Harold Faltermeyer – The Running Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

As someone else mentioned, there’s no standout tracks on here. Nothing that really hooks you in. The sound quality and production are excellent but the overall listening experience is mediocre in my opinion.The music might work well in the context of the movie but it’s pretty flat on its own. I’m feeling some buyers remorse on this one. Paid $30 for a sealed copy. Oh well.

Excellent pressing. Cannot recommend more - beautiful sounds. Not a huge fan of the movie but soundtrack is great.

Exceptional pressing quality! I rarely hear any surface noise. It’s a fun novelty accompaniment to one of my favorite movies.

I am more than happy with his release. In fact, I think it is fantastic. I am 40 years of age and The Running Man was one of those films that I grew up with when I was a young kid. Pressing quality is very very good but the level of detail you hear here is just amazing. Captain Freedom's Workout sounds crystal clear with plenty of punchy bass and a very wide sound stage ( the stereo here is just unbelievable! ). This release is a prime example of how well modern vinyl can sound. Sure they used a digital master as far as I know but who cares as long as the result sounds absolutely fantastic. This is a must buy for every fan of this classic film and its excellent soundtrack. [ Playing this using an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge ]

Acheté neuf, des traces de surfaces comme ci le vinyle avait été frotté, fort heureusement cela n'altère pas le son. Alors MPO qu'est ce qu'il se passe ?
Bought new, traces of surfaces like the vinyl had been rubbed, fortunately this does not affect the sound. So MPO what's going on?

For the Price i saw this in a local shop .. and tbh there is no standout tracks on it to even make it worthy of buying .. I like using Soundtracks in my mixes .. but there is nothing .. remotely worthy of using ..

Excellent pressing From MPO (France) very clean, not a pop or surface noise....5/5 (happy because much news varese pressings have often problems..)

THE RUNNING MAN was a 1987 action/sci-fi movie directed by Paul Michael Glaser, written by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, a falsely convicted cop who in the year 2017 fights for his freedom through participation in a TV game show where he must stand up against killers. German composer Harold Faltermeyer got the scoring gig through executive producer Keith Barish. Faltermeyer had scored hit movies BEVERLY HILLS COP, FLETCH and TOP GUN, and he agreed to do THE RUNNING MAN if he could score it from his Red Deer Studio in Munich. 1987 was a very busy year for the composer, as he also sored BEVERLY HILLS COP II and FATAL BEAUTY.

Together with music editor Bob Badami and engineer Brian Reeves, Faltermeyer started sculpting the score, using a Synclavier for the first time, along with no less than eight Yamaha DX-7's. The composer would meet director Glaser only once, at the final sound mix in Hollywood. Varese Sarabande Records released the original soundtrack album at the film's release in late 1987, but now, almost 33 years later a deluxe edition of the score sees the light of day through the same record label.

This CD, limited to 2000 copies, features 35 tracks, totalling 68 minutes of music and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by Daniel Schweiger. The main theme is brilliant, heard already in the first track "Logo - Bakersfield". As usual, Harold Faltermeyer composes interesting action music, as in "Fight/Escape". One difference from his earlier scores is that his music for this film sounds more "symphonic" in a way. "Richards' Apt. Sneak" is an example of this. But of course, no Faltermeyer-score without a synth-pop track, and here it is "Captain Freedom's Workout" receiving the honor. If this track had been released as a single, it could have been a new "Axel F." That's how catchy it is.

"Medical Checkup" has peculiar effects in the soundscape, possibly the work of the Synclavier, while "Hawaii" sounds just like that."Richards Lands/Come On Down" goes from dystopian unease to disco in a second, and "Subzero" is an exciting track with new elements, running for almost 4 minutes. A short snippet from Mozart's "Marriage Of Figaro" gets a Faltermeyer-treatment, before the almost celestial "Uplink". The electric guitar of Wesley Plass appears in several of the "Buzzsaw" cues; "Buzzsaw Attack" is almost speed metal. It's interesting how the synth composers of the 1980s and 90s often worked with a rock guitarist on several of their scores, other examples are Duane Sciacqua for Sylvester Levay, Curt Neishloss for Gary Chang and Michael Thompson for Tim Truman.

Wagner's "Valkyrie" works pretty well in Faltermeyer's arrangement, before a wonderful rendition of the main theme appears in "Spare Dynamo/Laughlin Dies". The short "Death March" is actually composed by Jackie Jackson and Glen Barbee, but doesn't sound too different from a Faltermeyer-cue. "Fake Death" is busy and exciting and "Killian Is Launched" is another nice track not on the original album. But the very best track on this record is actually the longest one, "Broadcast Attack", clocking in at 5:05. It's an energetic and melodic rollercoaster-ride of a track, showing just how fitting Faltermeyer was for THE RUNNING MAN.

A few omissions does this album have though. The fun "Paula's Theme", also written by the aforementioned Jackson and Barbee is nowhere to be found here, and the catchy end credits song "Restless Heart" sung by John Parr and co-written/produced by Faltermeyer is also missing, possibly due to a rights issue. A pity, as both of those tracks were an important part of the film, and they would have made this release almost unbeatable.

This new deluxe edition is also released as a double-LP.