Iron Eagle
Basil Poledouris
" Fun and cool for an occasional spin "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
Even though many people will see it differently, Iron Eagle was not a clone of Top Gun but the predecessor of this successful formula. In Iron Eagle a boy takes matters into his own hands when hearing of this dad's capture and inevitable death sentence. He takes down an entire army with his iron eagle under the guidance of the always reliable Louis Gossett Jr. In short Iron Eagle is as unbelievable as pigs that fly, but was successful enough to spawn 3 sequels (all starring Louis Gossett Jr. as Chappy). Needless to say, only the first one is destined to be remembered in the end.
Director Sidney J. Furie (who directed the second and fourth one as well) immediately hired one of the top composers at that time, namely the late Basil Poledouris. And now 22 years after the release of the movie, Varèse Sarabande decided to transport us back to the year 1986, when Basil was making a name for himself. And even if Iron Eagle isn't one of the scores that made him a legend back then, it sure holds its own well with a heroic main theme at the forefront. A typical heroic tune that at times mimics the theme of Flight of the Navigator (Alan Silvestri), its presence is all over the place, including the opening "Iron Eagle / Main Title, "The Gallows / Flight Line I", "Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast", "Doug and Dad", "Think You Can Handle the Music?" and "Missing Man / You've Earned Them".
The score however doesn't perform all the flying moments in the film. In the begin and middle most of these scenes are underscored by the songs of performers such as King Cobra, Katrina and the Waves and Adrenalin. These are chosen because Doug himself listens to these songs whilst flying or battling his enemies. It helps to concentrate him on the mission at hand. The major song however that stands for Iron Eagle's sound is Queen's One Vision, and even if it's not the best that Queen had to offer, it fits remarkably well during the film.
The score isn't without its calmer moments too. There's enough respite coming from various tracks, including the sad "Shot Down" and "Hallway", the calm hopeful variation of the main theme in "Chappy's Story / Appetite" and the heroic feeling in "Missing Man / You've Earned Them". Another standard sound comes from the army that captured Doug's Father and holds him imprisoned. That tone is typically darker and threatening in "Ted on Trial", or with a building sense of urgency in "Three Days / Minister Sinister".
But it are the flying moments that deliver us the most entertaining moments on this disc. Nothing totally groundbreaking but the theme sure sounds cool enough, especially when it delivers total heroic build up in "Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast", urgency in "Ted to Tarmac / The Tower" and "Doug and Dad" and the typical 80's beats heightening the main theme in "Think You Can Handle the Music?". In general the entire second part of the original score is fun enough to listen to.
And that's the main charm of Iron Eagle, it's nothing earth shattering but fun enough to stand on its own 2 wings. The cool heroic main theme is probably one of the ultimate reasons for that success. This release comes with various alternate tracks, source cues but above all no songs (even though some would have wanted them to be here). But the music of Basil Poledouris will have to suffice without them, and alone the theme is capable of that. I'm sure that a lot of Basil Poledouris fans were happy when Iron Eagle was finally released, and in truth it listens cool enough for an occasional flashback to the 80's.
Tracklisting
1. Iron Eagle / Main Title (1.59)
2. Shot Down (1.15)
3. Hallway (1.41)
4. Ted on Trial (1.28)
5. Three Days / Minister Sinister (2.37)
6. The Gallows / Flight Line I (3.33)
7. Chappy's Story / Appetite (3.30)
8. Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast (4.12)
9. Chappy Gets Hit / Chappy Crashes / Chappy Talks (4.16)
10. Ted to Tarmac / The Tower (2.26)
11. Doug and Dad (2.41)
12. Think You Can Handle the Music? (2.49)
13. Missing Man / You've Earned Them (2.29)
Bonus Tracks: Alternates
14. Three Days / Minister Sinister (3.54)
15. Flight Line I (2.25)
16. Flight Line II (0.54)
17. Chappy Talks (1.49)
Source Music
18. Slappy's Place (4.25)
19. Slo-Slappy (1.29)
20. Army Air Corps (2.19)
Total Length: 52.11
Director Sidney J. Furie (who directed the second and fourth one as well) immediately hired one of the top composers at that time, namely the late Basil Poledouris. And now 22 years after the release of the movie, Varèse Sarabande decided to transport us back to the year 1986, when Basil was making a name for himself. And even if Iron Eagle isn't one of the scores that made him a legend back then, it sure holds its own well with a heroic main theme at the forefront. A typical heroic tune that at times mimics the theme of Flight of the Navigator (Alan Silvestri), its presence is all over the place, including the opening "Iron Eagle / Main Title, "The Gallows / Flight Line I", "Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast", "Doug and Dad", "Think You Can Handle the Music?" and "Missing Man / You've Earned Them".
The score however doesn't perform all the flying moments in the film. In the begin and middle most of these scenes are underscored by the songs of performers such as King Cobra, Katrina and the Waves and Adrenalin. These are chosen because Doug himself listens to these songs whilst flying or battling his enemies. It helps to concentrate him on the mission at hand. The major song however that stands for Iron Eagle's sound is Queen's One Vision, and even if it's not the best that Queen had to offer, it fits remarkably well during the film.
The score isn't without its calmer moments too. There's enough respite coming from various tracks, including the sad "Shot Down" and "Hallway", the calm hopeful variation of the main theme in "Chappy's Story / Appetite" and the heroic feeling in "Missing Man / You've Earned Them". Another standard sound comes from the army that captured Doug's Father and holds him imprisoned. That tone is typically darker and threatening in "Ted on Trial", or with a building sense of urgency in "Three Days / Minister Sinister".
But it are the flying moments that deliver us the most entertaining moments on this disc. Nothing totally groundbreaking but the theme sure sounds cool enough, especially when it delivers total heroic build up in "Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast", urgency in "Ted to Tarmac / The Tower" and "Doug and Dad" and the typical 80's beats heightening the main theme in "Think You Can Handle the Music?". In general the entire second part of the original score is fun enough to listen to.
And that's the main charm of Iron Eagle, it's nothing earth shattering but fun enough to stand on its own 2 wings. The cool heroic main theme is probably one of the ultimate reasons for that success. This release comes with various alternate tracks, source cues but above all no songs (even though some would have wanted them to be here). But the music of Basil Poledouris will have to suffice without them, and alone the theme is capable of that. I'm sure that a lot of Basil Poledouris fans were happy when Iron Eagle was finally released, and in truth it listens cool enough for an occasional flashback to the 80's.
Tracklisting
1. Iron Eagle / Main Title (1.59)
2. Shot Down (1.15)
3. Hallway (1.41)
4. Ted on Trial (1.28)
5. Three Days / Minister Sinister (2.37)
6. The Gallows / Flight Line I (3.33)
7. Chappy's Story / Appetite (3.30)
8. Iron Eagle Story / Flight Line II / The Coast (4.12)
9. Chappy Gets Hit / Chappy Crashes / Chappy Talks (4.16)
10. Ted to Tarmac / The Tower (2.26)
11. Doug and Dad (2.41)
12. Think You Can Handle the Music? (2.49)
13. Missing Man / You've Earned Them (2.29)
Bonus Tracks: Alternates
14. Three Days / Minister Sinister (3.54)
15. Flight Line I (2.25)
16. Flight Line II (0.54)
17. Chappy Talks (1.49)
Source Music
18. Slappy's Place (4.25)
19. Slo-Slappy (1.29)
20. Army Air Corps (2.19)
Total Length: 52.11