September of Soundtracks: American Hot Wax (Re-Post)

Now that Elvis month is over, here at the World of Wonder we are offering you an entire September of nothing but soundtracks and soundtrack related items! This is due to the response to the poll on the right hand side of the blog asking you what your favorite type of post was. It was a close call between bootlegs and soundtracks, but soundtracks won out. And this month you get what you asked for. (incidentally, keep on the look out for the latest poll). With Elvis month, we had a post for every single day in August. I can't guarantee that the same will hold true for this month but I will certainly give it my best try. For the first "September of Soundtracks" post, I thought that I would make a smooth transition from the world of Elvis to the world of soundtracks with a re-post of the 1978 "American Hot Wax" soundtrack. The film was loosely based on the introduction of Rock And Roll and starred Tim McIntire as the great DJ Alan Freed, as well as Fran Drescher, Melanie Chartoff and Jay Leno in supporting roles, with SNL alum, Laraine Newman in a role based on Carole King. The highlight of the movie was a recreation of a 1959 "Alan Freed Rock N' Roll Show" which featured performances by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Ford, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. During a TV interview at the time just after this film was released, Chuck Berry said he handled his own wardrobe, and it was all authentic. He still had an entire closet full of the suits he wore while touring during the time frame portrayed in the film, so what he wears in the film is what he wore on stage during the 1950s. Though it didn't fare too well at the box office, it has become a small cult favorite and has yet to be released for home video in any format. Here is the soundtrack which features not only the original hits from the fifties, but the recreation of the Rock N' Roll show as well! Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2