Sly-Malion

The story of Pygmalion has been told and retold so many times that it's hard to keep track. The adaptations range from classic comedy (The Three Stooges in Hoi Polloi) to brilliant stage musicals (My Fair Lady). The strangest and, in some people's opinions, the worst adaptation of Pygmalion is the 1984 film, "Rhinestone". This time around, the part of Henry Higgins falls into the able hands of Dolly Parton as a country music superstar. Her "experiment" is the one and only Sylvester Stallone portraying the part of an obnoxious New York City cab driver. The spin is that she can turn Sly into a country music sensation. Why they ever green-lit this project in the first place is beyond me! What's even worse is that Stallone turned down the starring roles in both "Romancing The Stone" and "Beverly Hills Cop" to do "Rhinestone". The one saving grace for this film is the soundtrack. It gave Dolly two more top ten singles and it also gives us not one, not two but four duets with her and Stallone as well as a classic Stallone solo track! Those are worth the price of admission in my book. After listening to this, I guarantee that you will never pass judgement on Sly's brother, Frank, again. In fact, after listening to this soundtrack, you may think that Frank Stallone should get a lifetime achievement Grammy! Here is the soundtrack to "Rhinestone". Enjoy!

Rhinestone OST

September of Soundtracks: Travolta Two-Fer

As I did a double feature of Black Hole albums yesterday, I thought I would continue with another double-feature post. Today we have the soundtracks from two John Travolta films. No, not the block busters like Grease and Saturday Night Fever. The other ones. The ones that weren't so good. For example, when Travolta and Olivia Newton John proved to be such a great team with Grease, Hollywood thought they would work well together in another film. Instead of high school kids from opposite sides of the track in the 1950s, they chose to make the second film about a failed inventor who, threatened by loan sharks, decides to hold up a bank. The teller he picks to rob is, you guessed it, played by Olivia Newton John! When she gives him deposit slips instead of cash, he tracks her down to reclaim his stolen money and the two, naturally, fall in love. Add to this, a sub-plot about angels trying to find the good in man in order to prevent God from destroying the Earth and starting over and you have the recipe for crap! In fact, many people have traced John Travolta's 11 year box office slump to this film. The one saving grace is the soundtrack. It features some kickin' Olivia Newton John numbers including, "Twist of Fate". It is also noted that Journey contributed a song to the soundtrack that was originally to be released on their landmark "Frontiers" album, only to be pulled from the album last minute making the soundtrack the only place to get the particular song. Thank god that I am posting this soundtrack as opposed to the film itself. Here it is:

Two Of A Kind OST


Just when you think Hollywood couldn't go wrong with Travolta again, along came "Staying Alive". For those of you who are still wondering, yes, it is the sequel to Saturday Night Fever! This time around Tony Manero is now living in Manhattan working as a dance instructor and as a waiter at a dance club, looking for his big break on Broadway. Tony lands a role in the chorus of a new production called "Satan's Alley" starring a wealthy English dancer Laura. Tony seduces her only to find that he is the one who has been used. His girlfriend gets sick of being second best and leaves him. Tony sees an opportunity to replace the lead male dancer and yatta yatta yatta, he gets the role, gets back his girl and "struts" at the end of the film to make the one good scene in the entire movie. 1983 was just not John Travolta's year! What makes this film even worse is that it was directed by none other than Sylvester Stallone. You would think that the guy who wrote and directed "Rocky" could make a better picture. Then again, he is responsible for Rambo (which I embarrassingly admit to being a fan of!). The best part of all of this is that when Stallone is involved with a film, so is his brother, Frank. Frank Stallone is all over this soundtrack, screaming out the hits like "Far From Over" and more! Of course, the Bee Gees make a return appearance. As with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, they get half of the songs. Instead of a whole album of Bee Gees, for this soundtrack, you just get a side. All in all, the soundtrack is not that bad. A good addition to any collection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Staying Alive OST