2017 marks the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever, the hit movie starring John Travolta as Tony Manero. The film was a huge success at the global box office and its soundtrack is one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time. In the US alone it has sold more than 16 million copies and in the UK it stayed at number 1 for 18 consecutive weeks after its release. To celebrate the anniversary of the film and the soundtrack, an expanded and remastered version of the soundtrack has been released.
I’m pretty sure everyone in the world has, or has heard, the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. It’s that rare soundtrack where it’s all killer, no filler. The soundtrack is dominated by songs from the Bee Gees, and it features their best-known songs. From the disco shuffle of Stayin’ Alive through to the disco classic If I Can’t Have You, which was written by the trio but performed by Yvonne Elliman, they really captured a moment in music. It’s testament to the quality of these songs that they are still regularly played 40 years on.
How Deep is Your Love, which was re-popularised when Take That covered it in the 90s, is one of the only downtempo moments on the soundtrack and it breezes by delightfully giving you a short respite from the uptempo pace of the other songs. Night Fever puts the Bee Gees’ high-pitched vocals at the fore and it’s such a damn catchy song it’s impossible not to bop away the minute it comes on.
Two versions of More Than a Woman appear on the soundtrack – the original Bee Gees version and a slightly groovier version by Tavares. Other artists that appear on the soundtrack include The Trammps (Disco Inferno) KC & The Sunshine Band (Boogie Shoes) and David Shire who provides several instrumental moments. Composter Walter Murphy famously reworked Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony into disco jam A Fifth of Beethoven.
The anniversary edition of the soundtrack features a second disc with four remixes by Serban Ghenea. Serban has taken on Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, How Deep is Your Love and You Should Be Dancing. Each of the songs is louder than the original versions and packs a heavier beat.
Saturday Night Fever really changed the way that soundtracks were perceived and definitely impacted on how they are formed in the modern day. The soundtrack is more successful than the film and it’s become an absolute classic. If you don’t own it, or want to hear these classic songs remastered, then this new addition is a must-have for your collection.
[brid video=”186049″ player=”531″ title=”Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive Version 1 (Video)”]
Track listing: Disc 1: 1. Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees) 2. How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees) 3. Night Fever (Bee Gees) 4. More Than A Woman (Bee Gees) 5. If I Can’t Have You (Yvonne Elliman) 6. A Fifth Of Beethoven (Walter Murphy) 7. More Than A Woman (Tavares) 8. Manhattan Skyline (David Shire) 9. Calypso Breakdown (Ralph McDonald) 10. Night On Disco Mountain (David Shire) 11. Open Sesame (Kool and The Gang) 12. Jive Talkin’ (Bee Gees) 13. You Should Be Dancing (Edit) (Bee Gees) 14. Boogie Shoes (KC And The Sunshine Band) 15. Salsation (David Shire) 16. K-Jee (M.F.S.B.) 17. Disco Inferno (The Trammps) Disc 2: 1. Stayin’ Alive (Serban Mix) (Bee Gees) 2. Night Fever (Serban Mix) (Bee Gees) 3. How Deep Is Your Love (Serban Mix) (Bee Gees) 4.You Should Be Dancing (Serban Mix) (Bee Gees) Record label: Virgin EMI Release date: 17th November 2017
