Mondo’s Releasing Three New Cronenberg Soundtracks On Vinyl

Mondo has been straight-up killing the collectible vinyl game over the last few years. How cool are these albums they're releasing? So cool that I'm legitimately considering buying myself a...what do you people call these things? Record players? Platters? Spinny-tables? Who can say? All I know is, you kids today (with your technology that was relevant back when my parents were "kids today") are making it really hard not to get into this particular hobby.

Case in point: Mondo's just-announced trio of Cronenberg soundtracks, none of which have ever appeared on vinyl before. Featuring music by Howard Shore and some truly incredible artwork, I feel empty and hollow inside knowing that I have no justifiable reason for purchasing these (but I'll probably buy 'em, anyway).

Let's take a look at each album, with notations from Mondo's press release:

NAKED LUNCH (available May 25)

Celebrating its 25 th anniversary, the score for Naked Lunch was composed by three-time Oscar-winner Howard Shore collaborating with both jazz legend Ornette Coleman and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Based on the novel by William S. Burroughs, Cronenberg takes the character of William Lee (Peter Weller) through his drug-fueled escapades through the fictional land of Interzone, while also blending it with a semi-autobiographic story about Burroughs himself. Once referred to as an unfilmable novel, the film Naked Lunch is one of the great book-to- film adaptations, in no small part due to the wildly inventive score by Shore and Coleman. Their collaboration transports you seamlessly into Burroughs' world.

“Naked Lunch is one of the great film scores” wrote Royal S. Brown. “The whole thing, which has been recorded with exceptional depth and warmth, gives a simultaneous impression of simplicity and complexity, of harmony and dissonance, of reality and half dream, rather like Burroughs’ own disturbing visions.”

Available for the first time ever on Vinyl, with original artwork by Rich Kelly.

Here are the specs:

Naked Lunch (1991) - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2XLP

Music By Howard Shore // Ornette Coleman

Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra

Original Artwork by Rich Kelly

25th Anniversary. First time ever on Vinyl.

Available online at mondotees.com May 25th

$35

DEAD RINGERS (available this June)

Based on the novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, Dead Ringers tells the story of identical twin gynecologists—suave Elliot and sensitive Beverly, bipolar sides of one personality—who share the same practice, the same apartment, and the same women. It is a chilling tale, but a high-water mark for the shared filmography of Cronenberg and Shore. 

Shore's score creates a beautiful yet mysterious atmosphere. However, Shore uses the beauty of a string orchestra to represent the sinister. Howard Shore has said that “the music in Dead Ringers works all around the edges. It’s all about subtext.” Shore won the Genie Award for the Dead Ringers score.

We are thrilled to be highlighting Dead Ringers on vinyl for the first time, and featuring original artwork by Randy Ortiz.

And the specs:

Dead Ringers (1988) - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP

Music By Howard Shore

Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra

Original Artwork by Randy Ortiz

First time ever on Vinyl.

Available online at mondotees.com this June

$30

CRASH (available this July)

Crash is an utterly audacious piece of work from Shore—using 6 electric guitars, 3 orchestral harps, 3 woodwinds and 2 percussionists. Shore crafts a meticulous sonic landscape.

Based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, Crash deftly explores the complex interpersonal relationships of a select few, who find themselves colliding head-on with the world of car-crash fetishism. 

Crash is the first Cronenberg film to premiere at Cannes. John Bender wrote “Shore's calculated instrumentation, mostly electronically manipulated guitars, harps and percussion, give Crash a cold and burnished metallic sound.” The perfect companion to an uncompromising filmmaker like David Cronenberg.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of this complex film, Mondo and Howe Records are pleased to present Howard Shore's score for Crash for the first time ever on Vinyl, with original artwork by Rich Kelly.

And, of course, the specs:

Crash (1996) - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2XLP

Music by Howard Shore

Original Artwork by Rich Kelly

20th Anniversary. First time ever on Vinyl.

Available online at mondotees.com this July

$35

Pretty impressive stuff, right? I think the Naked Lunch is my favorite, but that Crash is no slouch, either (it's just the right amount of sexy and disturbing; excellent work, Rich). 

As noted above, the first of these - Naked Lunch - will arrive on Mondo's website sometime tomorrow. Good luck to everyone going after a copy. You're gonna need it.