Chicken Run
John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams
" You've got a chicken and you've got a run, together it's amazing fun "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams reunite once again after their amazing successful collaboration on Antz, this time for Dreamworks / Pathe's Chicken Run, a movie about a bunch of chickens who are stuck on a farm that shares a lot of similarities with a concentration camp. Their help however comes in the form and shape of Rocky, who falls literally out the sky, as he will be the one who will make these chickens fly, as they want to escape from the terrible reign of Mrs. Tweedy.
Due to the fact Peter Lord and Nick Park continue to use claymation as stop motion technique, Chicken Run has such a wonderful nostalgic vibe that makes us easily revisit those delightful Wallace & Gromit feelings. But when it came down to an actual musical choice, they went for the hot couple back then, namely Powell and Gregson-Williams. Considering they did such a wonderful versatile work on Antz, Lord and Park wanted nothing less for their chicken run. Luckily Powell and Gregson-Williams appeared to be in a very inspirational period at that time.
Because we have to say it loud and clear, Chicken Run is gigantic fun. I can't describe the pleasure of hearing this score still after all this time, because it hasn't lost a thing of its charm, its potential, its fun. Chicken Run is top entertainment from start to finish, lovely diverse and daringly fresh.
The main theme explodes early on in "Opening Escape", but it is in "Main Titles" that it truly becomes alive, this with flutes, strings and ... KAZOOS. Yes, the now overtly beloved main title gets a rollicking performance through kazoos and enlightens this score for the first time in the second track of the album.
Yet life doesn't sound all that bad when you listen to "The Evil Mrs. Tweedy", that is of course until Mrs. Tweedy enters the screen, supported with a somewhat strict sounding march. Yet the bad life is something that "Rats" can fix, as they cheer up the environment through the lovely use of a European sounding accordion. The same counts as well for the British war march in "Chickens are not Organized", representing royal air force member Fowler.
After a hopeful plea in "We Need a Miracle", help drops literally from the sky in "Rocky and the Circus", and apparently he brought along with him, a jazzy swinging band setting all hopes into motion. Yet first thing on the agenda is: learn to fly and "Flight Training" shows the schematics to do this in jazzy, kazooing style, enlightening alongside of its swinging nature the rats theme and a bagpipe? Yes all this together makes for one of the most brilliant versatile tracks of this disc.
Considering Mrs. Tweedy is up to no good according to the chickens, it is not surprising her theme spells out doom during "A Really Big Truck Arrives", enough for Rocky to go out on a heroic mission, leading to various orchestral dazzling moments centered around the main theme. Luckily all feels well because "Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts" and Ellis Hall's "Flip Flop and Fly" bring enough sassy reason to think it will be all right.
But is it? Because "Into the Pie Machine" surely doesn't spell out relief. It spells out over the top excitement, baked to 230 degrees and sprinkled with energized seeds. This is rollicking fun with swashbuckling tunes brought forward in death defying pace (I like to call it media ventures nostalgia on a hot sesame bun).
The sadness of "Rocky, a Fake all Along" soon passes when hope resurfaces in "Building the Crate", and that track soon becomes one of the BEST tracks EVER written! PERIOD! Suddenly out of nowhere a goddamn fetching theme surpasses everything that's been written until now, and that's saying a lot. Aided by the rats theme, it never sounds better when the kazoos take it up with style. This theme returns in "The Chickens are Revolting", creating a most pleasurable lingering effect.
The finale is for "Lift Off" and "Escape to Paradise", bringing forth swashbuckling theme moments, choral flying main theme statements, nerve wrecking excitement and happy relieving feelings, when they all settle down on a new farm safe and sound.
Frankly, it is still a sign that Chicken Run works so well even after all this time, showing Harry Gregson-Williams was back then a lot more inspired than today, and that John Powell was just warming up what was going to become one amazing career. Yet both complemented each other so well that I don't mind seeing them together in one movie once again, because even the collaboration after that (Shrek) was worthy of some acclaim. However giving some acclaim is the least you can do when hearing, adoring and liking everything that Chicken Run has to offer. And trust me, that's a lot. One of the biggest fun scores ever written, PERIOD!
Tracklisting
1. Opening Escape (3.40)
2. Main Titles (3.24) Excellent track
3. The Evil Mrs. Tweedy (4.22)
4. Rats! (1.09)
5. Chickens Are Not Organized (1.01)
6. We Need A Miracle (2.03)
7. Rocky and the Circus (3.51)
8. Flight Training (3.39) Excellent track
9. A Really Big Truck Arrives (5.56) Excellent track
10. Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts (1.58)
11. Babs' Big Break (1.40)
12. Flip Flop and Fly: Ellis Hall (2.09)
13. Up on the Roof (3.08)
14. Into the Pie Machine (3.10) Excellent track
15. Rocky, A Fake All Along (3.28)
16. Building the Crate (3.32) Excellent track
17. The Wanderer: Dion (2.47)
18. The Chickens Are Revolting (2.45) Excellent track
19. Lift Off (3.41) Excellent track
20. Escape to Paradise (4.59) Excellent track
Total Length: 62.43
Due to the fact Peter Lord and Nick Park continue to use claymation as stop motion technique, Chicken Run has such a wonderful nostalgic vibe that makes us easily revisit those delightful Wallace & Gromit feelings. But when it came down to an actual musical choice, they went for the hot couple back then, namely Powell and Gregson-Williams. Considering they did such a wonderful versatile work on Antz, Lord and Park wanted nothing less for their chicken run. Luckily Powell and Gregson-Williams appeared to be in a very inspirational period at that time.
Because we have to say it loud and clear, Chicken Run is gigantic fun. I can't describe the pleasure of hearing this score still after all this time, because it hasn't lost a thing of its charm, its potential, its fun. Chicken Run is top entertainment from start to finish, lovely diverse and daringly fresh.
The main theme explodes early on in "Opening Escape", but it is in "Main Titles" that it truly becomes alive, this with flutes, strings and ... KAZOOS. Yes, the now overtly beloved main title gets a rollicking performance through kazoos and enlightens this score for the first time in the second track of the album.
Yet life doesn't sound all that bad when you listen to "The Evil Mrs. Tweedy", that is of course until Mrs. Tweedy enters the screen, supported with a somewhat strict sounding march. Yet the bad life is something that "Rats" can fix, as they cheer up the environment through the lovely use of a European sounding accordion. The same counts as well for the British war march in "Chickens are not Organized", representing royal air force member Fowler.
After a hopeful plea in "We Need a Miracle", help drops literally from the sky in "Rocky and the Circus", and apparently he brought along with him, a jazzy swinging band setting all hopes into motion. Yet first thing on the agenda is: learn to fly and "Flight Training" shows the schematics to do this in jazzy, kazooing style, enlightening alongside of its swinging nature the rats theme and a bagpipe? Yes all this together makes for one of the most brilliant versatile tracks of this disc.
Considering Mrs. Tweedy is up to no good according to the chickens, it is not surprising her theme spells out doom during "A Really Big Truck Arrives", enough for Rocky to go out on a heroic mission, leading to various orchestral dazzling moments centered around the main theme. Luckily all feels well because "Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts" and Ellis Hall's "Flip Flop and Fly" bring enough sassy reason to think it will be all right.
But is it? Because "Into the Pie Machine" surely doesn't spell out relief. It spells out over the top excitement, baked to 230 degrees and sprinkled with energized seeds. This is rollicking fun with swashbuckling tunes brought forward in death defying pace (I like to call it media ventures nostalgia on a hot sesame bun).
The sadness of "Rocky, a Fake all Along" soon passes when hope resurfaces in "Building the Crate", and that track soon becomes one of the BEST tracks EVER written! PERIOD! Suddenly out of nowhere a goddamn fetching theme surpasses everything that's been written until now, and that's saying a lot. Aided by the rats theme, it never sounds better when the kazoos take it up with style. This theme returns in "The Chickens are Revolting", creating a most pleasurable lingering effect.
The finale is for "Lift Off" and "Escape to Paradise", bringing forth swashbuckling theme moments, choral flying main theme statements, nerve wrecking excitement and happy relieving feelings, when they all settle down on a new farm safe and sound.
Frankly, it is still a sign that Chicken Run works so well even after all this time, showing Harry Gregson-Williams was back then a lot more inspired than today, and that John Powell was just warming up what was going to become one amazing career. Yet both complemented each other so well that I don't mind seeing them together in one movie once again, because even the collaboration after that (Shrek) was worthy of some acclaim. However giving some acclaim is the least you can do when hearing, adoring and liking everything that Chicken Run has to offer. And trust me, that's a lot. One of the biggest fun scores ever written, PERIOD!
Tracklisting
1. Opening Escape (3.40)
2. Main Titles (3.24) Excellent track
3. The Evil Mrs. Tweedy (4.22)
4. Rats! (1.09)
5. Chickens Are Not Organized (1.01)
6. We Need A Miracle (2.03)
7. Rocky and the Circus (3.51)
8. Flight Training (3.39) Excellent track
9. A Really Big Truck Arrives (5.56) Excellent track
10. Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts (1.58)
11. Babs' Big Break (1.40)
12. Flip Flop and Fly: Ellis Hall (2.09)
13. Up on the Roof (3.08)
14. Into the Pie Machine (3.10) Excellent track
15. Rocky, A Fake All Along (3.28)
16. Building the Crate (3.32) Excellent track
17. The Wanderer: Dion (2.47)
18. The Chickens Are Revolting (2.45) Excellent track
19. Lift Off (3.41) Excellent track
20. Escape to Paradise (4.59) Excellent track
Total Length: 62.43