CD Reviews

HOWARD SHORE

Sony Classical SK 89442

20 tracks - 39:36

The Yards, directed by James Gray and featuring an array of B-list actors, is a waste of talent. One of the slowest thrillers ever produced, this meditation on family and crime could have been an interesting modern Shakespearean tragedy. Instead, the clunky screenplay and the odd, suspenseless direction undermine the story of an ex-con (Mark Wahlberg) whose only way of supporting his poor suffering mother (Ellen Burstyn) is to get into the family business with his corruptible friend (Joaquin Phoenix, playing a Hispanic!).

The waste and excess continues with Sony Classical's release of Howard Shore's immensely moody score. If only all soundtracks were given such releases -- from the beautiful packaging to the inclusion of what I gather is every note of the score (beautifully played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra). For a minor movie, The Yards is surely getting star treatment. However, this in no way negates the Shore's writing skills, as his music was one of the redeeming factors in the film. Shore often uses concepts of minimalism, and he puts them to full use in The Yards, setting up scenes without overpowering them with portentousness. His earlier work on Copland succeeds for some of the same reasons. Shore's music, like that of his colleague Carter Burwell (substantial sections of The Yards are in fact as close to Burwell as you can get without being Burwell), is adept at commenting on the action of a scene without forcing itself on the audience. Shore's themes and variations may seem slight at first, but with repeated listens, one starts to hear distinctions. The most touching cue is "Willie's Tears," which comes at the height of madness in the movie. Shore keeps it subtle and heartbreaking.

In the liner notes, the director shares that he played many classical pieces for the cast to inspire them with what he felt was the mood of his film. Shore took this to heart, incoporating some of Holst's "Saturn, Bringer of Old Age" from "The Planets." Shore's quotes are put to fine use, and in the case of "Family," a beautiful cue that comes late in the movie, are inspired. Shore also does a good job at switching gears when the movie pulls an abrupt denouement out of its hat -- he has to provide an optimistic cue that doesn't come out of the equivalent left-field. It does the job as well as can be expected...but it does provide a nice finale for thealbum. -- Cary Wong

JOHN CARPENTER

Silva Screen/FilmCD 342

14 tracks - 53:35

In 1980, two years after the runaway success of Halloween, John Carpenter tried his hand at another, more traditional form of horror with his post-modern ghost story, The Fog. The film itself is an effective exercise in old-school terror, relying primarily on quick, loud frights rather than gore. According to Carpenter, however, his first edit of the film was "clunky, clumsy and awful; the music was heavy-handed and obvious." So, with one month to spare before its release date, the resourceful director/composer heavily revamped both the film and its soundtrack. The score he whipped up in those frenzied final weeks is a remarkable, minimalist composition which, like its subject, can best be described in one word: atmospheric.

Silva's newly remastered and expanded release of The Fog more than makes up for any difficulty that Carpenter fans endured in trying to obtain this score. Originally released by Varese Sarabande (and as a scarce import from Colosseum), this latest edition incorporates the same eight cues featured on the original release, as well as four previously unreleased bonus tracks. For the most part, the sound is clean and crisp, though there's a bit of tape hiss in some cues. Carpenter's 1984 liner notes are reproduced here, with no additional comment from Alan Howarth, who is credited with the stereo remix.

Happily, unlike Silva's re-release of Escape From New York, this disc is not overloaded with dialogue from the film. The first track is an excerpt from John Houseman's introductory campfire ghost story, which works well in setting the tone for the chilling series of cues that follow (and easily skipped by listeners with little patience for talk). Similar to his electronic/piano stylings for Halloween, there are two or three recurring themes, with throbbing mood cues filling out the remainder of the work.

The main title, "Theme From The Fog" features a descending, minor progression with a wood-block rapping away in an insistent 16/4 time. "Matthew Ghost Story" is another excellent cue, a subtle, meandering piano air over a soft, basso hum with a hint of the swirling wind effects that figure prominently in later tracks. "Walk to the Lighthouse" is also a standout, an unsettling, keening cue involving circling oboe-like tones indicative of Adrienne Barbeau's gradual suspicion that something is awry in Antonio Bay. Speaking of which, "Antonio Bay" is a good example of the score's Spartan styling, opening on a simple piano melody and a hissing wind effect whisking back and forth in stereo; after about thirty seconds, the cue regresses to a four-note synth motif for the remaining four minutes.

The disc's longest track, the venerated "Reel 9," is another exercise in extended musical tension. Running just over eleven minutes, "Reel 9" accompanies the ghost-laden fog's descent on the town. Sparse organ chords over a pulsating bass tone serve as a preamble to the monotonous, low-keyed 1/4 piano line and omnipresent, swirling "wind" that characterizes the piece. This slow, pulsing tempo increases to a frantic pace as the vengeful spirits attack, bringing into play a thunderous percussion effect (reminiscent of the ghosts' pounding upon a door earlier in the film) and a tickling 16/4 tone that seems the auditory equivalent of one's hair standing on end.

Of the four unreleased cues, none are remarkable, as they are all nearly identical to earlier tracks. The first is a reprise of the main title (as heard over the end credits); the second, "The Fog Rolls In," is a variation on "Rocks at Drake's Bay," both of which sound suspiciously similar to one of Carpenter's Halloween motifs; "Blake in the Sanctuary" rehashes the thudding motif of "Reel 9," though it does feature the electrifying stings heard as Barbeau finally sees the mushy face of her attacker; "Finale" is merely another take on the "Matthew Ghost Story" motif.

Featured as the final track is a six-minute radio interview with Jamie Lee Curtis, in which the actress expounds upon her career and the problems of acting for the screen; an odd addition, but nicely bookended with two false radio-station promos from the film. Sadly missing from the lineup is one of the film's best cues, an ascending version of the main theme in harpsichord-like tones heard as we meet the denizens of Antonio Bay. In fact, the 1995 Fog laserdisc from Image Entertainment offers a more diverse selection, featuring no less than 35 cues on an isolated score track.

In all, however, this is a well-done reissue of a long neglected score, and Silva should be commended for making it available once again, albeit in a form not far removed from its previous incarnations. Longtime fans of Carpenter's music will likely appreciate the score's simplicity, though new listeners may find the majority of the work too abstract and repetitious. -- Chris Stavrakis

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