OUT OF AFRICA
Rating: 
Original Review: Rightly considered a classic, John Barry's 1986 Oscar winner contains probably one of the greatest and most beautiful themes ever written - the Main Title 'I Had a Farm in Africa'. It is the epitome of John Barry's recent romantic style, and echoes the brilliant themes he wrote for films such as 'Somewhere in Time', 'High Road to China', 'Dances With Wolves' and, more recently, 'The Scarlet Letter'. Long, lustrous notes on high strings, embellishments by muted trombones and woodwind melodies combine together to sweep the listener away over the veldt to the highlands of Kenya. In fact, all the Barry-composed cues on the album are in this vein and played mostly on these instruments, whether is be in slightly more subdued fashion as in 'Have You Got A Story For Me', optimistically as in 'Safari', which somehow reminds me of the theme to Forrest Gump at times, poignantly as in 'Alone on the Farm', or in wonderful, full-blooded majesty as in 'Flying Over Africa'. The only disappointment is the rather dismal song tacked on at the end, 'The Music of Goodbye' which is performed by Al Jarreau and Melissa Manchester seems woefully out of place. As for the rest, however, it is definitely one of those scores which every serious soundtrack collector must have and stands as one of the best scores of the 1980s.
Track Listing:
- Main Title (I Had a Farm in Africa) (3:07)
- I'm Better at Hello (1:15)
- Have You Got a Story For Me? (1:12)
- Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A, K.622 (written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Jack Brymer, clarinet solo performed by Nevilla Marriner) (2:46)
- Safari (2:40)
- Karen's Journey/Siyawe (4:46)
- Flying Over Africa (3:22)
- I Had a Compass from Denys (2:27)
- Alone in the Farm (1:55)
- Let The Rest of the World Go By (written by E.R. Ball and J. Keirn Brennan) (3:12)
- If I Know a Song of Africa (2:11)
- End Title (You Are Karen) (4:03)
- The Music of Goodbye (written by John Barry, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, performed by Al Jarreau and Melissa Manchester) (3:57)
Running Time: 32 minutes 56 seconds
MCA Records MCLD 19092 (1985)
Music composed and conducted by John Barry. Recorded and mixed by Nicholas Basich and Mike Novitch. Album produced by John Barry.
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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.