‘Cruising’ Vinyl Soundtrack Being Released For The Very First Time Via Waxwork Records

By Chris Evangelista/March 1, 2019 10:30 am EST

In 1980, William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, The French Connection and more, released Cruising, starring Al Pacino. The film was already controversial before anyone had actually seen a single frame. The plot involves Pacino’s character, a cop named Steve Burns, going undercover in New York’s S&M spots, trying to track down a serial killer preying on gay men. When word of this subject matter got out, many in the gay community were outraged, not just because the film involved a subplot full of violence directed towards homosexuals, but also because many feared Friedkin would portray the gay community in a negative, even judgmental light. Friedkin insisted he had no intention of doing that, but protests continued all throughout the shoot.

“I simply used the background of the S&M world to do a murder mystery,” Friedkin said years later. “But the timing of it was difficult because of what had been happening to gay people…many critics who wrote for gay publications or the underground press felt that the film was not the best foot forward as far as gay liberation was concerned, and they were right. Now it’s reevaluated as a film. It could be found wanting as a film, but it no longer has to undergo the stigma of being an anti-gay screed, which it never was.”

Critics didn’t care for Cruising upon release, and it was only a moderate box office success. In the years since its release however, some have come to appreciate the film, giving it a cult following in the process. Now, Waxwork Records is releasing the full Cruising soundtrack for the very first time, complete with an essay written by Friedkin. Here are the details:

Waxwork’s Cruising Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Score features the complete music recorded for the film pressed to 180 gram Blue, Black, and White colored vinyl, a 12"x12" booklet featuring an exclusive essay by director William Friedkin on the intense making of the film and creation of it’s music, album design and layout by Aesthetic Apparatus, triple gatefold jackets with satin coating and spot UV gloss, and all music sourced and re-mastered from the original master tapes.

CRUISING Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Score:

Side A

Side B

Side C

Side D

Side E

Side F

On Sale Friday, March 1st 2019 from Waxwork Records.

The great remote remastered 3-disc soundtrack With the Germs, Cripples, Mink DeVille, every Track we recorded, even more than are in the film, From Waxworks pic.twitter.com/DgOxoGsouj

— William Friedkin (@WilliamFriedkin) February 27, 2019