John Carpenter – Assault On Precinct 13 (The Original Motion Picture Score)

OK so I have finally found a relatively noise free copy of this score on my third attempt. Very pleased to have done so as this in some ways was the soundtrack to my childhood. I being mesmerised by the dark electronic music as a young teenager watching the film on TV for the first time. Looking back it helped form my musical DNA and subsequent addiction to similar music.

Yep, this release on Death Waltz is a total rip off. Especially for the $80+ price it goes for now for a USED copy. PLEASE, for anyone reading this, do yourself a favor and purchase the AFFORDABLE 12” EP of “Assault On Precinct 13” on Sacred Bones (2016). There’s no need to purchase the full LP on Death Waltz which is 85% high hat sounds throughout the ENTIRE record. I read in a John Carpenter interview that he was surprised they wanted to release this as a full soundtrack since there is next to zero music content. And that’s coming from the man himself! I’m assuming most people want the Precinct 13 soundtrack for the classic main title. The 12” EP on Sacred Bones sounds nearly IDENTICAL to the original but with better fidelity. Go on YouTube and play both versions back to back. Compare for yourself. Sounds like the same synths and everything. Sound quality is excellent, full and rich. Absolutely no need to pay big bucks for this rip off pressing on Death Waltz with fake song titles. The 12” on Sacred Bones is all you need. You won’t regret it.

This is my favorite record of all time, this particular release came with a heavy duty hard cover gatefold sleeve complete with some film notes and a small poster. The record itself looks incredible with a cool vintage burn-in look for the middle covers. The only downside is the record is a little on the thin side but the sound quality is great! For anyone curious like I was, this is the ORIGINAL soundtrack used for the movie, this hasn't been remastered or reorchestrated by any means except maybe to sound a bit better on vinyl.

I highly recommend this for any fans of the movie or anyone looking for that vintage John Carpenter electronic sound!

The music here is superb. Carpenter’s apparently semi-improvised theme, recorded in a single day, is killer. As an LP, it’s short (Playing at 45rpm) & centres on three main motifs. The way it plays with these in different settings is like a good dub album. Enjoyable.

A few points about the Death Waltz Vanilla pressing -

The graphics are beautiful. Heavy gatefold that makes that great sound when you open it (vinyl lovers will know it!). But - they got the gatefold graphics upside down, and one page of the booklet is printed in the wrong order!

Finally - it’s a fairly noisy press. I know this is a 2013 release and an audience has solidified for these kinds of releases, but I wish they would concentrate on getting the vinyl crisp. That’s far more preferable to a poster I’ll never use & a booklet I’ll read once (nice as they are).

The recent Carpenter reissues on Silva Screen have no spot varnish cover/poster etc. - but they sound great! No surface noise, more dynamic. That’s the important bit.

Remarkable music!

Be careful, I had to buy the disc twice to find a copy without manufacture defect.
The first had strong noise on both face during the 5 first seconds. Ask to the seller before buying !
Second copy I bought was perfect.
Too bad there is no 70's original version...
But, if you get a good copy the sound is very good, and carpenter, at the top !

What? This is one of Carpenter's best! It works precisely because the same material repeats in variations. Also, the tone of the synths and drum machines are absolutely perfect. I have many of Carpenter's soundtracks on vinyl and find this to be the one I spin the most.

Some copies snuck past the subscription, I bought mine, new and sealed in a Hobart record store.

Amazing soundtrack but extremely poor packaging for this release. No infos, no booklet, no credits. Avoid.

In my opinion the worst John Carpenter's OST........why a full lp if a four tracker was enough?.Boring as hell

After wondering if there were a missing entry for a rare & long forgotten minor 1970's release, it dawned on me that this is pretty much where the king of horror & accidental king of minimal dark synth theme's (alongside Alan Howarth) began that journey; Even the following now cult classic 'Halloween' didn't get a western score release until several years after it's screening, as their wasn't yet an audience for listening to the music, independent from the images & unfolding stories for which it were created. Even JC himself, it would seem, had not imagined the music would be viewed in it's own right, or as an individual source of pleasure.

For someone playing with a tiny budget, making background music for a low budget film, this soundtrack & all that followed shows an unspoken, humble & quiet talent that manages to bring emotions to the boil, while seemingly barely doing anything at all. Listening back on it now brings a tear to the eye, nostalgia never sounded so sinister- sweet...