CD Reviews: Atlantis and Goldsmith Compilation
Atlantis *** 1/2
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
Walt Disney - 60713-7
18 tracks - 53:56
While not in the same league as his recent Dinosaur, James Newton
Howard's score for Disney's animated Atlantis offers much to enjoy.
There are many high points to this score, but there's also a preponderance
of filler music that dissipates some of the enjoyment of the listening
experience. A little programming of the CD should fix that problem.
The latest animated Disney movie that isn't a musical (it seems that
the boy-oriented movies are now sans songs); Atlantis is the story
of Milo, a young adventurer with an obsession for finding...you guessed
it...the lost world of Atlantis. Rated PG for some reason (maybe
because of the fart jokes), this is a variation of the Indiana Jones movies
and a perfectly enjoyable fare for any pre-teen boy -- or so I've heard.
The score starts with a kicker, the Western-flavored "Submarine," but
doesn't really pick up again until "The Journey" which goes through many
shadings (my favorite is a patriotic, heroic horn passage) and are all
underscored with military drums. The quirky "The City of Atlantis" spices
things up with interesting instruments making appearances. But then, it's
not until the end of the score that the action returns. My favorite cue
is "The Crystal Chamber," which has flavorings of a John Williams, Indiana
Jones-like discovery cue blended with an old-fashioned lullaby. "Just Do
It" is an exciting, whirling dervish of a cue and is reminiscent of the
best music from Howard's last water-based effort, Waterworld.
Howard has without a doubt provided a rousing and appropriate score
for Atlantis, but this is the type of music that I expected from
a Howard score of the early 1990s like Wyatt Earp, Waterworld
and Alive. The hallmark techniques of his more recent period (which
includes powerfully restrained scores like Snow Falling on Cedars
and Unbreakable) aren't that prevalent in the Disneyfied Atlantis.
The less said about the pop song, "Where the Dream Takes You," the better.
Co-written by Diane Warren and Howard, the song seems to be Ms. Warren's
bid to nab all of the Oscar nominations for this year's Best Original Song
category With the Faith Hill Pearl Harbor song already under her
belt, this uninspired ditty could be another nomination filler. --
Cary Wong
The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith *****
JERRY GOLDSMITH
Telarc CD-80433
10 tracks - 69:13
For a composer with such a prolific output, Jerry Goldsmith has very
few compilation albums to his name. Varèse's Frontiers was
a welcome, but niche, overview of his fantasy work, while Silva Screen's
The Essential Jerry Goldsmith was an earnest, if not entirely successful,
collection of cover versions. So, it's with welcome arms and bated breath
that Telarc's "Best of Jerry" disc was unleashed to his ever-growing fan
base. And if that prospect wasn't mouth-watering enough, the whole hour-plus
opus is performed by John Williams' favorite, the London Symphony Orchestra.
Recorded in early 2000, the newest track on the album is Air Force
One. As such, those expecting a contemporary overview of the man's
work might be disappointed, and there certainly aren't any rarities to
be found in the track listings. However, because it contains the full program
of his regular concert hall staples, the disc succeeds best as a memento
of Goldsmith's live performances. In the same way that The Wings of
a Film and Cinema Concerto capture the essence of Zimmer's and
Morricone's performances respectively, The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith
is a lively sampler of Jerry's greatest concerts.
But, unlike other recordings of concerts, this disc was recorded in
a studio. Sure, we don't get the droll showbiz anecdotes or swishes of
the silver ponytail, but the upside is a crystal clear recording using
the Direct Stream Digital recording system. Whether or not it really is
"the next big thing" in recording is yet to be seen, but if this is the
shape of things to come then the sound of the future is pin sharp.
Don't be put off by what appears to be a limited number of tracks; there
may only be 10 tracks on the album, but two are medleys, comprising 14
movies and TV scores between them. So, what you really get for your money
is in excess of 20 themes, ranging from The Boys from Brazil's exquisite
waltz, to the lyrical Americana of Rudy. But why does "The Motion
Picture Medley" limit The Wind and the Lion to a woeful two minutes,
while the theme from The Russia House is allocated five minutes?
For me, the winner is the punchy theme from Barnaby Jones, a little-heard
but infectious TV riff that sounds better than ever thanks to the LSO's
orchestral sweep. They add a majesty that the original soundtracks could
only dream of, and Star Trek: Voyager and Twilight Zone: The
Movie positively glow from the full orchestra treatment.
Ultimately, this is an eclectic brew of Oscar-nominated favorites and
nostalgic crowd-pleasers that will either provoke you into buying the complete
scores, or remind you of that day trip when you made the trek to see Jerry
in concert. And if you can forgive the unimaginative title (and equally
dull packaging) then you have every reason to buy the best Goldsmith compilation
ever! -- Nick Joy
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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