Heavy Metal Soundtrack

Cool movie and some greats songs.

This soundtrack from '81 is, in my opinion, the greatest soundtrack comprised of a various artist collection. First off, 1981 is probably my favorite year for music in general. It was a time when AOR rock ruled the airwaves and featured fabulous pre-digital guitar tones. So many artists put out landmark records that year. It's too bad they couldn't have squeezed in some Billy Squier, Def Leppard or Reo Speedwagon onto this already stellar collection! All those artists produced the best albums of their careers in that year.To my understanding, several of the songs herein were not released on any other albums (Cheap Trick's two songs, Stevie Nicks "Blue Lamp" and both of Don Felder's songs). Additionally, two more songs that appeared on artists' albums, "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar and "Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath, are both remixed versions; different from the ones that appear on their 1981 albums. Both these versions are superior to the ones that appear on the albums "Standing Hampton" and "Mob Rules" respectively.The only reason I give this a four star rating instead of five stars is the fact that one of the Devo songs from the film has been left off this version of the soundtrack. I'm not a massive Devo fan, but I still would like to have the tune that is from the bar fight scene.Regardless, this is a great collection that brings back memories. "Radar Rider" by Riggs is worth the price alone! I can't listen to this tune without envisioning a '57 Corvette flying into the atmosphere. This collection is a must-have for anyone who spent part of their formative years in the early 80's.

One of the main reasons I like the film so much is the excellent music. I had to have several of the songs in my collection, and this album was the perfect way to do that!It is missing two of the songs from the film: Devo's "Through Being Cool" and Black Sabbath's "E5150". However, the rest of the songs are included and are a fine addition to my collection!

I haven't seen it for years, I am glad I bought it, great to watch again and a great soundtrack to it

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You don't have to be a fan of the film to enjoy this fine collection of songs. This soundtrack album features a good mix of very famous and underground music legends. Don't let the title fool you; this music is better described as rock than heavy metal, but it is good rock. Cheap Trick has one of its best songs on this collection (also one of the best songs of the collection): "Reach Out", which is rarely performed by the band. The catchy and intense "I Must Be Dreaming" is also by Cheap Trick and its frenetic instrumental opening and closing are addictive enough that you'll catch yourself humming it as you go about your day.Journey's famous arena ballad "Open Arms" is included here and is required listening for anyone interested in that group. Stevie Nicks has a decent song here with "Blue Lamp" but is rather overshadowed by Riggs' "Radar Rider", Grand Funk Railroad's short but sweet "Queen Bee" and the atmospheric and haunting "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" by Blue Oyster Cult. The two songs that carry the same title as the album and film are decent songs themselves, but while Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal" tends to get old after a few listens (the 1986 album "VOA" is a better representation of what Hagar is capable of), Don Felder's "Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)" has far more staying power, mainly due to the well-realized hook and the tight vocal harmonies, particularly during the chorus.For whatever reason, the Devo song "Through Being Cool" is conspicuously absent from this album (it was prominently featured in the film), which is a shame as it's a very good song, but at least Devo's other offering, a quirky cover of "Workin' In The Coal Mine" is included.Any fan of 80's music should enjoy this album; the music is a fine example of its time and much of what is presented here was not released on other collections (there are exceptions though, the most obvious being Devo, Hagar and Journey). Knowledge of the film is not at all necessary to enjoy this. However, I do recommend the film to anyone who enjoys adult animation.If you like 80's music or any of the bands listed, this is a perfect addition to your music library.

If you haven't watched the 1981 "Heavy Metal" animation, don't even bother.I love that animation and I love most of the songs in this collection.It contains 16 tracks, 14 of which I absolutely love!!! I've played old copies of this so many times I've actually wrecked one of my tapes. I currently own a well-preserved LP copy, a cassette I still play in my car (so I drive a very old car with a tape player -- so what?) and a CD which would be unplayable after so many listens if it were an LP or a tape.The cassette and LP have nothing extra, nor do they sound better than the CD edition. I have them for nostalgia reasons only. But do watch the movie and get the CD soundtrack. You won't regret it.And... no, if you're looking for "a heavy metal album", this is not it. Most tracks are NOT heavy metal songs. If you're looking for a heavy metal compilation, you should buy the old "Metal Killer Kollections" volumes 1, 2 and 3 instead. The old LPs or tapes. The CD versions were cut short -- veeeery short.

So my husband loves this movie and a particular song he had wanted and didn't know where to find it so I did some searching and found the soundtrack. He was so happy and plays it in his truck all the time.