The totally bodacious soundtrack to accompany the second movie in the Bill & Ted series was released thirty years ago on July 9th 1991.
In the summer of 1989 a sci-fi comedy film starring Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves captured the imagination and hearts of the American youth hair metal generation. During that same summer a groundbreaking album by Faith No More inspired a new crowd of music fans and changed the metal scene forever.
Two years later and both the movie and the band became legends in their own time consequently finding each other to come together in a glorious event.
The Wyld Stallions returned among a torrent of MTV fever and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was released in cinemas across the globe on July 19th 1991. What was previously a cult following of impressionable skater dudes became a mainstream phenomenon of credible Wayne's World-esque metal heads. Winter and Reeves reprised their roles as the title characters as did George Carlin as their time-travelling mentor Rufus - however for the sequel a host of new characters and rock star cameos sent shock waves through the cast.
It seems whoever was responsible for keeping the music content of the film current and cool did their job with some perfection. The soundtrack preceded the movie release date by ten days and features twelve tracks recorded by a mixture of bands from the waning hair metal genre, Bay Area thrash and the cutting edge of California funk metal. Legendary face painted glam rockers Kiss provided the lead single - a cover of Argent’s God Gave Rock n Roll to You.
Primus, who also make an appearance in the film, contributed the awesome and equally bizarre Tommy The Cat and Megadeth the sorrowful chug of Go To Hell. However the highlight of the record is track seven, Faith No More The Perfect Crime. A track originally recorded as Sweet Emotion during the The Real Thing sessions and briefly released on a Kerrang! 7” flexi-disc. Reworked and renamed The Perfect Crime has the distinctive FNM rhythm section sound, guitar hooks, and majestic keyboard melodies - but it showcases the more mature and evolved vocals of Mike Patton acting as bridge between TRT and 1992's Angel Dust.
Someone on the B&T production team certainly had a hard on for FNM, quite possibly Bill S. "Bill" Preston Esq himself as the actor Alex Winter has publicly commented on his fondness for TRT.
The Perfect Crime features during a scene in which evil B&T kidnap their good counterparts. Weirdo axeman Jim Martin was cast as Sir James Martin founder of the faith No More spiritual and theological center and steals a rather tense scene of the movie. He announces himself with the immortal line ‘station’ and bows out with the phrase ‘what a shithead’ after apparently showing Johann Sebastian Bach the best way to strike a power chord. The final nod to our favourite five-some is a From Out Of Nowhere poster hung on the wall of the two heroes apartment.
Although this isn’t the first film to feature a FNM track on the soundtrack, Surprise! You’re Dead! blasts out in a particularly gruesome scene in Gremlins 2 (1990), it is the first movie in which FNM took a vested interest. Mike Bordin and Bill Gould can be seen suffering an interview with MTV brat Pauly Shore at the movie premiere party.
Thirty years and a second sequel Bill & Ted (2020) later and FNM fans still have a special place in their hearts for Bogus Journey and how it played it's part in spreading a little love for the band, making Big Jim a household name and adding some cool words to our vocabulary. STATION!!!!!!!!
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