Xanadu DVD and CD Review

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Posted 2020-08-09 by Steven G ⇒ follow

Xanadu – DVD and CD Review

Not that long ago, I looked at a film for one of these DVD-CD reviews that is not highly regarded – Electric Dreams – and, yet, which I really enjoy. On the heels of that, an old friend reminded me of another film I enjoyed but very few critics did that would make another great subject for one of these. I agreed, but I held off until this month.

I give you Xanadu (1980).

Why did I decide to wait? Because the film was released in August, that's all. So this is another of those things that is, as I write this, forty years old.

Okay, the film. At the time, it was regarded as a complete flop. But I enjoyed it, and a lot of that was the music. It was my first exposure to Electric Light Orchestra, and I still have my cassette copy of the soundtrack. But the other thing was Olivia Newton-John looked so beautiful to my young eyes. I was too young to have pin-ups, but she would have been there otherwise. Now, again, I'm not going to say it was robbed at the major film awards, but there is a reason it has been adapted to the stage and is now regarded as a bit of a cult classic, and not even in that bad movie sort of a way: this film is fun.

We open with Gene Kelly playing clarinet on rocks by the sea. Pretty. And then we meet an artist named Sonny. He does some work, tears a piece up and the wind carries the pieces to a mural depicting the Greek Muses, causing ELO to start playing and the nine images to come to life. They fly upwards, except one – Terpsichore (Muse representing dance… which is odd because she does the least dancing in this opening) – who stays behind.

Terpsichore bumps into Sonny while she is roller-skating (with added 1980s SFX magic!) and kisses him. However, Sonny returns to his old job of painting album covers. Then he sees her picture on the cover of an album by a group called The Nine Sisters (sigh!) and no-one knows who she is, not the label boss, not the photographer, no-one.

Sonny goes searching for her and bumps into Gene Kelly on the beach with his clarinet. Gene plays Danny, but he's Gene Kelly. They become friends… and then Sonny sees the girl and chases her and finally falls into the ocean. Danny helps him dry off. He explains the girl to Danny, and Danny believes him.

Sonny then finds the building from the album cover. There's lots of roller skates in this film – the old-fashioned 2 by 2 design, dating this film instantly. Sonny breaks into this building and hears Olivia singing and sees her skating. A weird conversation ensues, with her introducing herself as Kira. Actually, the effects of Olivia fading in and out of reality are well done.

Back at work, Sonny has an argument with his boss. He gets sent to hang some pictures and meets Danny again. He finds Danny used to play with Glen Miller, and he sees a picture of Kira from back then. He is intrigued. Danny talks about finding a place to set up a new club and enlists Sonny to help. This leads to a duet between Kelly and Newton-John. It's a memory, but… only initially. And then we get the obligatory Gene Kelly dance. My God, even at almost 70 years of age, he could still move so lightly on his feet.

Kira drops by while Sonny is working and encourages him to help Danny. They go somewhere so he can show her some special studio thing, which is an excuse for a duet between Cliff Richard (subbing for Sonny) and Olivia. They have a date. She drags him to the art deco place, convinces him it's worth considering for Danny's club, and he takes Danny there. They do the imagine it thing of seeing what they can come up with, leading into a really odd mash-up musical number.

They decide to become partners and set up their place. And Danny meets Kira… and sort of recognises her. They decide to name the place Xanadu. Sonny gets himself fired. Somehow Sonny and Kira become cartoon characters so ELO can perform.

We have a strange dressing scene with Gene Kelly hamming it up and dancing like a demon. And this is so 80s it's… well, it's tragic and brings back memories.

Kira then tells Sonny the truth about herself and her heritage, and her feelings for Sonny. She is then called back to the gods. Danny tells Sonny to find Kira. He finds the mural and skates at it, entering… Olympus? It's neon, though. I never pictured Olympus like this. Where's the clouds? Sonny argues with Zeus, but Kira's mother Mnemosyne sides with Sonny. However, Zeus sends Sonny back to Earth, resulting in Olivia singing. And then Zeus relents.

The nightclub opens. It's a musical circus skating dancing club. Did they have those things in the 80s and I missed out?! Anyway, everyone in their very 80s (and 1940s?) clothing seems to be having fun. Anyway, this is the big closing musical number, and it lasts for a good 10 minutes, and all of the Muses from the start of the film perform, and Olivia sings the title song. And then Sonny meets a waitress who looks just like Kira, asks her to talk and… film ends.

Look, I've certainly seen worse movies, and it's still fun. It's a light-hearted musical with some good music and it looks… 80s. That is the best way I can describe it. It is so very incredibly 80s. But, really, it is a load of fun.

Universal Pictures presents: Xanadu
Directed by: Robert Greenwald
Written by: Richard Christian Danus & Marc Reid Rubel
Starring:
Olivia Newton-John as Kira
Michael Beck as Sonny
Gene Kelly as Danny
Okay. Let's check out the soundtrack.

Like Electric Dreams, I own this on cassette, and so I am not sure if the CD re-issue is different in any way.

Side One is called the "Olivia side". These are the Olivia Newton-John songs on the soundtrack.

'Magic'
One of the songs well-known from the album, and one I really like . This was the style of song that sort of indicated where Olivia was headed with 'Physical'. But the subdued verses and poppy chorus just sucker you in from the word go. Olivia's voice is so smooth. What a great way to open the album.

'Suddenly' (duet with Cliff Richard)
This is the big love song from the film. It does not enter power ballad territory, and is a standard duet, but the singing from both Cliff and Olivia raise it above the pack to become a seriously good love song.

'Dancin'' (performed with The Tubes)
This is the weird mash-up of rock and 1940s swing. This song is strange, but, so help me, I enjoy it. Some of the merging is not what I would call "seamless", but it is still so much fun.

'Suspended In Time'
The slow, sad ballad Olivia sings after Zeus sends Sonny back to Earth without her, it is not a bad song, but it is really just a standard late 70s, early 80s ballad, the sort Olivia could do in her sleep.

'Whenever You're Away From Me' (duet with Gene Kelly)
1940s swing tune, handled with aplomb by both singers. This album is already quite the eclectic mix. I wonder what people of the time thought of having this sort of music in their synth-pop/rock music? Still, as I do not mind some big band jazz, I quite like this track.

Side two now, and this is called the "ELO side". These are the Electric Light Orchestra songs on the album. That is an interesting way of splitting the music between the two artists, instead of having the tracks in the order they appear in the film. I don't mind, to be honest, and one of my friends loved it because he only listened to side two on his copy. His loss.

'I'm Alive'
The song that plays when the Muses come to life from the wall at the start of the film. The film version is longer, I am sure, but as an album track, this is a great song. You cannot fail to know who it is by. The chorus is one of those falsetto Jeff Lynne trademark ones that just invites you to sing along. I really like this track.

'The Fall'
Starts slow, builds up to a soaring chorus, goes slow, builds up, the drums pound away…, it's quite the mix of a song, but I really like it. It is different from most of the rest of the ELO stuff here, and that helps it stand out.

'Don't Walk Away'
Standard ELO ballad, verging on power ballad territory , but that's okay, because it is a fine song in its own right. I am a bit of a fan of ELO, and this album is the reason I got into them.

'All Over The World'
The song playing while Gene Kelly had fun with dressing weirdly, this is one of my favourite songs on the album. I enjoy the way Lynne sings, the music and just the whole upbeat feel of the track. Like I said, ELO are great.

'Xanadu' (featuring Olivia Newton-John on vocals)
And we finish the album with the biggest hit, topping charts all over the world, with Olivia fitting perfectly into the title track, and ELO backing her without a hitch. On the Flashback career-spanning box-set, there is a version with Jeff Lynne doing the vocals, but this one with Olivia is perfect. Yes, it is a perfect piece of 1980s pop. In fact, I am sure I have read an interview where Lynne claims it is one of the best songs he has written. Hard to argue.

How can a soundtrack album have only one track that didn't resonate with me? This is such a strong album, and even away from the film, it is definitely worth getting hold of and having a listen.

This should be released as a combo set now. These two are such great bits of fun and don't we all need some fun nowadays? Both recommended.