Three O’Clock High was an offbeat take on the ’80s high school comedy. Stylishly directed by Phil Joanou (U2’s Rattle and Hum, State of Grace, Final Analysis), the film is more Scorsese than John Hughes, starring Casey Siemaszko as a nerd forced into an afterschool rumble with a psychopath bully, played by Richard Tyson. The film became a cult hit on home video, and is helped enormously by its moody, dynamic, pulsating score by German synthpop legends Tangerine Dream (Sorcerer, Thief, Risky Business).
Director Joanou was desperate for the band to score the film and was overjoyed when they agreed: “The Berlin sessions with Edgar Froese and Paul Haslinger were a (tangerine) dream come true,” he writes in new liner notes for this release. “At their studio next to the Berlin Wall, we worked for several weeks crafting each cue… The things they could coax out of a keyboard, as well as guitars, bass, and drums, were just incredible. I was blown away.”
Out of circulation for decades, Three O’Clock High is presented in remastered form for this long overdue release, with Tangerine Dream’s 15 tracks supplemented by additional music by Sylvester Levay (when the filmmakers needed more cues and couldn’t afford to return to Berlin) and the prominent song by Jim Walker, “Something to Remember Me By.”
Track Listing
It’s Jerry’s Day Today 0:44
46-32-15 0:47
No Detention 1:04
Any School Bully Will Do 0:33
Go To The Head Of The Class 3:12
Sit 0:47
The Fight 2:36
Jerry’s Decisions 4:28
The Fight Is On 4:42
Paper 1:28
Big Bright Brass Knuckles 1:19
Buying Paper Like It’s Going Out Of Style 1:38
Dangerous Trend 0:54
Who’s Chasing Who 0:59
Bonding By Candlelight 1:35
You’ll Never Believe It 2:20
Starting The Day Off Right 1:16
Weak At The Knees 2:34
Kill Him (The Football Dummy) 1:04
Not So Quiet In The Library / Get Lost In A Crowd 1:36
Something To Remember Me By 4:13
Arrival 2:10
