Beat Street (soundtrack)

Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Volumes 1 & 2
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	1984 (U.S.) 1984 (Canada, Germany, Italy)
Genre	old school rap, boogie, electro, breakdance music
Length	79.28 (total) 40:55, 38:73
Label	Atlantic 80154 (Volume I.) Atlantic 80158 (Volume II.)
Producer	Arthur Baker, Harry Belafonte
Various Artists chronology
Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Volume 1 (1984) Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Volume 2 (1984)

Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Volume 1 and Beat Street (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Volume 2 are soundtrack albums for the 1984 drama film of the same name. It was released in 1984 by Atlantic Records. Both albums were produced by Harry Belafonte, a calypso artist best known for his 1956 hit "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", and prolific freestyle music producer and remixer Arthur Baker, who collaborated with music artists including Freeez, Afrika Bambaataa, and New Order.^[1][2]

Both albums even entered the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums charts and stayed there in the same year.^[3][4]

Description

The soundtrack contains music mainly from old-school hip-hop artists including Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five, Jazzy Jay, Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic and Treacherous Three featuring beatbox pioneer Doug E. Fresh but also various electro/boogie musicians such as Freeez, and the System and Juicy.^[5]

The album was certified gold in the same year.^[6][7]

A third volume was planned, but it was never released. The second volume was never released on compact disc.

Track listing

Volume 1 (80154)

A-side

#	^Title	^Artist(s)	^Writer(s)	^Producer(s)	^Length
A1	"Beat Street Breakdown"	Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious 5	Melvin Glover, Reggie Griffin	Melle Mel, Sylvia Robinson	6:48
A2	"Baptise The Beat"	The System	David Frank, Mic Murphy	David Frank, Michael Murphy	4:25
A3	"Strangers In A Strange World" (Love Theme From Beat Street)	Jenny Burton & Patrick Jude	Jake Holmes	Jake Holmes	4:25
A4	"Frantic Situation"	Afrika Bambaataa The Soul Sonic Force, Shango	Arthur Baker, Leroi Evans, Ray Serrano, Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, William Henderson, Ellis Williams, John Miller, Robert Allen, Wilfred Fowler	Arthur Baker	5:04

B-side

#	^Title	^Artist(s)	^Writer(s)	^Producer(s)	^Length
B1	"Beat Street Strut"	Juicy	Milton G. Barnes, Katreese Barnes	Eumir Deodato	5:00
B2	"Us Girls"	Sharon Green, Lisa Counts & Debbie D	Debora Hooper, Lisa Counts, Ross Levinson, Sharon Green	Harry Belafonte	3:52
B3	"This Could Be The Night"	Cindy Mizelle	Arthur Baker, Carl Sturken, Chris Lord-Alge, Evan Rogers, Tina Baker	Arthur Baker	4:53
B4	"Breaker's Revenge"	Arthur Baker	Arthur Baker	Arthur Baker	4:42

Volume 2 (80158)

A-side

#	^Title	^Artist(s)	^Writer(s)	^Producer(s)	^Length
A1	"Son Of Beat Street"	Jazzy Jay	John Byas, Lenny Underwood	David Belafonte	4:05
A2	"Give Me All"	Juicy	Milton G. Barnes, Katreese Barnes	Arthur Baker, Harry Belafonte	4:25
A3	"Nothin's Gonna Come Easy"	Tina B	Arthur Baker, Tina Baker	Arthur Baker, Harry Belafonte	4:19
A4	"Santa's Rap"	The Treacherous Three	Kevin Keaton, LaMar Hill, Mohandas Dewese	David Belafonte	6:10

B-side

#	^Title	^Artist(s)	^Writer(s)	^Producer(s)	^Length
B1	"It's Alright By Me"	Jenny Burton	Peter Link	Peter Link, Webster Lewis	5:00
B2	"Battle Cry"	Rockers Revenge	Arthur Baker, Donald Calvin Hawkes, Vincent Dwight Fuller	Arthur Baker	4:52
B3	Phony Four MC's – "Wappin' (Bubblehead)"	Ralph Rolle	Earl Deas, Eric Real, Ralph Rolle	Arthur Baker, Harry Belafonte	6:11
B4	"Into The Night"	La La	LaForest Cope, Lenny Underwood, Webster Lewis	Webster Lewis	4:42

Credits and personnel

Sanford Allen – concertmaster, violin Arthur Baker – bass, drums, producer Tina Baker – performer Katreese Barnes – performer Sharon Green – performer Milton Barnes – performer David Belafonte – sound effects Sandra Billingslea – violin Jay Burnett – guitar Kennan Keating- wah wah guitar Jenny Burton – vocals Jack Cavari – guitar John Clark – French horn Deodato – producer Lewis Eley – violin Jon Faddis – trumpet Eileen Folson – cello Winterton Garvey – violin Dwight Hawkes – backing vocalist Lamar Hill – performer Cecilia Hobbs – violin Stanley Hunte – violin Jean Ingraham – violin Anthony Jackson – Bass

Jazzy Jay – Drum programming, scratching Bashiri Johnson – Percussion Kevin Keaton – performer Robbie Kilgore – bells La La – sound effects, backing vocalist Jesse Levy – cello Webster Lewis - DX-7, Fender Rhodes, piano Peter Link – performer Chris "Lord-Alge" Simmons – drums Guy Lumia – violin John Pintavalle – violin Sue Pray – viola Maxine Roach – viola Ralph Rolle – drum programming, sound effects, vocals Alan Rubin – trumpet Lew Soloff – trumpet David Spinozza – guitar Marti Sweet – violin Tina B. – vocals Lenny Underwood – bass, drums, keyboards Buddy Williams – drums Richard D. Young – violin Fred Zarr – bass, keyboards

Chart positions

Volume 1

Year	Chart	Position
1984	Billboard R&B Albums	#10
1984	the Billboard 200	#14

Volume 2

Year	Chart	Position
1984	Billboard R&B Albums	#47
1984	the Billboard 200	#137

Album certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[8]	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Beat Street Vol. 1 (Original Soundtrack) credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
2. "Beat Street Vol. 2 (Original Soundtrack) credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
3. Beat Street Volume 1 - chart positions. Billboard & Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-August-09
4. Beat Street Volume 2 - Chart positions. Billboard & Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-August-09
5. "Beat Street Vol. 1 (Original Soundtrack) credits". Discogs. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
6. "Vitae of Carl Maultsby - composer". Carl MaultsBy. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
7. Ira A. Robbins (1985). The Rolling Stone Review — 1985. Edited by Ira A. Robbins. Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 978-0-684-18333-6. Retrieved August 21, 2011. Although second to arrive, the Beat Street soundtrack went gold, and Beat Street, Vol. II was released later in the year.
8. "American album certifications – Various Artists – Beat Street". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH