THE PRINCE OF TIDES
Rating: 
Original Review: Mushy, gooey, tear-stained romanticism seems to have been James Newton Howard's regular contribution to the musical world over the last few years - look at his recent filmography and the likes of Junior, One Fine Day and My Best Friend's Wedding for the proof of that - and despite his occasional forays into action flicks (Waterworld), thrillers (Dante's Peak), westerns (Wyatt Earp) and even horror movies (Devil's Advocate), this is still what he's best at. The film which probably started him down the romantic road was this one, Barbra Streisand's The Prince of Tides, the music for which is about as gushing and sweet as it gets - sweet like a honey, syrup, chocolate and sugar sandwich - but, being a sucker for overblown romantic scores, I really like it. The score essentially revolves around the recurring central melody, a lyrical full-orchestral affair replete with sincere strings, harps, chimes, pianos and soft brasses, and virtually every one of the 21 cues on the album is somehow built around this one main theme. There are a couple of breaks away from the sentiment, with 'The Fishmarket' incorporating a contemporary soft rock beat and an electric guitar into the music; 'Love Montage' having in parts a light, bouncy and slightly comedic overtone, and 'Tom's Breakdown' providing a welcome downbeat moment, but on the whole the music is defiantly upbeat, uncompromisingly lush and annoyingly enjoyable. Of course, never being one to fade into the background, Barbra herself makes two guest appearances on the album - singing Billie Holliday's "For All We Know", and an adapted version of Newton Howard's Love Theme with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. If memory serves, The Prince of Tides was Newton Howard's first Oscar nominated score, and it remains undoubtedly a very attractive and enjoyable composition. Anyone who likes pleasant background music will lap it up, but anyone with a slightly cynical ear might find it just a little too sickly.
Track Listing:
- Main Title (4:28)
- Teddy Bears (0:55)
- To New York (1:28)
- The Bloodstain (1:19)
- The Fishmarket (0:59)
- The New York Willies (2:43)
- The Village Walk (2:59)
- Lila's Theme (3:10)
- Home Movies (1:36)
- Daddy's Home (1:37)
- The Hallway (Love Theme) (2:44)
- They Love You Dad (0:43)
- So Cruel (1:34)
- Savannah Awakes (1:03)
- Love Montage (4:00)
- Tom Comes Home (1:13)
- The Outdoors (1:17)
- Tom's Breakdown (1:05)
- The Street (3:11)
- For All We Know - Instrumental (written by J. Fred Coots and Sam M. Lewis) (2:17)
- The Reunion (2:21)
- End Credits (3:45)
- For All We Know (written by J. Fred Coots and Sam M. Lewis, performed by Barbra Streisand) (4:14)
- Places That Belong To You (written by James Newton Howard, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, performed by Barbra Streisand) (3:39)
Running Time: 54 minutes 20 seconds
Columbia 486735-2 (1991)
Music composed by James Newton Howard. Conducted by Marty Paich. Orchestrations by Brad Dechter, Marty Paich and Hummie Mann. Instrumental soloists Kirk Whalum, Bobby Lyle, Leroy Hyter, Lionel Cordew and Tom Barney. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Jim Weidman. Mastered by Doug Sax and Alan Yoshida. Album produced by James Newton Howard and Barbra Streisand.
Home Page | Soundtracks | Soundtrack Reviews | Composers | Soundtrack Links
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.