What A Good Score! – #37: The Day of the Dead by John Harrison

What A Good Score is a new series here at Off The Tracks – looking at movie soundtracks, the good, the band and the astounding…

If Day of the Dead isn’t my my favourite film of the zombie trilogy — and I’m pretty sure it is, it’s just fun, and launches straight into it, I love the dizzying feeling of the way the film starts, dumps us right in there — then it’s most certainly the one with my favourite soundtrack.

John Harrison has an intriguing set of film credits, and has been involved in almost every angle and aspect. He’s been a director (Tales From The Darkside: The Movie), writer (Book Of Blood), executive producer (Dune, Dune: Part Two), and an actor (Dawn of The Dead). But he’s best known — to me at least — for his amazing work as a composer (Effects, Tales From The Darkside). And if he was ever better than his work here on 1984’s Day of the Dead, it was for 1982’s Creepshow. I own both on double vinyl — both the Waxwork Records reissues from recent years, with the lovely thick cardboard covers and coloured vinyl — here’s the Day of the Dead one.

I found this one via YouTube first, I made a giant playlist folder of various horror scores, and this was one of my favourites; repeat play instantly. So I ordered the vinyl — and I’m sure glad to have it.

The film was one I had watched when I was much younger, but it has been fun rewatching it a couple of times because of this soundtrack, and my love for these squelchy synth sounds.

Some 25 years ago, or near enough, the first Gorillaz album was a firm favourite, but something bugged me about the song M1 A1, it’s demented “hello? Hello?” under dramatic keyboard stabs. I knew this sample, but couldn’t quite locate it. It was something I’d heard when I was younger. Turns out it’s the opening of the film Day of the Dead, and it was such a revelation to line that all up.

In some weird way, and I guess this is what I aim to find with many of the soundtracks I love and collect, I feel like Day of The Dead almost tells its own story when you listen to it as an album; it has the twists and turns of more dramatic and action-based sequences vs. the contemplative, calm-before-storm moments.

I also just love the synth explosion across the horror/sci-fi films of, particularly, the very mid-80s. Those same instruments powering so many of the pop and post-punk songs of the time too; the ‘band’ du jour.

It’s one of the albums I always reach for — when I want to kick back into a big soundtrack session, when I’m working, when I’m reading, even to help me drift off to sleep sometimes. It’s been good driving music. It’s been good staring out the window music (not while driving). It’s been a firm favourite across the last decade in particular. And it’s really helped me reconnect with the film and its franchise.