Jingle all the Way
David Newman
" For Newman admirers, this is one Christmas present you can't forget to put under the Christmas tree "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
For many years I considered Jingle all the Way to be a nightmare for film music fans. Of course it wasn't the first commercial disc that treated its fans that way, and it will not be the last. However it is a common sign actually that David Newman is poorly treated. Many of his efforts became promo's or bootlegs, and the scores that did got releases were often forgettable fare, comedic efforts that showed so little in comparison to the other thematic efforts he created. And for releases as Jingle all the Way, we had to encounter little actual score and so much else instead.
The commercial release of TVT Records placed an abundance of Christmas carol sing a longs on an album and assumed they were doing the musical lover a favor. How wrong they were?! Of course for a Christmas film, songs like "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Jingle Bell Rock" and "The Christmas Song" make utter sense. But haven't we heard this before? And does it really need to replace music that actually defines the movie? Song releases as these are a nightmare, they basically return to the same old deal of commercial hit songs but they forget that the actual reason is to represent the music of the film entirely. And if you forget to acknowledge that film music is a part of that too, you're ignoring something of the film in the end.
Luckily we at least got 2 tracks of Newman's musical score. His "Father and Son" track is a soft cue with some energetic moments, but mostly a soothing emotional feel that often wins you over. "Finale" has that great main theme version that just defines David Newman's style in general. Of course what's missing is obvious, the rest of the score. And like most albums today, re releases bring us the entire picture.
We open with the pompous main theme in a fanfare way in "Main Title", splashing you right in Turbo Man sense. The first sign of the dramatic theme is heard on piano in "Howard & Hummel", recapitulated with a dash of string emotion in "Howard & Jamie" while the first sign (albeit structured) of energized comedy music shows a Home Alone face during "Abusing the Help".
The Tchaikovsky arranged piece by David Newman aside (which works well in a film like this), everything else is David Newman's. So is "Riot in the Workshop", an evident piece using various carol songs as underscore for an exhausting trip in the mind of David Newman. Okay the occasional Turbo Man quotes do enhance it a little and I heard worse, but for rookies this will be a test drive most of you will fail.
The emotional theme on piano in "Here's to you Dad" and the start of a comical motif unleashing a Christmas carol fanfare is surely entertaining to hear. "Music Box Bomb" and "Bomb #2" are however a little more chaotic as you might have guessed. O Holy Night pops up as underscore in "Breaking & Entering", showing David Newman does his best to pop up that Christmas spirit in Jingle all the Way.
But the more we reach the end, the more Turbo Man becomes the talk of the town. In "Showtime" the magic in sharpened, in "Turbo Man Marching Band #1" the main fanfare is on full running power with a dash of string magic in the end when the father sees his son. This moment alone gives the movie a level beyond the standard comical fare and is treasured amongst any David Newman fan. The version as heard in the film with electric guitar is here added as an extra bonus cue.
The fanfares in "Turbo Man Marching Band #2" are magnificent, the orchestral seriousness in "Dementor Arrives" and "Howard Saves the Day" thundering. It shows a battle between the energetic comedy and the orchestral fanfares. But it shows significant exploding Newman material, throwing any little motif in the dance to give it a whirling finish. Finally the emotional meets the main Turbo theme in the lovely as revised "Rescue Jamie and Finale".
It is fair to say the expanded Jingle all the Way is a tough cracker and a non David Newman connoisseur will experience it like receiving snow balls unexpectedly on your face. But someone who expects them will not feel them at all, and will be happy to receive them because they're fun. Understand this in Jingle all the Way and you'll get the picture around this explosive Christmas cheering David Newman disc. And I must say, Intrada's release shows a significant improvement of the already released promo that came before it. For Newman admirers, this is one Christmas present you can't forget to put under the Christmas tree.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (2.00)
2. Traffic (1.50)
3. Howard & Hummel (1.35)
4. Turbo Man Commercial (0.33)
5. Howard & Jamie (3.08)
6. Abusing the Help (2.09)
7. Late Delivery (0.48)
8. Nutcracker Mall * (2.11)
9. Riot in the Workshop (5.28)
10. Here's to you Dad (2.55)
11. Music Box Bomb (2.03)
12. Bomb #2 (1.25)
13. Breaking & Entering (2.59)
14. Drinking with Reindeer (1.49)
15. Howard in Taxi (1.42)
16. Showtime (1.34)
17. Turbo Man Marching Band #1 (2.05) Excellent track
18. Turbo Man Marching Band #2 (2.10) Excellent track
19. Dementor Arrives (1.33)
20. Howard Saves The Day (5.03) Excellent track
21. Rescue Jamie and Finale (4.07) Excellent track
Bonus Tracks
22. Turbo Man Marching Band #1 (with guitar) (2.06) Excellent track
23. Rescue Jamie and Finale (revised) (4.02) Excellent track
* Tchaikovsky arranged by David Newman
Total Length: 45.53
The commercial release of TVT Records placed an abundance of Christmas carol sing a longs on an album and assumed they were doing the musical lover a favor. How wrong they were?! Of course for a Christmas film, songs like "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Jingle Bell Rock" and "The Christmas Song" make utter sense. But haven't we heard this before? And does it really need to replace music that actually defines the movie? Song releases as these are a nightmare, they basically return to the same old deal of commercial hit songs but they forget that the actual reason is to represent the music of the film entirely. And if you forget to acknowledge that film music is a part of that too, you're ignoring something of the film in the end.
Luckily we at least got 2 tracks of Newman's musical score. His "Father and Son" track is a soft cue with some energetic moments, but mostly a soothing emotional feel that often wins you over. "Finale" has that great main theme version that just defines David Newman's style in general. Of course what's missing is obvious, the rest of the score. And like most albums today, re releases bring us the entire picture.
We open with the pompous main theme in a fanfare way in "Main Title", splashing you right in Turbo Man sense. The first sign of the dramatic theme is heard on piano in "Howard & Hummel", recapitulated with a dash of string emotion in "Howard & Jamie" while the first sign (albeit structured) of energized comedy music shows a Home Alone face during "Abusing the Help".
The Tchaikovsky arranged piece by David Newman aside (which works well in a film like this), everything else is David Newman's. So is "Riot in the Workshop", an evident piece using various carol songs as underscore for an exhausting trip in the mind of David Newman. Okay the occasional Turbo Man quotes do enhance it a little and I heard worse, but for rookies this will be a test drive most of you will fail.
The emotional theme on piano in "Here's to you Dad" and the start of a comical motif unleashing a Christmas carol fanfare is surely entertaining to hear. "Music Box Bomb" and "Bomb #2" are however a little more chaotic as you might have guessed. O Holy Night pops up as underscore in "Breaking & Entering", showing David Newman does his best to pop up that Christmas spirit in Jingle all the Way.
But the more we reach the end, the more Turbo Man becomes the talk of the town. In "Showtime" the magic in sharpened, in "Turbo Man Marching Band #1" the main fanfare is on full running power with a dash of string magic in the end when the father sees his son. This moment alone gives the movie a level beyond the standard comical fare and is treasured amongst any David Newman fan. The version as heard in the film with electric guitar is here added as an extra bonus cue.
The fanfares in "Turbo Man Marching Band #2" are magnificent, the orchestral seriousness in "Dementor Arrives" and "Howard Saves the Day" thundering. It shows a battle between the energetic comedy and the orchestral fanfares. But it shows significant exploding Newman material, throwing any little motif in the dance to give it a whirling finish. Finally the emotional meets the main Turbo theme in the lovely as revised "Rescue Jamie and Finale".
It is fair to say the expanded Jingle all the Way is a tough cracker and a non David Newman connoisseur will experience it like receiving snow balls unexpectedly on your face. But someone who expects them will not feel them at all, and will be happy to receive them because they're fun. Understand this in Jingle all the Way and you'll get the picture around this explosive Christmas cheering David Newman disc. And I must say, Intrada's release shows a significant improvement of the already released promo that came before it. For Newman admirers, this is one Christmas present you can't forget to put under the Christmas tree.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (2.00)
2. Traffic (1.50)
3. Howard & Hummel (1.35)
4. Turbo Man Commercial (0.33)
5. Howard & Jamie (3.08)
6. Abusing the Help (2.09)
7. Late Delivery (0.48)
8. Nutcracker Mall * (2.11)
9. Riot in the Workshop (5.28)
10. Here's to you Dad (2.55)
11. Music Box Bomb (2.03)
12. Bomb #2 (1.25)
13. Breaking & Entering (2.59)
14. Drinking with Reindeer (1.49)
15. Howard in Taxi (1.42)
16. Showtime (1.34)
17. Turbo Man Marching Band #1 (2.05) Excellent track
18. Turbo Man Marching Band #2 (2.10) Excellent track
19. Dementor Arrives (1.33)
20. Howard Saves The Day (5.03) Excellent track
21. Rescue Jamie and Finale (4.07) Excellent track
Bonus Tracks
22. Turbo Man Marching Band #1 (with guitar) (2.06) Excellent track
23. Rescue Jamie and Finale (revised) (4.02) Excellent track
* Tchaikovsky arranged by David Newman
Total Length: 45.53