Blade Runner

Some scores accompany a film. This one defines it. I’ve listened to Vangelis’s Blade Runner soundtrack more times than I’ve seen the movie—and that film is one of my all-time favorites. That’s how iconic this music is. A haunting blend of synth, atmosphere, and emotion, the score paints its own dystopian dreamscape—equal parts melancholy and wonder. It doesn’t just echo the film’s noir future—it is the noir future. This isn’t just a soundtrack. It’s a portal. Blade Runner remains my favorite film score of all time. Truly stellar.

Nice addition Tears in Rain will go down in history - contrary to the meaning of the phrase

Vangelis is a badass

Another soundtrack that deserves its place in this list. The movie would not be nearly amazing without this music, and it's an interesting and cohesive listen on its own.

I know it's a forbidden gem- a soundtrack, but this is truly one of the greatest of all time and is exempt. It's stands on it's own as a work of art. Superb.

I've heard this a couple of times before. Interesting pick! Would never have thought of it. The ambient soundscape vibe is something I fiddle with at work from time to time. Great with headphones. Or while stoned lol. And fuck, I know it's cliche to say it, but the tears in rain monologue is one of the best movie moments of all time. Just perfect in this setting, too. 4/5.

Interesting to put a movie soundtrack on here. I'll admit, I've never seen Blade Runner but I know the plot of it well enough through pop culture osmosis. It was an interesting listen to and does exactly what you want movie scores to do: fade into the background. A little annoying at times with the dialogue, but otherwise this was a good score. I also really noticed in Blade Runner Blues how it's heavily influenced by Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd. That's a good thing. That song rocks. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes. If Shaft is on the OG list, why not this?

I listen to this almost weekly. A slam dunk for me personally, and an easy argument for one of the top 10 soundtracks of all time

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die..." Simply put, the cinematic magic of Blade Runner would have been impossible to reach without Vangelis. Which is why I'm stoked someone thought of this album. The only gripe I have with the latter, actually, is that the "minimalistic" version of the Main Titles, before the film starts proper, can't be found anywhere in that official version of the soundtrack. And it is not even found in disk 2 from the three-volume Anniversary edition -- although this second volume includes other pivotal music pieces taken from the movie that were absent from the first disk. Don't bother listening to disk 3, by the way, it's the Greek composer later trying to catch that genius spark that had seized him when he originally worked on the film, but given the inconsequential doodles there, those experimental attempts are mostly a failure. But yeah, the rest is stellar. it's evocative, dreamy, nightmarish, moving and filled with all sorts of mysterious sonic details, from weird electronic glitches to organic percussions or mellifluous middle-eastern touches -- suggesting a complex self-contained universe that gives extra depth to the whole thing. Just like other Vangelis' works, this soundtrack is also highly melodic -- obviously in very minor scales, which preserves us from the quaint flavors the man was sometimes also known for elsewhere. And even when Vangelis goes major here, like in the "Main Titles", there is still something downright sinister in the execution of those grand proceedings, in keeping with the mood of the motion picture. The way Film Noir tropes are here conflated with Sci-Fi-inspired tones and soundscapes is just so damn perfect. The heartrending synth solo in "Blade Runner Blues" especially shines in that regard. As for Dick Morrissey's saxophone performance on the "Love Theme", it is so over-the-top it sure borders on cheesiness, yet this music so obviously screams "cinema" in your ears that I don't think you need to have seen the film to dig the intent here. Just perfect, as I said. Of course, for me it's impossible to separate this soundtrack for the movie, one of my all-time favorites. As dystopian as it looked, I wanted to live in something similar to Deckard's messy appartement when I was a teen... This flick left such an huge imprint on my soul, I readily admit such emotional connection fuels my very subjective enthusiasm for this one album. That said, and without a shred of doubt in my mind, this record is also Vangelis' magnum opus, whether for film or not, and it's been incredibly influential throughout the years, just like Ridley Scott's cinematography. You can't count the acts using synths which, at some point or another, took a page out of this particular soundbook Mr. Papathaniassou left us here. And all those musical moments will *not* be lost in time, like tears in rain. At least not any time soon. Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 36 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 44 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 91 ---- Émile, quelques réponses au dessus.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Main titles, Blush response, Rachel’s song, Blade runner blues, End titles

Cool soundtrack

Not something I would have thought to listen to but very much enjoyed, juxtaposition of the film's speeches versus the slow, tentative and beautiful music works really well.

I've seen the movie maybe a half dozen times, in a variety of cuts, never occurred to me to listen to the soundtrack. It manages to be something timeless while still very much reflecting the era of its creation. I'm not sure the bits of incorporated movie dialog really add anything though.

A really amazing soundtrack, love it.

Yeah I appreciated this! It was a good listen and what a good soundtrack for the film. Atmospheric, futuristic but also vintage. Good stuff! Nice to have a soundtrack on here.

I'm not a huge Blade Runner fan - it's a bad film with a good ending - but there's no denying that the soundtrack and visuals combine to create a coherent sense of where and when this film is set. This expanded version of the OST includes tracks that I don't remember from the film. It's occasionally a bit too cheesy and atonal, but I love those soaring, squelchy synths.

This is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. A moody, atmospheric masterpiece that somehow avoids all the dated traps of early-'80s synth. Sure, there’s some of that horny sax and glossy synth you’d expect, but here it works. It evokes noir, tension, and longing, exactly what the film needs, and becomes something entirely its own. The original album (Disc 1) is stunning, with Tears in Rain and the End Titles standing out. Maybe skip One More Kiss, Dear. That 1930s crooner moment feels like someone wandered in from another record entirely. Disc 2 on the 3-CD version is a brilliant expansion of the Blade Runner universe: deeper cuts, ambient textures, and lost fragments that could’ve been used in the film or a cyberpunk dream. Disc 3? Not for me. The orchestral reworkings strip away the grit and replace it with polite sheen. I’ll pass. This isn’t just a soundtrack. It’s the moodboard for sci-fi ambience. I’m hearing echoes of this in every space sim I’ve ever played (Stellaris, Endless Space, Master of Orion etc.) they seem to all owe a debt. This is Vangelis at his absolute peak, leagues above Chariots of Fire and certainly above his other works. Essential listening, even if you’ve never seen the film. This one should've been included on the original list, and I can think of dozens that could've made space for this one.

I have never actually seen blade runner, the original or the remake… Allowing for that fact makes the fact this soundtrack even impressive to me. Movie scores are underrepresented on the list, so clearly room to add this one.

Though the film is one of my favourites, I've never given the soundtrack a proper listen before. It's great, of course, and a lot more diverse than I'd predicted. Some tracks are reminiscent of something Boards of Canada would later make. Perhaps if I had listened to this more times it could get to a 5, but for now it will be a strong 4

Torn here – there's no denying that this score works exceptionally well in the context of the film, but as a solo listen it leaves something to be desired. The genre-defining ambience and scale of Vangelis' soundscapes are undeniable on this LP, but separated from the dark, brooding world of the film there's a substantial loss of impact that leaves the synth-washed tracks drifting on their own. Not a fan of the movie dialogue mixed in over the actual score as well. Tough call overall, warrants a discussion on what makes a great film score vs. a great album - there's an inherent parasitism between the two forms of media, but to me the best soundtracks can stand on their own musically at the end of the day.

Great movie, good soundtrack. 3 stars.

Electronic, new-age, ambient. Ni fu ni fa.

Nice electronic soundtrack of Vangelis. The movie with the classic Tears in the Rain lines of Rutger Hauer is of course fantastic. This score is supporting the movie as a score is supposed to be, but musically sounding like a 1980s album from 1994.

Like I’m really there

If we are going to crack open the motion picture soundtrack genre (which maybe we did with Air’s The Virgin Suicides already?) I think there are choices ahead of this one to put on such a list. Maybe a different list of 101 motion picture soundtracks to listen to before you die might be an interesting endeavor. As it stands, I don’t dislike this but it just isn’t something I’d add to this list.

It's ok when you're watching the movie...

The soundtrack is great when you’re watching the world around it. Just listening to the synths and snippets of dialogue makes me want to watch the movie but doesn’t make me love the album. Great score but standalone album it doesn’t hit the mark. 4.7/10

I like chariots of fire, but this was a bit much. Perhaps if I knew the film better I might have engaged more.