The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys original US cassette, catalog number 7 81767-4 (with 81767-4 printed on the shell itself), released July 31, 1987 on WEA/Atlantic, is one of three sibling formats from this soundtrack release. The other two are the LP (catalog 81767-1) and the CD (catalog 7 81767-2). This cassette is Dolby HX Pro encoded, which was not universal for WEA releases at this budget tier in 1987, and it separates this tape from lesser-quality soundtrack cassettes of the same era.

The cassette shell itself is a standard black WEA/Atlantic configuration, with the catalog number discrepancy worth noting for identification: the shell reads 81767-4 while the spine of the J-card reads 7 81767-4. The J-card front reproduces the theatrical poster art, which is dominated by a deep blue and black nighttime palette. The four Frog Brothers and vampire imagery from the film are rendered in a stark, high-contrast graphic style typical of late-1980s horror film marketing, with the title treatment in a jagged, angular font positioned across the lower half. The blue-to-black gradient gives the card a cool, almost monochromatic look that holds up well visually even after nearly four decades. The reverse of the J-card carries the full track listing across both sides, artist credits, and label and publishing information, printed in a small but legible white typeface against a dark background. There are no inserts beyond the J-card itself, which is consistent with standard WEA cassette packaging for the period. The Dolby HX Pro logo appears on the spine alongside the catalog number. Condition variables to watch for on used copies include J-card fading along the top edge where UV exposure is most common, and shell discoloration or cracking at the hinge points. The tape itself, if stored properly, should present no playback issues; WEA Atlantic used reliable tape stock in this period. A clean, unplayed copy with a bright, unfaded J-card and intact shell is increasingly difficult to find given the format's age.

The reason serious Doors collectors track down this soundtrack, in any format, is side two, track one: Echo and the Bunnymen's cover of "People Are Strange." This is not a deep-cut curiosity. It was a genuine commercial single, it charted in the UK, and it placed the song directly into the cultural mainstream of 1987 in a way that introduced a new generation to material from Strange Days. For collectors who follow the lineage of Doors compositions covered or reinterpreted by other artists, this is one of the most significant examples, and it remains the most-sought track on the album. The Bunnymen's version keeps the basic structure intact while adding their characteristic reverb-heavy guitar texture and Ian McCulloch's baritone vocal, which leans into the song's unsettling quality rather than softening it. It is a genuinely good cover, not just a contractual exercise.

Beyond that anchor track, the soundtrack holds additional interest because of the INXS contributions. "Good Times" (a cover of the Easybeats original) and "Laying Down The Law" bracket side one with material that now carries its own period-specific collectibility. Lou Gramm, Roger Daltrey, Gerard McMann's "Cry Little Sister," and Tim Cappello's "I Still Believe" round out a tracklist that became a reliable nostalgia trigger for anyone who saw the film in theaters. Thomas Newman's instrumental closer "To The Shock Of Miss Louise" is an early example of his film scoring work before his later prominent Academy Award nominations.

On Discogs, this US cassette shows 308 collectors holding a copy and 86 with it on their want list, which puts the want-to-have ratio in a range that suggests moderate but steady demand. It is not a scarce object in the way that a Jim Morrison rare vinyl pressing would be, but clean copies with intact J-cards are thinning out. The LP and CD siblings see their own separate collector traffic; this cassette format appeals to a subset who are format-specific or who are building complete format runs of the release. If you are cataloging Doors-adjacent releases and cover versions, you will also want to cross-reference other period reissues in your collection, such as the Hello, I Love You / Love Street single releases and live documents like Live at The Matrix Part 2, which give broader context to how the catalog was circulating during this same era.

This is a solid, well-documented release that every serious Doors collector should have in at least one format. The cassette specifically is the right pick if you are building a format-complete run of the soundtrack or if you are a tape collector who wants the Dolby HX Pro version. It is not rare enough to command significant premiums over the LP or CD, but it is the correct format choice for certain collections. Prioritize copies with clean, unfaded J-cards and shells free of cracking. The Bunnymen's "People Are Strange" alone justifies a place in any comprehensive collection of Doors-related recordings.