Footloose: Original Soundtrack Of The Paramount Motion Picture

There's a popular movie trivia game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon whose rough hypothesis is that the actor is somehow the center of the cinematic universe. One doesn't get very far into the game without encountering Footloose. The film that seems destined to become an 80's camp classic (repressed Midwestern youth bravely fighting for their right to dance) was also a notable trailblazer in the pop song soundtrack marketing scam, i.e. line up a bunch of contemporary hit makers and have them cut a batch of songs that might not be germaine to the film's plot but will sell oodles of units. But damned if Footloose isn't a classic slice--for better or worse--of mid-'80s, album-oriented rock. This kind of instant era-compilation must make the folks at K-Tel very nervous. --Jerry McCulley