The Deep

1978

LP: Casablanca CAL-218
CD: bootleg Barryola

1. Return to the Sea--2033 AD (24:15)
2. Down, Deep Inside [cowritten and performed by Donna Summer] (4:22)
3. Theme from The Deep (4:22)
4. Disco Calypso [by "Beckett"]
5. Down, Deep Inside [cowritten and performed by Donna Summer] (3:55)

The Movie

In 1978, people hadn't yet figured out that the mastermind behind Jaws wasn't Peter Benchley--it was Steven Spielburg. So when Benchley's next book was made into a movie, people figured it was going to be another blockbuster. Plus you had Jackie Bisset running around in wet t-shirts. How could you lose?

I've never been able to sit through it.

The Music

I'm told that there's a lot of good music that didn't make it onto the LP. What did is so-so. Most of the album is "Down, Deep Inside"--a downbeat version by Donna Summer, an instrumental and then a disco version by Donna Summer. Ye Gods.

Release Notes

This is one of the stranger soundtracks that came out. Side A was "Return to the Sea 2033AD", a ballet of music from the movie followed by "Down, Deep Inside" by Donna Summer. Then the flip side had two more versions of "Down, Deep Inside" and that thing by Beckett. I figured the producers realized they had a turkey on their hands—they released it on blue vinyl as a gimmick. Uh--yeah. Cute. My stereo does extra-well when the vinyl is something other than black...

As with many flops, it never got a commercial CD release. But it did rate a high-profile bootleg when it was paired with a formerly CD-less classic, Born Free, as part of Barryola.