Before You Die, You Hear The Music

By Randall D. Larson     March 10, 2005

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS

Decca Records has releases Hans Zimmer's first true horror score, that for Gore Verbinski's remake of the 1998 Japanese ghost story, RINGU. Paired on this recording with Zimmer's score for the American sequel, THE RING TWO, (both scores composed by along with protégés Henning Lohner and Martin Tillman - with yet additional music credited to James Dooley and Trevor Morris). Zimmer is best known for his hybrid melodic and rhythmic action and dramatic scores such as KING ARTHUR, GLADIATOR, PEARL HARBOR, THE LION KING), and this score if quite a departure for him. His music for HANNIBAL has horror elements but overall wasn't a traditional horror score; nor were his early scores for 1988's PAPERHOUSE and NIGHTMARE AT NOON. Start to finish, THE RING and its sequel are clearly traditional horror movie scores in intention and execution, and Zimmer and his colleagues prove capable to the task. The score is poignant, delicately atmospheric, and often haunting, emphasizing strings and piano. In all cases, though, the score works well in developing an ongoing atmosphere of dread, using vague melodies and soft tonalities that more often whisper gently, raising to a shout only rarely. The emphasis is more on creating the atmosphere and enhancing the suspense than in providing an array of audience-jolting shock sounds.

The release does not indicate which track comes from which of the two films presumably there was a degree of repetition of music from THE RING into THE RING TWO, so it probably doesn't matter. As related films, the scores work well as a single entity. The end is a little jarring, when the carefully composed ambiances of string and piano gradually morph into electric bass rhythm with subtle electric guitar intonation and, finally, in "Television," the atmosphere explodes into a raucous track with an electric, heavy metal semblance. It's as if Ithzak Perlman was performing a quiet piece and suddenly Iron Maiden roared on stage and finished the recitation although in truth, it works well in the score, the acoustic material maintaining a progressive aura of growing dread, while the electronic rock material blasts out and out terror. The sequencing on the CD uses this to its advantage (I don't recall if the score develops the same way in the film as it is placed on the CD), allowing the acoustic atmospheres to grow into the concluding electric tracks, rather than interspersing them throughout the CD, which would have been far less appealing of a listen.

Michael Perilstein's neat, quirky electronic score for 1983's delightfully creative low-budget science fiction horror film, THE DEADLY SPAWN (recently released on DVD), is the latest formerly-forgotten score to be rescued from oblivion by Perseverance Records. Originally released on LP in the '80s, Perseverance has remastered and reissued that recording and added some new material (a new suite "composed and

arranged for the purpose of combining the atmosphere of the original film with a hint of how it might have sounded had it been scored for the first time today"). The score is one of my favorite low-budget sci-fi scores of the 80s, just as the film is one of my favorite low-budget sci-fi films of the same decade. Budget be damned, the filmmakers invested such love and creativity and fun into the film that even with its sorry acting and cheesy special effects, the film remains delightfully attractive and entertaining. Likewise the score. Perilstein, who went on to score such things as HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS and WINTERBEAST but little else until an upsurge last year with some new film compositions, invested himself wholly into a wonderful score that was neither derivative of previous synth-based scores nor restrained by the limitations of budget. Using electronic instruments and a penchant for composing a terrific melodic hook (not to mention a trend toward punned track titles), Perilstein concocted a neat, attractive, tuneful yet atmospheric score that really supported the film and obscured much of its low-budgetness by giving it the kind of pulse and punch that brought it to life.

"Creeping Right Along" is a cool rhythm track that sounds almost jaunting, a neat synth melody over a warbling undercurrent of repetitious low-end synth chords. "Spawn With The Wind" is a pretty, romantic theme for electric piano over acoustic guitar. "Let's Spawn" is a terrific rock-styled track resonating over the recurring shrieks of the film's titular alien, which become musical punctuations and reverberated chords within the music. "Spawn Lake" is a strident, harsh-hitting horror cue, low end synth chords counter pointed against rapid, high-end synth figures and evocative windlike effects that make the music sound much larger than it really is. The melodies are built on a rock and roll dynamic, based in rhythm and beat, but they capture a terrific pulse and a persuasive tonality. "End Title" is a melancholy and very compelling melody for synth-woodwind over drum and bass, capturing almost a jazz-style in its melodic structure. It's an extremely provocative cue.

The CD package contains the same kind of humor that the film did from the explanation about the CD's scanreader lines to an extremely odd biography of Perilstein, which reads more like a comic book story from EC's Weird Science Fantasy, a straightforward interview with the film's effectsman, John Dods, and a very strange "Asshology Horrorscope" which I have yet to figure out. In any case, run don't walk and pick up this disc right now. www.perseverancerecords.com

FILM MUSIC NEWS

Ain't It Cool News has reported that composer John Ottman (X2, THE USUAL SUSPECTS), who is now scoring Bryan Singer's new SUPERMAN film, has acknowledged that he will use themes from John Williams' original SUPERMAN scores in his score. Ottman told the AICN reporter that, that while he fully intends to write his own score for the film, he knows he'd be crucified if he didn't pay homage. - www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=19553

The Scorelogue web site has posted a big list of new scoring assignments (see: www.scoretrackinenglish.blogger.com.br). Of note: Harry Gregson Williams will score the new, effects-ful version of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE; Joel McNeely has three more Disney animated scores to come following MULAN 2; and so on.

Having written the epic symphony that was the LORD OF THE RINGS scores, Howard Shore is now working on an opera version his score for David Cronenberg's horror film "The Fly." The work will premiere in 2007 from Los Angeles Opera, a collaboration with Cronenberg and librettist David Henry Wong of M. BUTTERFLY fame.

For its new specialty releases FSM will release, for the first time ever, one of the most famous science fiction scores of all time:

Dimitri Tiomkin's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), which astoundingly has never been released in its original soundtrack form. Tiomkin's roaring, bellicose score for THE THING featured unusual instrumentation particularly the electronic theremin that terrified audiences along with the film's titular villain. The score became the blueprint for the '50s "monster" movie genre, although Tiomkin never attempted another one like it. Master tapes to THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD are long lost, but the complete score survived on monaural acetate transfer disks in Tiomkin's personal collection, and that source has been used for this premiere CD with minimal surface noise present. The CD is filled out with Tiomkin's 1953 score to TAKE THE HIGH GROUND!, a military-training film from M-G-M starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden (running 51:47). Tiomkin's score is much more traditional than THE THING and features a rousing military march as a title song, as well as a love song ("Julie").

FSM will pair up THE THING with another classic release "definitive" scores for two classic George Pal films:

ATLANTIS: THE LOST CONTINENT (premiere release of Russell Garcia's full score, which appeared previously with a short suite on GNP Crescendo's release of Garcia's original TIME MACHINE score) and THE POWER, one of the brilliant Miklos' Rozsa's last scores, effectively incorporating the Hungarian cimbalom instrument into its unusual sound texture.

Atlantis is presented in complete form from the original session masters. The master tapes to The Power are sadly lost, so this CD features the first-ever official release of the 30-minute "private" album previously circulated to collectors. Both scores are in stereo.

FSM CDs are distributed by Screen Archives.
www.screenarchives.com

More information: www.filmscoremonthly.com

Silva Screen will release another massive four-disc soundtrack

collection next week. The Incredible Film Music Box (SILCD 1181) ranges from 1939's GONE WITH THE WIND to 2004's THE INCREDIBLES in a comprehensive collection of classic film music, performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine. There's nothing here that isn't available elsewhere much of it culled, as usual, from previous Silva collections but the new material revisits their last 4-CD film music collection and extends its content through the current year. It probably won't appeal to current film music collectors but it is an excellent compilation to interest the newcomer to film music. Silva has also just released the original soundtrack to DEAR FRANKIE (SILCD-1164), a poignant family drama film composed by Alex Heffes. "Heffes draws on his classical training, his abilities as a jazz pianist, and his orchestration skills," notes Silva Screen. Prior to soundtracks, Heffes wrote music for a variety of projects ranging from Steel band to experimental Jazz. his first major film commission was to score the Oscar winning documentary One Day in September, and his music received wide critical acclaim. He since scored for a wide variety of projects and several feature films.
www.silvascreen.co.uk

Intrada Announces their next Special Collection (Vol. 19) will be Alfred Newman's score for 20th Century Fox's submarine spectacle HELL AND HIGH WATER (1954). Newman's dynamic score includes "an especially powerful opening and lengthy music for underwater action. Intrada presents the entire score (over an hour) in stereo from the original 35mm magnetic tracks. Also included are "bonus tracks" featuring source music plus unused and alternate cues. This release, limited to 1200 copies, will be shipped in April.

GAMES MUSIC NEWS

The original soundtrack from Eidos' #1 selling videogame HITMAN: CONTRACTS, composed and produced by Jesper Kyd, has been awarded best "Original Music" at the 2005 BAFTA Games Awards (www.bafta.org). The award honors the best original music score within an interactive videogame, recognizing excellence in composition, production and integration. The soundtrack to HITMAN: CONTRACTS features Kyd's distinct blend of minimalist electronica and dark orchestral and choral grooves. The soundtrack CD is available through Sumthing Else Music Works (www.sumthing.com) and has garnered widespread acclaim as one of the truly groundbreaking original albums from a videogame. "Many have tried to turn a video game soundtrack into a musical experience. But few have succeeded in creating a coherent, satisfying listening experience as well as Jesper Kyd," noted EQ Magazine.

Kyd is currently scoring Hitman: Blood Money. For more information visit www.jesperkyd.com.

Recommended Soundtrack sources:
www.buysoundtrax.com
www.intrada.com
www.screenarchives.com
www.footlight.com
www.arksquare.com/index_main.html  (Japan) www.intermezzomedia.com/  (Italy)

For questions or comments, contact the author at Soundtrax@cinescape.com