February 15, 2019
Vintage Unreleased Richard Band Comic-Horror Score Comes to CD
Dragon’s Domain Records presents the world premiere soundtrack release of DR. HECKYL AND MR. HYPE, to be distributed through buysoundtrax.com. DR. HECKYL AND MR. HYPE features music composed by Richard Band for the 1980 science fiction/horror film written and directed by Charles B. Griffith (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), starring Oliver Reed, Sunny Johnson, Mel Welles, and the late Dick Miller.
Released in 1980, DR. HECKYL AND MR. HYPE tells the story of Dr. Heckyl (Reed), an atrociously ugly, malformed podiatrist who falls in love with one of his patients. When his colleague, Dr. Hinkle (Welles) develops an ‘instant diet paste’ that reduces his fat patients to skinny babes, Heckyl steals a vial and drinks it down – and finds himself transformed into Hype (also Reed), a handsome, hedonistic but violently self-absorbed ladies’ man. Soon, the transformations become more frequent and uncontrollable, with Hype reverting back to Heckyl at the most inappropriate of times.
HECKYL AND MR. HYPE was Richard Band’s third film score, following LASERBLAST (a collaboration with Joel Goldsmith) and THE DAY TIME ENDED. Following the completion of DR. HECKYL AND MR. HYPE, Band’s film musical career began to take off with scores like PARASITE, HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW, METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN, RE-ANIMATOR, and FROM BEYOND, becoming a genre favorite for nearly forty decades.
Band’s music for the film is a mixture of orchestra and electronics, considered a unique approach in those days as synthesizers were still relatively in their infancy in film music. The score was recorded with a small orchestra of 20 – 22 pieces, small string, brass and woodwind sections, along with two percussionists and augmented by synthesizers.
The soundtrack album is presented in a limited edition release of 500 units, and includes liner notes written by author Randall D. Larson, with the participation of the composer. DR. HECKYL AND MR. HYPE will begin shipping on the week of March 3, 2019 and can be ordered at buysoundtrax
(The first 50 copies ordered through the website will be autographed by the composer at no extra charge).
