Big Trouble in Little China (soundtrack)
| Big Trouble in Little China (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||
| Soundtrack album by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth | |||||||||||||
| Released | 1986 | ||||||||||||
| Studio | Electric Melody Studios, Glendale, California | ||||||||||||
| Genre | |||||||||||||
| Length |
45:38 (1986 release) 71:35 (1999 release) | ||||||||||||
| Label |
Enigma Records (1986 release) Super Tracks Music Group (1999 release) | ||||||||||||
| Producer | John Carpenter | ||||||||||||
| John Carpenter & Alan Howarth chronology | |||||||||||||
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| Alternative cover | |||||||||||||
 1999 release |
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Big Trouble in Little China is a soundtrack produced by John Carpenter for the movie bearing the same name.
With the soundtrack, Carpenter wanted to avoid the usual clichés finding that “other scores for American movies about Chinese characters are basically rinky tink, chop suey music. [He] didn’t want that for Big Trouble”. Carpenter instead opted for his trademark synthesizer score mixed with rock ‘n’ roll music.[2]
A soundtrack album, produced by Carpenter, was released in 1986 on Enigma Records and featured nine tracks for a total of just over 45 minutes. In 1999, an expanded edition was released by Super Tracks Music Group. It included two versions of Carpenter and his band, The Coupe De Villes (consisting of himself, Nick Castle, and Tommy Lee Wallace), performing the "Big Trouble in Little China" theme song, three tracks from Alan Howarth's previously unreleased score for Backstabbed (also known as Mørkeleg), and a track from Escape from New York, entitled, "Atlanta Bank Robbery".
Track listing
| 1986 release | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Big Trouble In Little China" | The Coupe De Villes | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Pork Chop Express" | 3:40 | |
| 3. | "The Alley" | 2:00 | |
| 4. | "Here Comes the Storms" | 2:20 | |
| 5. | "Lo Pan's Domain" | 4:30 | |
| 6. | "Escape from Wing Kong" | 8:00 | |
| 7. | "Into the Spirit Path" | 7:07 | |
| 8. | "The Great Arcade" | 7:50 | |
| 9. | "The Final Escape" | 6:58 | |
Total length: |
45:38 | ||
1999 release
All music composed by John Carpenter, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Trouble In Little China" | The Coupe De Villes | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Pork Chop Express" | 3:40 | |
| 3. | "The Alley" | 2:00 | |
| 4. | "Here Comes the Storms" | 2:20 | |
| 5. | "Lo Pan's Domain" | 4:30 | |
| 6. | "Escape from Wing Kong" | 8:00 | |
| 7. | "Into the Spirit Path" | 7:07 | |
| 8. | "The Great Arcade" | 10:00 | |
| 9. | "The Final Escape" | 4:47 | |
| 10. | "Big Trouble In Little China -Reprise-" | The Coupe De Villes | 3:08 |
| Backstabbed | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 11. | "Opening" | Alan Howarth | 3:35 |
| 12. | "Alexandra" | Howarth | 5:57 |
| 13. | "Blue Planet Interlude/Final Stab" | Howarth | 5:41 |
| Escape from New York | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 14. | "Atlanta Bank Robbery" | 3:31 |
Total length: |
71:35 | |
Both the 1986 release and 1999 release are out-of-print.
2009 release
| Big Trouble in Little China (Limited Edition) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth | |
| Released | January 2009 |
| Studio | Electric Melody Studios, Glendale, California |
| Genre | |
| Length | 96:29 |
| Label | La-La Land Records |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Empire | [3] |
In 2009, a complete 2CD limited edition of the soundtrack was released by La-La Land Records which includes every note of music from the film, including both versions of the title song, remastered.
| Disc One | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Prologue" | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Pork Chop Express (Main Title)" | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Abduction At Airport" | 4:17 |
| 4. | "The Alley (Procession)" | 1:12 |
| 5. | "The Alley (War)" | 2:31 |
| 6. | "The Storms" | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Tenement / White Tiger" | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Here Come The Storms" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Wing Kong Exchange" | 4:40 |
| 10. | "Lo Pan’s Domain / Looking For A Girl" | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Friends Of Yours? / Escape Iron Basis" | 7:18 |
| 12. | "Escape From Wing Kong" | 5:38 |
| 13. | "Hide" | 4:35 |
Total length: |
50:44 | |
| Disc Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Call the Police" | 7:32 | |
| 2. | "Dragon Eyes" | 1:12 | |
| 3. | "Into the Spirit Path" | 7:05 | |
| 4. | "The Great Arcade" | 7:53 | |
| 5. | "The Final Escape (Lo Pan’s Demise / Getaway)" | 7:02 | |
| 6. | "Goodbye Jack" | 3:14 | |
| 7. | "Big Trouble In Little China (End Credits - Album Version)" | The Coupe De Villes | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Stingers Montage" | 5:24 | |
| 9. | "Big Trouble In Little China (Original Version)" | The Coupe De Villes | 3:01 |
Total length: |
45:45 | ||
Personnel
- John Carpenter – composition, performance, production
- Alan Howarth - synthesizer programming, sequencing, editing, recording
The Coupe De Villes
- John Carpenter
- Nick Castle
- Tommy Lee Wallace
References
- ↑ McDonald, Steven. "John Carpenter: Big Trouble in Little China [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic.
- ↑ Swires, Steve (August 1986). "John Carpenter: Kung Fu, Hollywood Style". Starlog.
- ↑ Graydon, Danny. "Review of Big Trouble In Little China". Empire. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2010.