This Saturday, in Los Angeles, there will be a midnight showing of “Transformers: The Movie”. No, not the Michael Bay pieces of crap, we’re talking the original 1986 animated film that many people in my generation consider a beloved and seminal piece of work…so of course I’m going. (Thanks to my friend Josh for the tip on the screening, BTW, which you can learn more about here if you’re in LA).

This made me want to listen to the amazing soundtrack that came out at the same time, with songs like “Dare” and “The Touch” by Stan Bush, “The Transformers” by Lion and “Instruments of Destruction” by NRG. This was actually the first album I ever purchased with my own money, and twenty-four (oh my god) years later, even though the music is so, so, SO 1980′s, it still holds up beautifully.

Now does it hold up because it’s part of a cherished childhood memory, or because it’s actually good music? I’m not sure, probably a bit of both. To experiment, I listened to another soundtrack I have on my media player, “Blade Runner” by Vangelis. Now, I love the movie “Blade Runner”. Love, love, love it. But do I love the soundtrack? Kinda. Maybe one has to be in a certain mood to listen to it, but it doesn’t have the same resonance that “Transformers: The Movie” does for me.

Maybe this means that, for a soundtrack to hold up, it’s up to our individual connections to the music? Does the music itself transcend these connections and become timeless? I’m sure these questions have different answers for each individual person, album, and so on, but for something as timely and possibly dated as “Transformers: The Movie”, I’m sure someone else would find it horrifically too 80′s while I just totally love it.

So what about you? What are some soundtracks that, for you, stand up to the test of time and repeat listens regardless of when they were recorded? I’d love to hear your answers in the comments. Thanks for reading.