Starship Troopers
Basil Poledouris
" I'm from MainTitles, and I say kill 'em all! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Some people have never been a fan of Paul Verhoeven's work, while others couldn't get enough of the typical gun ho approach of this Dutch director. Either way, Paul Verhoeven was always where controversy needed him. Whatever the project was, Verhoeven made sure he was there. For this science fiction battle between man and beast, Verhoeven went for a typical triangle love affair story that was infested by bugs. What it lacked in subtlety it amplified in sheer bloody confrontations. It made Starship Troopers an absolute hoot of a film.
During his time in Hollywood, Verhoeven only worked with 2 composers (if you don't count the work David A. Stewart did on Showgirls). But what 2 composers they were. For Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Hollow Man Verhoeven worked with Jerry Goldsmith, and Basil Poledouris was the man for all the other gigs. Nuff said that Basil understood the gung ho approach of Verhoeven all too well, because his scores for Verhoeven are infested with the gung ho approach. Not the least Starship Troopers.
Because from the patriotic march of "Fed Net March" to the heroic salute of "They Will Win", Starship Troopers stands behind its troopers with the adjusted fireworks. In fact, the fireworks explode soon enough in "Klendathu Drop", one of the best if not the best track of the entire album. Here the invasion of the troopers on Klendathu is underscored with the same fearless gung ho manner that the Troopers go to war with. The same can be found in "Tango Urilla", and once it unleashes a breathtaking finale of action theatrics you won't know if to breath first or sing.
In between all the excitement a tender theme for Carmen is heard in "Punishment / Asteroid Grazing (one that gets a heroic version once Carmen shows you the fleet during a crazy ass tour). The mysterious threat of "Hopper Canyon" and the sad goodbye at "Dizzy's Funeral" are the 2 only breathers on the album after that. Because there's no stopping the "Bugs!!" once they lay a trap for you in Hopper Canyon. And here Basil delivers you a fast, rhythmic assault that will tear off limbs.
The finale first begins with the "Destruction of Roger Young" (an amazing race against the clock that's fueled with fanfares, whirling strings and a somber ending), followed by the revealing of the "Brainbug" that makes Basil almost quote Jerry Goldsmith's music of The Shadow, before returning with his highly rousing main theme at the end. And then I haven't told you about the patriotic stirring "They Will Win" that will make you want to live forever, ... as an ape.
I don't know how they did it back then, but this album delivers you in 32 minutes an experience that make the albums of today blush. Which means that sometimes less is better. But I've heard the double amount as well, and Starship Troopers excels in the double expanded version equally. This is just another soundtrack that shows us how gifted Basil Poledouris truly was. This is not only an amazing action score, this is a thematic action score with hardly a dull moment in sight. This is why troopers like Rico will defend our listening experiences, now and in the future. Or as one Rasczak would put it: "Never pass up a good thing."
Starship Troopers "1997 Varèse Sarabande release": ****1/2
Starship Troopers "2000 expanded bootleg": ****1/2
Tracklisting
1. Fed Net March (0.48)
2. Klendathu Drop (4.28) Excellent track
3. Punishment / Asteroid Grazing (4.50)
4. Tango Urilla (3.50) Excellent track
5. Hopper Canyon (2.44)
6. Bugs!! (2.19) Excellent track
7. Dizzy's Funeral (1.17)
8. Destruction of Roger Young (3.26) Excellent track
9. Brainbug (3.58) Excellent track
10. They Will Win (4.01) Excellent track
11. Into It: Zoë Poledouris (4.36)
Total Length: 36.24
During his time in Hollywood, Verhoeven only worked with 2 composers (if you don't count the work David A. Stewart did on Showgirls). But what 2 composers they were. For Total Recall, Basic Instinct and Hollow Man Verhoeven worked with Jerry Goldsmith, and Basil Poledouris was the man for all the other gigs. Nuff said that Basil understood the gung ho approach of Verhoeven all too well, because his scores for Verhoeven are infested with the gung ho approach. Not the least Starship Troopers.
Because from the patriotic march of "Fed Net March" to the heroic salute of "They Will Win", Starship Troopers stands behind its troopers with the adjusted fireworks. In fact, the fireworks explode soon enough in "Klendathu Drop", one of the best if not the best track of the entire album. Here the invasion of the troopers on Klendathu is underscored with the same fearless gung ho manner that the Troopers go to war with. The same can be found in "Tango Urilla", and once it unleashes a breathtaking finale of action theatrics you won't know if to breath first or sing.
In between all the excitement a tender theme for Carmen is heard in "Punishment / Asteroid Grazing (one that gets a heroic version once Carmen shows you the fleet during a crazy ass tour). The mysterious threat of "Hopper Canyon" and the sad goodbye at "Dizzy's Funeral" are the 2 only breathers on the album after that. Because there's no stopping the "Bugs!!" once they lay a trap for you in Hopper Canyon. And here Basil delivers you a fast, rhythmic assault that will tear off limbs.
The finale first begins with the "Destruction of Roger Young" (an amazing race against the clock that's fueled with fanfares, whirling strings and a somber ending), followed by the revealing of the "Brainbug" that makes Basil almost quote Jerry Goldsmith's music of The Shadow, before returning with his highly rousing main theme at the end. And then I haven't told you about the patriotic stirring "They Will Win" that will make you want to live forever, ... as an ape.
I don't know how they did it back then, but this album delivers you in 32 minutes an experience that make the albums of today blush. Which means that sometimes less is better. But I've heard the double amount as well, and Starship Troopers excels in the double expanded version equally. This is just another soundtrack that shows us how gifted Basil Poledouris truly was. This is not only an amazing action score, this is a thematic action score with hardly a dull moment in sight. This is why troopers like Rico will defend our listening experiences, now and in the future. Or as one Rasczak would put it: "Never pass up a good thing."
Starship Troopers "1997 Varèse Sarabande release": ****1/2
Starship Troopers "2000 expanded bootleg": ****1/2
Tracklisting
1. Fed Net March (0.48)
2. Klendathu Drop (4.28) Excellent track
3. Punishment / Asteroid Grazing (4.50)
4. Tango Urilla (3.50) Excellent track
5. Hopper Canyon (2.44)
6. Bugs!! (2.19) Excellent track
7. Dizzy's Funeral (1.17)
8. Destruction of Roger Young (3.26) Excellent track
9. Brainbug (3.58) Excellent track
10. They Will Win (4.01) Excellent track
11. Into It: Zoë Poledouris (4.36)
Total Length: 36.24