“FM” coming to blu-ray via Arrow Video

this will also release in the US- the movie is sure of its era but fun—surprised they got the music rights ironed out for home video

FM Blu-ray | Arrow Films

 

Fun movie with some nice live sequences in there.

Strange that the cover has Jimmy Buffet playing guitar left-handed though.

 

Good music, shame about the plot.

 

yes, what plot?

 

We got the announcement on Blu-ray.com on April 15th, but the Amazon link hasn't been activated yet.
Very little information in fact, so seeing this Arrow link makes me more confident that they did indeed get the licensing for the original music.
Guess I'll actually sell the DVD then. Never expected this one to be upgraded.

 

This is GREAT news!

My ONLY copy of this is one I taped off of the UHF airwaves back in 1982! So much static!

 

If (BIG IF) they got all the Songs/Music in, I’ll have to give it serious consideration.

I gots my doubts......

 

Tom Petty cameo

 

Be nice if someone is talking sense to these rights holders that they should get some money out of the home video market while it's still exists.

 

that was the main problem....and it had a good supporting cast (Eileen Brennen...martin mull) but it needed a lead to really put asses in the seats

 

I remember that it got a lot of free advertising at the time from radio DJs who thought it was about them, that it made what they did seem heroic.

 

The film was released on DVD back in 2000 by Anchor Bay, so I don't think the music rights were completely out of control. At least all the artists were controlled by one company (Universal Music), which was also the movie studio, so I think the negotiations may not have been as difficult as you might think.

https://www.amazon.com/FM-Michael-Brandon/dp/B00003ETJ1/ref=tmm_dvd_title_2?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The movie I know for a fact is on the shelf due to problems with music rights is American Hot Wax, and I know that only because a Paramount exec told me so in the early 1980s. He explained to me that the movie was a huge bomb, and they tried to release it on home video "for about five minutes" until attorneys figured out that the 30 songs in the soundtrack would kill them on the video licensing fees, basically costing millions of dollars that they would never make back in a home video release. It's hard to find, though an illegal version was floating around on DVD for a few years and apparently a few people bought it and reviewed it in the last 10 years.

 

There was a legitimate, licensed release of American Hot Wax on VHS and Beta by Fotomat Video (those who are old enough to remember Fotomat film processing kiosks may be surprised to find that they also had a short-lived experiment in home video rental and sales), as well on as CED. The Fotomat tapes used to occasionally show up at obscene asking prices, and I suspect were the source for more than a few of the illegal versions that have circulated over the years.

 

Other than the concert scenes the only thing I remember was the former country DJ Alex Karras having a nervous breakdown in the studio.

I bought that DVD issue and had issues. Looked really nifty like a record on a black DVD. Guess what? It wouldn't run on anything. A nifty drink coaster.

 

wasn't it martin mull? at least that's what I remember....that and the concert stuff with our heroes somehow stealing the big promotion from another station....

 

See? Haven't seen it in 40 some years.

 

Here's a question: was Steely Dan's hit title track commissioned and written specifically for the film; a re-worked leftover; or simply a fortuitous studio outtake?

 

I rented it in the 80's lol....haven't seen it since

 

"There was a film called FM and we were asked to do the title song," Fagen recalled. They were told the only requirement was that the song had to be about FM radio; it took a day or two to write.[5]

When they went to the studio, they were able to record it as quickly as they had written it.[5]It was built up from a click track. Fagen played piano, and Becker handled all the bass and guitar work, including the solo on the song's outro. This was the only time on a Steely Dan song where the two of them performed most of the instrumental work.[4]

 

The theme was specifically written for the movie and recorded during or close to the "Aja" sessions. It was their first official "MCA" release, just before "ABC" was purchased by MCA (Universal).

FM (No Static at All) - Wikipedia

I own a copy of that Anchor Bay DVD. Great music, pretty silly plot, but hey, I'm a radio personality so naturally I find most of the scenes unrealistic. One of the few that is the most true, is during the opening credits when the next personality is running late, as that used to happen all the time. Now, most stations are voice-tracked, so no one is ever late or screws up, which takes out 99% of why I loved being in radio. Live and local!

 

Actually, there were many artists on the soundtrack that were not "Universal" related including Dan Fogelberg, an Epic/CBS artist, Linda Ronstadt, an Asylum/Warner artist, Boston, an Epic/CBS artist, Bob Seger, a Capitol artist and there are others (My soundtrack is across the room and I'm too lazy to pull it off the wall). I believe that the "music" of the "FM' soundtrack happened with so many big name artists and labels involved, was because Irving Azoff was involved and if Irving wants something done, it's done!

 

Ah yes..With Jay Leno and my teenage crush Laraine Newman

 

Figures. I finally sprung for the dvd-r. If I'd just waited a little longer...