Fame [Bonus Tracks]

1	Fame / Irene Cara 5:16
2	Out Here on My Own / Irene Cara 3:13
3	Hot Lunch Jam / Irene Cara 4:11
4	Dogs in the Yard / Paul McCrane 3:16
5	Red Light / Linda Clifford 6:10
6	Is It OK If I Call You Mine? / Paul McCrane 2:41
7	Never Alone / Contemporary Gospel Chorus 3:23
8	Ralph and Monty (Dressing Room Piano) 1:51
9	I Sing the Body Electric / Laura Dean 5:02
10	Miles from Here / Paul McCrane previously unreleased / Bonus Track 3:01
11	Out Here on My Own Bonus Track / Instrumental Version 3:12
12	Fame Bonus Track / Instrumental Version 5:21

Barnes & Noble

The musical Fame -- about a group of talented students at New York City's High School for the Performing Arts -- was one of the most popular films of the '80s, and the title track, sung by costar Irene Cara, won the Oscar for Best Song of 1981. In 2003, the original multiplatinum-selling soundtrack was digitally remastered and re-released. Alongside favorites such as "Out Here on My Own," "Hot Lunch Jam," "I Sing the Body Electric," and the aforementioned title song, this new version features three bonus tracks: the previously unreleased "Miles from Here" and two sing-along instrumental versions. The disc also features an expanded booklet with additional photos and newly penned liner notes from noted music historian George Feltenstein.

All Music Guide

Given that Rhino/TCM's reissue of the original soundtrack to Alan Parker's 1980 film Fame arrived in spring of 2003, just as American Idol fever was reaching a boiling point, it was hard not to draw comparisons between the two, since both were forms of talent contests featuring talented unknowns desperate for stardom. What the Fame soundtrack reveals is that purposeful, artfully constructed fiction still has an edge over reality TV, since it does place a greater value on craft and therefore knows how to channel the passions of their featured stars better than AmIdol, which tends toward magnificent flameouts. That's also the nature of modern TV. Fame was a film directed by a serious auteur (some would say overly serious, especially in light of the work that came later), who designed the film for posterity, and the same attitude carried over the music. Yes, the production techniques often do sound dated -- the over-reliance on state-of-the-art synthesizer ironically now sounds helplessly tied to the year of its creation -- but the music by Michael Gore is dynamic, varied, and alive, sung with real passion and vigor, and it still retains its essential spark 23 years after it was a pop culture phenomenon. Sure, it's glitzy and glossy, sounding like show tunes, but that's the tradition of this music, and it was done better than most Broadway tunes and movie soundtracks of the '80s. Years later, this still has the spark and vitality of kids trying to make their big break, no matter the kind of music they're singing, and that's one of the main reasons (along with Gore's fine compositions) Fame retains its power and entertainment value years later. Stephen Thomas Erlewine