Unfortunately if you are looking for the complete film score, this is not the CD you're looking for.

Disc 1 is a re-mastering of the 1994 Vangelis album (although it sounds identical to my original CD) which featured music from the film edited together with numerous dialog samples from the film as well as newly composed music by Vangelis that did not appear anywhere in the film. As an album, it was interesting thematically in its own right with some beautifully composed themes like "Rachel's Song" and "Damask Rose" but it was still not the original film soundtrack and was considered to be a disappointment.

Disc 2 features officially unreleased cues, some of which are not even heard anywhere in the film. Some are outtakes from the workprint but most of the memorable cues from the film are completely omitted such as the opening "Prologue" with the somber haunting Asian motif that establishes the dark tone and atmosphere of the film as well as the Egyptian Taffey Lewis club ambiance and the cues from when Deckard enters the Bradbury are not included.

Disc 3 is a collection of letters and "spoken word" commentaries from various authors, actors and film makers who share their memories and experiences of the celebrated cult classic along with newly composed music by Vangelis, again "inspired by" the film but not the original, unabridged movie soundtrack.

What SHOULD have been a 3-disc officially released motion picture soundtrack that would have nullified the numerous bootlegs that have proliferated the market is not to be had. Let's examine the different versions available and what's missing from this release:

1982 New American Orchestra

- an orchestral arrangement and jazz rendition of Vangelis' electronic compositions from the film. Generally regarded as an inferior album and not the original motion picture soundtrack containing barely over a half an hour of material with a scant running time of 33:16 containing the following tracks:

1. Love Theme (4:12)

2. Main Title (5:01)

3. One More Kiss, Dear (4:00)

4. Memories Of Green (4:50)

5. End Title (4:17)

6. Blade Runner Blues (4:38)

7. Farewell (3:10)

8. End Title Reprise (3:08)

1994 Atlantic Vangelis

- the first "official" Vangelis release containing nearly an hour of music with a running time of 57:53, most of which contained newly composed themes and dialog samples from the film mixed into selections of the film's soundtrack cues comprised of the following 12 tracks:

1. Main Titles (3:42)

2. Blush Response (5:47)

3. Wait for Me (5:27)

4. Rachel's Song (4:46)

5. Love Theme (4:56)

6. One More Kiss, Dear (3:58)

7. Blade Runner Blues (8:53)

8. Memories of Green (5:05)

9. Tales of the Future (4:46)

10. Damask Rose (2:32)

11. Blade Runner (End Titles) (4:40)

12. Tears in Rain (3:00)

The 1993 Off-World Edition bootleg featuring nearly all of the film's original soundtrack including the John William's composed Ladd Company logo from the film and source music for the "Bicycle Riders"(aka "Harps of the Ancient Temples") by Gail Laughton and "If I didn't Care" by Jack Lawrence, but with less than acceptable CD quality sound but features over 72:42 worth of original un-edited music from the film:

1. Ladd Company Logo (0:24) John Williams

2. Main Titles and Prologue (4:03)

3. Los Angeles, November 2019 (1:46)

4. Deckard Meets Rachel (1:29)

5. Bicycle Riders (2:05) Gail Laughton

6. Memories of Green (5:39)

7. Blade Runner Blues (10:19)

8. Deckard's Dream (1:12)

9. On the Trail of Nexus 6 (5:30)

10. If I Didn't Care (3:03) Jack Lawrence

11. Love Theme (4:57)

12. The Prodigal Son Brings Death (3:35)

13. Dangerous Days (1:02)

14. Wounded Animals (10:58)

15. Tears in Rain (2:41)

16. End Titles (7:24)

17. One More Kiss Dear (4:00) Skellern & Vangelis

18. Trailer and Alternate Main Titles (1:39) Robert Randles

The 1995 Gongo Edition - an import distributed in Romania was a slightly better quality version of the Off-World edition without the trailer music. This release omits the 1939 recording of "If I Didn't Care" which originally appeared in an early workprint of Blade Runner, but was replaced by the Don Percival song "One More Kiss, Dear" in the final version. Also includes "Blimpverts" the Japanese female blimp vocals.

The 2003 2-Disc Esper Edition - features ambient film soundtrack including music and effects engineered from the ambient Dolby surround sound channels with occasional rear-channel effects mixed in but retains all of the previously unreleased and unavailable score for almost the full 2 running hours of the film.

Esper Edition Disc-1

1. Prologue And Main Titles (3:54)

2. Leon's Voight Kampff Test (1:09)

3. Sushi Bar - Damask Rose (2:46)

4. Spinner Ascent (1:21)

5. Blush Response (5:43)

6. Wait For Me (5:12)

7. Deckard Meets Rachel (1:36)

8. Rachael's Song (4:20)

9. Tales Of The Future (4:53)

10. Bicycle Riders (2:10)

11. Chew's Eye Lab (1:15)

12. Memories Of Green (5:35)

13. Blade Runner Blues (10:01)

14. Pris Meets J.F. Sebastian (1:47)

15. One More Kiss, Dear (4:04)

Esper Edition Disc-2

1. Deckard's Dream (1:10)

2. Thinking Of Rachel (1:18)

3. Esper Analysis (2:34)

4. Animoid Row (2:34)

5. Taffey Lewis Night Club (2:02)

6. Salome's Dance (1:23)

7. Zhora's Retirement (1:42)

8. I Am The Business (2:29)

9. Love Theme (4:58)

10. I Dreamt Music (4:32)

11. Morning At The Bradbury (3:46)

12. The Prodigal Son Brings Death (4:07)

13. Deckard Enters The Bradbury (3:37)

14. Dangerous Days (:57)

15. Wounded Animals (10:53)

16. Tears In Rain (2:51)

17. Rachel Sleeps (2:08)

18. End Titles (4:06)

Los Angeles, November 2019 Edition - also released in 2003 was mostly ambient sound and atmosphere again extrapolated from the Dolby rear-channel mix and padded with additional music taken from the Westwood

videogame.

In conclusion, what could have been the "definitive" official soundtrack is sadly not to be. The complete original soundtrack has become almost as legendary and elusive amongst fans as the various versions and cuts of the film itself. Perhaps for the 30th, 40th or even 50th anniversary release might be the soundtrack's "Final Cut" but this 3-disc release is anything but.

For years I would walk into music retailers hoping to come across this album. It was one of my holy grails. Now it is one of my favourites (definitely a favourite "thinking" CD). Some might question the inclusion of a few tracks on this CD, that on one level seem to stand out abruptly from the others. However I believe that this officially released soundtrack is like the movie in that it captures the images of a world influenced by a variety of cultures and ages. The soundtrack takes you back there, back to Los Angeles in 2019. From the soaring and dark landscape ("Main titles"), the amalgamation of so many cultures ("Tales of the Future" & "Damask Rose"), the influences from simpler (and cleaner) ages long ago ("One More Kiss Dear"), to the final moving words of Roy that make us question what it means to be human ("Tears in Rain"). This is in my top 3 Soundtrack albums. A wonderful piece of work. Don't be put off by the synthesized version released a few years earlier to stave off the hunger of fans. This recording has depth and passion. This has a richness that resonates throughout your body and mind. More importantly this is the real deal. I highly recommend it. The only question now is - will Vangelis bring himself to re-release the earlier 'limited edition private release' that posseses such gems as the "The Prodigal Son Brings Death", so lacking from this official release? Please sir, I want some more? A double CD would do nicely *nudge-nudge, wink-wink*

I add my comments to help overwhelm anyone who's unsure whether to buy this soundtrack. It's very beautiful and haunting. It will linger in your head long after it's stopped playing. I'm thrilled Vangelis included pieces that weren't used in the film. "Wait For Me" and "Rachel's Song" make me feel as though I'm watching the film for the first time, despite having seen it dozens of times. And it was brilliant for Vangelis to blend each song into the next to create a seamless whole.

However, I also feel I don't need the dialogue from the film. And I thought the booklet had too many wasted pages with stills from the film. I can get all that from my DVD or my copy of the book about the making of Blade Runner.

Aside from those two minor carps, this is a must-have for any fan of the film, as well as for any music lover with a taste for a haunting, beautiful, and unusual soundtrack. They sure don't make them like this anymore.

I am nowhere near worthy enough to write a review for Vangelis' masterpiece, but I will do my best to write a comprehensible review for this album.

Let's start with the minor quibbles about the album. The most common complaint you've probably heard about this splendid soundtrack is the inclusion of voice excerpts from the film in some of the tracks. Despite what you may have heard, the SoundBits from the film actually add a fair amount to the album (particularly "Blush Response," "Wait For Me," and "Tears In Rain,"). The only track where the voices seem to be out of place is on "Main Titles" where you hear Deckard (Harrison Ford's character) speaking about the exact amount of zooming he wants a machine to perform (it's cool in the film but weird on the album, especially to Blade-Runner-virgins who haven't seen the film, although I doubt anyone who buys and listens to the soundtrack hasn't seen the movie a million times like I have).

The only other minor annoyance on the album is the entirely out-of-place track "One More Kiss, Dear". It isn't electronic or ambient-sounding music like the rest of the album. It's some sort of bizarre, pre-doo-wop song that was played in the movie briefly, and I'm 99% sure that Vangelis didn't compose it. Even more unfortunate than having it on the album is the fact that it's stuck right smack-dab in the middle of the entire album (for some, it may ruin the entire experience). Whoever decided to do that should be ashamed of themselves. However, it is just one track, and anyone who isn't paralyzed can simply press a button to skip over it.

Petty bickering aside, there are many more things to love about the album then to hate. For starters, it is revolutionary. No film soundtrack sounded that distant yet so near, and Vangelis improves upon the original film score by including many pieces he originally withheld from the theatrical-version of the movie and the largely-improved Director's Cut. The best of these is definitely "Blush Response" (possibly the best song on the album besides the legendary and often copied/ remixed "Blade Runner End Titles").

Anyone who listens to this album will agree that it has some sort of eerie while fascinating sound to it, and words are vastly unable and incompetent at describing it. Words like "haunting" and "lingering" are often thrown around quite casually when it comes to discussing this album, but I think " an overall impending sense of tragic doom and artificial beauty" describes it much better. Also, anybody who simply dismisses this album as good "background music" is mistaken. The album is great to listen to anytime anywhere.

I have a funny feeling that anyone who has read this far into my review probably already owns the album, but if you don't, you should purchase it immediately (it's pretty cheap here at amazon.com, too). I rate it 5 stars, although it is not for everyone.

Being a bachelor who lives on their own in a small apartment, this CD is the music of my choice when I'm at home (whether I be shaving, waking up, doing errands or simply relaxing. The music on this CD transforms my apartment into some sort of space-age futuristic bachelor pad - just like Deckard's apartment in the movie "Blade Runner". After a hard day's work, returning home to the sounds of "Blade Runner Blues" soothes the soul. "Memories of Green" is perhaps my favourite track and never fails to get me sentimental and nostalgic about friends, relationships and family. The background sounds on many of the tracks give you the feeling that outside you really are living in the cold futuristic L.A. portrayed in the movie. While some say the track "One More Kiss Dear" is out of place, for me it adds to the overall atmosphere of the CD and perfectly recreates images of Harrison Ford's moody P.I. eating in a neon-soaked rain-drenched city of the future.