HIDEAWAY
Rating: 
Original Review: At first glance, Hideaway may look like one of those pointless commercial compilations thrown together at the last minute, made up of a series of unrelated songs which are heard only for about seven seconds during the film, and which has the express intention of depriving the soundtrack-buying public of more hard-earned money. But, on closer examination, discerning listeners will realise that the three score tracks tagged onto the end of this CD actually amount to nearly 23 minutes of very enjoyable, powerful orchestral and choral music from the pen of South African composer Trevor Jones. Hideaway was another inherently silly horror movie, based on the best-selling novel by Dean Koontz, which starred Jeff Goldblum as a man terrorised by hideous visions of a psychotic killer after he survives an almost-fatal car accident. As the visions become stronger, it becomes apparent that Goldblum and the killer are now psychically linked, and that Goldblum's family (which includes a then largely undiscovered Alicia Silverstone) are the next intended victims. The three score tracks are all marvellously impressive, and encompass every imaginable orchestral style during their 20 minute stint in the limelight. 'Main Title - Nunc Dimitus' consists initially of an unaccompanied boy soprano solo, which goes on to gain a church organ before slowly developing into a haunting, heart-breaking choral piece for a full male voice church choir. The rest of the score maintains the quasi-religious overtone throughout, and is big and gothic, with the choir re-appearing to good effect at many key points. After the powerful, driving sequence for synths and strings which opens 'Into The Light', the score enters its romantic, elegiac phase with three utterly gorgeous laments for a large bed of strings, a free-sounding romantic piano and a massive chorus sorrowing for the horrors to come. This beautiful, yet rather edgy style of music overlaps into the final cue, 'Beyond The Shadow Of Death', before it too becomes softer and calmer with a performance of the film's love theme - a sublime acoustic guitar solo which gradually picks up other instruments before swelling into a lush, full orchestra rendition. The track concludes with another performance of the Nunc Dimitus theme, this time accompanied by a modern drum machine beat, before ending with an unexpectedly funky electric guitar riff. The less said about the ten songs the better, really, especially when you have artists with names such as Miranda Sex Machine, Fear Factory and Peace Love And Pitbulls performing tracks with titles such as 'Go To Hell', 'Lung - The Bronchitis Mix' and 'Nihil'. Fans of the genre would find them much more enjoyable than I do, I suppose, but I have to admit that I had trouble listening to many of them all the way through. Thrash metal and grunge rock just ain't my bag, baby. Overall, though, if you are prepared to disregard the loud guitars and incomprehensible shouting that precedes it, Trevor Jones' score makes for highly enjoyable and highly rewarding listening. Why the soundtrack producers just didn't issue a separate score release I don't know, especially as the music included here would only need a couple of extra bits to be as long as a standard Varése release these days anyway. Ah, well. We take what we're given. Hideaway is well worth seeking out.
Track Listing:
- Go To Hell (written by Sascha Konietzko, En Esch and Svet Am, performed by KMFDM) (5:45)
- Last Blood (written by S. Martin, performed by Rancho Diablo) (4:22)
- Peep Show (written by Miranda Sex Garden and Katherine Blake, performed by Miranda Sex Garden) (3:53)
- Bullet Proof Zero (written and performed by Parallax) (4:00)
- Lung (Bronchitis Mix) (written by Chris Randall and Jim Marcus, performed by Sister Machine Gun) (3:08)
- Scumgrief (Deep Dub Trauma Mix) (written by Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell, performed by Fear Factory) (6:18)
- Surface Patterns (written by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, performed by Front Line Assembly) (5:36)
- Reverberation Nation (written by Joakim Thastrom and Stry Terrarie, performed by Peace Love and Pitbulls) (5:36)
- Nihil (written by J.K. Broadrick and G.C. Green, performed by Godflesh) (5:56)
- Cut (written by Miranda Sex Garden and Katherine Blake, performed by Miranda Sex Garden) (4:50)
- Main Titles - Nunc Dimitus (3:48)
- Into the Light (6:57)
- Beyond the Shadow of Death (10:26)
Running Time: 71 minutes 14 seconds
Mute Records IONIC-12CD (1995)
Music composed and conducted by Trevor Jones. Orchestrations by Trevor Jones, Geoff Alexander, Lawrence Ashmore and Julian Kershaw. Recorded and mixed by John Richards, John Whynot and Kirsty Whalley. Mastered by Kevin Hodge. Score produced by Trevor Jones. Album produced by Carol Sue Baker and William Ewart.
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