Death Waltz Records Has Awakened An Amazing Vinyl Edition of the ‘They Live’ Soundtrack

 

It took the world long enough but it seems that finally the world has caught up and realized that John Carpenter kicks ass. His cult classics have been getting deluxe Blu-ray editions from Shout! Factory. The 2018 sequel to his classic Halloween was a box office smash. Perhaps no film in Carpenter’s extensive filmography of cult hits has endured and taken on new significance than his 1989 sci-fi film They Live, where a characters simply named Nada (Rowdy Roddy Piper) discovers a pair of sunglasses that lets him see the way in which the world has been reshaped by alien invaders. The political science fiction film has endured thanks to its witty dialogue and unique concept, but also like so many of Carpenter’s film it features a memorable score by the director himself. Now the score for They Live has landed on vinyl with a new colored vinyl pressing from the good people at Mondo and Death Waltz Records.

John Carpenter’s score for They Live has some of the trademarks often associated with the director’s musical compositions – it employs eerie synths as a way to amplify the unsettling oddities on the screen. However, with They Live Carpenter employed a variation on his usual style, utilizing guitar and harmonica to create the kind of cool, strut-worthy sounds of a soundtrack by the legendary Ennio Morricone (who, if you’ll recall, scored Carpenter’s immortal classic The Thing). It’s a sound that works thematically with the character of Nada, a man with no name much like a certain character in films scored by Morricone directed by Sergio Leone.

The Death Waltz Records edition of the They Live soundtrack is a vinyl edition made by people who love They Live for people who absolutely love They Live. The gatefold cover of this special edition is a pair of sunglasses, reading on each side “We Sleep” and “They Live.” Within the kick-ass record cover is a glossy booklet with all sorts of little nods to the iconic imagery of the film, including one extremely clever addition that makes you think it’s a mistake. Perhaps my favorite little nod to the film is a little comic strip on the back of the booklet in the style of the old Bazooka Joe comics. Anyone who understands the significance of bubble gum in They Live will instantly love the little comic strip.

Death Waltz Records provides two options for its colored vinyl – the Annihilation of Consciousness (a black and white swirl) or Formaldehyde Face (a blue and purple swirl that resembles the skin tone of the film’s aliens). This is such an impressive set, a collector’s item that fans of They Live and record collectors will cherish for years to come. The Death Waltz Records vinyl edition of the They Live soundtrack is one that can chew bubble gum and kick ass at the same time.