Shot on location in and around New York City's grimy nighttime subways and flaunting a virile cast of unknowns, The Warriors remains a '70s cult favorite, featuring violent gang warfare and a perfectly matched movie score.
Barry de Vorzon's bone-chilling compositions envelop hard rock and sub-disco funk with a gritty apocalyptic urge. Conjuring strange film images, "Theme from The Warriors," "The Fight," and "Baseball Furies Chase" are testosterone-laden instrumentals, combining sinister guitars and plodding drum work peppered with creepy-sounding keyboards. Adding laid-back soul texture is a smooth
Mandrill rarity, "Echoes in My Mind," highlighting solid basslines popping over funky horns and catchy vocals. "In Havana," performed by
Kenny Vance with
Ismael Miranda, boasts deep-cut ethnic spicing and seamy horn work dressed in easy rhythms. Memorable audio clips from the mysterious female DJ informing rival gang factions of brutal clashes are placed between tracks, as well as the infamous battle cry "Warriors...come out to play-aay!" -- complete with clacking beer bottles. The film's exhausting conclusion is forever cemented to
Joe Walsh's desperate survival anthem "In the City," as our heroes walk triumphantly into a dreary Coney Island sunrise. This dark slice of pop culture was available only on vinyl sources until 1995, when Polygram International released an import version on compact disc. ~ Craig Curtice