You would be forgiven for never having heard of the 1980 film, Roadie. By anyone's standards it was a flop when it came out, and no, it hasn't really become a cult classic since then.
But it does have its attributes.
First of all, it was Meat Loaf's first starring role in a film after a handful of secondary roles (not the least of which was a little something called The Rocky Horror Picture Show just five years prior) as a beer-truck driver who becomes a roadie.
Roadie has an all-over-the-map cast, including Alice Cooper and members of Blondie in supporting roles, as well as cameos by the likes of Roy Orbison, Asleep at the Wheel, and Hank Williams, Jr.
Oh, and inexplicably, TV icon and Oscar-winning actor Art Carney, who clearly needed better management.
But I'm here for the soundtrack, which is pretty terrific.
While "The Loaf" doesn't contribute, you get tunes from Pat Benatar, Styx, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Rabbitt, and Teddy Pendergrass, as well as the cameo artists.
Under different circumstances I may have chosen Orbison's duet with Emmylou Harris as my SoundTRAX choice, the divine "That Lovin' You Feeling Again," which Orbison co-wrote with Chris Price.
But conveniently, Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander is celebrating his 70th birthday today, and the band's offering to the soundtrack is a fierce little rocker that begs to be turned up.
So from 1980's Roadie, here's Cheap Trick with "Everything Works If You Let It."
