CHAPTER THREE

While Olivia, Gene and Michael were doing the usual interviews, bigger plans were on the way for the soundtrack. Originally, the soundtrack was planned as a double-disc package, but was cut in half as the recording industry was going through a serious industry recession. Despite this scaling back, the packaging itself was quite elaborate. A raised cardboard pressing and a gatefold with photos from the film WITH cardboard record sleeve. The LP itself was pressed in the manner that gave Olivia and ELO their own sides by assigning their own color; Olivia side had a special violet label and ELO had a blue one. This color scheme would be effective throughout the Xanadu promotional items, including the record store and theater stand-ups (the later display was five foot tall and lighted from the inside!). On the weekend of May 16, 1980, MCA Records held a two-day mini-convention in Universal City (the studio's home) promoting Xanadu and it's soundtrack to industry people, retailers, movie exhibitors, press and such. MCA Record president Bob Siner announced the beginning of a four-month "Xanadu Blitz" that included a massive array of promotion stand-ups and displays of various sizes and in-store contests. There was also a 30-minute syndicated special called 'Making Xanadu' as well as radio specials each on ELO and Olivia AND, in selective department stores, a 'Xanadu Boutique' that sold replicas of some of the film's outfits (some of which were featured in Ladies Home Journal.).

During this mini-con, the attendees were treated to a staged preview of the soundtrack, complete with the actual 'Xanadu Dancers'; later, a 20-minute production reel was shown. An MCA executive would later boast, "We all know Saturday Night Fever and Grease saved our business in 1978 and Xanadu will save it in 1980!" A similar blitz was being engineered by ELO's label, Jet Records, for the rest of the world (minus the boutiques). Special merchandise like T-shirts and posters were offered through a colorful flyer in the LP along side with some postcards. A small series of promotional trading cards were given away at drug stores in the UK and Germany. At the time, it was determined that Xanadu would officially open in October for the world outside the USA. The production reel that was shown at the mini-con is an interesting artifact for Xanadu fans. The short film easily traces the films plot with a few interesting surprises, all raw and largely undubbed (of examples, Simpson was much louder). There's a quick gallery of alternative and missing scenes and dialog (Like Kira meeting Sonny in the art studio; "Tell me, is that what I look like?" Sonny: "You keep changing and disappearing."  Utmost of interest are the different and shorter versions of the music; you get to hear a demo of John Farrar singing 'Magic', a very rough instrumental version of 'All Over The World', 'Whenever' with a slightly different more energetic arrangement with a drum beat and, for the finale, another rough and striped recording of 'Xanadu' and one of the mini dance numbers.

The first week of June saw the first two releases from Xanadu, Olivia's Magic and ELO's I'm Alive. Both singles were issued with special labels & sleeves and a store promo stand-up. Each single also had non-LP cuts; 'Magic' had 'Fool/Country' (a medley taken from the films final big production number) and 'I'm Alive' had 'Drum Dreams' (also from the big final number and a piece of Lynne's original score). The 30-minute 'Making Xanadu' TV show was shown in 19 markets on the week before the movie's premiere. The show featured interviews with all three leads (though you could hardly tell as Beck barely talked) scattered throughout the telecast. Like the mini-con promo reel, this show offered more rarities, a shortened 'All Over The World' segment and brief shot were Kira, in a much different outfit, meets Sonny at the club; "Come here often", coos Kira (or was she?). There's even a behind the scene segment were the cast and crew were shooting Sonny and Kira's farewell scene AT the nightclub-not in heaven, as the final cut depicted it. Clearly, all of these "bonus" scenes are courtesy of the shifting scripts revisions.

ABOVE: BOO! Just kidding, it's only a 8-track!

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