Apollo 13
James Horner
" Houston, we have a classic "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Who cares that James Horner is a hack when he sometimes comes up with the best film music available! And let me make it clear from the very first minute, Apollo 13 is brilliant. This score was composed the same year as Braveheart, and both were nominated for an Oscar, while A13 was neglected and forgotten during the annual Golden Globe awards. And if I make my choice clearly but don't get what I want, then I'm pissed off. Sorry Academy but you have showed your inability again with ignoring the obvious winner and awarding one that barely can match its quality.
This aside, let us focus on the subject at hand. As many people probably know, when a soundtrack of any sort is nominated, then mostly a promo is made available (with more material to convince the board). And sometimes people can actually purchase it or in the best possible scenario, make it themselves. The promo was available on Ebay during the time, while The DVD of Apollo 13 featured an isolated score in the end. So, either way many were given the chance to hear the full picture of James Horner's magical score.
Now, I may not be the biggest fan of Horner but this simply remains some of the best music ever composed by the American. It is especially appropriate for someone who wants a jump-start in the musical career of one James Horner. So let's go for a ride into outer space shall we?
If we want to talk about the isolated score, we can talk about the combination of basic tension music with the textural atmospheric mood. The atmosphere most definitely sounds Field of Dreams' like in "Lunar Dreams", "Docking" features a light build up, "Into the L.E.M." is cold dark music (like heard in Aliens) before all hell breaks loose in "Manual Burn". Of course in all the commotion the extra bonus tracks on the Isolated score aren't exactly the highlights. They just create a wider sense of panic and mood.
Because while the original album did it wrong with presenting actual minutes of dialogue of the film on the soundtrack, they at least did it right by presenting the main highlights one after another.The immense highlight is "All Systems go" / The Launch", where Horner keeps building his music for the entirety of the launch (look out for those stunning horn solos of the main theme), all until the actual lift off explodes with true magnificent delight, creating some of the best minutes of Horner's career.
But there is more. The beautiful vocal work of Annie Lennox during "Darkside of the Moon" is lonely, lovely and captivating, while the return home is none of the above. And luckily so, because fireworks will rain once you get entangled in "Re-Entry / Splashdown" and "End Credits", giving you the finale of finales. While the first has a most inspiring minute during the opening, the second is known for its choral magic.
In the case of casual film music buyers, the original album might be interesting since it features the main highlights as the classic entries of The Who and The Mavericks. The only downfall as said remains the dialogue during it. Of course real film music fans are destined to have the one and only full score of Apollo 13. So go for the promo or the isolated score, see if I care. Because not only does Apollo 13 posses the biggest side of musical magic there is, it also shows you the full range of Horner's masterpiece. Trust me, in Space Horner can make everybody scream.
Apollo 13: ****1/2
Apollo 13 "Promo": *****
1. Main Title (2.29)
2. One Small Step * (0.42)
3. Night Train: James Brown (3.27)
4. Groovin': The Young Rascals (2.26)
5. Somebody To Love: Jefferson Airplane (2.54)
6. I Can See For Miles: The Who (4.09)
7. Purple Haze: Jimi Hendrix (2.45)
8. Launch Control * (0.31)
9. All Systems Go / The Launch (10.03) Excellent track
10. Welcome to Apollo 13 * (0.26)
11. Spirit in the Sky: Norman Greenbaum (3.50)
12. House Cleaning / Houston, We Have A Problem * (0.54)
13. Master Alarm (3.35)
14. What's Going On ? * (0.50)
15. Into The Lem (4.18)
16. Out of Time / Shut her Down * (0.33)
17. Darkside of the Moon (4.49) Excellent track
18. Failure is Not an Option * (0.22)
19. Honky Tonkin': Hank Williams (2.42)
20. Blue Moon: The Mavericks (4.01)
21. Waiting for Disaster / A Privilege * (0.29)
22. Re - Entry & Splashdown (8.52) Excellent track
23. End Titles (6.59) Excellent track
* Dialogues from the film
Total Length: 72.21
This aside, let us focus on the subject at hand. As many people probably know, when a soundtrack of any sort is nominated, then mostly a promo is made available (with more material to convince the board). And sometimes people can actually purchase it or in the best possible scenario, make it themselves. The promo was available on Ebay during the time, while The DVD of Apollo 13 featured an isolated score in the end. So, either way many were given the chance to hear the full picture of James Horner's magical score.
Now, I may not be the biggest fan of Horner but this simply remains some of the best music ever composed by the American. It is especially appropriate for someone who wants a jump-start in the musical career of one James Horner. So let's go for a ride into outer space shall we?
If we want to talk about the isolated score, we can talk about the combination of basic tension music with the textural atmospheric mood. The atmosphere most definitely sounds Field of Dreams' like in "Lunar Dreams", "Docking" features a light build up, "Into the L.E.M." is cold dark music (like heard in Aliens) before all hell breaks loose in "Manual Burn". Of course in all the commotion the extra bonus tracks on the Isolated score aren't exactly the highlights. They just create a wider sense of panic and mood.
Because while the original album did it wrong with presenting actual minutes of dialogue of the film on the soundtrack, they at least did it right by presenting the main highlights one after another.The immense highlight is "All Systems go" / The Launch", where Horner keeps building his music for the entirety of the launch (look out for those stunning horn solos of the main theme), all until the actual lift off explodes with true magnificent delight, creating some of the best minutes of Horner's career.
But there is more. The beautiful vocal work of Annie Lennox during "Darkside of the Moon" is lonely, lovely and captivating, while the return home is none of the above. And luckily so, because fireworks will rain once you get entangled in "Re-Entry / Splashdown" and "End Credits", giving you the finale of finales. While the first has a most inspiring minute during the opening, the second is known for its choral magic.
In the case of casual film music buyers, the original album might be interesting since it features the main highlights as the classic entries of The Who and The Mavericks. The only downfall as said remains the dialogue during it. Of course real film music fans are destined to have the one and only full score of Apollo 13. So go for the promo or the isolated score, see if I care. Because not only does Apollo 13 posses the biggest side of musical magic there is, it also shows you the full range of Horner's masterpiece. Trust me, in Space Horner can make everybody scream.
Apollo 13: ****1/2
Apollo 13 "Promo": *****
1. Main Title (2.29)
2. One Small Step * (0.42)
3. Night Train: James Brown (3.27)
4. Groovin': The Young Rascals (2.26)
5. Somebody To Love: Jefferson Airplane (2.54)
6. I Can See For Miles: The Who (4.09)
7. Purple Haze: Jimi Hendrix (2.45)
8. Launch Control * (0.31)
9. All Systems Go / The Launch (10.03) Excellent track
10. Welcome to Apollo 13 * (0.26)
11. Spirit in the Sky: Norman Greenbaum (3.50)
12. House Cleaning / Houston, We Have A Problem * (0.54)
13. Master Alarm (3.35)
14. What's Going On ? * (0.50)
15. Into The Lem (4.18)
16. Out of Time / Shut her Down * (0.33)
17. Darkside of the Moon (4.49) Excellent track
18. Failure is Not an Option * (0.22)
19. Honky Tonkin': Hank Williams (2.42)
20. Blue Moon: The Mavericks (4.01)
21. Waiting for Disaster / A Privilege * (0.29)
22. Re - Entry & Splashdown (8.52) Excellent track
23. End Titles (6.59) Excellent track
* Dialogues from the film
Total Length: 72.21