Heavy metal soundtrack: a practical guide

The heavy metal soundtrack from 1981 is the music behind the cult animated film Heavy Metal, built from science fiction and fantasy stories in the magazine of the same name. It is not one band playing a score. It is a compilation, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Journey, Stevie Nicks, Sammy Hagar and more, each contributing a song. This guide walks you through what is on it, how long it runs, what a copy costs in 2024, and which pressing to buy. Ten minutes of reading, no prior knowledge needed.

01What the Heavy Metal soundtrack actually is

The album is a various-artists compilation, not a single-composer score. Elektra released it in 1981 alongside the film, catalog number Elektra 60691, and the CD edition followed much later, shipping date 14 March 1995. Total running time: 62 minutes and 3 seconds.

That matters more than it sounds. A traditional film score is written by one composer to fit scenes. Here, the producers licensed existing and newly written rock songs and dropped them into the animation. The result plays like a mixtape of 1981 hard rock and new wave, which is exactly why it aged well.

If you want the opposite approach, one composer building a single musical world, start with our guide to the best soundtrack video game, where the score is written to react to the player. Different craft entirely.

Notice who is missing from the credits: no Metallica, no Iron Maiden, no Judas Priest. In 1981 those bands were either brand new or not yet the names a Hollywood producer would license. The heaviest thing here is Black Sabbath, and it arrives at track 13.

Photo: Brett Jordan · Pexels

02Sammy Hagar and the title track

The album opens with Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal" at 3:52, and that choice sets the tone for everything after it. Hagar wrote and performed the title song specifically for the film, and it is the track most people mean when they search for the sammy hagar heavy metal soundtrack version.

Two other songs carry the film's name, which confuses a lot of buyers. Don Felder's "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" sits at track 6 and runs 4:59, nearly a minute longer than Hagar's. They are different songs by different artists, and both belong on the record. If you are hunting for one specific track and only remember the title, check the artist name before you buy.

That three-way overlap is the single most common source of wrong purchases on this album. The second most common? Buying the vinyl when you wanted the CD.

The 2LP spreads the album over four sides, A through D, four songs each, which means more dead wax and more surface noise between tracks, but also louder grooves. The Black Sabbath cut on side D is the live version of "The Mob Rules" from the 2000 remaster, not the studio take, so if you know that song from the original album you will hear a difference.

Prices move. The figures above are list prices, and used copies swing widely depending on condition and pressing. Check the sleeve for ring wear before you pay collector money.

Photo: Diana ✨ · Pexels

03How to listen in the right order

Play it front to back once, then build your own sequence. The original order alternates mood deliberately, Devo's clipped new wave at track 3 breaks up the guitar wall, and Stevie Nicks closes the record on a completely different emotional note.

If you came here from game music, the comparison is worth making. A record like this is fixed, the same 62 minutes every time. A game score is not. That gap is the whole reason adaptive music exists, and you can hear the ancestor of it in the Sonic original soundtrack, where the music shifts with the level.

One more thing before the FAQ: the album has never been a "greatest hits of metal" list, and treating it as one leads to disappointment.

FAQ

How many songs are on the Heavy Metal soundtrack?

Sixteen. The program runs 62 minutes and 3 seconds in total, from Sammy Hagar's opening title track to Stevie Nicks closing with "Blue Lamp."

Who performs the title song?

Sammy Hagar performs "Heavy Metal" at 3:52. Don Felder performs a separate song, "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)," at 4:59. Two different tracks, two different artists.

Is the soundtrack all heavy metal?

No. It is a rock compilation from 1981 and includes new wave from Devo, soft rock from Journey, and solo work from Stevie Nicks and Donald Fagen. Black Sabbath is the heaviest name on the bill.

What does the CD cost?

The new CD list price is about $11.99. The 2LP vinyl edition lists at about $34.98. Used prices vary with condition.

Where can I hear it?

Streaming services carry the album, and physical copies appear on the Rhino store and through secondhand sellers. The catalog ID to search for is Elektra 60691.

If you want to hear how far soundtrack craft has traveled since 1981, the Zelda Ocarina of Time soundtrack is a good next stop, same idea of music serving a story, built with tools nobody had in 1981.

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