Just over a month ago, we reported that David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, the first film in which Bowie had a starring role, would be returning to theaters. Turns out there were even more surprises in the works for the movie’s 40th anniversary. As NME reports, The Man Who Fell to Earth folks are now poised to release the film’s once-lost soundtrack for the first time ever.
“Due to the recent discovery of lost master tapes,” reads a post on David Bowie’s Facebook page, “it is now possible to present the original recordings”—conveniently just in time to be released on the same day the film returns to theaters, September 9.
Even though Bowie was already a revered musician by the time 1976 rolled around, he doesn’t actually appear on the soundtrack. Instead, the score is comprised of compositions by Japanese prog-rock musician Stomu Yamash’ta and John Philips, the frontman for The Mamas and the Papas. And that’s the sum of what you’ll get if you opt for the double-vinyl version of the reissue.
The two-CD rerelease, though, includes some extra music, namely songs by Louis Armstrong, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Kingston Trio, trumpeter Robert Farnon, and John Phillips’ then-wife Genevieve Waite.
Additionally, on October 24, a box set will be made available, featuring both CD and vinyl copies of the soundtrack, a copy of the film’s original poster, and a 48-page book that includes an interview with the film’s editor, Graeme Clifford. According to the interview, Clifford used Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon as an interim soundtrack for the film—even more evidence that the seminal album really does work as the score to any visual.
Coming soon (we hope): The Man Who Fell From the Dark Side of the Moon.
The Man Who Fell to Earth Soundtrack Tracklist:
LP 1
01. Stomu Yamashta – Poker Dice
02. Louis Armstrong – Blueberry Hill
03. John Phillips – Jazz II
04. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Venus: The Bringer Of Peace
05. John Phillips – Boys From The South
06. Stomu Yamashta – 33 1/3
07. John Phillips – Rhumba Boogie
08. The Kingston Trio – Try To Remember
09. Stomu Yamashta – Mandala
10. John Phillips – America
11. Stomu Yamashta – Wind Words
12. John Phillips – Jazz
LP 2
01. Stomu Yamashta – One Way
02. John Phillips – Space Capsule
03. John Phillips – Bluegrass Breakdown
04. John Phillips – Desert Shack
05. Stomu Yamashta – Memory Of Hiroshima
06. John Phillips – Window
07. John Phillips – Alberto
08. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Mars: The Bringer Of War (Excerpt)
09. John Phillips – Liar, Liar
10. John Phillips – Hello Mary Lou
11. Robert Farnon – Silent Night
12. Genevieve Waite – Love Is Coming Back
13. John Phillips – The Man Who Fell To Earth (Demo)
Featured Image: Lionsgate
