Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Score Getting Vinyl and Cassette Release
Few cinematic events of the year are tied as closely to its music as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and while the series' soundtracks have always been compelling components of their success, the scores are equally integral to capturing the spirit of each adventure. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is no different, with John Murphy's score capturing the emotional and exciting experience, and while the score is currently available on digital platforms, it will also be getting a release on vinyl and on cassette. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Original Score hits vinyl on May 5th and lands on cassette on July 7th.
Per press release, "Adding to the in-camera action is [writer/director James] Gunn's love for music -- even planting music into his screenplays from the very first draft. Gunn has mastered the art of creating 'needle-drop moments' where a song pulls audiences right into the moment. Using playback with the selected songs allowed the actors to step into the world, on the other side of the edit, which also helps with their performances."
"Writer/director James Gunn admits it was a difficult task to choose the music for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. 'I was never confident in it until I did the first screenings and people reacted so well to it,' says the filmmaker. 'I kept changing what the music was going to be in the script. I knew that we had the Zune, so I knew that it was going to be off that, and I could've stuck with all '70s music like in the first two movies. I could've moved on and just done '80s or I could've done just '90s, because there's a lot of good spacey Brit pop from the '90s. In the end, I decided that I was going to do a mix of different types of music and hope that it didn't fight each other.'
"For Chris Pratt, Gunn's choices just led to another awesome mixtape. 'Music has been a huge part of the Guardians of the Galaxy," Pratt explains. 'The first Awesome Mix was the one Peter Quill's mother gave him and he took to space. This was the music that defined who he was. In the second movie, it was a tape that she had left him that he never opened for fear that it was the last thing he'd ever see of her. But finally he opens it and that gives us the soundtrack for the second film. Then the third film is all music that comes off of the Zune that was given to Peter Quill by Yondu. That music moves out of the '70s and into bands like Beastie Boys and Radiohead and Faith No More. The music has continued to help the franchise evolve, and there's some great music to accompany you on this ride.'
"Gunn's style of writing the song titles in the script and then playing the songs over scenes on set resonates with the actors. As Karen Gillan tells us: 'Everything has been decided already, and all of the songs are written into the script. We also received a playlist before starting to get us in the zone. Every time there's a song in the movie, they play it on set whenever the music cue is set to kick in, so it feels like we're in the movie already. We definitely get a feel for it. The music just really unites everybody in a scene, and it just sets the tone. It's a kind of fun, cool thing, and everybody always gets excited when the music plays. It kind of injects us with a little extra energy.'
"Sean Gunn concurs and adds, 'You can't overestimate how important it can be to understand what a scene feels like when the song is playing, and you know what it's going to sound like. It's one of the coolest things about working on a Guardians movie. The songs are built into the fabric of the scenes. It's a vital, creative part of the process just like set design or costume design. The texture of the sound is built into everything we do.'
"Gunn tapped British composer John Murphy to score the film. Murphy most recently worked with Gunn on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and The Suicide Squad.
"'James is the most musically savvy director I've ever worked with and I'm very proud of the score we created,' comments Murphy. 'I was already a huge Guardians fan, so to be a part of this special film has been an honor and a joy.'"
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Original Score hits vinyl on May 5th and lands on cassette on July 7th.
Will you be adding the score to your collection? Let us know in the comments!