Great Soundtracks of 1985: Vision Quest

Hollywood continued to use the same formula in it’s film soundtracks in the mid 1980s which I first detected in the soundtrack to “Footloose” the previous year. The formula was to put in songs from a wide spectrum of rock music in order to appeal to a variety of musical tastes. I mean, why else would Madonna being on the same record as the likes of Dio and Sammy Hagar? You could throw in Journey or Foreigner but that would be less surprising. But that’s exactly what they did on the soundtrack to the film “Vision Quest.”

I never saw the film. A film about a high school wrestler and his love life didn’t appeal to me then or now. Hell, I didn’t even know Mathew Modine was in it. I always thought his first film was “Full Metal Jacket,” so that was a little surprising. BTW, that’s his best film in my not so humble opinion.

Back to the soundtrack. The Madonna songs aren’t terrible. If a gun was put to my head and I was forced to choose my favourite Madonna song, it would be the closer from this soundtrack, “Crazy For You.” I almost nearly kind of sort of like that one. Credit where due though, it does make a decent closer for the soundtrack. On the other hand, her other song on her, “Gambler,” doesn’t do anything for me.

Madonna isn’t the only pop song on the “Vision Quest” soundtrack. Paul Weller’s band, The Style Council gives us “Shout to the Top.” Even the name of the band screams 80s synth pop and the track is exactly that. While I never called Don Henley a pop artist, I remain unimpressed with “She’s On the Zoom.” I expected better from the ex- Eagle. The soundtrack also features John Parr who was still riding high from his album the previous year. Actually, “Change” has some good moments with the heavy guitars appearing. Well done John.

Now let’s move towards the good bits. The opening track from Journey, “Only the Young” is more associated with their more 1980s commercial sound than their late 70s progressive rock one. Still, it’s a decent song. Then we get to the two classics, the great “Hot Blooded” from Foreigner and Sammy Hagar’s “I’ll Fall in Love Again.” These two songs together would make any soundtrack or compilation album worth a listen. “Hot Blooded” is my all time favourite Foreigner song to begin with and while Sammy’s isn’t my absolute favourite from him, it’s still a great song.

Finally we come to the two hidden gems. Ronnie Dio’s best decision was to include Dio’s track on here, “Hungry For Heaven” on the album which would come out later on in 1985. It’s a great track, definitely in my top ten of Dio classics. However, there is a true hidden gem on the soundtrack. “Lunatic Fringe” from Canadian rockers Red Rider is truly amazing and hearing this song makes me mad at the fact they never made it south of the border or across the Atlantic. Damn shame if you ask me.

Track Listing:

Journey

1. Journey- Only the Young

2. 

   John Parr

John Parr- Change

3. The Style Council- Shout to the Top

4. Madonna- Gambler

5. Don Henley- She’s On the Zoom

Dio

6. Dio- Hungry for Heaven

7. Red Rider- Lunatic Fringe

Sammy Hagar

8. Sammy Hagar- I’ll Fall in Love Again

Foreigner

9. Foreigner- Hot Blooded

10. Madonna- Crazy For You

Overall, the great tracks on the soundtrack to “Vision Quest” totally outweigh the non great ones. I can put up with a bit of Madonna and a lackluster song from Don Henley if I can get to hear the greats like Dio, Sammy Hagar, Foreigner and the surprisingly good Red Rider. Still, I don’t think I’ll ever watch the movie.

Next post: Rocky IV Soundtrack

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