Light Sleeper: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack

Description

The Light Sleeper: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack is an album released on Red Dot Records/Warner Records in 1992. Featuring music composed by Michael Been of The Call fame for the American drama film Light Sleeper, written and directed by Paul Schrader in 1992. Producer by Michael Been except tracks 1 and 2 co-produced with David Z. Peters.

A thriller with theological underpinnings, ‘Light Sleeper’ is loaded with style: lucid acting, haunting images and a wonderfully ominous score by Michael Been, thrumming like the fuzz tone of fate. And its subject is almost cruelly ambitious: the collapse of the ’70s-’80s high-style drug culture, as distilled into one man’s frenzied pilgrimage. [Michael Wilmington, LA Times, 1992]

Help, does anyone out there know what has happened to The Call – I haven’t heard anything since they were dropped by MCA. Anyway, this solo soundtrack is for a film by Paul Schrader and starring Willem Dafoe, a Michael Been acquaintance of old. The blurb for the film on the album cover almost reads like a summary of Michael Been’s work to date – “A story about discovery of the spirit, the lure of decadence and the chance of escape” – in fact it describes him better than it does the film. The record comprises of fifteen tracks, including three versions of «World On Fire» and two of «To Feel This Way». After the surprisingly warm and upbeat ‘Red Moon‘ LP this sees a return to the more gothic sound of old, although it is distinctly not The Call. As befits a soundtrack many of the tracks are atmospheric instrumentals and «Anxious Parts I and II» are especially effective. «World On Fire» sees Michael at his apocalyptic best lyrically, and you can pick a version to suit your mood – all crunching guitars, thumping drum machine or moody atmospherics – in fact one version reminds me of Mad At The World’s «Flowers In The Rain». Certainly worth a listen for anyone who likes The Call, but let’s hope this doesn’t mean the end of the band. [James Lewis, Cross Rhythms, February 1993]

CD tracklist:

01. World On Fire – 5:30
02. To Feel This Way – 5:01
03. World On Fire (John’s Theme) – 5:43
04. Anxious (Part One) – 0:47
05. Without You (Marianne’s Theme) – 2:03
06. To Feel This Way (Film Version) – 3:59
07. Beloved – 3:30
08. Loss – 0:53
09. Anxious (Part Two) – 0:54
10. Abandoned – 4:18
11. Marianne’s Fall – 3:14
12. Jumpoffs – 4:04
13. Betrayed Or Not Betrayed – 1:01
14. Suspicious (Tis’ Theme) – 3:49
15. Fate – 6:39
16. Embrace – 4:40

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Warner Records. Re-issued as a Limited Edition CD in 1999, digitally remastered and featured the following 7 bonus tracks: The World’s On Fire (7 Parts): 17. Memory Tricks – 5:27 / 18. I Just Decided to Come – 1:11 / 19. She Made Me – 3:54 / 20. I’m Dripping – 1:42 / 21. I Need a Piece – 4:34 / 22. Believe Me – 2:42.

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