Hasbro Is Celebrating 40 Years of ‘The Transformers: The Movie’ With ‘Reformatted’ Soundtrack — And Yes, Stan Bush Is Back

On July 24, a transformative album is rolling out. And it promises to be more than meets the eye – and the ear.

To celebrate 40 years of The Transformers: The Movie, the Nelson Shin-directed animated flick that thrilled (and traumatized) a generation of children well before Michael Bay’s live-action adaptations, Hasbro is giving fans a “reformatted” edition of the film’s iconic, hard-rocking soundtrack.

The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition boasts rerecorded, reimagined versions of all 10 tracks from the original movie soundtrack: the power ballads, the heavy metal headbangers, the instrumentals and the wacky synth-pop parody.

Fans who have the 1986 songs seared into their subconscious can rest easier knowing that one special singer—the soundtrack’s MVP—is bringing his indelible touch back to the Autobots vs. Decepticons battlefield. Stan Bush, the man behind the fist-pumping power ballad “The Touch” and the rousing “Dare,” is on board for this Cybertronian musical odyssey.

“Man, I’m fired up to reprise ‘The Touch’ on this Transformers The Reformatted Edition soundtrack! Coming back to a song that’s touched so many lives is pure magic,” Bush says. “The guys involved with the new recording did a great job! Transformers fans — it’s time to feel the power once more. You got the touch!”

Check out a new music video for the reimagined “The Touch” by Stan Bush below.

The new album is led by a band called The Knights of Unicron, which includes Gus Rios, Matt Harvey and Ross Sewage. Incredibly enough, metal icon Sebastian Bach swings by to sing “Nothin’s Gonna Stand In Our Way,” while Brittney Slayes belts out “The Transformers (Theme).”

Original film composer Vince DiCola also returns to the laser-scorched, robotic realm for this project, with Mark Osegueda biting into “Hunger,” Francesco Cavalieri rebuilding “Instruments of Destruction” and Cold Slither’s Torch taking over for “Weird Al” Yankovic on “Dare to Be Stupid.” The new album is produced by Matt LaPlant.

The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, a collaboration between Hasbro and the record label Reigning Phoenix Music, hits streaming services July 24 and is also coming out on vinyl in limited editions. You can preorder here.

The 40th anniversary celebration of The Transformers: The Movie is far from over after the release of this album. Starting Sept. 17, the film itself returns to theaters, giving fans the chance to see Optimus Prime, Megatron, Galvatron, Hot Rod, the Sharkticons and more back on the big screen, in all their animated ‘80s glory, only this time augmented by 4K.

‘Til that day, when all are one, check out the full tracklist (and some of the vinyl edition artwork) below.

The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition

1. “The Touch” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Stan Bush (originally recorded by Stan Bush)

2. “Instruments of Destruction” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Francesco Cavalieri (originally recorded by N.R.G.)

3. “Death of Optimus Prime” – Vince DiCola

4. “Dare” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Stan Bush and Vince DiCola (originally recorded by Stan Bush)

5. “Nothin’s Gonna Stand in Our Way” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Sebastian Bach (originally recorded by Spectre General)

6. “The Transformers (Theme)” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Brittney Slayes (originally recorded by Lion)

7. “Escape” – Knights Of Unicron (originally recorded by Vince DiCola)

8. “Hunger” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Mark Osegueda (originally recorded by Spectre General)

9. “Autobot/Decepticon Battle” – Knights Of Unicron (originally recorded by Vince DiCola)

10. “Dare to Be Stupid” – Knights Of Unicron featuring Torch (originally recorded by “Weird Al” Yankovic)