Great Scott! “Back to the Future” Trilogy Reissued on CD and Vinyl

Back to the Future“Wait a minute, wait a minute. Doc, ah…are you telling me that you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?”

With those words, audiences were in for the ride of a lifetime with Back to the Future, 1985’s hit sci-fi comedy about a teenager who accidentally ends up 30 years in the past and has to ensure his existence by setting up his parents before making it back to his present day. With a winning cast that included Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as the dynamic duo of young Marty McFly and his mad scientist friend “Doc” Emmett L. Brown and snappy writing and direction from Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis (who’d later direct the smash hit Forrest Gump), Back to the Future became first a worldwide hit then a cultural phenomenon, solidifying its popularity for generations over three classic films.

The year 2015 holds special weight for BTTF fans: not only is it the 30th anniversary of the original film (and 25th for the concluding Part III), it’s the year Marty and Doc travelled to in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II. October 21, next Wednesday, is the exact date, and while there are no working hoverboards or self-lacing Nikes yet, nostalgia for the trilogy has run high. A new Blu-ray set and coffee table book are on the way, as are collectible bottles of “Pepsi Perfect” and two live screenings of the original film with live orchestral accompaniment at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall later this week.

isc336Booklet.inddAnd now, a musical bonanza is underway, with plans announced yesterday for reissues of the scores to all three films across a variety of formats. Accelerate to 88 MPH and read on to find out more!

Back to the Future marked the second collaboration between director Zemeckis and composer Alan Silvestri, after 1984’s Romancing the Stone put them both on Hollywood’s radar. Wanting to impress executive producer Steven Spielberg, Silvestri went for a romantic, big-orchestral sound in the vein of John Williams, with a horn-driven, heroic main theme. As part of a hit soundtrack album that included the chart-topping “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News, only a few crucial minutes of themes were utilized on the original LP, before proper albums of Part II and Part III (filmed back-to-back) were released.

In 2009, Intrada answered the call of fans around the world and issued a stunning double-disc set, featuring both the complete original score alongside a bonus disc of intriguing alternate recordings made in mere weeks before the film’s first test screening. This highly-anticipated release went out of print after selling through all its licensable pressings.

Back to the Future IIINow, all three scores are being reissued into the CD market, all lovingly constructed by master score assembler Mike Matessino. For Part I, Intrada one-disc set containing solely the complete score as heard in the film. The label is also, for the first time, remastering and expanding the soundtrack to Part II much in the same fashion as Part I six years ago, offering over an hour of the original film score alongside 35 minutes of unheard, unused alternate cues. The original soundtrack for Part III was issued on Varese Sarabande some 25 years ago, and it too has been remastered and expanded as a double-disc set packed with alternates and source cues galore.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, vinyl fans have much to look forward to. Not only is Universal Music Enterprises releasing the original soundtrack album as a picture disc, they’ve also licensed all three scores to vinyl soundtrack giant Mondo. The three scores as they appeared in the film will be released separately as three 2LP sets and in a collectible 6LP box, all featuring unique artwork between both collections.

And even those who enjoy digital downloads will be satiated–score presentations from Geffen Records and Varese Sarabande will be available at major digital providers for the first time on October 16, the same day the picture vinyl will hit stores. All three CD sets are available to order now and will ship in the coming weeks, and Mondo’s vinyl versions will be up for order on–you guessed it–October 21, 2015.

There’s a beautiful new site that rolls up all this info into one place, and you can have a look at the full track lists and place your own orders here!

Back to the Future Mondo Vinyl

Alan Silvestri, Back to the Future: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Intrada 7144, 2015–previously released as Disc 1 of Intrada Special Collection Vol. 116, 2009) (Mondo LP set to feature same program over 2 LPs)

  1. Logo
  2. DeLorean Reveal
  3. Einstein Disintegrated
  4. ’85 Twin Pines Mall
  5. Peabody Barn/Marty Ditches DeLorean
  6. ’55 Town Square
  7. Lorraine’s Bedroom
  8. Retrieve DeLorean
  9. 21 Jigowatts
  10. The Picture
  11. Picture Fades
  12. Skateboard Chase
  13. Marty’s Letter **
  14. George to the Rescue (Part 1)
  15. Marvin Be-Bop (Source)
  16. George to the Rescue (Part 2)
  17. Tension/The Kiss
  18. Goodnight Marty (Source)
  19. It’s Been Educational/Clocktower **
  20. Helicopter
  21. ’85 Lone Pine Mall **
  22. 4×4
  23. Doc Returns
  24. Back to the Future (End Credits) *

* previously released on original soundtrack album
** previously released in part on original soundtrack album

Various Artists, Back to the Future: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Picture Vinyl) (originally released as MCA Records 6144, 1985–reissued Geffen/UMe B0023454-01, 2015)

  1. The Power of Love – Huey Lewis & The News
  2. Time Bomb Town – Lindsey Buckingham
  3. Back to the Future – The Outatime Orchestra
  4. Heaven is One Step Away – Eric Clapton
  5. Back in Time – Huey Lewis & The News
  6. The Back to the Future Overture – The Outatime Orchestra
  7. The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry) – Etta James
  8. Night Train – Marvin Berry & The Starlighters
  9. Earth Angel – Marvin Berry & The Starlighters
  10. Johnny B. Goode – Marty McFly & The Starlighters

Alan Silvestri, Back to the Future Part II: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (originally released as MCA Records 6361, 1989 – reissued Intrada Special Collection Vol. 356, 2015) (Mondo LP set to feature same program as Disc 1 over 2 LPs)

Disc 1: The Score

  1. Back to Back/It’s Your Kids *
  2. Main Title (Extended Version) **
  3. The Future
  4. Chicken/Hoverboard Chase **
  5. A Flying DeLorean?
  6. I’m in the Future/Biff Steals DeLorean *
  7. Chicken Needles/Jenn Sees Jenn *
  8. Biff’s World/27th Floor *
  9. My Father!
  10. “Alternate 1985”
  11. Gray’s Sports Almanac/If They Ever Did **
  12. Something Inconspicuous *
  13. You’ll Never Lose/Old New DeLorean *
  14. Pair O’ Docs
  15. The Book
  16. Nobody/Tunnel Chase *
  17. Burn the Book
  18. He’s Gone
  19. Western Union
  20. I’m Back/End Logo *
  21. The West *
  22. End Credits

Disc 2: The Extras *

  1. Back to Back (Alternate)
  2. Main Title (Alternate)
  3. The Future (Alternate)
  4. Hoverboard Chase (Alternate)
  5. A Flying DeLorean? (Alternate)
  6. Biff’s World (Alternate)
  7. If They Ever Did (Alternate Segment)
  8. You’ll Never Lose (Alternate)
  9. Western Union (Alternate)
  10. I’m Back (Alternate)
  11. Western Union (Alternate #2)
  12. I’m Back (Alternate #2)
  13. End Logo (Alternate)
  14. The West (Alternate)
  15. End Credits (Alternate)

* previously unreleased
** contains previously unreleased material

Alan Silvestri, Back to the Future Part III: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – 25th Anniversary Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande VSD-5272, 1990 – reissued Varese Sarabande VCL 1015 1159, 2015) (Mondo LP set to feature Disc 1 program and Disc 2, Track 12 over 2 LPs)

Disc 1: The Score

  1. Back to Back/Court House **
  2. Main Title **
  3. Into the Mine/Tombstone/It’s Me *
  4. Warmed Up *
  5. Indians (Film Version) **
  6. Safe and Sound *
  7. Hill Valley
  8. The Hanging
  9. We’re Out of Gas
  10. There is No Bridge/Doc to the Rescue **
  11. At First Sight
  12. Yellow *
  13. The Kiss
  14. You Talkin’ to Me? *
  15. The Future Isn’t Written
  16. Goodbye Clara
  17. What’s Up Doc/Marty Gallops/To the Future *
  18. Wake Up Juice
  19. Callin’ You Out/Count Off *
  20. The Showdown/The Kick **
  21. A Science Experiment? (The Train Part I)
  22. It’s Clara (The Train Part II)
  23. Point of No Return (The Train Part III)
  24. It’s Destroyed/Back to the Girlfriend/It Erased *
  25. Doc Returns
  26. End Credits

Disc 2: The Extras * (except where noted)

  1. Back to Back/Court House (Alternate)
  2. I’m Back/Main Title (Alternate)
  3. Into the Mine/Tombstone (Alternate)
  4. Warmed Up (Alternate)
  5. Indians (Alternate)
  6. The Hanging (Alternate)
  7. Goodbye Clara (Alternate Segment)
  8. Count Off (Alternate)
  9. The Kick (Alternate)
  10. Doc Returns (Alternate)
  11. Clock Dedication/Battle Cry of Freedom (SOurce)
  12. Doubleback (Extended Version) **
  13. Turkey in the Straw (Source)
  14. My Darling Clementine (Source)
  15. Saloon Piano Medley (Source)
  16. Arkansas Traveler (Source)
  17. Devil’s Dream (Source)
  18. Pop Goes the Weasel (Source)
  19. Virginia Reel (Tip-Top) (Source)
  20. I’m Back (Alternate #2)
  21. Into the Mine (Alternate #2)
  22. Indians (Alternate #2)
  23. Doc Returns (Alternate #2)

* previously unreleased
** contains previously unreleased material

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Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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