ROBOCOP

BASIL POLEDOURIS

Rating:

Original Review: I've never really gone out of my way to look for music by Basil Poledouris before, but I remembered I liked the Robocop Theme when I saw the movie, so when I saw this CD tucked away on its own on a shelf in a second hand store, I thought I'd give it a whirl. And while it stands as one of the most satisfying action scores I've heard for a while, there's just one problem - not enough Robocop Theme. The 'Main Title' is a quirky little piece which intentionally sounds like a cheesy jingle for a TV news broadcast. This soon gives way, however, into an excellent action set-piece: 'Van Chase', which begins with an energetic brass segment, but which soon gives way to a tense, elaborate flute and string duet, with the two instruments almost competing in a musical battle as they mirror eachother's performances. 'Murphy's Death' is not as violent a cue as you would think: it is a dark and deadly string passage which reaches lower and lower notes, and becomes more dramatic as the cue wears on. This heavy-heartedness stops abruptly as it goes into the best cue on the album, and probably the most famous: the Robocop Theme, titled 'Rock Shop' for the purposes of the album. 'Rock Shop' is a lively, grand, upbeat march for the brass section of the orchestra, with rapidly played strings, huge cymbal crashes and synthesised embellishments thrown in. Strangely, for a theme this excellent, 'Rock Shop' provides the only full rendition on the album: we hear brief snippets during 'The Dream', 'Across The Board' and in 'Drive to Jones' Office', which is a wonderful, rhythmic marching theme in its own right. Even the closing credits music is omitted, the conclusion of the album being 'Showdown', which begins brilliantly, but ends on a rather less bombastic note with the triumphant scene of the rescue of The Old Man from the hands of the nefarious Dick Jones. The album does have one other strength as well, though: the Love Theme that Poledouris has written - a strangely beautiful, yet sad piece which is in complete contrast to the rest of the album. It first appears in 'Home' - a violin theme with unusual, synthesised vocal effects behind the strings the only hint of its sci-fi roots - and gets a further, brief renditions at the end of 'We Killed You' and during the lullaby-like 'Robo Tips His Hat'. Overall, Robocop is an excellent buy for fans of the action music genre, and really proves that Poledouris, along with Jerry Goldsmith, is the best action composer in the business.

Track Listing: Running Time: 41 minutes 26 seconds

TER CDTER-1146 (1987)

Music composed by Basil Poledouris. Performed by The Sinfonia of London Orchestra with Derek Austin. Conducted by Howard Blake and Tony Britton. Orchestrations by Steven Scott Smalley. Recorded and mixed by Eric Tomlinson. Edited by Tom Villano. Album produced by Basil Poledouris and Richard Kraft.


Home Page | Soundtracks | Soundtrack Reviews | Composers | Soundtrack Links

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.