ALIENS

JAMES HORNER

Rating:

Original Review: Aliens was one of the first film scores I ever reviewed, way back in the spring of 1996. I have to admit that I wasn't particularly good at reviewing soundtracks then, and as a result Aliens never really got the proper review it deserved. This new expanded release of James Horner's classic score is allowing me to set the record straight. The movie itself was one of the best roller-coaster, gung-ho thrill rides of the Eighties. Taking his inspiration from Ridley Scott's eerie 1979 original, director James Cameron took the original premise of a "haunted house in space", and turned it into an all-out, thrill-a-minute war machine. With a cast that included a host of fearless marines carrying weapons bigger than an average family car and, in Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley, one of the cinema's enduring feminist icons, every aspect of the film was a complete success. One could debate the film's subtext and messages until doomsday but, ignoring all the gender and sexuality issues, Aliens was also just a plain, old-fashioned enjoyable movie, with spectacular special effects, a gripping storyline, breathless action sequences and, with the Alien Queen (or "Bitch" as she became layer known) one of the most terrifying monsters ever to appear on a silver screen.

In its day, Aliens was one of the most progressive and challenging action scores ever to come out of Hollywood. At the time of its release in 1986, James Horner was just beginning to mature and create a real name for himself as a composer and, despite the well-documented problems he encountered while working with James Cameron, he emerged from the experience a better, and wiser man. In many ways, Aliens set the standard for every sci-fi horror score for the next decade. From the unearthly subterranean groans and creaks of cues such as 'Dark Discovery', 'Atmosphere Station' and 'Sub-Level 3', to the icily cold and desolate strings of Khachaturian's Gayenne Ballet in the 'Main Title', every cue in Aliens became the blueprint on which dozens of inferior homages were modelled. The action sequences went on to become justly famous - cues such as 'Going After Newt' with its powerful echoing horn fanfares, 'Futile Escape' with its incessant, thunderous metal percussion, and the trailer favourite 'Bishop's Countdown' have all gone down in history as some of the most vibrant, relentless and complex action music ever written.

Of course, none of this makes for easy listening. The quiet parts of the score are so quiet as to be almost inaudible at times, while the thunderous percussion and brass stabs are capable of making your house shake to the foundations if you crank the volume up too high. The score is very adept at making you leap from your chair too, as Horner accentuates the film's jumps and shock cuts with loud, shrieking string chords which pierce the air - and your heart! However, despite the score being fairly low on the "enjoyment" chart, this is supremely intelligent and well-constructed music which any true fan of film scores should be able to appreciate. This release, on the independent Concorde label, is expanded from the original 40-minute Varése release, with ten new cues amounting to just over 18 minutes of new music. Many of these additional cues are unremarkable in musical terms, with most of them adhering to the styles set out in the rest of the score. Of the new cues, only three really catch the ear. 'Bad Dreams' is a truly terrifying orchestral assault on the senses, the strings screaming in anguish as Ripley imagines herself being mutilated by the alien parasites; 'Preparing for the Drop' is a slightly more martial reworking of the Futile Escape action style that, unfortunately, was never used in the film, while 'The Bitch' underscores the climactic fight between the Alien Queen and Ripley which sees the odious xenomorph ultimately being sucked out of an airlock.

One advantage this release does have over the original, though, is the fact that it is sequenced in chronological order, effectively highlighting the intelligent way Horner developed his music over the course of the score. For true fans of Horner's work, this is an absolutely essential purchase. While the original release works just fine for those simply interested in hearing the best and most important parts of the score, this expanded version truly does justice to the music for the first time. The sound quality is excellent (especially considering the dubious origins of the CD), the cover art is acceptable and the price is not too high - if you can find a copy. This is a bonafide classic score which, despite the opinion of other critics, was highly deserving of it's Oscar nomination.

Track Listing: Running Time: 69 minutes 03 seconds

Concorde 9912 (1999)

Music composed and conducted by James Horner. Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. Orchestrations by Greig McRitchie. Recorded and mixed by Eric Tomlinson. Edited by Robin Clarke and Michael Clifford. Mastered by Michele Stone. Score produced by James Horner.

Cinemusic Online
Filmtracks
Movie Wave
Score!
Scorelogue


Home Page | Reviews A-M | Reviews N-Z | Composers | Links

Movie Music U.K is designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton (c) 1999. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of the University of Sheffield. All photos and album artwork used on Movie Music U.K. are for non-profit making promotional purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.