Xanadu – music by Olivia Newton-John & ELO

At the time of this review, Xanadu doesn’t seem to have been pressed on CD in the States, at least not recently, so I had to get a Japanese import, but at least the Japanese realized where the true value of this movie’s music was and put the ELO tracks first! (Oh, all right, just to be fair, I really, really like Olivia Newton-John’s “Magic”, and the big-band/rock combo “Dancin'” featuring The Tubes is really nifty. There, I admitted it.) Among the ELO tracks, the only weak entry is “Xanadu” itself, but even so it’s not a bad song. It may not be the lost holy grail that ELO fans would really like to hear – Jeff Lynne’s abandoned instrumental score for the movie itself – but in general, the music was better than the movie.

1. I’m Alive (3:47)
2. The Fall (3:36)
3. Don’t Walk Away (4:47)
4. All Over The World (4:05)
5. Xanadu (with Olivia Newton-John) (3:28)
   Olivia Newton-John tracks:
6. Magic (4:28)
7. Suddenly – with Cliff Richard (4:00)
8. Dancin’ – with the Tubes (5:15)
9. Suspended in Time (3:53)
10. Whenever You’re Away From Me / with Gene Kelly (4:18)

Released by: MCA
Release date: 1980
Total running time: 41:37