Get ready to run up a staircase with excitement: Intrada has announced the first-ever score release of Vince DiCola's Rocky IV.
The fourth, perhaps most over-the-top sequel in the long-running franchise pitted Sylvester Stallone's heavyweight champ against a feared opponent from the Soviet Union. Like its predecessor, Rocky IV was buoyed by a handful of pop hits, including two Top 5 smashes for Survivor ("Burning Heart") and James Brown (the vaguely left-field "Living in America"). Often overlooked was DiCola's score, which opted for an electronic/orchestral style that relied far less on Bill Conti's Oscar-nominated theme (Rocky IV was in fact the only film in the series not scored by Conti). The few released score tracks on the main soundtrack, though, have become recognizable over the past 25 years, notably the oft-parodied "Training Montage" cue.
Intrada has assembled a 15-track presentation of the score, remastered from Sony's original digital masters. A new liner notes booklet includes notes by writer Daniel Schweiger. Best of all, it's an unlimited release, so fans will have every opportunity to rediscover the score to Rocky IV.
The label also announced a limited, 1000-copy release of Charles Bernstein's score to the 1973 Burt Reynolds cult classic White Lightning (Quentin Tarantino fans will recognize parts of this score having been used in Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds.) Check out the specs for both titles after the jump.
Vince DiCola, Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Score (Intrada MAF 7109, 2010)
- Theme from Rocky - 2:58
- Gym - 2:06
- Paulie's Robot - 0:42
- Anniversary - 1:42
- Drago Suite - 2:15
- Apollo's Death and Funeral - 2:58
- Stairs - 0:59
- Rocky and Son - 2:01
- Training Montage - 5:10
- Up the Mountain - 1:51
- Pre-Fight - 2:06
- Drago's Entrance - 1:02
- War - 4:39
- Knockout - 0:34
- Victory - 0:53
All tracks previously unreleased except portions of Tracks 1, 9 and 13 which were included on the original Rocky IV soundtrack LP (Scotti Bros. SZ-40203, 1985; reissued Volcano/Legacy 8287 75989 2, 2006) and The Rocky Story compilation (Volcano 32000-2, 1991). Additionally, Track 6 was the B-side to the "Living in America" single (Scotti Bros. ZS4-05682, 1985).
Charles Bernstein, White Lightning: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada Special Collection Vol. 131, 2010)
- Main Title - 2:53
- Escape & Hound Chase - 1:58
- Love Feelings - 1:17
- Evasive McClusky - 1:50
- Sherriff Menace - 1:33
- Running the Cops Around - 2:01
- Remembering a Brother - 1:45
- Funky Road - 1:14
- Finger Pickin' Good (Source) - 1:38
- The Barge/In the Stix - 1:31
- Skinny Dip - 1:42
- Run Around Too - 1:25
- Scary Bear's Still - 1:50
- Slip 'n' Slide & Lap It Up (Source) - 3:02
- Fight at Bear's Still - 1:22
- Way Down Under - 1:46
- White Lightning Ballade (Bonus Track) - 2:30
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