Description
German 1979 press on black vinyl
The movie “The Wanderers” is often regarded as an adult version of “Grease” and it has become something of a cult classic over the years. And rightly so. If you haven’t already seen the movie it tells the tale of a bunch of teenagers growing up on the New York streets (circa 1963). Music plays a big role in the movie — after all, the name of the gang in question is the title of a Dion and the Belmonts song — still, the songs on this album capture the early 1960s so perfectly, you can’t help but lose yourself in nostalgia. The soundtrack relies heavily on the major (US) East Coast groups of the time — Dion/Belmonts, Four Seasons, Shirelles, Angels — along with several contributions from major Motown/Atlantic stars of the early 60s, namely Smokey Robinson, The Isley Brothers and Ben E King. Each song is a timeless classic, and there’s too many to choose from to pick a definite favourite. Of course, if you’ve already seen the movie, you’ll be aware of what scene accompanies which song. What better way to introduce the movie’s characters than to play The Four Season’ “Walk Like A Man”, or how about the big ‘chase’ scene where they used the instrumental “Wipeout” for added effect/suspense. For the romantic scene, they used the beautiful “Stand By Me”, and of course, for the finale they just had to play “The Wanderer”. Songs on any soundtrack are supposed to relate to the movie, still, because these were written and recorded sixteen years before the film was released, you can’t help but think these songs are the movie itself. “The Wanderers” is one of those ‘must-see’ movies for any nostalgia buff, or anyone who enjoys a really good film. And the soundtrack is the perfect companion.
Track list:
1. Four Seasons -Walk Like A Man
2. Lee Dorsey -Ya Ya
3. Four Seasons -Big Girls Dont Cry
4. The Angels -My Boyfriends Back
5. Four Seasons -Sherry
6. Shirelles -Baby Its You
7. Shirelles -Soldier Boy
8. Ben E. King -Stand By Me
9. Isley Brothers -Shout
10. Contours -Do You Love Me
11. Dion -Runaround Sue
12. Dion -The Wanderer