THE ALIEN TRILOGY
Rating: 
Original Review: One of Goldsmith's worst, one of Horner's best, mediocre by Goldenthal. That just about sums up this compilation of music from the Alien Trilogy, conducted by Cliff Eidelman and performed by the Scottish National Orchestra. Goldsmith's score for Alien is rather disappointing in itself, with a nice, but bland, main theme surrounded by a series of synthesised rhythms and textures. It works really well in the film, is sometimes exciting, but is difficult to listen to. Seven of the tracks composed for Alien are included here, the best of a poor lot probably being 'The Landing'. Horner's score for Aliens is another matter, however - exciting, exhilarating, pulse-pounding , (insert a similar adjective here), and one of his four Oscar-nominated efforts. Only three tracks are included here - the low, mournful 'Main Title', the stunning 'Futile Escape' (my favourite) and the lyrical 'Bishop's Countdown'. I don't have the original CD myself, but I'm seriously thinking about getting it now. Goldenthal's Alien 3 score is rather middling. Again, this compilation contains just three tracks form the score: 'Lento', which contains a great section with swirling strings; 'Candle in the Wind', which I don't like; and 'Adagio', which has a lovely romantic melody showing just what a great composer Goldenthal could be if he tried harder.
Track Listing:
ALIEN
- Main Title (3:16)
- Hyper Sleep (2:45)
- The Landing (4:33)
- Breakaway (3:11)
- The Droid (3:46)
- The Door (1:28)
- End Title (3:27)
ALIENS
- Main Title (6:21)
- Futile Escape (5:45)
- Bishop's Countdown (3:21)
ALIEN 3
- Lento (performed by Matthew Munro) (5:23)
- Candles In The Wind (4:16)
- Adagio (4:15)
Running Time: 53 minutes 47 seconds
Varèse Sarabande VSD-5753 (1996)
Music for Alien composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Music for Aliens composed by James Horner. Music for Alien 3 composed by Elliot Goldenthal. Conducted by Cliff Eidelman. Performed by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Recorded and mixed by Jonathan Allen and Richard Hale. Mastered by Bruce Botnick. Album produced by Robert Townson.
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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1997. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.