VA - 41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack Of American Graffiti (1973, DCD 1993) RESTORED

For those of us who grew up in the '70s, this drive-in compilation of '50s and '60s rock and doo-wop, complete with Wolfman Jack introductions, was our introduction to this music. There are 41 jukebox hits here, and every one of them is a classic of its time (although two tracks–"At the Hop" and "She's so Fine" are covers by the revival band Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids). In his 1973 movie, director George Lucas used the music (and the presence of mysterious deejay Wolfman) as the AM-radio soundtrack to one night in suburban California, 1962. The idea was to capture and sustain an end-of-summer, end-of-innocence mood that's in the air throughout the picture – not as a shortcut to establishing a period (as in Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump). There's an awful lot of spontaneous energy in these tunes–from Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, to the Platters and the Clovers and the Del-Vikings, to the Crests and the Beach Boys – and also just a hint of melancholy that goes down very nicely with a burger, shake, and fries.

~ Jim Emerson, amazon-com

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VA - 41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack Of American Graffiti (1973, DCD 1993) RESTORED

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The soundtrack to the George Lucas film about teenage life in a small California town in the early '60s was probably the best thing about the movie, featuring several dozen outstanding early Rock & Roll hits. There's nothing terribly obscure here – in fact, most of these were big smashes – but it's a good survey of rock's early days, ranging from superstars like Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the Beach Boys to great one-shots like the Monotones, the Tempos, and Buster Brown. Drawbacks: Wolfman Jack talks over the intros of a few songs, and there are a couple tracks by early-'70s Sha Na Na-type revivalists Flash Cadillac.

~ Richie Unterberger, all media guide

Disc 1:

01. Bill Haley And The Comets – (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock
02. The Crests – Sixteen Candles
03. Del Shannon – Runaway
04. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers – Why Do Fools Fall In Love
05. Buddy Holly – That'll Be The Day
06. Buster Brown – Fanny Mae
07. Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids – At The Hop
08. Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids – She's So Fine
09. The Diamonds – The Stroll
10. The Tempos – See You In September
11. The Beach Boys – Surfin' Safari
12. The Fleetwoods – He's The Great Imposter
13. Chuck Berry – Almost Grown
14. The Platters – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
15. The Diamonds – Little Darlin'
16. Joey Dee & The Starlighters – Peppermint Twist
17. The Regents – Barbara Ann
18. The Monotones – Book Of Love
19. Buddy Holly – Maybe Baby
20. Lee Dorsey – Ya Ya
21. The Platters – The Great Pretender


Disc 2:

01. Fats Domino – Ain't That A Shame
02. Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode
03. The Flamingos – I Only Have Eyes For You
04. The Silhouettes – Get A Job
05. The Five Satins – To The Aisle
06. Bobby Freeman – Do You Wanna Dance
07. Buddy Knox – Party Doll
08. The Del-Vikings – Come Go With Me
09. Johnny Burnette – You're Sixteen – You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)
10. The Clovers – Love Potion No. 9
11. The Skyliners – Since I Don't Have You
12. The Big Bopper – Chantilly Lace
13. Mark Dinning – Teen Angel
14. Sonny Till & The Orioles – Crying In The Chapel
15. The Heartbeats – A Thousand Miles Away
16. The Cleftones – Heart And Soul
17. Booker T. & The M.G.'s – Green Onions
18. The Platters – Only You (And You Alone)
19. The Spaniels – Goodnight, Well It's Time To Go
20. The Beach Boys – All Summer Long


Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot & Dan Hersch, Digiprep, Hollywood, CA.

Originally Released: August 11, 1973
CD-Release Date: June 22, 1993
Format: AAD, Original Recording Remastered
Number of Discs: 2
Label: MCA Records
Catalog No.: MCAD2-8001

Fully Repackaged. Huge thanks to KillerRips!