I did the notes for this--I was never a huge fan of this other than the Ice Chase cue but working on the new album, hearing the complete score and reviewing how it works in the film (a great industrial sound for some tremendous location cinematography of a very industrial Chicago), I now enjoy it quite a bit. The guitar thing is too on-the-nose but the rest is quite good, big and heavy in a way that recalls Goldsmith's great action scores of the late 70s and early 80s. The sound on this is stellar too.
I did the notes for this--I was never a huge fan of this other than the Ice Chase cue but working on the new album, hearing the complete score and reviewing how it works in the film (a great industrial sound for some tremendous location cinematography of a very industrial Chicago), I now enjoy it quite a bit. The guitar thing is too on-the-nose but the rest is quite good, big and heavy in a way that recalls Goldsmith's great action scores of the late 70s and early 80s. The sound on this is stellar too.
Jeff, I remember you also reviewed this in the FSM print magazine and lamenting that the best action cue was missing. While I love The Ice Chase cue the one you reffered to is Keanu Reeve's escape from the lab before the explosion? Looking forward to order this!. Thanks Varese!
How many Varese titles have you written notes for now, Jeff? I love it when you do notes for these 90s Goldsmith scores for two reasons -- first, you're one of my favorite liner notes writers, especially when it comes to your detailed analysis of Goldsmith's work. But second, because you always seem to end up reassessing scores you'd previously dismissed a couple decades ago. (I prefer to give you the benefit of the doubt that you aren't just being diplomatic because hey, it's a living.) What was your favorite 90s title to reassess after a new release, Jeff?
But I think most of Goldsmith's 90s work is far better than most people give credit for, in part because the album selections were very poor (leaving off Lancelot's theme entirely from First Knight? Leaving off the love theme except for the end credits of The Shadow?) but in part simply because he was competing with his own classic output from decades before.
I'm especially excited to get my copy of this now. Please keep these in-perpetuity expansions coming, Varese! You've got so much great back catalogue to expand!
Wonderful news -one of the big 4!!!!! Thank you Varese! Great day for Goldsmith fans!
One man's "big 4" are another's "meh 4". If I look at Varese's 90's Goldsmith titles, this, Executive Decision, U.S. Marshals and to a lesser extent Air Force One, aren't the ones I'm waiting for. I'll definitely get this one, as well as the other three once released, but my Big 4 would be The Haunting, Small Soldiers, L.A. Confidential and The 13th Warrior.
Still, Chain Reaction is from my favorite Goldsmith period and nobody wrote action music like him. So I am pleased it is released. Overall a stellar batch from Varese, I will be getting all three titles eventually.
Wonderful news -one of the big 4!!!!! Thank you Varese! Great day for Goldsmith fans!
One man's "big 4" are another's "meh 4". If I look at Varese's 90's Goldsmith titles, this, Executive Decision, U.S. Marshals and to a lesser extent Air Force One, aren't the ones I'm waiting for. I'll definitely get this one, as well as the other three once released, but my Big 4 would be The Haunting, Small Soldiers, L.A. Confidential and The 13th Warrior.
Still, Chain Reaction is from my favorite Goldsmith period and nobody wrote action music like him. So I am pleased it is released. Overall a stellar batch from Varese, I will be getting all three titles eventually.
Im waiting for 1989's LEVIATHAN. An expanded and redo would be great. Dunno if this is in Varese' perpetuity folder. If not then can Intrada do it?
It's a clear Fugitive remake, with Fred Ward as a discount- Tommy Lee Jones and, what, three of the same actors playing police offiecrs in both film? Gotta love it.
Makes sense; same director. Speaking of, did Andrew Davis ever make a movie set in, like, Kansas City? I suppose UNDER SIEGE counts, though at this point you'd be hard pressed to convince me that whole joint wasn't Lake Michigan.
But for serious, Davis is a fabulous director and it's a shame he doesn't get more feature work these days. His eye for Chicago gives those movies an atmosphere and a texture that makes them all much more than the sum of their parts.
Most excellent. From 8 tracks to 26. This will be a brand new listening experience. The last version was missing key moments like "Too Late" "Be Safe" and "The Museum" just to name a few.
I'm with you 100%. Bring on more 90s Goldsmith thrillers.
is this the movie you've been referencing for years with your "Chain Reaction - Complete" comment? I watched it last night....Pac-man could have played Keanu's part better.
It's a clear Fugitive remake, with Fred Ward as a discount- Tommy Lee Jones and, what, three of the same actors playing police offiecrs in both film? Gotta love it.
Makes sense; same director. Speaking of, did Andrew Davis ever make a movie set in, like, Kansas City? I suppose UNDER SIEGE counts, though at this point you'd be hard pressed to convince me that whole joint wasn't Lake Michigan.
Yeah, it is basically a Fugitive remake but it's one of those movies I always keep on in the background when it's on. And Andrew Davis had a great little stock company of actors. Half the supporting players in The Fugitive appear in this film and you can see almost all of them (plus Tommy Lee Jones) in Davis' 1989 film The Package.
I hate that autopilot comment, could anyone here write a score as good as this Goldsmith effort?
OK I'll bite. First off it's easy to point out that you don't need to be able to write a better score to acknowledge that based on Goldsmith previous outings, "Chain Reaction" is most definitely an auto-pilot score. For an auto-pilot movie (I hope you sincerely have no illusions that Chain Reaction was an original premise). By auto-pilot I mean relying heavily on old material and formulas with less emphasis on innovation whatsoever. And Goldsmith can do good auto-pilot scores with a strong theme and his regular bag of motifs (The River Wild, Deep Rising, Along Came a Spider, The Last Castle). However Chain Reaction IMO lacks any such theme and is just a showcase of 90s Goldsmith action/suspense tropes. Listening to Chain Reaction it feels like a demo reel strung together with the familiar sounds and motifs. The score reminds me most of what he'd do later on Deep Rising, but a little less fun and a lot more by the numbers.
I'm personally convinced that any contemporary composer in 1996 (Elfman, Newton Howard, Silvestri, Young, Horner, Kamen) could have scored Chain Reaction as good as Goldsmith and probably even outdo him. And that's not taking away from the genius of Goldsmith, as that same year he did Chain Reaction on autopilot, he also did Ghost and The Darkness and First Contact, far better movies and far better piloting. IMO.
Most excellent. From 8 tracks to 26. This will be a brand new listening experience. The last version was missing key moments like "Too Late" "Be Safe" and "The Museum" just to name a few.
I'm with you 100%. Bring on more 90s Goldsmith thrillers.
is this the movie you've been referencing for years with your "Chain Reaction - Complete" comment? I watched it last night....Pac-man could have played Keanu's part better.
That's the one!
Yeah, it's biggest suspension of disbelief is Reeves playing a scientist.
I hate that autopilot comment, could anyone here write a score as good as this Goldsmith effort?
I'm personally convinced that any contemporary composer in 1996 (Elfman, Newton Howard, Silvestri, Young, Horner, Kamen) could have scored Chain Reaction as good as Goldsmith and probably even outdo him.
The movie was middling, the score I enjoyed as a nice thriller work but, no, it isn't something you'd compare to Basic Instinct, The Wind & The Lion, or any of the Rambo scores, for instance ( keep in mind I ordered the new Deluxe Edition right away ) . But, um, on his best day, Elfman could never do action licks anywhere near anything in Chain Reaction No way, no how.
The other guys, yeah maybe
On the other hand, Goldsmith could never ever do an R&B score as brilliant as Midnight Run.
Some may consider this score to be Goldsmith on autopilot (and it may very well be), but even Goldsmith on autopilot sounds better to me than a lot of stuff written today.
I'm with you 100%. Bring on more 90s Goldsmith thrillers.
is this the movie you've been referencing for years with your "Chain Reaction - Complete" comment? I watched it last night....Pac-man could have played Keanu's part better.
That's the one!
huh, oh well. I might never trust a Mutant again. Not enough time has passed where I'd seek out a score like this one in regular, expanded, or more-than-complete.
Whereas, I'm way past ready for a double-feature VINTAGE GOLDSMITH SCORES FOR MEDIOCRE HORROR FILMS containing Mephisto Waltz and Peter Proud. I'm practically in-my-grave waiting.
OK I'll bite. First off it's easy to point out that you don't need to be able to write a better score to acknowledge that based on Goldsmith previous outings, "Chain Reaction" is most definitely an auto-pilot score. For an auto-pilot movie (I hope you sincerely have no illusions that Chain Reaction was an original premise). By auto-pilot I mean relying heavily on old material and formulas with less emphasis on innovation whatsoever. And Goldsmith can do good auto-pilot scores with a strong theme and his regular bag of motifs (The River Wild, Deep Rising, Along Came a Spider, The Last Castle). However Chain Reaction IMO lacks any such theme and is just a showcase of 90s Goldsmith action/suspense tropes. Listening to Chain Reaction it feels like a demo reel strung together with the familiar sounds and motifs.
This kind of comment always makes me chuckle. Firstly, when you're a natural creative, there's no such thing as autopilot. And, even if there was, Goldsmith was incapable of it. Developing musical ideas from one score to the next should never be interpreted as "lazy"
Secondly, are you serious? Silvestri and Kamen might have given Chain Reaction the Goldsmith "energy" but the others? James Newton Howard? Seriously?
Chain Reaction is a thrilling, adrenaline pumper which offers several propulsive action cues (several unique motifs) a couple of welcome 70s throwback military statements and a unique, industrial/grunge sound that Goldsmith never tried before or since. And yes, a THEME! What's not to like?
Chain Reaction is a thrilling, adrenaline pumper which offers several propulsive action cues (several unique motifs) a couple of welcome 70s throwback military statements and a unique, industrial/grunge sound that Goldsmith never tried before or since. And yes, a THEME! What's not to like?
It's comments like this that make me chuckle. "unique, industrial/grunge sound?". You make Goldsmith out to be the Trent Reznor of 1996. But you are free to interpret the score in that way, just as I am in considering it to be Goldsmith on autopilot.
What was your favorite 90s title to reassess after a new release, Jeff?
No way, no how. 
But you are free to interpret the score in that way, just as I am in considering it to be Goldsmith on autopilot.