[Review] Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

The Brat Pack graduates from making comedies to coming-of-age dramas.

Kronomyth 1.5: Foster’s sinphony in DC majors.

I’ve never seen the film St. Elmo’s Fire and never will. Just getting that out of the way early. The soundtrack is the brainchild of David Foster and features his collaboration with a variety of artists including Fee Waybill, Jon Anderson and the short-lived Elefante. Those three names pretty much sum up my interest in this soundtrack. I also don’t dislike Billy Squier. Foster is unquestionably talented, but his talents rarely align with my musical interests. So, while I have to admit that Man in Motion, For Just a Moment, and If I Turn You Away aren’t intrinsically bad songs, I don’t like them. The same goes for Foster’s instrumentals and his band, Airplay—which is more than half the album (for anyone keeping track at home). What I’m left with is one very good song, Fee Waybill’s Saved My Life, a nice ballad by the Elefante brothers, and a song each from Billy Squier and Jon Anderson that are neither good nor bad. Of course, Waybill’s song had already appeared on the Foster-produced Read My Lips, so you may want to pick up that album instead (it’s better). The Anderson song is no worse than what turned up on In the City of Angels, which, as anyone who has heard that album can attest, is not a compliment. The mid Eighties were a moral morass where music was concerned: fake optimism, fake energy, fake everybody in the pursuit of sex and money. Los Angeles seemed to be the epicenter of all this musical evil (“from the cesspools of excitement where Jim Morrison once stood…”), but then again the devil has never had to be discreet.

Original elpee version

A1. John Parr: St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) (David Foster/John Parr) (4:08)
A2. Billy Squier: Shake Down (Billy Squier) (4:07)
A3. Elefante: Young and Innocent (John Elefante/Dino Elefante, arr. by John Elefante/Dino Elefant/David Foster) (4:34)
A4. Jon Anderson: This Time It Was Really Right (David Foster/Jon Anderson) (4:39)
A5. Fee Waybill: Saved My Life (David Foster/Fee Waybill/Steve Lukather) (3:45)
B1. David Foster: Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire (instrumental) (David Foster) (3:27)
B2. Vicki Moss: If I Turn You Away (David Foster/Richard Marx) (4:38)
B3. Airplay: Stressed Out (Close to the Edge) (David Foster/Jay Graydon/Stephen A. Kipner/Peter Beckett, arr. by David Foster/Jay Graydon) (4:14)
B4. David Foster: Georgetown (David Foster) (1:34)
B5. Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire (For Just a Moment) (David Foster) (3:48)

The Players

David Foster (keyboards, horn arrangements) with David Amato (background vocals), Mike Baird (drums), Peter Beckett (vocals on B3), David Boruff (saxophone), Bobby Chouinard (drums), Dino Elefante (guitars), John Elefante (keyboards), Donny Gerrard (vocals on B5), Gary Grant (trumpet), Jay Graydon (guitars), Jerry Hey (trumpet, horn arrangements), Amy Holland (vocals on B5), Tris Imboden (drums), Michael Landau (guitars), Jeremy Lubbock (string arrangement on A3), Steve Lukather (guitars), Richard Marx (background vocals), Richard Page (background vocals), David Paich (keyboards), John Pierce (bass), Steve Porcaro (synthesizer programming and keyboards), Bill Ricenbach (trombone), Philip Rowland (drums), Billy Squier (guitars), J.V.T. (synthesizer programming), Chris Taylor (drums), Carlos Vega (drums), Larry Williams (saxophone). Produced by David Foster except A3 by David Foster, John Elefante and Dino Elefante, B1 by David Foster and Humberto Gatica, B3 by Jay Graydon and David Foster, B5 co-produced by Humberto Gatica; engineered & mixed by Humberto Gatica except A2 engineered by Bob Rock, B3 engineered by Jay Graydon; additional overdub engineering by Woody Woodruff, Laura Livingston, Terry Christian, Dino Elefante.

The Plastic

Released on elpee, cassette and compact disc in July 1985 in the US (Atlantic, 81261-1/4/2). Reached #21 on the US charts. (First appeared in 7/6/85 issue of Billboard.)