Limited edition release and is not licensed for public sale

November 3, 2019 1:58 PM

If you, like many others, bought the 1982 soundtrack album for Blade Runner and found it disappointing (as it wasn't a full score and wasn't the music used in the movie), then you might be delighted to know about the Blade Runner Esper Edition soundtrack [Full album, 2 cds, 2h6m]. Lovingly assembled from various sources, this fan-made bootleg [track listing and "production notes"] continues to stand as the definitive musical score recording for this landmark film.

This release is also more complete than the 1994 soundtrack album release, which included much music not actually used in the movie and was still a rather incomplete mish-mash of a document.

posted by hippybear (13 comments total)

Thank you, hippybear!
posted by doctornemo at 2:35 PM on November 3, 2019 [3 favorites]

I particularly like the "2019" release, with material from the Westwood game.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:05 PM on November 3, 2019

I was the opposite of disappointed with the 1994 version of soundtrack to Blade Runner.
posted by aubilenon at 3:09 PM on November 3, 2019 [3 favorites]

I had never heard of the 1982 orchestral version.

1994EVA
posted by grumpybear69 at 4:40 PM on November 3, 2019

hippybear: I remember noticing that similarity even way back when I first saw Blade Runner on VHS. My mom was a fan of the old song, and used to sing it around the house.
posted by SoberHighland at 4:45 PM on November 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

Ah yes, the one that segues from Where The Streets Have No Name and which provoked what would have been characterised as a total sense of humour meltdown from U2 were they ever suspected of having such a thing in the first place.
posted by Devonian at 5:12 PM on November 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

My Esper edition files have a 'Last Modified' date of 2005, and a current date of 2019 (I did a HD reorganisation earlier this year).

Remember putting in the two discs into my Discman often when I went on lonely walks in my early 20s.

I also had a lot of love for the Toto's soundtrack for Dune (1984), but that was for a different set of emotions.

Bladerunner (1982) shaped my musical affinity with it's branch of 70's synth, but that aesthetic became rarer and in my 90's bubble was overtaken by alt-rock and whatever Massive Attack and its ilk were.

Bladerunner was at the dwindling edge of physical effects; there was a tradition of scoring showing off intricate/ clever miniatures/ models. After spending months and months physically building models, one's obliged to lovingly show it off for the movie, right?

A good score for doing that goes a long way.

But with CGI, well, you can get stuff that can look almost better than hand crafted stuff, but a whole lot faster - and cheaper. Less stakes associated, and maybe less respect for the importance (and thus composition) of the background song.
posted by porpoise at 6:19 PM on November 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

I just started rewatching blade runner!
posted by growabrain at 6:23 PM on November 3, 2019

In addition to the 1982 release and the Esper Edition we're currently discussing, I have one more in my library:

Sunetul Original Al Filmului Blade Runner
1995, 16 tracks, 1 hour 10 minutes, Romania

I feel like there was also a third I had access to a some point.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 8:24 PM on November 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

I should also mention: I used to watch BR so frequently (had it on a Criterion LD in the 1990s) that on a trip to Paris I got to see it in 35mm, dubbed in French (which I don't speak) and it made not a whit of difference to me. I had the dialog entirely memorized by then.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 8:27 PM on November 3, 2019 [4 favorites]

The only parts I know that well are the ones that are sampled in the soundtrack ("do you like our owl?")
posted by aubilenon at 9:17 PM on November 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

Nicely timed, hippybear.
posted by lucidium at 1:20 PM on November 4, 2019

the author of that fan bootleg page clearly does not want anyone contacting them about this rare and exquisite thing they've collected, but the magnet links in the comments are old and don't appear to be live anymore. how might one acquire a copy?
posted by a halcyon day at 7:16 PM on November 9, 2019