Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary Edition (3CD Digipack)

Blade Runner is a passion of mine, but the music of Vangelis is a seperate passion altogether. For years Vangelis' deep synths of Blade Runner were unavailable, except for highly prized bootlegs. In 1994 Vangelis released a typical soundtrack release of one of his scores, containing cuts from the film plus alternative music inspired by the film. Not uncommon for Vangelis (see 1492 and Alexander), fans of the film always wanted more music from the film.

25 years after the film's release, fans of both Vangelis and the film can finally hear a pretty definitive soundtrack for the film. Featuring 3 disks, Blade Runner Trilogy takes you to 2019 and doesn't let you back to the present day.

Disk 1 - 1994 Soundtrack

The original Vangelis soundtrack release, remastered. This disk features the dialogue snippets found on the 1994 release and is completely identical, save for the remastering which offers slightly better quality.

Disk 2 - Additional Music From The Film

Featuring tracks not available before on the official soundtrack as well as tracks never before heard. The alternative music features much of the missing cues from the film, presented here in full length versions. Including the Dekard vs Roy duel, Mr Chew's freezer shop, the death of Tyrell and many more. It isn't fully comprehensive, but it's pretty much everything you could want from the film. Sound quality is on par with the official soundtrack.

Disk 3 - 25th Anniversary Music

A new album, 48.2 minutes long in total features new music composed by Vangelis for the 25th anniversary. The new album is inspired by Blade Runner, but stands apart on it's own as well. Reminding me of the mid-80's and early 90's Vangelis, the album sounds beautiful with the deep synth's you have come to love in the Blade Runner music along with some melodic pieces. There is spoken word, but it is not dialogue as such, but vocal elements used as part of the tracks. If you have heard The City by Vangelis, you will understand what he has done. It is a very enjoyable album, giving you an alternative path through the Blade Runner universe, with an occasional visit to familiar territory. This cd pack is worth the price just for this new album.

Stunning value for both Vangelis and Blade Runner fans, or music fans wanting to dip into Vangelis.

...of Vangelis NOT releasing more often than not what is actually the soundtrack of the movie it's supposed to be.
Let's see here: we find, on CD 1, the exact same record we had in 1994 - but that was expected and announced, so why not. On CD 2, labelled "unreleased and bonus material from BR", there is, actually, very little music heard in the film itself, except from two cues that are well-know, namely "D & R duel", and "Tyrell's Death". That ends here. "Tyrell's Owl", for instance, is anything but the actual music as heard in the film at that moment. As for CD 3, it's nothing more than a hackneyed collection of muzak, with fashionable world music overtones and indistinct speech put in the mix, and absolutely doesn't justify the purchase of the set alone. I doubt I'll listen to it twice.

All in all, I'm super tired of Vangelis NOT releasing, and never will now as it appears, the TRUE, ORIGINAL motion picture soundtrack of Blade Runner. Whatever artistic endeavour there was behind this project, it still is NOT, far from it, the ultimate ressource for BR music, I'm sorry to say. It's different music for the most part, perhaps to some pleasant or good music, but not the BR soundtrack by a long margin.

One word of advice: Keep your Deck Arts bootlegs preciously... They are the most comprehensive collection of BR music that were ever made.

This record set isn't.

Who dared to dream of this....

Two new disks of Blade Runner related music, in one go! Sold together with the 1994 release, to have it all in one buy.

Disk 1 is the album as we knew it. Blade Runner's most famous themes in perfect sound quality, together with some unused recordings, made into one big "story". There's a reason this is one of the best loved movie scores ever.

Disk 2 provides some of the movie's themes and moods that didn't make it into the first album, as well as some wonderful pieces that weren't finally used in the movie. Of the three disks, this is the dark one; the desolate place Blade Runner's overcrowded world has turned into. This entire album is comprised of music made in 1982 for the movie, although some of it was not used in the movie, and other tracks were used but are presented here in longer, more developed versions. All the lush and major themes were on disk one, leaving this the brooding, dark, melancholic atmosphere, with a few delightfully bright breaks. An intriguing album for anyone who has complained the first release wasn't dark enough, omitting the intense and rainy music scapes. You can't listen to this CD without finding yourself in the world we saw and lived in while watching Blade Runner.

With disk 3, Vangelis expands the world of Blade Runner, with new music he created to celebrate the movie's 25th Anniversary. Vangelis seems to explore different parts of this world, and does manage to find, among all the rain and darkness, a few brighter spots as well. Undeniably Blade Runner, yet also completely new and modern. A thoroughly inspiring album of music, that needs attention to be listened to and this time will ask you to imagine your own scenes. As inspiring as it is on first listen, like all the better albums, for full appreciation it needs some getting used to, but grows with every listen. An intriguing addition to the release and a great album in its own right.

What a pity that the purists are always making themselves the loudest. Sure, this is not the full 100% exactly what a few of the purist completist fans of the movie were dreaming about. Sure, a few desirable cues are indeed still missing. But this comes with so much more, which altogether easily makes up for the omissions. But the purists are so busy complaining about what's not on there, they don't find the time to explore what actually *is* on there.

To think, while one person may complain the bootlegs' extended End Titles version is not included, another is unhappy because many of the tracks on this release extend beyond what we heard of them in the movie. You can't please everyone, it simply defies logic. One is bound to be disappointed when listening to this CD only to compare it with preconceived expectations, rather than to enjoy the music.

Did anyone ever notice how boring these bootlegs (that the purists keep referring to) actually were, to listen to? These two new official CDs instead present the music as *music*, as much as *atmosphere*, a work of art that can live on its own. Not a set of cues used in the background of a movie, but instead an actual album of music derived from its inspiring source.

Well, I guess anything linked to Blade Runner cannot be released without its share of some controversy. So, do be sure to check out this marvellous release, and remember not to be discouraged by its critics, just like all of us never let the movie critics take our "Blade Runner" away. Instead, close your curtains, turn off the lights, put on the headphones and listen to almost 3 hours of Vangelis' "Blade Runner" genius!

Like many, I have waited for a decent release of Vangelis' Blade Runner.
No doubt most fans will already have the Disc One, released in 1994. This was so atmospheric. Sound effects and dialogue combined to submerge us into the damp streets of Los Angeles. Excellent. I loved it, still do.
So three discs will be eagerly anticipated. Especially with unreleased tracks...
The second disc is also atmospheric, images of Tyrell's office are easily conjured. We just float along in the world created by Ridley Scott and Vangelis. Lovely.
Imagine, travelling in your spinner thru the neon sky-scrapers, lost in the sounds of the second disc.....then the third disc kicks in.
The first and second tracks are fine. A nice mix of One More Kiss Dear, but you cannot help but feel that you have left Blade Runner. Then the rest of the CD hits you.
I could not help but question what Vangelis was doing. Has he just used tracks that he never released from the eighties? So un-Blade Runner.
I love the score for Blade Runner but everytime I've listened to the third disc I've asked, except for the occasional sound effect and the odd sample there is no connection to the film.
Is there something that I'm missing? I cannot help that I am listening to a Jean Michel Jarre album from the late eighties. (Which, in the right frame of mind is not a bad listen BUT it is not what I expect when I've purchased a Vangelis unreleased score for Blade Runner!)
The great atmosphere created by the first two discs is shattered by the third. Which to me is a shame. A real shame. So ignore the third disc and just float to the first two.
If you're stuck for a third disc to listen to, find 'My Kingdom' by the Future Sound Of London. Excellent use of the Rachael's Song sample.

Very disappointed with this new material. First CD is the original soundtrack and well put together! It has quality running throughout the score. The second CD uh, well things start to go down hill. Third CD well... what can I say. There's still a lot more material out there in the bootlegs than there are in this special 3CD collection. Vangelis, when are you going to deliver the Complete Score that we all (Vangelis Fans) have been waiting for?!!