SOUNDTRACKS
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Soundtracks are a lot more than movie music...
...or so I'm ready to argue as a 30 year devotee of this sorely under appreciated genre. So, in an effort to do my part, each week
I'll be making recommendations of soundtracks current and vintage, make a fuss over long awaited soundtrack scores finally getting
a well deserved release, and in general, make some noise about this often overlooked category. Beyond my long experience as a
listener and as a pianist and songwriter, both of which I've put to use in writing a quarterly soundtrack column for the Chicago
Tribune, I can only offer my recommendations. You'll discern my taste soon enough and upfront I'd like to make it clear that I'll
focus most heavily on SCORE soundtracks. In the end, all criticism is subjective but if I can point a listener toward a little heard
soundtrack or strongly advise you to either ORDER IMMEDIATELY or SKIP ALTOGETHER, all the better.
...or so I'm ready to argue as a 30 year devotee of this sorely under appreciated genre. So, in an effort to do my part, each week
I'll be making recommendations of soundtracks current and vintage, make a fuss over long awaited soundtrack scores finally getting
a well deserved release, and in general, make some noise about this often overlooked category. Beyond my long experience as a
listener and as a pianist and songwriter, both of which I've put to use in writing a quarterly soundtrack column for the Chicago
Tribune, I can only offer my recommendations. You'll discern my taste soon enough and upfront I'd like to make it clear that I'll
focus most heavily on SCORE soundtracks. In the end, all criticism is subjective but if I can point a listener toward a little heard
soundtrack or strongly advise you to either ORDER IMMEDIATELY or SKIP ALTOGETHER, all the better.
David Shire is back scoring a feature film! That alone is cause for rejoicing. That his return
is so stellar is even more of a pleasure -- though that's not really a surprise. With Zodiac
the gifted Shire has added to his enormously melodic catalogue of terrific scores (with Return
to Oz being my personal favorite).
The score soundtrack, just out from Varese-Sarabande, is a scant 43 minutes but there's no
filler. If the piano-based selections echo Shire's work on The Conversation that's exactly what
was intended. Apparently, Zodiac director David Fincher didn't WANT a score at all, intending
to use retro song selections on their own to accompany the truly creepy story of San
Francisco's Zodiac killer. And Fincher has chosen songs, especially Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy
Man" that provide the uneasy counterpoint he was looking for. But apparently, Fincher in the
editing stages was also using Shire's famous piano theme from The Conversation as temp
music and fell in love with it and decided to see what Shire would bring into the project.
Shire started with a piano theme for one of the characters that is like a dark twin to the one
he wrote for Gene Hackman's character in The Conversation, a melody that startles with its
simplicity and beauty. This cue, "Toschi's Theme," was ultimately unused in the film but it
caught the ear of Fincher nevertheless and led him to ask Shire to compose a complete
score -- albeit an understated one. Shire went on to write music for both solo piano and full
scale orchestra.
The result is eerie and sonorous, unsettling and memorable and just enough to add a
veneer of terror to the finished film. Shire's music, soundtrack enthusiasts will be happy to
note, is also an exquisite stand alone listening experience. He sets the tone with the disc's
opening cue, "Aftermath" that is for me the standout selection. A subtle string grouping
spiked with a tense, flinty piano melody slowly advances and wanes, advances and wanes
and then recedes to its conclusion. With "Graysmith Obsessed," Shire clearly offers an
homage to music minimalist composer John Adams (his "Chairman Dances" from the opera
"Nixon in China" has inspired many a film composer) and then ratchets up the uneasy
feeling with "Confrontation." There are also two simple piano versions of the cue written for
the movie's de facto hero (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), "Graysmith" and "Graysmith's
Theme" (a more heavily orchestrated version).
The disc also includes the unused "Toschi's Theme" -- rejected for being, ironically, too
melodic and memorable (something Fincher didn't want and an interesting challenge for a
film composer that I am happy to report Shire fails at) and the piano version of "Graysmith's
Theme" which includes a conversational exchange between Shire and Fincher that provides
an interesting glimpse into the director-film composer relationship. Welcome back Mr. Shire!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don't forget to check out previous soundtrack recommendations by visiting the ARCHIVES
Next Recommendation: TBA
is so stellar is even more of a pleasure -- though that's not really a surprise. With Zodiac
the gifted Shire has added to his enormously melodic catalogue of terrific scores (with Return
to Oz being my personal favorite).
The score soundtrack, just out from Varese-Sarabande, is a scant 43 minutes but there's no
filler. If the piano-based selections echo Shire's work on The Conversation that's exactly what
was intended. Apparently, Zodiac director David Fincher didn't WANT a score at all, intending
to use retro song selections on their own to accompany the truly creepy story of San
Francisco's Zodiac killer. And Fincher has chosen songs, especially Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy
Man" that provide the uneasy counterpoint he was looking for. But apparently, Fincher in the
editing stages was also using Shire's famous piano theme from The Conversation as temp
music and fell in love with it and decided to see what Shire would bring into the project.
Shire started with a piano theme for one of the characters that is like a dark twin to the one
he wrote for Gene Hackman's character in The Conversation, a melody that startles with its
simplicity and beauty. This cue, "Toschi's Theme," was ultimately unused in the film but it
caught the ear of Fincher nevertheless and led him to ask Shire to compose a complete
score -- albeit an understated one. Shire went on to write music for both solo piano and full
scale orchestra.
The result is eerie and sonorous, unsettling and memorable and just enough to add a
veneer of terror to the finished film. Shire's music, soundtrack enthusiasts will be happy to
note, is also an exquisite stand alone listening experience. He sets the tone with the disc's
opening cue, "Aftermath" that is for me the standout selection. A subtle string grouping
spiked with a tense, flinty piano melody slowly advances and wanes, advances and wanes
and then recedes to its conclusion. With "Graysmith Obsessed," Shire clearly offers an
homage to music minimalist composer John Adams (his "Chairman Dances" from the opera
"Nixon in China" has inspired many a film composer) and then ratchets up the uneasy
feeling with "Confrontation." There are also two simple piano versions of the cue written for
the movie's de facto hero (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), "Graysmith" and "Graysmith's
Theme" (a more heavily orchestrated version).
The disc also includes the unused "Toschi's Theme" -- rejected for being, ironically, too
melodic and memorable (something Fincher didn't want and an interesting challenge for a
film composer that I am happy to report Shire fails at) and the piano version of "Graysmith's
Theme" which includes a conversational exchange between Shire and Fincher that provides
an interesting glimpse into the director-film composer relationship. Welcome back Mr. Shire!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don't forget to check out previous soundtrack recommendations by visiting the ARCHIVES
Next Recommendation: TBA
| David Shire is back, his talent undiminished with the unnerving yet beautiful score for Zodiac. More good news: the composers long out of print David Shire at the Movies is also being re-released! |
