Risky Business Soundtrack
Vinylwav Personal Record Collection
The movie made me want a Porsche, but the soundtrack made me want a synthesizer.
I can already hear the peanut gallery in the background—boos all around: “Every album makes this guy want a synthesizer.” The author agrees.
It may have started with the knowledge of Tangerine Dream, presented to me by my broooooo Jeffrey. In his mission to create beats for these rhyme pages stacking up, he came across a DJ Shadow sample lifted from the Tangerine Dream album Stratosfear, specifically the song “Invisible Limits,” which was used for “Changeling” on one of our mutual favorite albums, Endtroducing.
If Shadow was sampling Tangerine Dream, then I needed to listen to more Tangerine Dream. That exact line of reasoning has caused many family members, friends, and coworkers to describe my musical tastes as “weird” or “assholish” and ask whether I was trying to “put them to sleep.” I’ll admit, every time I try to watch the movie Legend, another Tangerine Dream-scored project, I almost always nod off within the first 30 minutes. Their music is dreamy and—well—also tangerine-y 😂. It’s perfect for visual accompaniment. Over various digging missions, I’ve found that many of my Tangerine Dream albums are, in fact, soundtracks. Risky Business in particular is a personal favorite.
When I was a young lad, my uncles would gather at my grandmother’s house and watch rather adult-themed movies on the telly (sorry for the accent, Snatch is on in the background), and my age—or even my presence—often wasn’t taken into account. As a result, I’d casually end up watching movies like Friday the 13th or Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. I can’t recall exactly when I first saw Risky Business, but I do remember Rebecca De Mornay’s name being spoken at length because of it. Thank God for my uncles.
As I grew older and returned to “Uncles’ Masterpiece Theatre,” I became a huge fan of Risky Business. What could make me love Tangerine Dream more than their status as a sample source for so many great beat makers I admire? Maybe the fact that my deep romanticism of Risky Business is accompanied by Tangerine Dream’s lush, atmospheric instrumentals. In the opening scene of the film, Joel (Tom Cruise’s character) relives a dream about wandering into his neighbor’s house (a little creepy) and into the bathroom where a girl is showering (classic nocturnal-emissions dream). The song “The Dream Is Always the Same” plays in the background. There are many ways to tell a story—movies use visuals, dialogue, plot, and, of course, music. The way this movie uses Tangerine Dream (and vice versa) keeps me coming back year after year. Once the leaves turn and the wind blows, I feel that rush and remember not just the comfort of chicken and dumplings or the warmth of a hoodie, but also visions of Ray-Bans and yard work.
If you haven’t experienced Risky Business, either the film or the soundtrack, I encourage you to give it a shot. Use my link to purchase either one—it helps support my ongoing efforts to believe that people are getting some value from these writings.
Risky Business Blue-Ray: HERE
Risky Business Vinyl: HERE
“It's what you want. It's what every white boy off the lake wants.”
- Jackie (Risky Business Prostitute)
P.S.
I am fully aware that Bob Segar, Phil Collins, Prince and others are on this soundtrack, I chose to highlight my favorite artist on this soundtrack.
P.S.S.
If you would like to hear any albums I share on this blog, check out my YouTube Playlist: Vinylwav Personal Record Collection