The Music Gauntlet II
A "Mix Tape" Odyssey by Jeremy Moniz
See yesterday's
article for Jeremy's tale of soundtrack collecting and his first "gauntlet"
mix tape track list.
GAUNTLET II
#23 Battle Beyond The Stars, "End Title" by James Horner
This is the score that got led to Star Trek II ... but, since
this was a Roger Corman B-movie this music became part of the Corman library
and was tracked onto several other grade Z-movies. Fact is this music is
good, even if Horner is ashamed of it, the sloppy performance by the questionable
orchestra just gives it character. I saw this film in 1981 or so and liked
the opening echoey horn notes as the opening sequence began, sure it was
inspired by Goldsmith's "Patton", but I was ignorant to that
and other score similarities. If someone was actually willing to restore
the "score" to "Plan 9 From Outer Space" then this
score deserves equal treatment because it is a cult classic score.
#24 A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, "Deceptive
Romance" by Angelo Badalamenti
By this time people at school knew I was a soundtrack junkie and when
this movie came out, I was told repeatedly about how cool this movie and
the music was. Of course they were referring to "Dream Warriors"
by Dokken, a popular heavy metal band at the time. When I came across the
cassette, I was gleeful that it wasn't there and that it was just score,
yeah! Unfortunately, the music here is proof of why electronic music sucks.
When classically trained composers came into contact with synthesizers
they seemed to like loose a sense of composition because they were unfamiliar
with the new technology and it was still in it's infancy. Tangerine Dream
& John Carpenter appeared as geniuses while the veteran composers got
egg on their face. Badalamenti is a great composer, his works with David
Lynch are impressive, but this simply was not his element... So is there
any redeemable part of this score? Yes, the cue I chose had two parts which
underscores the best part of the movie where the nurse lures one of the
kids to the bedroom, strips, seduces him, turns into Freddy and captures
him. The First part utilizes acoustic guitar with synth support as the
nurse seduces, the second part is the trap where the score becomes idiotic
pounding, which I omitted. So about less than a minute is actually worth
hearing ... and yes, I upgraded to CD!
#25 Children Of The Corn "Main Title" by Jonathan Elias
A very underrated composer who made a neat little score for synth and
children's chorus for this low budget Stephen King movie. The LP itself
is very vague as far as info and the tracks have hardly any dividing space
to choose a certain track, so then opening theme was easiest to snag, but
the rest of the score is haunting and has chilling chants as well. Elias
in 1999 went on to release "The Prayer Cycle" a religious work
featuring Alanis Morrisette and Linda Rondstat to name a few, a beautiful
composition which sounds like Morricone's "The Mission" at times
but certainly is not inspired by it.
#26 Blade Runner "End Title" by Vangelis
Luckily Ridley Scott didn't mess with this score, a masterpiece in a
sense as it is the first electronic film noir score, absolute proof why
synthesizer scores DON'T suck, but judge for yourself. I have purchased
this score four times, with special thanks to a friend who alerted me the
first release of the true score which transcends the official score release
by Atlantic records by leaps and bounds. The full length end title from
Blade Runner is a total contrast from the rest of the score being
an energetic release after all the pent-up sexy and dark moody score throughout
the film. There must be some reason for it...
#27 Escape From New York "Everyone's Coming To New York"
performed by the Cast of the film
John Carpenter ... again? Yup, though this silly song, co-written by
Nick Castle, is the highlight to the album and the new CD reissue does
botch the wonderful piano trail out. As the rest of the score goes, it
has a classic action theme, laid back and simple ... with the rest of the
score varying from cool and creepy to annoying and repetitive. Not his
best but interesting.
#28 Live And Let Die "Lie And Let Die" performed by Paul
McCartney & Wings
I would get the Bond soundtracks, but isn't this a curious one to be
first. At the time this was cheap and available. The score by George Martin
was serviceable but dated, but the song is timeless ... and it wouldn't
be until much later that '70s film scores like these become respectably
cool for being funky.
#29 A Clockwork Orange "Title Music" arranged and performed
by Wendy Carlos
Well, as the album states Walter Carlos... this is like a dark cousin
to Fantasia, taking classics and "electrifying" them very cool.
Carlos is the one who contacted Kubrik about her musical concept which
he liked considerably thus the final result, dark twisted classical with
ironic use of "happy" tunes. Pure Horrorshow!
#30 Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan "Kirk's Explosive Reply"
by James Horner
Originally found a cassette version in a cutout bin at Woolworth's,
remember that store? I felt like I'd found the holy grail as I looked around
to see if some other "collector" spied it in my hand and was
on-route to snatch it. And I cradled it back home and listed endlessly
to it, in awe as I found a copy of this out of print album, I am so lucky!!!
What would be a better cue to choose but when Kirk gets the upper hand
versus Khan? Mutara Nebula? Okay that too.
#31 Rumble Fish "Tulsa Tango" by Stewart Copeland
Expressionistic for my first album from Copeland and one associated
with the legendary Francis Coppola. The album starts of with an odd song
by Stan Ridgeway, former lead singer of WALL OF VOODOO, and then goes in
the kinetic and quirky vein and scores, a very unique work incorporating
percussion, guitar and industrial sounds ... it simply is cool, man.
#32 Thief "Igneous" by Tangerine Dream
It was cheap and it was there, and it's good. This particular cue sounds
like electrics on fire. Tangerine Dream, when they were good, had a psychedelic
electro-rock sound which, like some of Philip Glass' music, is mesmerizing.
Note, the American release featured a rock instrumental finale composed
by Craig Safan called "Confrontation" the German CD issues omitted
that and replaced it with an additional Dream cut called "Beach Scene."
#33 The Spy Who Loved Me "Bond 77" by Marvin Hamlisch
The musical prodigy responsible for A Chorus Line was hired to score
the best Roger Moore Bond film. And this is great, the Bond 77 is so dated
it's hilarious and it's so goofy it's cool, until somebody catches you
listening to it. Hamlisch also includes every ethnic style possible showcasing
his work, but the album seems to be an edited jumble with no order to the
tracks. It's still fun. Incidentally, I think, this cassette also was the
first to suffer from what I call "squeakers disease" presumably
the tape has deteriorated enough to create an annoying magnetic feedback
sound that is intolerable. BUT, no Varese cassettes EVER had this problem.
#34 Rambo: First Blood Part II "Betrayed" by Jerry Goldsmith
Besides Frank Stallone singing, another Goldsmith score expanding on
the ethnic percussion style explored in INCHON, melding the FIRST BLOOD
themes with Asian culture, action and more action. END OF SIDE ONE
#35 Poltergeist "Carol Anne" by Jerry Goldsmith
Incredible score with some inspiration from Holst's The Planets. During
this period Goldsmith was in a Shostakovich vein that is evident in this
and other scores of this year, eiree and beautiful... I located a used
cassette at a used bookstore known as Froggies and like with Star Trek
II, I was flabbergasted, especially at the price $2.99. The original
album features processed children laughing at the end of this cue, the
Rhino reissue skipped it.
#36 Spaceballs "Good Enough" by Van Halen
What? Not a John Morris score cut? Well, his score for the last great
Mel Brooks comedy is okay. There are three cuts: "Love Theme",
"Spaceballs Build Megamaid" & "Main Title" just
okay and a bunch of average songs plugged in to sell records, even as the
movie implies... MARKETING!!! What the choice of this rock song does is
break up the monotony, and it isn't that bad.
#37 The Witches Of Eastwick "The Dance Of The Witches"
by John Williams
What collection isn't complete without this on CD, I lucked out and
got it before the mad rush in early 1991. What is nice about this one is
that it's classic Williams NOT associated with Speilberg or Lucas, but
it certainly didn't need "Dance" twice on the disc as tracks
#2 & #14 are identical.
#38 2010 "New Worlds" by David Shire
In comparison to the previous film, 2001, this sucks. But on its own
merit, this sucks! The score is essentially a multitude of drones and twangs
matching the cold of space and a good dose of the theme from "Doogie
Hauser" thrown in, but then the producers of this film weren't going
for the mystique of Kubrik's original. Electronic specialist Craig Huxley
assisted Mr. Shire with the electronic parts of the score which does feature
a full orchestral ending which IS quite good, "New Worlds", which
is why I chose it. And former Police band member Andy Summers performs
a new funked out version of Zarathrustra... beware!
#39 Fright Night "Give It Up" by Evelyn Champagne King
Great vampire movie using the 1950 vampire hunter idiom to catch a modern
day one with cool modern score by Brad Fiedel featuring Ross Levinson on
electric violin (same team on The Terminator). The album ignores the score
and goes straight for the songs which aren't bad in this collection, and
Fiedel is represented but he sings the vampire love song himself, bad idea.
This song is used when the vampire (Chris Saradon) is dancing with Amy
(Amanda Bearse) in the dance club.
#40 Doctor Detroit "Doctor Detroit" by Devo
I'm a Devo fan as well, my first albums were in fact by Devo and Mark
Mothersbaugh is scoring films now. The theme song is good, if you like
Devo, and the rest is drek.
#41 Poltergeist II: The Other Side "Vomit Creature"
Whatever happened to cause the trunkation of this work really hurt this
score's initial release for which I paid $12.99 for a CASSETTE, just on
Goldsmith's name alone... I was disappointed. Not a happy story for my
first INTRADA purchase! However, "Late Call" is a beautiful cue
even with the telephone ringing and this was my choice until the complete
re-issue or rather the apology was offered.
#42 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior "Main Title" by Brian May
This score by the late Brian May is a masterwork and alas is not represented
well, but it still has some good stuff ranging from lamenting the desolate
wasteland to the terror of oncoming semi trucks. The main title says it
all... superb.
#43 Dreamscape "Endless Dreams" by Maurice Jarre
One thing I liked about Jarre's electronic scores is that he had faith
in the equipment and kept trying and trying and this score, aided by Craig
Huxley (uh-oh), doesn't work without the film, in the film it is dissonant
and piercingly sharp at times and "Jealousy Merry-Go-Round" is
a very cute calliope inspired tune, but the finale "Endless Dreams"
is the most listenable featuring David Angel on saxophone.
#44 Outland "Hot Water" by Jerry Goldsmith
Undaunted I bought this used LP, which by the way most of my used LP
purchases at this time were made at Jelly's, a large used outlet across
from the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, including ALIEN, DREAMSCAPE &
GREMLINS etc. Here again is harsh Goldsmith and experimental electronics
as well. "Hot Water" is a stand out cue which just builds and
builds and when it should crescendo to an end, it just stops and nervously
concludes...
#45 Jaws 2 "The Menu" by John Williams
I like the sense of humor involved here where beachgoers are refereed
to as "The Menu" and this score does improve upon the original,
particularly on this cue. This used cassette, issued by MCA, was gray with
gray info stickers, much like the Varese styled cassettes of old.
#46 Halloween III: Season Of The Witch "Goodbye Ellie"
by John Carpenter with Alan Howarth
By coincidence I collected the Halloween series in numerical order,
this film being a francise spin-off about witches trying to destroy the
world. Since Carpenter's colleague, Tommy Lee Wallace, was at the helm
of this p roject, he scored it for him with new equipment. The new sound
was smoother than the Halloween II sound and he kept the score very subtle,
nothing fantastic but a nice variation on the Halloween theme "Chariots
Of Pumpkins" which served as the main titles slowly increasing in
intensity, and a funny evil commercial track "Montage" voiced
by the director with calliope support. "Good-bye Ellie" is a
five minute cute where the hero must fend off his girlfriend who is actually
one of the evil witch androids sent to kill him.
***END OF SIDE TWO***
That's all for these first two Gauntlets...
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
| 
