Various Artists - Grease - Original Soundtrack (2 LP)

Grease was a huge success as a Broadway musical prior to hitting the big screen in 1978. That was the version that transformed Grease into a phenomenon -- it was a runaway box office success, and then became a TV, cable, and video favorite. The soundtrack rivaled its film counterpart as a pop culture perennial, and it's not hard to see why -- its good-natured pastiche of doo wop and early rock & roll is infectious and charming, due in no small part to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's charismatic, engaging performances. They sing the majority of the originals -- "Summer Nights," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "You're the One That I Want," "Sandy," "Greased Lightnin'" -- which were the reason why the film and soundtrack became blockbusters. The fact that the originals hold up better than the '50s tunes is largely due to Sha Na Na's workmanlike performances, but the originals are so giddily enjoyable -- not only the quintet mentioned above, but also Frankie Avalon's "Beauty School Dropout," Stockard Channing's "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee," and Frankie Valli's title track -- that everything works. Some listeners may prefer the Broadway cast recording, but the fact of the matter is, the sleek pop production the movie's soundtrack boasts and the cast's enthusiastic performances go a long way in making this Grease the definitive Grease. [Grease was re-released as a two-LP set in 2015.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Producers: Louis St. Louis, John Farrar, Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson.
Recorded at Filmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, United Western Studios, and Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Electronic, Rock, Stage & Screen
  
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Track Listing:

A1 Frankie Valli– Grease
A2 John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John & Cast*– Summer Nights
A3 Olivia Newton-John– Hopelessly Devoted To You
A4 John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John– You're The One That I Want
A5 John Travolta– Sandy
B1 Frankie Avalon– Beauty School Drop-Out
B2 Stockard Channing– Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee
B3 John Travolta– Greased Lightnin'
B4 Cindy Bullens– It's Raining On Prom Night
B5 Unknown Artist– Alone At The Drive-In Movie (Instrumental)
B6 Sha-Na-Na*– Blue Moon
C1 Sha-Na-Na*– Rock N' Roll Is Here To Stay
C2 Sha-Na-Na*– Those Magic Changes
C3 Sha-Na-Na*– Hound Dog
C4 Sha-Na-Na*– Born To Hand Jive
C5 Sha-Na-Na*– Tears On My Pillow
C6 Louis St. Louis & Cindy Bullens– Mooning
D1 Cindy Bullens– Freddy, My Love
D2 Louis St. Louis– Rock N' Roll Party Queen
D3 Stockard Channing– There Are Worse Things I Could Do
D4 Olivia Newton-John– Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)
D5 John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John & Cast*– We Go Together
D6 Unknown Artist– Love Is A Many Splendored Thing (Instrumental)
D7 Frankie Valli– Grease (Reprise)