One More Time

“Unchained Melody,” first recorded by Al Hibbler in 1955, is back: the 1965 Righteous Brothers version, from the soundtrack of “Ghost,” was No. 66 with a bullet last week on the Billboard chart, expected to shoot into the Top 40 this week.

A spot check of several major record stores indicates that the cassettes and CDs--no LPs were pressed--have also been selling out. The manufacturer is working “pretty much around the clock” to fill orders, says Robert Townson, vice president of Varese Sarabande Records, which is distributed by MCA.

“The song is laced throughout the film, both vocally and instrumentally, so people leave the theater with the song firmly set in their mind,” figures Townson. “It’s reaching a whole new generation.”

Alex North composed the music for the original “Unchained Melody” single; Hy Zaret wrote the lyrics. Maurice Jarre composed “Ghost’s” score. A sound-track album was planned only six to eight weeks before the film’s July 13 release, and hit stores July 24. The film, which has grossed more than $115 million, is still selling tickets--and sound tracks.

Townson predicts it will “go gold”--500,000 copies--”very soon.”