Deadly Care was a 1987 drama directed by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers, Rudy and Little Red Wagon), starring Cheryl Ladd (best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the original TV series of Charlie’s Angels) and Jason Miller (best known for his iconic performances as Damian Karras in The Exorcist and The Exorcist III). It’s a solid little film that didn’t exactly break box office records and sadly disappeared into the ether, so it’s nice to see its score by the legendary Tangerine Dream being released on CD, albeit in a limited edition of just 500 copies. This is the latest in a run of Tangerine Dream’s 80s scores getting a reissue from BSX Records, who it has to be said are doing a sterling job of putting these underappreciated scores out there into the marketplace to be bought, listened to and discussed among fans of the band’s music. 

The album opens with the film’s main theme, and it’s a pleasant enough start. It’s a relaxed almost ambient piece of electronica, it has a change in sound around 2 and a half minutes in with a far more epic-sounding synth sound taking centre stage. Paddles/ Stolen Pills is up next and features a lovely arpeggiated synth line, that eventually fades away in favour of something far darker and more brooding, the second part of this track would not sound out of place in a Carpenter movie, or on Jay Chataway’s score for Maniac (1980). A Strong Drink/ A bad Morning follows in a similar vein, more dark brooding synth work that is far more in sync with Tangerine Dream’s more familiar 70s output. Track 4, Wasted and Sick is a lovely example of the dark heavy synth style that Angelo Badalamenti used for some of the darker moments in Twin Peaks, whilst track 5, Hope for Future remains more in sync with the album opener and main theme. The Hospital feels somewhat more hopeful, yet you can’t seem to shake a sense of melancholy that pervades the whole album. At almost 6 minutes long it feels like the album’s centrepiece. It’s a very nice track but not my favourite, however the addition of an arpeggiated rhythm towards the end of the track takes us into more familiar territory for Tangerine Dream. In Bed reminds me somewhat of Kate Bush’s Sat in Your Lap with a similar drum pattern before settling down into something more ambient in nature, whereas Annie and Father takes us back to the gentler chill out of the album opener. More Pills and In the Head Nurses Office/At the Father’s grave are short pieces that are pleasant enough Tangerine Dream-esque electronica, whilst the album finale Clean and Sober once again taps into that hopeful yet melancholic vibe mentioned with regards to The Hospital and is a beautiful way to close the album.

Overall, the score to Deadly Care feels far more like a Tangerine Dream album, just with shorter tracks that aren’t given the room to explore and build, however, this isn’t really a slight as the album itself is a very pleasant listen and the music works well within the environment of the movie it is the soundtrack to. It’s never going to replace those classics like Phaedra, Rubycon or Ricochet, or even the classic scores to The Sorcerer, Legend and The Keep, however it is a great album to listen to when just fancy something a little bit different. Big thanks to BSX for their ongoing desire to keep releasing these forgotten Tangerine Dream gems.