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FILM MUSIC REVIEW - The Web Magazine
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CD Reviews - Soundtracks (November/December
2004)
All reviewed soundtracks are listed alphabetically and written by Roger Hall or Steven Kennedy.
Some of them are given the designation of "CD of Special Merit" for their outstanding contibution to film music production.
Also, there is usually one soundtrack that is singled out as "Editor's Choice - Best of the Month."
If you have any comments or questions about any review, write to:
Please keep FMR up and running by ordering a copy of A Guide to Film Music or order something from Amazon.com (see Bookshelf Search below)
Scroll down this page to read all the CD reviews.
For the choices of best film composer, soundtracks, compilations, and record labels of the year, go to:
To find other web sites about film composers, magazines, soundtracks and record labels, go to:
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A Guide to Film Music - Songs and Scores (2nd revised edition, PineTree Press, 2002)
This expanded and updated guide was written by film music historian Roger Hall.
It has a wealth of information:
*A timeline of film music highlights from 1926 to 2001
*A chapter on suggestions for listening to film music
*A complete list of Academy Award film music from 1934 to 2000
*A complete list of the Sammy Movie Music Awards from 1988 to 2001
*Top100 Scores of the 20th Century
*Comments on Film Music (exclusive interviews with Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson; quotes from Bernard Herrmann, David Raksin, Dimitri Tiomkin, and others)
*An extensive bibliography and discography.
Throughout the guide are many illustrations of composer autographs, including Johnny Green, Bernard Herrmann, Alex North, Miklos Rozsa, Max Steiner , Dimitri Tiomkin, and others. There are also songwriter autographs as well, such as Harold Arlen, Sammy Cahn, Ira Gershwin, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, and Jay Livingston.
The title page of the guide has a rare score page from the end credits of E.T., boldly signed by John Williams.
This film music guide is a limited edition and will be numbered and signed by the author.
If you order by 15 February 2004 you'll also receive a Free CDR titled: "Listener's Guide to Film Music."
Commendations:
* A Guide to Film Music was mentioned in the March/April 2002 issue of Film Score Monthly.
*In a letter to the author of the film music guide, the distinguished film composer Elmer Bernstein has written the following: "I do feel your book is done in a most interesting way. It affords a quick overview of what has not become a very, very broad field. Congratulations!"
To order your limited edition copy of A Guide to Film Music with accompanying CDR while supply lasts, go to:
Music Titles from PineTree Press
In Memory of...
Elmer Bernstein
Jerry Goldsmith
David Raksin
80th Anniversary Birthday Tribute to Henry Mancini
Carry A Tune Week
Jerry Goldsmith, Hopalong Cassidy, Ken Darby, and Victor Young
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Morricone
American Film Institute's Tribute to Movie Songs
Centennial Tributes
Film Music Lectures
Review Rundown::
All reviews are written by Roger Hall and Steven Kennedy.
The titles are chosen to cover a broad range of commercial, promotional and vintage soundtracks.
No bootleg CDs are reviewed.
Some CDs are designated for "Special Merit" and one CD is singled out for "Editor's Choice, Best of the Month"--chosen at any time during the month.
The comments and ratings are based on the whole CD package: recorded music, booklet notes and art design.
Ratings:
***** (Superlative - Highest Recommendation)
****1/2 (Outstanding - Highly Recommended)
**** (Exceptional - Especially Worthwhile)
***1/2 (Very Good - Better Than Average)
*** (Good - Okay)
**1/2 (Fair - Nothing Special)
** (Mediocre - Barely Passable)
* (Poor - Save Your Money)
Each month soundtracks are selected for Best of the Month and/or Recording of Special Merit. These soundtracks are chosen on the date of the review, and not necessarily at the end of the month, and are those felt worthy of exceptional merit.
Some selected soundtracks have these headings above them:
![[Image]](pict319.jpg){kind=small} Editor's Choice for Best of the Month |
![[Image]](pict327.jpg){kind=small} CD Release of Special
Merit |
| CD Reviews - Soundtracks (November/ December 2004) |
ALEXANDER (Vangelis) - **** [Special Merit]
BAD EDUCATION (Alberto Iglesias) - ****1/2 [Best of the Month for November]
CELLULAR (John Ottman) - ***
FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS (Guy Gross) - ****
FINDING NEVERLAND (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek) - **** [Special Merit]
HELTER SKELTER (Mark Snow) - **1/2
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (Shigeru Umebayashi) - ***1/2
KING OF THE ANTS (Bobby Johnston) - ***
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (Thomas Newman) - ****
PRANKS (Christopher Young) - ***1/2
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (Dave Grusin) - ***
THE UNSAID (Don Davis) - ***1/2
| CD Release
of Special
Merit |
ALEXANDER (2004)
18 tracks [56:23]
Music composed, arranged, performed and produced by Vangelis. Vocals by Konstantinos Paliatsaras and Irina Valentinova-Karpouchina. Vocals on "The Drums of Gaugamela" by Epirus Polyphonic Ensemble. First Violin: Dominique Lemonnier. Harp: Maria Bildea. Duduk on "Eastern Path" by Vahan Galistan. Orchestrations by Nic Raine. Mixed by Philippe Colonna. Electronic Instruments Programmer: Vangelis Saitis. Music Transcriptions: Irina Valentinova-Karpouchina. Orchestra conducted by Nic Raine. Orchestral Score and Choir performed and recorded at the Studio-Guillaume Tell in Paris. Art Direction and Design: Roxanne Slimak.
Sony Classical SK 92942
Rating: ****
ALEXANDER is the first Oscar bait film to head out into theaters this Holiday season. After the grand spectacle (debacle?) that was TROY, a film I decided to skip, this one seems poised to garner at least some initial interest. ALEXANDER comes with a good cast and considerably less hype than TROY did, which sometimes mean that we are about to see a disaster. The only real buzz that came out early with this Oliver Stone film had more to do with the supposed exploration of Alexander’s sexuality than much else. The few previews that I have seen hint at some of the amazing spectacle that might be displayed including an intriguing scene featuring elephants. If Stone’s film survives past its first weekend, it may have a chance at some notice even though early reviews seem to be mostly negative. At nearly 3 hours it appears we have another self-indulgent film that needed a good editor, but that will remain to be seen.
Stone’s last film that featured a film score was Morricone’s for U TURN (1997). This time Stone has turned to Vangelis to provide a non-orchestral accompaniment to his film. This is not entirely new territory for him to explore since he made use of Kitaro’s interesting score in HEAVEN AND EARTH (1993) which received a Golden Globe. His other biopics though were scored by John Williams—that would have been interesting to see if we would have received a score closer to Rozsa. But while Stone’s composers often get a nod or two at Oscar time, the scores they produce are generally not all that compelling. At any rate, Vangelis retuns to score an "American" picture for the first time since 1992’s 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE. He has a good chance of once again having a score that will make it into the final cut of nominations. And it may be that once again Vangelis’ score will be the primary highlight of Stone’s film.
When you hear the "Introduction" you are instantly reminded of why Vangelis is a master performer and experimenter with synthetic music. The results are unbelievably amazing if not unnerving to those who prefer full orchestral scores. Still it is hard to believe that these are not sounds being created by a real orchestra. The reproduction is that good. Some of what you hear inhabits the same soundworld as his music for MYTHODEA—a concept piece that was released as a DVD and CD by Sony a couple of years back. The music is both mythic and heroic instantly catapulting you into an exciting and thrilling musical ride. "The Battle of Gaugemela" is another tour-de-force musically in many ways. There are powerful drum beats, some ethnic choral singing (really synthesized?), and forceful horn sounds that make for exciting listening. "Across the Mountains" has a kind of GLADIATOR sound that will appeal to fans of that score. These more epic sections of the score are the highlights.
Lyrical restraint also appears in moments like the immediately following "Roxane’s Dance" which has a medieval musical feel to its sound before it sinks into more contemporary Hollywood-esque Arab sounding backbeats that could accompany something from Bollywood. "Roxane’s Veil" sounds like something that could come from a Secret Garden album, not that that's a bad thing. But it is clear that Vangelis has provided a score that tries to bridge the gap of historical material using more contemporary musical materials. Are they any less valid then the approaches used by composers of the 1950s?
His melodic ideas are all wonderful and as an album the disc is highly recommendable. The central portion of the disc does bog down in a variety of different dance numbers, but it at least gives the listener some respite from the opening battle sequence. (Perhaps the disc also gives us a clue as to what we are to expect on screen.) This then gives us the primary materials of the score, large-scale spectacle music with more intimate scene-setting music. Though there are brief silences between tracks, the CD plays mostly like one continuous suite, as have other Vangelis projects.
If you have grown to appreciate Vangelis’ artistry then this is worth seeking out. It is a fine score that would be instantly recommendable to any who enjoys epic adventures.
Regardless of what you may think of the end result, Vangelis creates synthetic symphonic music better than anyone.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 23 November 2004
For more information, see
For those who may be interested, there's a good interview with Vangelis in the Fall Film & TV Music issue (November 16-22, 2004) of
| Editor's Choice - Best of the Month for November
|
BAD EDUCATION [LA MALA EDUCACIÓN] (2004)
26 Tracks = 59:26 [21 Score Tracks = 46:07]
Music composed and conducted by Alberto Iglesias. Featuring the London Session Orchestra and the Cor-Vivaldi-Ipsi-Petits Cantors de Catalunya. Soloist in the Rossini: Anna Fernandez. Also featuring Pedro José Sánchez Martínez and the Padre Soler Children’s Choir in performances of Mancini’s "Moon River" and "Torna a Surriento". Co-produced by Javier Casado. Also includes performances by Sara Montiel of "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" and "Maniquí Parisien." Music recorded at Air Studios (London), Red Led (Madrid), and Zanfonia (Barcelona). Sound engineer for recording, mixing, and mastering: José Luis Crespo. Sound engineer for additional music: Raúl Quilez. Graphic Design by Studio Gatti.
Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax SK 93551
Editor's Note: This is one of the most diverse and enjoyable soundtrack CDs of the year year. Alberto Iglesias has provided an exceptional score. Because of its high quality I have selected as Best of the Month for November. I hope it doesn't get lost with all the end of the year releases. It's well worth adding to your film music collection.
Rating: ****1/2
Now here is Steve Kennedy's full review...
When I heard that Sony planned to release the score to the latest Pedro Almodóvar film, BAD EDUCATION, I was glad that at least the music of Alberto Iglesias would have a chance at a a larger audience. Not even Morricone’s score for TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN! (1990) was that fortunate. Nor have many of Iglesias’ scores been available here in America. The film premiered last March in Spain and has made the rounds of many film festivals. It will appear in limited release in the states in November.
In this latest film, Almodóvar explores the taboo subject of sexual abuse of two young boys by priests. Even that brief statement will not do justice for the exploration the film no doubt takes. Almodóvar is one of the few directors who invites you into the worlds of bizarre people who turn out to often be transformed in unique ways. He makes you uncomfortable but has such a visual flair that you are drawn in to his characters. His composers have the difficult job of trying to soften or bridge the gap between his vision and the viewer in ways often missing these days. There is always some love affair with cinema that infuses his films referencing classic screen legends or scenes.
Alberto Iglesias has been Almodóvar’s composer of choice for his last five films. Iglesias seems to have caught on to the director’s vision for each film. The opening titles here have Iglesias recreating the sound of Herrmann from NORTH BY NORTHWEST mixed in with a little PSYCHO and what an interesting effect it is. There is more interesting music in one minute than one often gets in entire scores. There are horn ideas, those little high trill strings, rhthymic string punctuations and much more that will have you thinking back to those old Hitchcock thrillers. The string writing in "Cine Olimpo" will remind you a little of Franz Waxman before it moves into a soaring melody that is pure Iglesias. Iglesias has a way of writing wonderfully compact melodic ideas that are filled with an intensity unequalled by many of his contemporaries. This score finds him at his height. "Noche Oscura" is another example of a small amount of material being stretched into something that is so emotionally tense that you wait for the harmonies and ideas to change. This building and release of tension is trademark Iglesias and here it takes on more of a Hermann-esque quality. In "Plegaria Attendida" the music takes on a kind of fifties romantic sound, complete with solo sax. It is a beautiful repose from some of the somber music and is to this score what the love scene music was to "Vertigo" and "Los Cocodrilos Hambrientos" continues in that same vein with similar harmonic progressions. This thematic idea recurs briefly in other tracks as well.
There are some unusual tracks as well. The more intriguing is the solo harp piece "La Piscina." It will be most interesting to see exactly what this underscores because it is somehow delicate and disturbing all at the same time. It is a reminder that the score is primarily one for string orchestra. Something made all the more remarkable by the way Iglesias is able to vary even this texture adding only an occasional guitar or harp to the texture, perhaps inadvertently creating a masterpiece along the way that will be worth returning to and exploring. There are times when you think there is little more to add, and then wordless chorus enters in with a throaty flute soon bringing us into yet another unusual corner (in ""Noir"). The most extended track, "Puerta Final," pulls together a lot of the various ideas in a way that sounds almost like on of those Eddie Sauter orchestrations for his Stan Getz albums. It is fabulous music making complete with low clarinets, and a solo guitar with a little Spanish flair.
There are several additional pieces appearing in the film that appear as well on the disc. One is the 1963 recording of "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" by Sara Montiel that has to be one of the most sultry recordings this famous little Fares song has ever had. She is also heard in another song recorded that year, "Maniquí Parisien." A gorgeous newly-recorded performance of a Rossini "Kyrie" gives a little contextual music and it does not feel at all out of place in its positioning on the disc. Also appearing is a little 1967 pop rock number, "Cuore Matto," sung by Little Tony that also serves as a reference for the period of the film.
Iglesias was nominated at this year’s World Soundtrack Awards for the "Soundtrack Composer of the Year", and his score has been nominated along with a 1993 film (TAKE MY EYES) in the Best Composer category. His name may appear as well in Golden Globe and Oscar lists, though the latter tends to ignore foreign music contributions.
There is a lot to admire here and if you are attracted to noir-ish film music this one will be worth your attention.
Rating: ****
--Steven A. Kennedy, 24 November 2004
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com
For more information about this CD, see
CELLULAR (2004)
16 tracks [57:45]
Music composed and produced by John Ottman. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruce Harvey. Synthesizer Programming by John Ottman and Lior Rosner. Recorded and mixed by Casey Stone. Recorded at Benroya Performance Hall, Seattle, WA. Mixed at Signet Sound, Hollywood, CA. Mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Art direction by Mark Banning.
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1025
Rating: ***
September’s release of CELLULAR was the latest in what have become a series of misfires for Kim Basinger. This feature, directed by stuntman David Ellis, from the pen of Larry Cohen failed to make much of a splash at the box office.
The opening of Ottman’s score for CELLULAR has a kind of Elfman-esque quality to it. Subtle ostinato patterns play against a somewhat melancholic melodic line. Ottman also incoproates a little "touch tone" sound that will inform parts of the score as well. This soon gives way to the kind of musical qualities one come to expect from Ottman. The abrupt change to standard thriller music is a but jarring and is also filled with Ottman’s creative ways of orchestrating this music that goes missing in so many other similar scores. There is a mixture of standard orchestral fare with more synthetic mixes and the kind of sound favored by Harry Gregson-Williams (among others) to underscore contemporary thrillers. That means that here there is more of a rock edge to some of the music than in some of Ottman’s more recent work. The best way to describe the score is to imagine something like Elfman’s A SIMPLE PLAN with electric guitars and drum set percussion added.
As a growing fan of Ottman’s music, I can admire a lot of the hard work that went into this score. There is a lot to admire in it’s use of distinct sounds to follow different characters in the film. They are ingenious in their employment and always fun to hear played out in different contexts. There are also some thematic devices that help glue the score together to form a more integral whole. As with other releases of Ottman’s music, his score is helped by his ability to shape larger musical cues and this helps to make this popcorn action music a lot more interesting. No doubt his score lifts this film up higher than its otherwise B status. Throughout the score there are also little touches in his orchestral writing that make the music stand above so much of its competition. Listen to "School’s Out" and you have little instrumental solo flourishes that can do nothing else than make smile. The way he throws around a simulated busy signal in the orchestra is also a treat to hear. Police sirens, imitated and deeply recessed in the musical fabric, also make an appearance.
Fans of Ottman’s music will not be disappointed by this score. The length of the CD here may be the sole detriment as the music kind of loses steam with 15 minutes to go. That may be more to its inspiration than anything else. La-La Land once again comes to the rescue by providing film score fans with a score that might have otherwise gone under the radar.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 23 November 2004
FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS
20 tracks [69:32]
Music composed and conducted by Guy Gross.
Music composed and conducted by Guy Gross. Album produced by Guy Gross, Ford A. Thaxton and Michael Polis. Performed by the Sydney Symphony and Cantillation. Recorded, edited and mixed by Simon Leadley and Tim Ryan at Trackdown Scoring Stage, Fox Studios, Sydney, Australia. Mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Art direction by Mark Banning.
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1026
Rating: ****
FARSCAPE was one of the Sci-Fi Channel’s more interesting series. Coming with an assortment of creatures given life from the Jim Henson Workshop, it became quite popular before it was withdrawn from the schedule. Fan outcry soon led to the return of the series as a mini-series endeavor that picked up where the program had left off. THE PEACEKEEPER WARS was designed to have a more theatrical feel. The score, mostly derived from synthesizers in the television series, now expanded to a full orchestra. The story arcs needing a bit more filling out and completion than the otherwise open-ended ways that FARSCAPE was noted for in its weekly installments.
Guy Gross, the series’ composer, expands his palette here in wonderful ways. He has received numerous awards for his music including the Australian Screen Music Award for his work in this series. Some may recall his name and work in his score for THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994).
From the opening bars of "Peacekeeper Ambush" with its horn announcement, we are soon moved into the grandest of space opera music complete with full orchestra and choir. The sound is somewhat like Herrmann with a bit of Holst, and a little Williams, thrown in for good measure. The effect is simply marvelous. Gross’ score has a quality that comes from the best science fiction genre fare and is really a throwback to some of the best of the scores for that genre. The musical motives and gestures should find an immediate audience for those who love film music from this genre. There is a lot to admire in every track that is helped by the crisp sound of the orchestra and the energy that accompanies the battle sequences. It also helps that individual tracks are substantial thus allowing more musical development and flow than would be possible in mood setting brief pieces.
Some of the musical materials have a modal quality that gives them a more ancient feel. These are coupled with standard romantic fare in interesting orchestration. Melodic ideas and motives also serve to hold ones interest throughout the extended playtime of the disc. The choral writing is exquisite as well. Listen to the beautiful "Chiana a D’Argo" which makes wonderful use of Cantillation. It is a moment of repose before we return to the more disturbing and troublesome music of the following track. The choral effects also are used in a kind of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS sound as well. This ebb and flow throughout the disc additionally aids in making the overall listening experience one that is shaped musically as well as dramatically. While one could probably point to a number of musical and film antecedents for Gross’ score, he manages to make them each his own, weaving them into his musical language and fabric along the way. "Jothee Rescues" is another good example of the way Gross builds his musical materials taking a page from the classic scores of the past. There are ostinato ideas, classic rhythmic gestures, standard harmonic patterns, and many other things given the composer’s own stamp and used to build the excitement and energy of the music. All of this culminates in the satisfying conclusion, "This Is Your Playground."
La-La Land once again continues to impress as it adds to its growing collection of unique science fiction scores. They are becoming the label to turn to for a growing collection of wonderful scores that might otherwise be overlooked. Check out their website for this and other great releases at www. Lalalandrecords.com. This is a disc for all those who love their science fiction scored grandly.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 23 November 2004
| CD Release
of Special
Merit |
FINDING NEVERLAND (2004)
23 tracks [58:35]
Music composed and produced by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Score conducted by Nick Ingman. Orchestrations by Marek Szpakiewicz, Krzystof Herdzen and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Featured musicians: Clio Gould (violin), Leszek Mozdzer (piano), John Paricelli (guitar and mandolin), Helen Keen (ethnic flute), Brompton Oratory School Choir. Score Engineered and Mixed by Rafal Paczkowski. Recorded at Sony Studios and Air Lyndhurst Studios. Mixed at Lansdown Studios. Music Editor: Christopher Kennedy.
Decca/ UMG Soundtracks B0003429-02
Rating: ****
Even though some of this soundtrack might remind you of the John Williams scores for the HARRY POTTER films, this is a delightful and well written score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek.
The film stars two very talented young actors: the handsome Johnny Depp and luscious Kate Winslet, and also features two old pro actors: Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman. The portrayal of J.M. Barrie's journey to creating "Peter Pan" does sugarcoat his life too much, but it's still an enjoyable film.
From the first track to the last one, the FINDING NEVERLAND soundtrack is just brimming with pleasant and upbeat music--quite a departure from so many of the dreary and harsh scores that have come out this year. The most prominent instrument in this score is the piano, played in fine fashion by Leszek Mozdzer. One of the best examples of the solo piano playing on the CD is "Neverland--Piano Variation in Blue" (track 6, 4:29), which is quite an appealing cue. Another one is "Neverland--Minor Piano Variation" (track 18, 3:39).
As might be expected, the opening track, "Where is Mr. Barrie?" (3:32), sets the tone of the score with a jolly theme and use of full orchestra plus the Brompton Oratory School Choir, in a style similar to the HARRY POTTER films. But there the similarities end and the score for FINDING NEVERLAND is very much on its own and full of delightful charm and whimsy. One example of the fun is "The Pirates" (track 8, 2:11) with its parody of seafaring music. There are also quieter and more reflective cues, like "The Marriage" (track 9, 2:40) and "This is Neverland" (track 20, 4:01), employing the ethnic flute played by Helen Keen.
This soundtrack for FINDING NEVERLAND is well performed and recorded. The CD booklet design is also colorful and tastefully attractive.
The life of Scottish author James Matthew Barrie is told with emphasis on his unforgettable fairy tale which forms the background for this film directed by Marc Forster.
I highly recommend the FINDING NEVERLAND soundtrack if you enjoy the pleasure of a simple presentation without all the phoniness of so many film scores these days.
The FINDING NEVERLAND soundtrack should make up your spirit soar...like "Peter Pan"!
--Roger Hall, 26 November 2004
For more information, go to:
HELTER SKELTER (1976/ 2004)
19 tracks [60:15]
Music composed by Mark Snow. Executive Album Producer: Mark Wolper and John Gray. Executive Album Producers for BSX Records: Mark Banning and Ford A. Thaxton. Album Produced by Mark Snow and James Nelson. Music Editor: Jess Charbonneau. Recording Engineer: Larold Rebbun. Lead Vocal on "Helter Skelter": Glenn A. Jordan. Solo Vocal: Nicci Sill. Digitally Edited and Mastered by James Nelson. CD Art Direction: Mark Banning.
BSXCD 1001
Rating: **1/2
This is the original soundtrack from the acclaimed 1976 television movie based on Vincent Bugliosi's best-selling book, adapted by J.P. Miller. The story concerns the tracking down and trial of the demented Charles Manson and his so-called "family" of cult followers. It's a riveting and frightening movie.
Mark Snow's score provides plenty of weird electronics and scary sounds and wordless vocals. While the soundtrack does complement the film's dark and depraved story of the Manson cult, the music for me was not that enthralling apart from the film.
Just to mention a few tracks, first there's "Creepy Crawl" (track 5, 4:13), it sounded like a drug induced jumble of repetitive electronics, drumbeats, and wordless vocal. Unfortunately that same technique of repeated electronics seemed to be employed too often on the soundtrack. Another example is track 8: "Bedtime Crime Scene/ Bad News/ Tex Talk/ Labiance." It's hard to really know what the intended effect is supposed to be for these different cues. Some discussion of the different cues in the CD booklet would have been helpful.
There is no denying Mark Snow's skill in writing popular television scores, such as MILLENNIUM, SMALLVILLE, and especially X-FILES. But I didn't hear much on the HELTER SKELTER soundtrack to attract my ears. Much of it sounded just plain weird to me and wasn't very appealing. But then the subject of the film wasn't appealing either. In fact Manson is a demonic monster who deserves to stay in prison for the remainder of his life. The Manson story may be fascinating in a gruesome sort of way, but the soundtrack didn't hold my interest enough to recommend it. The opening loud and raucous "Helter Skelter" song was also not to my liking.
The sound quality of this remastered release is well done.
The CD booklet provides no background about the HELTER SKELTER film or score, only a biographical sketch of the film composer's television music.
You may feel differently about this soundtrack, especially if you enjoy Mark Snow's other television work. It just isn't a score that I'd play very often.
--Roger Hall, 26 November 2004
For more information about this CD, go to:
http://buysoundtrax.com/bsx-helter_skelter.html
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004)
20 tracks [49:07]
Original music scored and produced by Shigeru Umebayashi. "Beauty Song (Jia Ren Qu)" performed by Zhang Ziyi; "Lovers" performed by Kathleen Battle. Music Edited and Mixed by Minoru Tanaka. Mastering Engineered by Kazushige Yamazaki. Recorded at Victor Studio, Bunkamura Studio, Studio Shanglira. Mixed at KSS Recording Studio Room, Avaco Creative Studios. Art Direction and Design by Detchapart Artisan.
Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax SK 93561
Rating: ***1/2
Film critics have given this Chinese film high praise. I have not yet seen the film so I'll only discuss the score by Shigeru Umebayashi. The film's soundtrack does create a subdued mood but is less memorable than Tan Dun's HERO or his Oscar-winning score for CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
The opening title track features just a few Chinese instruments and lasts less than a minute. That first track is followed by the main theme "Beauty Song (Jia Ren Qu)"(track 2, 2:32) sung by a vocally challenged Zhang Ziyi. This theme will occur on numerous tracks of this soundtrack, such as: "Lovers (Flower Garden)"(track 8, 2:19).
Tracks 3 and 4 offer a nice contrast, going from a vigorous drumming on "The Echo Game" to a quieter next track, "The Peonyhouse." On tack 5 there is "Battle of the Forrest" with a rapid steady drumbeat and slowly moving string sounds. It makes a good accompaniment for such a cue. Even with this more animated cue, much of the soundtrack is quieter and more restrained. For example, "Bamboo Forest"(track 12, 2:36), using a wordless female voice and a few instruments to convey a contemplative mood.
The other song on this soundtrack is the title song, "Lovers," as sung by the world-renowned opera singer Kathleen Battle. This is her first appearance on a soundtrack recording. Unfortunately her words are hard to understand. Why can't the lyrics to both these songs be included on the CD foldout instead of the usual film stills? This is a common problem with soundtrack CDs. Do they think that no listener will want to know what words are being sung? Well, I'm one who would like to be able to read them.
This is a pleasant soundtrack and should especially appeal to those who enjoy world music. Not essential to all film music collections, but good for a listen.
--Roger Hall, 16 December 2004
KING OF THE ANTS (2003)
19 tracks [34:03]
Music composed and performed by Bobby Johnston.
Album produced by Bobby Johnston and Michael V. Gerhard. Recorded at The Blue Bungatow. Mastered by DMusic composed and performed by Bobby
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1024
Rating: ***
Stuart Gordon’s latest direct-to-video film, KING OF THE ANTS (2003), made the rounds of a few film festivals before appearing on video in April. Gordon’s most familiar film, RE-ANIMATOR (1985), has a decidedly cult following. Other more recent projects like FORTRESS (1993) and DAGON (2001) have gained favor at specialty film festivals. He is a modern day Roger Corman, creating entertaining independent films for unusually low budgets. For this film he managed to pick up a couple of higher profile stars in Chris McKenna and Daniel Baldwin, and even George Wendt, and turned to newcomer Bobby Johnston for his score [Richard Band provided a somewhat controversial score for the aforementioned film and an excellent score released earlier by La-La Land for FROM BEYOND (1986).]
Bobby Johnston is a new voice in film. At the time of his hiring for this score he was still a kindergarten teacher. He uses all acoustic and "found" instruments to create his unusual sounds. He provided music for several short features before scoring his first film, A LITTLE CRAZY (2003). This is then his "second" full-length feature film score. The opening main title for KING OF THE ANTS will at first leave you a bit amazed. First, it is so refreshing to hear real instruments instead of a lot of synthetic percussion. It would be interesting to know just exactly what instruments and additional objects are being used to create some of the sounds here. The tracks are multi-layered endeavors with Johnston performing on all the things we hear. The music has an urban sound appropriate to that of the film’s setting. If you can imagine something like Gregson-Williams’ score for SPY GAME stripped away of all its Hollywood gloss, synthesizers, and drum machines you might begin to get an idea of the background style of the music. No one instrument stands out on its own. There are sections of guitar background solos, high piano melodic lines with rhythmic accompaniment, unusual bell/bottle tones that sound like a cross between a steel drum and a marimba, and much more. The drum set patterns are much more traditional than the other music and luckily appear less often. When they are present they have a tendency to sound more like someone practicing riffs in their garage than anything that is contributing to the whole.
Unlike a lot of music that sounds over-composed, each track tends to approach the subject matter with subtle shadings of accompaniment. There are several ostinato ideas that appear to be part of the glue used to connect individual tracks. These are not really thematic statements in a traditional sense. The one thing though that does keep one’s interest is the insistent rhythmic pulses underlying the score that are almost relentless. However, in many neophyte composer’s hands those often become the things that take over a score. Here they are tools that underlie tension and identify specific action. This is not a series of unconnected experimental techniques, but a score that is integrated through the musical arrangement of sounds and ideas without becoming a mess of aleatoric unconnected pitches. Johnston’s music is "tonal" then in one sense, but harmony and melody are not his primary concern. "Back to the Mission" is probably a good example of this combination of static harmony with some bare motivic idea that hints at a theme. It also manages to encapsulate many of the primary ideas and sounds of the score overall. Since most of the tracks are relatively short, it will remain to be seen how Johnston will do with more extended musical scene setting. His style is still early enough in development that there is plenty of room for more experimentation.
Johnston is currently at work on Lee Shallat Chemel’s family film, GREENER MOUNTAINS. Like other recent projects, this one is also an independent feature. If KING OF THE ANTS is any indication, Johnston should be able to soon find a comfortable niche in larger productions. We can hope that that happens soon. In the meantime, here is a chance to hear what will become an "early" work presented in fine sound and production.
La-La Land is commended for allowing this music to be heard. The score is relatively brief with four minutes given over to a remix of the music by the score’s studio mastering technician.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 18 November 2004
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2004)
29 tracks [69:00]
Music composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. Produced by Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein. Music recorded by Armin Steiner at Fox Newman Scoring Stage and Todd AO Scoring Stage. Music recorded and mixed by Tommy Vicari at Signet Sound Studios. Album mastered by Joe Gastwirt at Joe Gastwirt Mastering.
Sony Classical SK 93576
Rating: ****
It should be no surprise that this is to be THE Holiday film this season. The trailers have been playing for quite some time. One can hope that the filmmakers stay a bit faithful to the book series and avoid another Jim Carrey show off vehicle. It certainly seems that his style of acting is a superb choice for the multiple characters he will play.
After thoroughly enjoying Newman’s score for last year’s FINDING NEMO, I was with many who greatly anticipated this outing. The LEMONY SNICKET books are tremendously popular with kids and if the movie turns out to be as good as it looks they should eat it up. The typical Hollywood version of this movie would run with lots of themes and probably lots of music paralleling ideas heard in the HARRY POTTER films. The trailers themselves seemed to pull from Shaiman and Elfman scores. But Newman’s ways of scoring a film tend to fall a bit outside the general large orchestra romanticism that has been the field of John Williams and James Horner the most. Thomas Pasatieri has come along to assist with orchestrations and I often find those Newman scores he has had a hand in more interesting and engaging.
"The Bad Beginning" starts us off with a mixture of an almost pleasant Disney-esque chorus of "Loverly Spring" (which appears in full later), kicked off with a giggle, before a rough stop moves us off into a more magical realm. It is not long before we are firmly in Newman’s typical scoring style here. With little motifs playing along in unusual instruments with more traditional instruments providing pieces of melody. It does draw you in rather quickly in a mesmerizing sort of way. Nothing here will surprise those who loved his score for FINDING NEMO. The variety employed here will impress listeners. The music for "The Baudelaire Orphans" comes complete with a plucked harp and a delightful music box that may recall Elfman’s EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, but that is about where the similarity ends. The melody has a kind of sadness that suggests the unfortunate-ness of the children. This is precisely the wonderful kind of accompaniment that will not distract from the film. "In Loco Parentis" is a little tango of sorts, firmly staying within the musical language that is common to Newman’s scoring style. Magical musical sounds tend to mingle with this somber sweetness. The full orchestra rarely comes to the foreground in any traditional way, though when it does appear it tends to be brief (as in "Hurricane Herman"). The final fifth of the CD tends to add more orchestral sound the way his score for THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) did as it led to its emotionally satisfying climax. The same happens here in "The Letter That Never Came." A solo piano idea transitions into a complete string statement of thematic ideas that alternates with the more unusual ensemble sounds that were the primary soundscapes of the piece. The end credits music take us back to classic Newman sounds with a little pop rock sounding beat that sounds like filtered techno.
One thing that really is interesting is that the music can have a lot of things going on within it while managing not to completely overwhelm the visuals. This ability to kind of layer the score within the film’s sound instead of on top of it is a key to appreciating Newman’s music. It manages to create the mood and sense of the scene without having to smack you in the ears. It is then the antithesis to what was demanded of Silvestri’s VAN HELSING score earlier this year. The closest this score perhaps comes is in the folk dance heard briefly in "The Marvelous Marriage."
Each of the tracks tends to provide a unique, if together eclectic, sound to accompany the onscreen adventures. The approach worked well in FINDING NEMO and should do so here as well. My sense is that the score will grow on you the more you listen to it the way much of Newman’s output has a tendency to do. There is certainly a good portion of it here to be enjoyed. Fans may be disappointed that it does not go farther. Though the score, and film, tended to be overlooked by the Golden Globe press nominators (who nominated Carrey for ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND), this could be Newman’s third consecutive Oscar nomination. Only time and box office will tell. Young ears get another taste of this kind of orchestral music to provide them with an alternative and that can be a good thing.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 14 December 2004
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com
PRANKS (1982/ 2004)
17 tracks [30:03]
Music composed by Christopher Young. Orchestra performed by Paul Francis Witt. CD Produced for Citadel by Christopher Young and Tom Null. Executive Producers: Carol Schofield and Diana Singleton. Associate Producer: Alain Silver. Mastered for CD by Charlie Watts. Previously released on LP as Citadel CR-7031 (1982), Produced by Scott W. Holton. Recording Engineer: Keith Hubbell. Mixed by Don Holden.
Limited edition of 1,500.
Citadel Limited LEC 8000
Rating: ***1/2
Christopher Young is probably best known for his HELLRAISER, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2 and SPECIES. Yet with the 1981 film PRANKS, his first film score, he demonstrates his significant talent right off the beginning. This score was previously released on LP and this is the first CD release, available in a limited edition.
The first composer who came to mind when listening to this soundtrack was Bernard Herrmann. The opening Main Title is very reminiscent of Herrmann's PSYCHO and also SISTERS. Other tracks in PRANKS are also like Herrmann's horror style, such as "Search for Hemmit" and the "End Title,"especially the use of string combinations. Since Herrmann was among the most innovative of all past film composers, that's a great model to use.
PRANKS is rather short but it's a very good score, with many interesting orchestral combinations, especially in the strings that flutter like bird wings and the effective use of percussion.
Unlike many horror film scores today which seem to wear out their welcome early on, PRANKS is full of surprising sounds. For example, the cue "Surprise" (track 6, 1:56), which begins with a strong downbeat then uses a very stinging sort of motif in the strings accented by low percussion. There are also cues featuring darker strings such as in "The Sacrifice" (track 8, 3:03) and the following track as well, "The Last Chance" (2:07), with use of percussive piano and other tinkling instruments.
The brief but helpful CD notes state that unlike the "current synthesizer trends in horror films, PRANKS was conceived for string orchestra augments by a battery of percussion instruments, two pianos and a bass harmonica. The score freely mixes tonality and atonality as well as traditional and modern performance techniques--yet meshes into a unified dramatic whole."
This first CD release is well worth having in your horror film music collection.
Christopher Young's score is creepy as well as clever in its use of instrumentation.
Recommended.
--Roger Hall, 26 November 2004
To visit the composer's website, go to -
To order this CD release, see -
http://buysoundtrax.com/pranks.html
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975/ 2004)
12 tracks [28:36 - 11 score tracks + "Silver Bells" sung by Marti McCall]
Music composed and conducted by Dave Grusin..
Original album produced by Neely Plumb. Original recording engineers: John Neal and Jay Ranellucci. Produced for reissue by Dan O’Leary. Originally released as Capitol Records SW-11469 (1975). Reissue design by eleven07.
DRG Records 19066
Rating: ***
If you enjoy scores like BRANNIGAN (Frontiere), BRUBAKER (Schifrin), or MCQ (Bernstein), Dave Grusin’s contribution to this 1975 Sydney Pollack directed film should find its way into your collection. Some may remember the James Grady novel from which the film is based. This production included Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway (nominated for a Golden Globe Best Actress for her performance), Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The Capitol album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1977 (the oldest of the albums in the batch that year) and lost out to CAR WASH. Other score albums in that category featured music by Goldsmith, North, Nitzsche, and Bernard Herrmann. The latter’s TAXI DRIVER (1976) is a great score to use in comparison with this one. It shows the mastery of the older composer while also illustrating the crossroads composers were at in the mid-70s. Redford would later turn to Grusin for the wonderful score for 1988’s THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR for which Grusin received the Best Score Oscar in 1989. Grusin would go on to score several films in which Redford would star including THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN (1979) and the 1990 Pollack film, HAVANA.
The sound here is very mid-1970s smooth jazz before there was really any actual terminology for such things. The ensemble is the classic pop jazz combo of electric guitars and electric piano with the occasional string overlay. Grusin’s music plays like a grittier version of a Mancini mystery score. The interest here is the way he is able to vary a thematic motive that is essentially six beats that appear as a harmonic and rhythmic element and also as a melodic one when the outer lines are heard. He makes a good deal out of this material that appears mostly as the "condor theme." This is in contrast to the orchestral love theme "Goodbye for Kathy" that has a contemporary noir feel complete with a little trumpet and saxophone to warm up the sound. The melody here is one of Grusin’s finest and it has appeared on some of his jazz recordings. There are some interesting underscoring techniques in "Flashback to Terror" that hint at avante-garde sounds and atonal writing that is perhaps something Grusin is less known for these days. The same kind of contemporary orchestral writing appears briefly in other aspects of what is otherwise a jazz funk score.
"I’ve Got You Where I Want You" is an upbeat soul-tinged funky song featuring Jim Gilstrap that will send some nostalgically looking back. It is in keeping with the music that Grusin It includes some great guitar work in the bridge. Marti McCall provides a rather pretty, yet lifeless, performance of the Livingston-Evans classic, "Silver Bells." It comes as the penultimate track and is a jarring contrast to the music that precedes and follows it. It is even more unusual in that an eleven second segment of underscore opens the track. The final track is a medley of the "Condor" theme and a brief reprise of the funk song. The opening orchestral "Condor" section is really fine writing and hints at the later orchestral work that Grusin would do.
The DRG release is a bare bones re-issue and is generally sold at a reduced price. The "notes" were simply lifted from the Rotten Tomatoes website.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 9 December 2004
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com
THE UNSAID (2001/ 2004)
29 tracks [53:36]
Music composed, orchestrated and conducted by Don Davis. Performed by the Utah Studio Symphony Orchestra. Produced by Don Davis and Ford A. Thaxton. Music recorded at L.A. East Studios (Salt Lake City, Utah). Music scoring mixed by Armin Steiner. Edited and mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Layout and Design by GINKO DIGI.
Prometheus PCD 156
Rating: ***1/2
THE UNSAID was a little seen Andy Garcia thriller from 2001 directed by Tom McLoughlin that has recently been released on DVD. Fans of Davis’ music will appreciate having this additional score from the same year that saw him working on new music for JURASSIC PARK III, BEHIND ENEMY LINES, and ANTITRUST. For THE UNSAID, Davis has crafted the kind of score one forgets he can write after the frenetic MATRIX TRILOGY.
The music for this film has a wonderful full orchestra sound that incorporates a wonderfully lyrical main theme which appears in the opening tracks. The string writing is quite impressive here and falls a bit in the realm of Samuel Barber’s orchestration. "Kyle’s Denial" plays like an homage to Barber’s famous "Adagio for Strings"—the climax of the penultimate track allows the idea to build even more. Much of the score plays like a fine mixture of Howard’s scores for the Shyamalan films, Williams’ dramatic underscore, and Goldsmith’s lyrical writing. None of it is seemingly too derivative, but definitely falls within that realm of music composition. The musical ideas work here because they get a chance to ebb and flow within each track. It is a technique that often goes missing in most score releases, rarely in one of Davis’. When Davis builds to climaxes in the longer tracks they are shaped musically so well that they can stand alone as contemporary music moments.
There are plenty of nice touches throughout. A moment that caught me off guard was the melodic turn of phrase in "Shelly Contrary," which creates a brief poignancy in the midst of the reflective music. It is this tendency to focus on the lyrical aspects of the film which places this score alongside those of THE CHANGELING, THE SIXTH SENSE, or more recently THE VILLAGE, as wonderful responses to the ghost and thriller genres. There are plenty of unsettling moments that help create the necessary variety for the listener as well the highlight of which is undoubtedly "Tommy’s Mistake." It is about as close to the style of Davis’ score for THE MATRIX films than the others. It is also a knockout track that ends abruptly before being picked up immediately in the following track, "Tommy Trouble." Whether you enjoy the CD will be dependent on how much you like the main thematic ideas. There is plenty here to enjoy and the disc is worth seeking out.
I have enjoyed much of Davis’ orchestral film music and his titles are usually as humorous as those used by Goldenthal. Here is a chance to hear a kind of introspective score that pays off with great results while managing to still reward his fans with the kind of writing for which he first gained notice. You can order the disc from through most soundtrack retailers in the states or check out www.soundtrackmag.com. The German release of the DVD featured an additional CD of the score but it appears that the American DVD release did not include that kind of bonus.
--Steven A. Kennedy, 14 December 2004
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com
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