Trent Reznor/David Fincher Double Feature

The Social Network/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010/2011)

Composer: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Number of tracks: 19/39

Total times: 66:11/173:30

Overview:

David Fincher... for those in the know, the name probably brings up scenes from some of the most dark and depressing films of the last 19 years. Fincher first appeared on the directing scene with the much troubled third installment of the Alien series, Alien3 (1992) before moving on to direct such films as Se7en (1995) , Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).

Along the way, Fincher has worked with some of the top film score composers of the Digital Age including Elliot Goldenthal (1), Howard Shore (3), David Shire (1) and Alexandre Desplat (1). In 2009, Fincher finally found his musical muse in Trent Reznor, ex-front man of the rock group Nine Inch Nails. Fincher has always leaned more towards dark, ambient scores for his films even when fully orchestral (Benjamin Button is the lone exception), so the experimental "sound design" of Reznor's work fit perfectly into the directors idea of film music.

So far, Reznor has done two scores for Fincher: The Social Network (2010, Academy Award winner) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Today, I will briefly review both works in one fell swoop.

The Social Network review:

For those that might still be in the dark about this film, Social Network tells the (partly fictional) account of the birth of Facebook and all the trials of Mark Zuckerburg. The film is an interesting character study and is actually rather engaging, though also rather depressing, as most of Fincher's work is. The music on the other hand, is a vastly different story....

The album opens with "Hand Covers Bruise" which consists of what sounds like a razor being scraped over strings as a sparse piano piece plays. A low 3-note bass motif appears between performances of the piano piece. After this stark intro, the remaining music is divided between oddly retro sounding 80's synth textures and grungy experimental rock pieces that sound like leftover ideas from Hans Zimmer's Joker material in The Dark Knight (2008).

Oddly enough, there are some enjoyable pieces on the album: "In Motion", "Painted Sun Abstract", "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "Soft Trees Break Fall" are actually somewhat enjoyable, even if they are rather repetitive and not something you want to listen to if your depressed, especially "Soft Trees...". On the other hand, the rest of the album is rubbish. Probably the worse offender being "A Familiar Taste" which sounds like some of the edgy grunge rock music Paul Haslinger is so fond of in his Underworld scores.

Really, the worst thing about The Social Network is the fact that there is no sense of any of this music being a connected whole or fitting the films narrative flow. There are no themes or motifs to follow and even the overall mood of the album varies so wildly that it becomes more of a collection of various songs rather than a cohesive score. This is only compounded by the fact that the majority of the music is rather annoying and sounds like a bunch of kids let loose in a studio with synths and electric guitars....

How on earth this work won the Best Original Score Oscar is beyond me, as there were plenty of other great scores nominated that year.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo review:

Despite the insipid nature of the previous Trent Reznor "score", Fincher hired him again for his next film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The film follows a newspaper reporter and a computer hacker as they try to uncover corruption in Sweden and find more than they were expecting. The film is disturbingly violent, bleak and overall unpleasant... the perfect breeding ground for Reznor's tortured "sound design" way of scoring.

Reznor approached this project by recording a wealth of strange, organic sounds and then manipulating them and bending them into the score. Unlike what most mainstream reviewers may say, this is nothing new in the area of film music. Low budget horror film composers have been manipulating sounds for years, producing a very similar result to what Reznor finally came out with. De-tuned piano, razors on strings, distorted sounds of various appliances, etc. make up the foundation for the majority of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Despite all the sound design and strange effects in the score, there are a few tracks that show some promise of a slightly more mature Reznor. "What if We Could", "Please Take Your Hand Away", "Parrallel Universe with Alternate Outcome" and "A Pair of Doves" show a slight glimmer of light and instrumental sanity among all the bleak sound design and textures. Yet even with these less abrasive tracks, an overall feeling of gloom still hangs over everything.

Still, the main things that bring the album down are the lack of identifiable themes/motifs and the extreme length of the various tracks and overall album for the commercial release. Unlike with The Social Network, Dragon Tattoo at least has a consistent overall mood which aids the listening experience greatly. Unfortunately, the torturous running time (at nearly 3 straight hours) practically kills any good in the package.

A short promo of the score was released before the mammoth commercial album, which contained 6 tracks totaling around half an hours worth of music from the film. This release is really what should have been the commercial album, as it is the perfect sampler of Reznor's work without overstaying its welcome... which the commercial release does within two tracks.

Closing Thoughts:

Despite producing two rather unfortunate albums, I do feel that if given more creative license and allowed to go his own way (instead of being guided around by Fincher), that Reznor might be a great film score composer. Buried beneath all the sound design and dark, brooding atmospheres, there seems to be an intelligent composer that knows how to use sounds... unfortunately he just hasn't been given the chance to really shine.

As is, if you want to hear the best these two works have to offer (which isn't terribly much), then go for the pieces I mentioned. As a whole, these are two rather weak scores even by experimental soundtrack standards. Approach with caution... unless you are a Reznor fanboy in which case what I say means nothing, apparently.

Score:

The Social Network= 1/2 out of 5

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo= 1 1/2 out of 5

Priest review

Priest (2011)

Composer: Christopher Young

Number of tracks: 12

Total time: 55:09

Overview:

Ah, Christopher Young... The man certainly knows how to score a film to a perfect T, yet he usually gets stuck giving amazing scores to truly awful films. Enter the dystopian future vampire action flick, Priest. The film is based off of a somewhat obscure Korean comic book of the same name. The plot is rather trivial, centering around an alternate reality where humans and vampires constantly duke it out and a military Catholic Church runs everything with the help of warrior priests.

Admittedly the story sounds kinda cool if you don't stop to think about how ridiculous it sounds. As can be expected, the film failed at the box office only barely breaking even on it's massive budget. Besides the impressive visuals, the only other positive of the film is Christopher Young's massive Gothic action/horror score.

Review of the music:

Christopher Young made a name for himself with lyrical orchestral horror scores in the late 80's- early 90's and is most fondly remembered for his scores to Clive Barker's late 80's films and 1989's The Fly II. Young also has ventured into action films with scores to Hard Rain and Spider-Man 3, so the blending of Gothic horror and action film sensibilities into one score seemed the ideal blend.

The primary theme is introduced immediately in the opening track, "Priest", setting the tone for the rest of the score with choir, brass, percussion (including wooden blocks), racing strings and even an organ for added Gothic-ness. The Main theme is tweaked and repeated throughout the score, though at times it's hard to tell if it's the Main theme or not, one of the very few downfalls of the score. "Eclipsed Heart" is yet another beautiful piece by Young for a horror score, featuring wonderful string work played against a duduk clarinet. "I Have Sinned" (track 3) is the first true action piece of the album and doesn't waste any time getting started, opening with racing strings, brass and choir before building to a frenzied crescendo. This is pure horror/action scoring at its finest, with wild percussion and sliding strings adding extra effect.

The rest of the album features several tracks of immense orchestral action writing with horror overtones such as "The Vampire Train", "Sacrosanct Delirium" and "Detuned Towne". These tracks make full use of the large orchestra and choir Young gathered for the recording, plus the added enhancements of tastefully used electronics. "The Vampire Train" is easily the highlight of the action cues as the Main theme battles it out with the Vampire theme, all the while as the orchestra mimics the sound of a train (and no, it's not as goofy as it may sound). The purely horror cues are also great, especially "Blood Framed Hell" and "Never One For Love" again showcasing Young's mastery at horror scoring, especially the freaky chanting in the former track.

As with all good horror scores, there is a balance between all the orchestral chaos and the more harmonically pleasing pieces. "Faith, Work, Security" opens ominously before turning into a heroic fanfare not too unsimiliar to what can be heard in Tron: Legacy (2010), though taken to the next level with a full choir. "Fanfare for a Resurrected Priestess" features the vocal work of Lisa Gerrard over a hauntingly powerful theme that could easily be from one of Zimmer's action scores of the 2000's. The Zimmer influence is present again in "Cathedral City Blue", an impressive "Journey to the Line"-esque cue where Young expands upon the Main theme and Hero fanfare over a racing string ostinato, though only after a somewhat dark opening two minutes.

The score finally comes to a resounding end with the epic "World Without End", perfectly summing up the central themes of the score and giving Lisa Gerrard's vocals one last chance to shine. It's an impressive and satisfying close to the equally impressive precedings.

Closing thoughts:

Christopher Young has done so many great scores over his 30-plus years of work, its a shame most of his work goes unappreciated or has to be stuck to some truly wretched films. Priest will probably quickly fade into the bargain bins of most stores and the filmgoing publics memory, but Young's masterful score to the movie should not be thrown out with its correlating film. This is a highly impressive, very satisfying horror/action score that truly deserves the highly overused term nowadays of EPIC.

This is also probably Mr. Young's most impressive work of the last five years. Priest may be a film to avoid like a rabid vampire, but the score is must-have for film-score collectors and fans of well made action scores. As Patrick Doyle proved with Thor (2011): Just because the Zimmer style of action scoring is overused doesn't mean talented composers can't make it feel fresh again. Highly Recommended.

Note: This album is only available via digital download or as a CD-R from Amazon.com.

Score:

5 out of 5

Top 10 Goldsmith Scores You Need To Hear

Well, it's been awhile since I have tackled a "top 10" list, so here's a new one: Goldsmith scores you need to hear!

Now, some of these will be well known titles and some not-so well known. At any rate, I hope you will look into the scores listed after reading this. As always, this is purely my own opinion and based off of the Goldsmith scores I have actually heard. As with most lists, this will simply be a snapshot of what I feel are the works by Mr. Goldsmith that most of my readers should hear/be aware of.

So, here we go....

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10. Patton (1970)

Thoughts: A rather sparse score, Patton is one of those works that says a lot in a very short amount of time. It nicely conveys the many aspects of General Patton's character through a three part overture, making great use of the echoplex at the same time. A score that lives up to its high reputation.

9. Medicine Man (1992)

Thoughts: Goldsmith in the jungle... with synths. This is one of those scores that you have to get used to in order to really enjoy it. Thankfully, there is a lot to enjoy once you get pasted the jungle rhythms and synth textures. Give it a chance, you may find you really like it.

8. The Edge (1997)

Thoughts: Goldsmith without synths. Period. This is one of those rare later year scores by Mr. Goldsmith that does not feature synthesizers of any kind and is easily one of the highlights of his later career. With a sweeping main theme ("Lost in the Wilds") and plenty of rugged action music, this is one of the best of the 90's.

7. Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Thoughts: As I mentioned in my review, this score works as both a sampler of Goldsmith's styles for newcomers and as a great collection of some of the best the Master had to offer at the time. It's practically four scores in one, so what's not to like?

6. First Knight (1995)

Thoughts: Some complain about this one being too obvious in its emotions, thus giving it an almost parody feeling. In this reviewer's opinion, it merely harkens back to the grand old adventure scores of Hollywood's Golden Age. Heroic fanfare, a sweeping love theme and wall shaking action music. A must listen for both fans and casual listeners.

5. Secret of N.I.M.H (1982)

Thoughts: Goldsmith's first foray into animated features and it's a knock-out. This is one of those scores that has a very strong Classical feeling to it in many parts, which helps greatly in giving the music a much bigger and more serious feeling. The choir work is wonderful and the array of themes are both wide, yet easily recognizable and identifiable. "Flying Dreams" is probably one of the most sappy, yet lovely songs/themes for an animated movie prior to James Horner's work in the genre.

4. Alien (1979)

Thoughts: Experimental horror score with Romantic leanings when it comes to the non-horror moments. This is one of those that may take some time to get used to, but is well worth the effort of listening to. The mastery of orchestral tones and strange recording techniques alone are highly impressive, though what's most striking is just how listenable the work is. This will always be one of the greats in both film and score.

3. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Thoughts: The first and possibly the best Star Trek score, Goldsmith injects the perfect balance of awe, mystery and adventure into this work. The Main title is an instant classic and the music for Vger and the cloud sequences are simply fantastic in their balance of dark beauty and mysteriousness (similar music would be used later in Poltergeist (1982) ).

2. Legend (1985)

Thoughts: Probably the toughest Goldsmith score to really get into, this is also the one score that has the most to give to those that can get pasted the electronic elements and singing. Without a doubt the finest fantasy score pre-Lord of the Rings, Legend shows Goldsmith at the peak of his creative powers. Definitely worth the effort to get into.

1. The Wind and the Lion (1975)

Thoughts: Possibly the easiest Goldsmith score to like and also one of his very finest. Everything about this score is pure classic Goldsmith: the use of ethnic instruments, percussive action material, a grand Main theme and several equally impressive supporting themes. There is really no reason not to like this score, so if you have not heard this one yet, go and listen to it or buy the film. Both are classics in their respective fields.

The Shipping News review

The Shipping News (2001)

Composer: Christopher Young

Number of tracks: 16

Total time: 46:10

Overview:

Christopher Young typically isn't the first name to pop into someone's head when you mention Celtic flavored scores for dramas. Best known for his amazing work in the Horror film genre, Young surprised most mainstream listeners in 2001 with his score to Lasse Halstrom's adaptation of The Shipping News. The story revolves around a newspaper reporter named Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) who returns to his ancestral home in Newfoundland and begins a new life in the small town of Killick-Claw.

The film gave Young the perfect opportunity to delve into Celtic flavored dramatic scoring, which was all the rage after a small film in 1997 about a sinking ship made this style popular. Needless to say, Young delivers a knockout score with much more authentic feeling Celtic overtones than his contemporaries' efforts.

Review of the music:

Young centers the score of The Shipping News around two primary themes: an overall Main theme and a touching piece for the romance that enters the story later on. The Main theme is introduced immediately in "The Shipping News" with Uillean pipes, fiddle and Penny whistle performing with the main assemble over a bed of lite percussion. This theme is heard several times throughout the album, though its performances typically stick with the ensemble and is rarely heard on solo instruments.

The secondary theme, or Romance theme, is introduced in "Weather Rhymes" on cello and acoustic guitar. A lovely Penny whistle version of the theme is heard in the second part of "Killick-Claw Harbor" before it gets a more sorrowful rendition in "One Kite Better" and "Alwyn Spires." The Romance theme finally acts as a prologue to the Main theme in the closing "Sail On" cue.

Along with the two principle themes, there are several cue highlights as well. A sprightly jig offers a fun surprise in "Dutsi Jig" while Young's more suspense-esque sensibilities come to play in the darker tracks "Seal Flipper Pie", "Mooncussers", "Asleep with the Angel" and "Dog on Fire". The sole action cue on the album, "Death Storm", is yet another easy highlight with its driving percussion and full fledged rendition of the Main theme. A more upbeat tune is introduced in "The Gammy Bird" and reappears a few times later on the album.

Closing thoughts:

This is another work by Young that is very enjoyable and easy to get lost in. While he is most known for his horror scores, Mr. Young has shown time and time again that he is proficient in most genres of film. The Shipping News only helps to prove that point.

While the use of authentic pipes and woodwinds throughout the score may be a detriment to some listeners, this is definitely a score worth checking out. It might not be Young's greatest score, but it certainly ranks among his top efforts. Highly recommended.

Score:

4 1/2 out of 5

The Spitfire Grill review

The Spitfire Grill (1996)

Composer: James Horner

Total time: 50:12

Number of tracks: 14

Overview:

By 1996 James Horner was nearing the end of his amazing run of film scores which roughly started in 1981 and pretty well ended in 1996 with this score. Within that 15 year span, Horner composed what were arguably his best works including Wolfen (1981), Star Trek II (1982), An American Tail I-II (1986-1991), Aliens (1986), Willow (1988), Land Before Time (1988), Glory (1989), Field of Dreams (1989), The Man Without a Face (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), Apollo 13 (1995) and Braveheart (1995).

Compared to these previous films, The Spitfire Grill is a rather small scale affair dealing with a young woman who moves to a small New England town after being released from prison. Along the way, she helps the townsfolk rediscover themselves, as well as saving the local diner (The Spitfire Grill). It's a very Hallmark-esque film with plenty of drama and sappy moments, but the actors play their parts well and the film is put together in a way that saves Spitfire Grill from simply being yet another tear jerker to skip on.

Another great asset to the film is the wonderful, small scale drama score by James Horner. While most of the music is recycled from previous Horner ventures, what is reused is so good that you don't mind that fact, similar to Horner's later work on Bicentennial Man (1999).

Review of the Music:

As with most of his work in the 90's, a great deal of the themes heard in The Spitfire Grill come from previous Horner scores, namely Field of Dreams, Legends of the Fall and Jumanji. The Main theme is a variation on the 4-note ascending/descending string and woodwind piece heard in Jumanji and Legends of the Fall, but developed in a much more satisfying fashion (heard best during the opening of "... Care of the Spitfire Grill"). The descending 3-note "Family theme" from Field of Dreams also makes an appearance as a principle supporting motif.

This is not to say that there are no new elements to Spitfire Grill; there are actually two very interesting and important new elements that Horner introduces with this work. First is the fluttering woodwinds, chimes, piano and lite percussion to represent the forests at the heart of the film ("Mystery of the Night", "The Trees", "Gift from the Forest"). This style of representing the magical qualities of nature would later be used by Horner in The New World (2005), but to a less impressive extent. Secondly is the use of contemporary instruments to give a local flavor to certain cues. Violin, acoustic guitar, mandolin, flute and electronic bass help to give a very modern, yet country feel to tracks such as "Shelby & Percy", "Open for Business", "Reading the Letters" and "A New Life for Gilead". Horner had previously used contemporary elements in some of his scores, but never to the extent or emotional impact as in this score.

Interestingly enough, the title theme does not appear until rather late on the album. "Reading the Letters" is the first time we hear the theme for the Spitfire Grill, which also could be said to be the Main theme. This theme is a very low key, almost folksy sounding piece (especially when played on solo fiddle/viola) and is easily one of Horner's best standalone themes. The Spitfire Grill theme is given multiple renditions during the finale ("... Care of the Spitfire Grill") including a very moving version by the full orchestra.

For the most part the score stays in a very comfortable lite drama area, though two tracks near the end, "Wrongful Blame" and "A Desperate Decision", add a bit of dark string writing and action material to the score. Of interesting note is that the action motif heard on horns in "A Desperate Decision" would later be used as a central theme in Ron Howard's "The Missing" (2003). Besides those two cues, the rest of the album is a very pleasant and enjoyable listening experience.

Closing thoughts:

There's really nothing bad to say about The Spitfire Grill as it's easily one of Horner's best scores and an excellent album. While it may not be his most original work or his most sweeping score, Spitfire Grill has plenty of heart and a very sincere personality. Also, it's a great respite from the usual grand scale epics that Horner composed at the time.

Also, if you loved the quieter moments of Jumanji and want to hear that music expanded upon and uninterrupted by dissonant passages or action material, then The Spitfire Grill is for you. With the excellent use of the orchestra and solo instruments plus expanding upon previous (great) themes and motifs, this is definitely a Horner score that I can not recommend highly enough.

Score:

5 out of 5

Transformers (2006) review

Transformers (2006)

Composer: Steve Jablonsky

Number of tracks: 20

Total time: 59:45

Overview:

In 2006 Michael Bay unleashed Transformers onto the American public. The film was big, loud and dumb, yet had a strange draw to the movie going public. Apparently all that was needed was Meagan Fox doing what she does best, massive explosions, cool machines and cinematography that makes you want to hold the camera steady and in one place for longer than a few seconds... after slapping the director several times.

Granted, this was a Michael Bay movie, so I suppose most moviegoers knew what they were getting into. Still, the film was dumb yet fun, got a lot of negative criticism (which it deserved), won an Oscar for visual effects and spawned a trilogy of films of similar badness. Oh! And it also kick started composer Steve Jablonsky's career and introduced the first of three shameless Hans Zimmer ripped "epic scores" for the warring robots.

Review of the music:

The first three tracks introduce the primary themes, though there will be more to come later on. "Autobots" obviously enough introduces the theme for the good robots, the Autobots. The track contains the required string ostinato and epic choir along with real and synthetic brass. It's a decent heroic piece, though it owes a great deal to the Main theme from King Arthur (2003). Next up is the Decepticon theme, which actually sounds pretty original. Various percussion, cellos and some strange chanting open the cue before exploding into a percussive onslaught accompanied by guttural male chanting.

"The All Spark" opens with more string ostinatos before a solo cello enters playing a melancholy theme that is soon accompanied by the full orchestra and choir. Out of all the themes in this score, the All-Spark theme is probably the best. The next big theme is that of the primary Autobot, Optimus Prime, heard in "Optimus" (fitting titles, don't you think?). This is probably one of, if not the, biggest theme offender of the score. It very obviously borrows from King Arthur, The Last Samurai and Batman Begins in one fell swoop. Is it heroic and epic? Yeah, but it's been done better in the previously mentioned Zimmer works.

The borrowed ideas from Zimmer just keep coming throughout the albums runtime. By the time the Hero theme from Batman Begins (2005) opens "Soccent Attack" (track 8) it's time to either accept the score as a fun piece of nothing or stop listening to it if this kind of rehashing gets on your nerves.

Granted there are some rather fun pieces on this album: "Scorponok" with its electronic bass and aggressive string writing as well as the overly heroic military theme at the end, "Arrival to Earth" with its no-holds-barred heroism and of course the action cues ("Downtown Battle", "You're a Soldier Now", "Sam on the Roof" and "Optimus vs Megatron") are all highlights.

"No Sacrifice, No Victory" (track 20) nicely rounds out the album with a return of the All-Spark theme and Autobot theme in one final "hurrah" after the four previous tracks of action music, bringing the album to a close... and leaving it open for the sequels.

Closing thoughts:

Unlike some other reviewers, I can fully understand how these Transformer scores can appeal to people and I fully admit I enjoy the scores to the two sequels. Having said that, I DO NOT think this trilogy is worthy of the extreme praise most people give it. Steve Jablonsky gave us three scores that are the quintessential definition of a "guilty pleasure score": they're fun to listen to, but they're really not that great when you look around at other scores or even the Hans Zimmer works the Transformer series "borrows" from.

If you're a fan of the films or just want a fun, dumb listening experience of "epic music", then go ahead and pick this one up. For anyone who wants a more robust and refined recycled score, check out Transformers 3.... or better yet, just check out The Last Samurai, King Arthur, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Crimson Tide.

Score:

2 out of 5

Medicine Man review

Medicine Man (1992)

Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

Number of tracks: 14

Total time: 50:09

Overview:

After his huge success in the 1980's with the action filmsPredator (1987) and Die Hard(1988), director John McTiernan decided to tackle an ecological drama. The result: the box office flop Medicine Man. Having not seen the film, I cannot further comment on whether the movie was good or not, but it does star Sean Connery so it can't be that bad, right? Right?

Anyway, on with the review.... The film is about a scientist by the name of Campbell (Connery) who has found the cure for cancer in the rainforest. A greedy pharmaceutical company sends another (female) scientist to find Campbell and bring back the "miracle drug". As can be expected, a romance ensues and trouble arrives when the scientists don't bring back the drug in time.

Fortunately for us, Jerry Goldsmith was hired to compose the score for this film and delivered what is arguably one of his most impressive drama scores. It may sound rather strange on first listen (like with Legend (1985) ), but this is a score that is worth warming up to.

Review of music:

The score contains three prominent themes: Rae's theme, a Romantic theme and a theme for the rainforest/natives. Rae's theme is introduced during the middle of the first track, "Rae's arrival", and is a brass heavy theme that is later given to the woodwinds and strings. It's a rather versatile theme, sounding at times threateningly powerful and at other times somewhat lonely.

The Romantic theme is probably the most recognizable theme in the score, heard in its splendor in "The Trees". This theme is among Goldsmith's finest pieces in his long career and appears several times throughout the album. The last theme is for the natives and consists of ethnic instruments, acoustic guitar and percussion. The Native theme is rather fun and upbeat being first introduced at the start of "Rae's Arrival", then appearing several times later on the album.

As was Goldsmith's way, he combines synths and synthetic percussion with the London Philharmonic Orchestra throughout the score. Some great examples of the use of synths can be heard in "First Morning" (where the synths sound like falling rain), "Without a Net", "Mocara" and "Mountain High". Goldsmith uses synthetic percussion extensively in Medicine Man, adding to the ambience of the score. There is even some musical comedy in a few tracks such as "Without a Net" and "Mountain High".

The album concludes with two amazing tracks: "The Fire" and "A Meal and a Bath". The first track features Rae's theme over a bed of organic and synthetic percussion. The latter track perfectly sums up the score with a restatement of the primary themes, with the Romantic theme being the most prevalent.

Review of packaging:

The CD comes in the standard jewel case with a booklet. The booklet is simply a two page collection of production stills with the film's credits in the middle.

The back of the album contains track listings (with correct times), album credits and brief film credits.

Closing thoughts:

Like with Goldsmith's masterwork Legend (1985), Medicine Man will take a little warming up to... but it is definitely worth the effort. This is a fun, light-ish drama score with some excellent themes and a real sense of wonder. This album comes highly recommended... with some slight hesitations.

Score:

4 out of 5