INVENTING THE ABBOTTS

MICHAEL KAMEN

Rating:

Original Review: I once read a review of Inventing The Abbotts describing as "one of the best soundtracks for a movie that nobody ever saw". Well, I beg to differ. You see, I was one of the few lucky people who did actually see this excellent film, and I can honestly tell you that Michael Kamen's score is nothing short of inspired. The combination of beautifully mellow orchestral themes and some terrific rock and roll numbers capture both the comparative innocence of the 1950s setting and the emotional turmoil of the film's protagonists perfectly. Pat O'Connor's thought-provoking coming-of-age movie is all about two households in rural Indiana - one rich, one poor - and the personal and sexual awakenings their respective sons and daughters share over the course of a decade or so. The album opens with Tara MacLean's tender rendition of the traditional song "On Springfield Mountain" (which also I think Bart Simpson might do a good cover version of), a meaningful piece which, to me, signifies the recurring theme of the film about the importance of roots, families and relationships. Kamen weaves the lush Springfield melody into many of the score's understated orchestral tracks, such as 'Picnic', 'Eleanor Leaves', 'Re-Inventing The Abbotts', 'Mom's Death', and especially the exquisite 'The Barn' and 'Doug and Pam', which are generally slow, thoughtful, slightly melancholy tunes written for strings and soft woodwinds, and underscore scenes of personal tragedy or self-discovery. As well as ideally serving the dramatic purposes of the story, these cues also highlight Kamen's obvious but unfortunately overlooked talent for writing to emotions as well as explosions. Strategically placed in-between these bittersweet cues are some authentic blues/rock tracks such as 'Thunder and Lightning' (which would make a terrific jive), 'Falling Out Of The Tree', 'Toasted Pam' and the lovely 'Jacey and Eleanor In The Garage' (which masterfully underscores one of the most truthful and ironically tragic lovemaking scenes I have ever seen). All of these have a real buzz and energy about them, replete as they are with electric guitars and jazzy orchestrations, and come as a welcome, sometimes amusing respite from the sombre mood of the rest of the score. Like the film it serves, Inventing the Abbots is an overlooked and undiscovered gem, a rare album which works both on the superficially enjoyable front, but also on a more meaningful level. In a way, this score unfolds like the film itself: it begins by being fun and playful, becomes deeper and more introspective as it wears on, before finishing with the happy ending that everybody hopes for.

Track Listing: Running Time: 43 minutes 58 seconds

Unforscene Music (1997)

Music composed and conducted by Michael Kamen. Performed by The London Metropolitan Orchestra. Orchestrations by Michael Kamen, Jesse Levy, Edward Shearmur, Sacha Putnam and D. J. Olson. Featured musical soloists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom. Recorded and mixed by Stephen McLaughlin. Edited by Graham Sutton, Michael Connell and Steve Lotwis. Album produced by Michael Kamen, Stephen McLaughlin and Christopher Brooks.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. 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.