Urban Cowboy (soundtrack) (35th anniversary)

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of the soundtrack from Urban Cowboy. The album spent forty-seven weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, including two weeks at its peak position of number 3. The film would open on June 6th of 1980.

For my complete lowdown on this country-rock hoedown, click here.

FM (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In April of 1978, Universal Pictures released a film about radio station QSKY, where corporate management enacts an advertising push that the station manager and on-air personalities do not buy in on. The protest quickly escalates when the deejays use the airwaves to stir up the listeners to join in the conflict. The cast of the film included Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little and Cassie Yates.

While many might not remember the film FM itself, they would certainly be familiar with the songs that appear on the accompanying two-disk soundtrack album. The tracks read like a who’s who of artists that were appearing on album-oriented rock stations at the time. This soundtrack album peaked in the top five of the US Billboard Hot 200, was certified Platinum by the summer of 1978, and won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Eagles - Eagles

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

Glenn Frey, who is celebrating a birthday tomorrow November 6th, first teamed with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner as a backing band for Linda Ronstadt on her debut album in 1971. They performed with her once live before going off to form their own band the Eagles. By the summer of 1972, they were ready to release their self-titled debut record Eagles, an album that did very well. It reached number 22 on the US Billboard Pop Charts and number 13 on the Canadian charts, and it also generated three Top 40 hit singles. The record was also popular with the critics; Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it at number 374 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Urban Cowboy (soundtrack)

Welcome to another Soundtrack Sunday.

After taking a spin in the disco and a nostalgic trip to the 50's, John Travolta donned a Stetson hat, a big belt and leather boots for 1980's Urban Cowboy. As Bud, he worked at an oil refinery by day and spent his nights at Gilley's honky-tonk. There he danced and fell in love with a cowgirl named Sissy (played by Debra Winger). There were bar fights and some mechanical bull riding too. Oh, and some amazing music which was released on a double-disk soundtrack record.