An interesting story perhaps best reported in my state newspaper: today sees a digital-only release of some archival material from the undying 1987 film Dirty Dancing.

As The Second Disc pointed out during a Friday Feature back in May, Dirty Dancing refuses to budge from the collective consciousness, some 23 years after it was released. The soundtrack has been reissued and remastered in a variety of ways, but none of them had these tracks: a handful of original demos of the film's hits, including Oscar and Golden Globe winner "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes."

The demos come courtesy of Franke Previte, a name early '80s rock fans might recognize as the lead singer of New Jersey-based Franke and The Knockouts. It turns out that, after The Knockouts disbanded, Previte co-wrote "The Time of My Life," and the original demo was what Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze danced to during shooting. (Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes sung the hit version of the song.)

Previte, along with co-writers John DeNicola and Don Markowitz, has released a digital EP of the original demos for "The Time of My Life," "Hungry Eyes" (written by Previte and DeNicola and sung by Eric Carmen in the film), "Someone Like You" (a tune from a stage adaptation of Dirty Dancing) and a remix of the demo of "The Time of My Life." As if the archival angle wasn't enough of an impetus to download, proceeds from sales are going to the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund.

Get the tracks on Amazon here (they're supposed to be available at all digital retailers but I had a tough time finding them).

Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Don Markowitz, Dirty Dancing: Original Demos (Knockout Music, 2010)

1. (I've Had) The Time of My Life (Original Demo) - Franke Previte and Rachele Cappelli
2. Hungry Eyes (Original Demo) - Franke Previte and John DeNicola
3. Someone Like You (from Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage, 2004)
4. (I've Had) The Time of My Life (Michael Lloyd Producer's Remix)