Rock of Ages (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2012 film Rock of Ages based on the rock jukebox Broadway musical of the same name. The soundtrack is a collection of music from 1980s rock artists including Def Leppard, Journey, Scorpions, Poison, Foreigner, Guns N' Roses, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, REO Speedwagon, and others. The songs were performed in the film, by Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Åkerman, Mary J. Blige and Tom Cruise. The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on June 5, 2012 and was commercially successful, becoming the second-best selling soundtrack of the year, behind The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond (2012). It was further nominated for the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background On April 30, 2012, WaterTower Music, the in-house label of the film's presenter, Warner Bros. Pictures had unveiled the song list of over 20 tracks featured in the album, set for June 5, release. The cover art of the album was released through Entertainment Weekly, which featured the cast in its entirety. The soundtrack was made free for streaming at AOL as a part of listening party.

Reception Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone rated the album 3 out of 5 and said "The film version of the musical is mild kitsch-karaoke fun; the real takeaway is how great the 1980s originals were." Shaun Munro of WhatCulture wrote "Rock of Ages wont be regarded alongside the great musical soundtracks, but just like the film, it knows exactly what it is and entertains accordingly. Singing voices are surprisingly consistent, pushing the stronger ones to the forefront, and keeping the lesser ones "that's you, Giamatti" well back in the wings. Does it give you a reason to put away those old albums? Absolutely not. But for fans, it might be a nice little indulgence."

Arlene R. Weiss of Guitar International wrote "Rock Of Ages is a warmhearted send up of, and ultimately, affectionate homage to, the music and popular culture of the '80s told with wit, style, and much joy. It's wonderfully over the top and overflowing with sparkling musical numbers, eye and ear candy, camp, and lots of cheese. Moreover, just as Stacee, Drew, and Sherrie take the stage and regale us along with their glittering, show stopping rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", Rock Of Ages is a heartfelt, sentimental salute to the joyous wonder, pursuit, and realization, of our rock and roll dreams." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "the original soundtrack to Rock of Ages can't help but feel like a faded photocopy, but somebody has taken great care to dress those smeared, blurry images in glitter and highlights, the sparkle deriving from a star-studded cast fronted by Tom Cruise."

Commercial performance By the week of June 23, 2012, the album debuted at number 15 on Billboard 200 and peaked at the fifth position on that chart in its third week. It also topped the Top Soundtracks chart at its debut and stayed for six consecutive weeks until The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack topped on its debut on August 4, 2012, pushing Rock of Ages to the fifth position. It debuted at number 6 on Top Rock Albums, and peaked to number 2 on the week of July 14, 2012. It further peaked at the Canadian Albums Chart to number 8. It sold 267,000 copies in the United States and became the second best-selling soundtrack album of the year. As of May 2013, the album sold over 320,000 copies. The release of the soundtrack propelled the digital downloads of "Juke Box Hero", a 1981 single by Foreigner, up to 400%, outperforming The Rolling Stones, Eagles, Def Leppard and Fleetwood Mac. Other songs such as "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You" had also seen significant increase in the downloads.

Track listing

Film music not included in the album

"I Remember You" – Skid Row "Oh Sherrie" – Steve Perry "Everybody Wants Some!!" – Van Halen "Rock of Ages" – Def Leppard "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" – Def Leppard "Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison "No One Like You" – Scorpions "Cum On Feel the Noize" – Quiet Riot; original song performed by Slade (end credits) "Cherry Pie" – Warrant (extended cut)

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Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2012)PeakpositionCanadian Albums (Billboard)8UK Compilation Albums (OCC)7UK Album Downloads (OCC)3UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)1US Billboard 2005US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)2US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)7US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)1

Year-end charts Chart (2012)PositionUS Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)5 Chart (2013)PositionUS Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)8

Certifications

Credits

Album credits Producer – Adam Anders, Adam Shankman, Matt Sullivan, Peer Astrom Executive producer – Erin Scully, Jason Linn, Matt Weaver Recording – Allen Sides (strings), Bob Clearmountain (drums) Mixing – Alan Meyerson, Doug McKean, Mike Shipley, Peer Astrom Music editors – Lisa Jaime, Sally Boldt, Brett "Snacky" Pierce Digital editing – Adam Anders, Alex Anders, Deyder Cintron, Peer Astrom, Ryan Petersen Sound engineer – Alex Anders, Peer Astrom, Deyder Cintron, Fredrik Jansson, Joshua Blanchard Arrangement – David Campbell (strings), Adam Anders (vocals) Music supervisor – Matt Sullivan Technician – Ross Garfield (drum) Music Consultant – Janet Billig Rich Contractor – Suzie Katayama (strings), Windy Wagner (vocals) Music production co-ordinator – Anthony Falcon, Nicole Ray Soundtrack co-ordinator – Kim Baum Art direction – Sandeep Sriram Performer credits Backing vocalists – Adam Anders, Alex Brown, Alvin Chea, Amy Keys, Angela Michael, Carmen Carter, Chole Leighton, Colin Benward, Danny Wagner, David Loucks, Deyder Cintron, Dorian Holley, Drew Ryan Scott, Edie Lehmann Boddicker, Gigi Worth, JC Chasez, Jimmy Burney, Jeanette Olsson, Jenny Karr, Jon Hall, Juke Edgemon, Julia Tillman, Kala Balch, Kamari Copeland, Kandace Ferrel, Ken Stacey, Matt Sullivan, Maxine Williard Waters, Missi Hale, Nikki Anders, Onitsha Shaw, Oren Waters, Ravaughn Brown, Sean Holt, Shelley Rosenberg, Storm Lee, Terrell Carter, Terry Wood, Tim Davis, Windy Wagner Drums – Josh Freese, Peer Astrom Bass – Peer Astrom, Adam Anders Keyboard – Peer Astrom Guitar – Michael Landau, Tim Pierce, Adam Anders (electric and acoustic) Piano – Kevin Randolph Saxophone – Brandon Fields

Source: AllMusic.

References