John Williams' eagerly anticipated HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE score
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The big news, of course, and let's not waste any more time about it, is the eagerly anticipated John Williams soundtrack to HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, released last week by Warner/Nonesuch/Atlantic (83491-2). Built-around a pleasing, ascending main melody ("Hedwig's Theme") for violins/brass, the score is pure Williams, full of magic and energy. Think of a mixture of E.T., HOOK and PHANTOM MENACE and you'll have an idea of what to expect from POTTER, and perhaps that's the score's biggest drawback you know what to expect. The strains and style and textures are all quite familiar, and as a result the score may not be as wondrously special as one might have hoped.

This said, however, taken on its own accord the HARRY POTTER score works nicely on disc. The main theme is a solid one, capturing the multiple essences of adventure, heroism, energy and charisma. A softer, slower, music-box type arrangement of the main theme opens the score and often is used to quietly herald magical events to come. Elsewhere ("Diagon Alley/Gringotts Vault," etc.) Williams uses choir to good effect, presenting a phantasmagoric texture and an enchantment to his musical texture. "Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters" is a very nice cue, a vibrant, dynamic rendition of the main theme with choir, the orchestra playing furiously. At nearly eight and a half minutes, "The Quidditch Match" may have been intended to be the score's virtuoso high point, but on CD it suffers by an overt similarity to PHANTOM MENACE's "Pod Race," and never quite escapes the association to become its own entity.

Much is being made of the CD's first edition-hood with "Special First Edition" stickers and cards and a poster (really just the CD booklet folding out into a 10x18 inch wall poster). Oh, and there's a "chance to win stuff" from the Harry Potter soundtrack web site by entering a special serial number found on the First Edition inlay card (except the web site listed on the card doesn't connect exactly right).

SOUNDTRAX NEWS

Disney/Pixar's delightful MONSTERS, INC. [IMG3R]emerged this week with a rampantly tuneful score from Randy Newman (Disney 60712-7), a likable conglomeration of jazz rhythms, swing tunes, and charmingly ferocious scary monster music. Bracketed by vocal versions of the score's main theme (the first performed by Billy Crystal and John Goodman; the end cue by Randy Newman), the CD proffers just fewer than two-dozen cues ranging from the manically rhythmic to the menacingly furtive. "The Ride of the Doors" is the score's standout action cue, a riotous miasma of orchestration for the film's theme-park-ride-inducing journey through the corridors of bedroom doors.

John Frizzel's score to 13 GHOSTS, a remake of the old b&w William Castle potboiler, will be released this week on Varese Sarabande. The same label is also releasing soundtrack CDs to Randy Edelman's BLACK KNIGHT (Nov 13th) and Trevor Rabin's THE ONE (the latest Morgan-Wong sci-fier, with Jet Li) on Dec 4th. SHREK comes to CD also on Dec 4th.

England's Harkit Records [IMG2L]is preparing the first-ever CD release of Jerry Goldsmith's original music to THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. All that had been available prior were re-arranged cues by Hugo Montenegro. Also forthcoming from the label are the first-ever CD soundtrack releases to cult favorites VANISHING POINT (song score), the Charles Fox/Bob Crewe pop music score to BARBARELLA, and Christopher Comedy's music for the early Pulaski comedy, CULL DE SAC. For more information on these releases, see Harkit's web site at http://www.harkitrecords.com/new.html

Percepto records is preparing a CD containing the original soundtracks to THE FLY, RETURN OF THE FLY, and, perhaps, THE CURSE OF THE FLY with music by 1950s sci-fi regulars Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter. Percepto also plans to release Bruce Broughton's exquisite soundtrack to the tender 1986 fantasy THE BOY WHO COULD FLY.

John Debney is continuing work on Universal Studio's upcoming entry in the MUMMY series, THE SCORPION KING, starring Dwayne Johnson, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. The film is directed by Chuck Russell and is slated for release on April 19th, 2002.

John Ottman is scoring [IMG4R]MY BROTHER'S KEEPER (formerly called BREEDERS), John Badham's new TV-movie slated for release next year, as well as EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS (originally called ARAC ATTACK).

George S. Clinton has indeed been signed to score the next Austin Powers film, currently titled Austin Powers: Goldmember. He is also currently recording the score to JOE SOMEBODY, the new Tim Allen movie for 20th Century Fox directed by John Pasquin.

Paramount's new two-disc "Director's Cut" DVD release of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE includes, among others on the group commentary track, Jerry Goldsmith describing his pivotal music for the film.

Next week's DVD release of Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES will include commentary by Danny Elfman on his earthy, percussive score.

Soundtrax is our bi-weekly movie soundtrack column.