CD Reviews: The Science Fiction Album and Dog Soldiers

The Science Fiction Album ***

WILLIAMS, GOLDSMITH, BARRY, ET AL

Silva Screen FILMXCD 359

Disc 1: 17 tracks - 70:17
Disc 2: 17 tracks - 74:28
Disc 3: 16 tracks - 73:36
Disc 4: 21 tracks - 75:46

If soundtracks were judged by packaging alone (thankfully they aren't), Silva would be leaders of the industry. Their latest release is a case in point, featuring a beautiful slipcase finished in a bronze-gold shiny material. Indeed, the picture of the Maria drone from Fritz Lang's Metropolis that adorns the cover looks great, but somewhat ironic -- it was a silent film. And, understandably, it doesn't feature in the collection, so why is it on the cover? Perhaps the inclusion of Moroder's Metropolis score would have validated its presence.

The cover misnomer is just one of the places where the product misses the mark. For example, the four-CD set is arranged in alphabetical order, but only to a fashion. This means that the many Star Trek tunes are split over two discs, whereas it would have made more sense to keep them on one disc. You could accept the argument that they did this to preserve alphabetic synchronicity, but then why does Galaxy Quest come before E.T., Predator before Moonraker or You Only Live Twice (not really sci-fi anyway) before Superman.

These might sound like petty rants, but the presentation should surely be the main reason for buying the collection. The tracks are predominantly culled from "The Cult Files" and "Space" Collections, so there's precious little new material here (A.I. notwithstanding). The work by the city of Prague Philharmonic is sound and many of the tracks are loyal to the originals (the symphonic Armageddon and orchestral suite from Robocop are particularly good).

The final nail in the coffin is the addition of six minutes of spurious sound effects tracks that interrupt the flow of the music -- "Alien Organism," "Dogfight in Space" or "Apollo 13 Take-off" anyone? These remind me of Neil Norman's Galaxy Gold, the first LP that I ever bought, way back in 1978. Cheesy cover versions sat alongside original compositions, resplendent with beepy sound effects. However, that was 1978, and this new collection just isn't post-modern or retro enough to get away with it.  -- Nick Joy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dog Soldiers ***

MARK THOMAS

First Night REELCD 104

21 tracks - 68:44

The low budget "werewolf in combat fatigues" shocker Dog Soldiers is currently making a name for itself on the European continent for providing high-octane thrills on a minimal budget. As expected, a modest production of this nature doesn't sport a marquee-name composer, but instead provides an opportunity for the relatively unknown Mark Thomas to showcase some accomplished action cues.

Thomas, a Brit, is best known in his homeland for bingo drama House!, comedies Mad Cows and Up 'n' Under, and cult favorite Twin Town. This time, he's switched the emphasis from human drama to inhuman terror, with some stunning cues to accompany the lycanthropic on-screen antics.

The liner notes contain praise from the movie's writer/director Neil Marshall, who thanks Thomas for giving the movie's characters soul, and reveals that it was always his intention for the soundtrack to marry a full-scale militaristic orchestra with Celtic instrumentation. Using this as a springboard, Thomas' cues are an eclectic collection, veering between big action and atmospheric underscore.

The Celtic influence is heard in the lyrical "Sarge's Theme," "Comrades" and "Sanctuary," by sampling the traditional folk melody "Lyke Wake Dirge" and juxtaposing snare drums with bodhran. The main title ("Dog Soldiers"), however, plays like a variant on The Rock. Having not seen the film yet, the inclusion of Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune" is an unusual addition to the track listing, though considering the movie's subject matter it might just be a cheeky in-joke.

Unpretentious, savage and atypically melodic for a B-movie shocker, it might not be ground-breaking, but let's hope this is recognized as Thomas' breakthrough score.  -- Nick Joy
 
 

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