The Goonies
Dave Grusin
" The Goonies never say die, fortunately for us neither did Varèse "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
The Goonies was a fun made adventure film about a group of kids who went looking for a long forgotten treasure, so that they could stop the imminent demolition of their homes. Under the guidance of young explorer Mikey, the Goonies experience their most unbelievable adventure yet, one that will not only give them their shot at fortune and glory, but also a fight for their lives. Director Richard Donner and producer Steven Spielberg created one of those typical nostalgic movies of the 80's, one filled with heart and laughter, giving audiences still to this date all the necessary ingredients for a fun afternoon experience.
Due to the popularity of the movie, the soundtrack of The Goonies never died as well. While it received a soundtrack release (especially for the Cindy Lauper songs), the score by Grusin was always neglected in the end, give or take for a couple of cues and a hard to get 2 CD print made in Japan. A request for the original and complete score has been demanded for as long as I can remember, and it was then also a lovely surprise to discover that Varèse Sarabande released it as part of their Club releases in 2010.
You can summarize The Goonies in fact through one cue, and that is the opening cue for the jailbreak of the Fratelli brother, this in "Fratelli Chase" and repeated in "Plumbing". Grusin's exciting opening cue also states Data's theme briefly at the end of "Fratelli Chase", making sure you are already introduced to a couple of the numerous themes of the score.
Because there are many themes to speak of. We have the theme for One Eyed Willie himself, the pirate whose treasure inspires Mikey and his gang to go out on this crazy adventure. One Eyed Willie's theme is probably the most occurring theme in the entire film, and gets a more mysterious variation from time to time throughout the score, like for instance in "Map and Willie", "The Inferno" and "One Eyed Willie".
The theme for the Goonies is a lovely heartfelt theme, heard sorrowful in "The Goondocks (Goonies Theme)", lovely in "Mikey's Vision" and upbeat in "End Titles (Goonies March)". Then there's also the Fratelli's theme, a propulsive theme on horns, stated in "Restaurant Trash", "It All Starts Here", "Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin" and in "Fratelli Chase (original version)".
And then we still have to mention the most soaring theme of the film in the end, heard first lovely in "Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin", but definitely serving its purpose during the cue that started all this requesting, namely "No Firme and Pirate Ship", when it supports the pirate ship sailing towards the upcoming sun. This is repeated in the second part of "Water Slide and Galleon" and marching its way into "Treasure, Data & Mouth and Walk the Plank".
While the main bulk of the score continues to state One Eyed Willie's theme (as he unconsciously guides Mikey during the entire trip), it can become somewhat boring to continuously hear the same theme returning throughout most of the score. But of course that isn't the reason The Goonies was requested all this time. No, the real reason was namely the occasional moments of symphonic brilliance.
For starters, we can now officially experience the greatness of "They're Here and Skull Cave Chase", offering the listener a wonderful propulsive version of the Fratelli's action theme. We can also enjoy Grusin's take on "Playing the Bones", a percussive suspense track giving us additional overlapping organ effects and orchestral swells (watch out for the conclusive Goonies theme) to give us in general one of the score's most diverse cues. And we can't forget the rousing "Water Slide and Galleon", but for whatever reason we discover that the string work appears to be synthesized (which it wasn't in the film itself), making it a damn disappointing moment during the entire listening experience.
Luckily we receive the rousing orchestral end the way we remember it. In "The Fighting Fratellis, Sloth's Choice and Ultimate Booby Trap" we receive rousing versions of the Fratelli's action theme and the water slide (this time orchestral). In "The Reunion and Fratellis on Beach" a couple of themes appear, including the lovely Goonies theme and Data's theme, fully orchestral for once. And "No Firme and Pirate Ship" will not need an introduction for those who know the film by heart.
There are of course several cool facts to remember as well. In "The "It", Fifty Dollar Bills and a Stiff" and "Skull and Signature" we hear an atonal attack at the end of each cue, one that listens exactly like John Williams' Jaws music when it attacks a victim during the movie. Then there's the much discussed about deleted scene "Octopus" featuring suspenseful music, but the cool fact is not the deleted scene but the reference of Data to this scene at the end of the film. So despite being deleted, the reference makes you believe that Data is exaggerating an already unbelievable adventure. And then there's the Max Steiner's theme of The Adventures of Don Juan in "Sloth & Chunk", and the brief Superman theme of course when Sloth shows us his S for Sloth ;-)
While the album of The Goonies is stretching it a little bit in the first half, there is no denying that the second part of the album kicks major but. Once the rousing orchestral music begins in track 18, there is no stopping the unbelievable charm and fun of Grusin's score. For fans of the film, it will then also come as an enormous relieve that the soundtrack will finally give you all those treasured moments from the film, because it still stands today as timeless, fun music. Like the film, The Goonies soundtrack never says DIE.
Tracklisting
1. Fratelli Chase (2.48) Excellent track
2. Map and Willie (2.16)
3. The Goondocks (Goonies Theme) (2.05)
4. Doubloon (1.47)
5. Lighthouse (1.19)
6. Cellar and Sloth (1.41)
7. Restaurant Trash (0.56)
8. The "It", Fifty Dollar Bills and a Stiff (4.36)
9. It All Starts Here (1.30)
10. Plumbing (1.25)
11. Skull and Signature (3.25)
12. Boulders, Bats and a Blender (2.33)
13. Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin (2.50)
14. Mikey's Vision (1.53)
15. Oath and Bobby Traps (1.07)
16. Tripple Stones and a Ball (2.11)
17. Pee Break and Kissing Tunnel (2.06)
18. They're Here and Skull Cave Chase (3.03) Excellent track
19. Playing the Bones (4.20) Excellent track
20. Water Slide and Galleon (1.38) Excellent track
21. Octopus (1.03)
22. The Inferno (1.14)
23. One Eyed Willie (3.06)
24. Treasure, Data & Mouth and Walk the Plank (3.19)
25. Sloth & Chunk (1.58)
26. Mama & Sloth (1.58)
27. The Fighting Fratellis, Sloth's Choice and Ultimate Booby Trap (3.24) Excellent track
28. The Reunion and Fratellis on Beach (3.39)
29. No Firme and Pirate Ship (2.42) Excellent track
30. End Titles (Goonies March) (3.11)
Bonus Tracks
31. Fratelli Chase (original version) (3.30)
32. Tripple Stones and a Ball (original version) (1.54)
33. They're Here and Skull Cave Chase (original version) (1.55)
34. Octopus (original version) (1.03)
Total Length: 79.17
Due to the popularity of the movie, the soundtrack of The Goonies never died as well. While it received a soundtrack release (especially for the Cindy Lauper songs), the score by Grusin was always neglected in the end, give or take for a couple of cues and a hard to get 2 CD print made in Japan. A request for the original and complete score has been demanded for as long as I can remember, and it was then also a lovely surprise to discover that Varèse Sarabande released it as part of their Club releases in 2010.
You can summarize The Goonies in fact through one cue, and that is the opening cue for the jailbreak of the Fratelli brother, this in "Fratelli Chase" and repeated in "Plumbing". Grusin's exciting opening cue also states Data's theme briefly at the end of "Fratelli Chase", making sure you are already introduced to a couple of the numerous themes of the score.
Because there are many themes to speak of. We have the theme for One Eyed Willie himself, the pirate whose treasure inspires Mikey and his gang to go out on this crazy adventure. One Eyed Willie's theme is probably the most occurring theme in the entire film, and gets a more mysterious variation from time to time throughout the score, like for instance in "Map and Willie", "The Inferno" and "One Eyed Willie".
The theme for the Goonies is a lovely heartfelt theme, heard sorrowful in "The Goondocks (Goonies Theme)", lovely in "Mikey's Vision" and upbeat in "End Titles (Goonies March)". Then there's also the Fratelli's theme, a propulsive theme on horns, stated in "Restaurant Trash", "It All Starts Here", "Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin" and in "Fratelli Chase (original version)".
And then we still have to mention the most soaring theme of the film in the end, heard first lovely in "Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin", but definitely serving its purpose during the cue that started all this requesting, namely "No Firme and Pirate Ship", when it supports the pirate ship sailing towards the upcoming sun. This is repeated in the second part of "Water Slide and Galleon" and marching its way into "Treasure, Data & Mouth and Walk the Plank".
While the main bulk of the score continues to state One Eyed Willie's theme (as he unconsciously guides Mikey during the entire trip), it can become somewhat boring to continuously hear the same theme returning throughout most of the score. But of course that isn't the reason The Goonies was requested all this time. No, the real reason was namely the occasional moments of symphonic brilliance.
For starters, we can now officially experience the greatness of "They're Here and Skull Cave Chase", offering the listener a wonderful propulsive version of the Fratelli's action theme. We can also enjoy Grusin's take on "Playing the Bones", a percussive suspense track giving us additional overlapping organ effects and orchestral swells (watch out for the conclusive Goonies theme) to give us in general one of the score's most diverse cues. And we can't forget the rousing "Water Slide and Galleon", but for whatever reason we discover that the string work appears to be synthesized (which it wasn't in the film itself), making it a damn disappointing moment during the entire listening experience.
Luckily we receive the rousing orchestral end the way we remember it. In "The Fighting Fratellis, Sloth's Choice and Ultimate Booby Trap" we receive rousing versions of the Fratelli's action theme and the water slide (this time orchestral). In "The Reunion and Fratellis on Beach" a couple of themes appear, including the lovely Goonies theme and Data's theme, fully orchestral for once. And "No Firme and Pirate Ship" will not need an introduction for those who know the film by heart.
There are of course several cool facts to remember as well. In "The "It", Fifty Dollar Bills and a Stiff" and "Skull and Signature" we hear an atonal attack at the end of each cue, one that listens exactly like John Williams' Jaws music when it attacks a victim during the movie. Then there's the much discussed about deleted scene "Octopus" featuring suspenseful music, but the cool fact is not the deleted scene but the reference of Data to this scene at the end of the film. So despite being deleted, the reference makes you believe that Data is exaggerating an already unbelievable adventure. And then there's the Max Steiner's theme of The Adventures of Don Juan in "Sloth & Chunk", and the brief Superman theme of course when Sloth shows us his S for Sloth ;-)
While the album of The Goonies is stretching it a little bit in the first half, there is no denying that the second part of the album kicks major but. Once the rousing orchestral music begins in track 18, there is no stopping the unbelievable charm and fun of Grusin's score. For fans of the film, it will then also come as an enormous relieve that the soundtrack will finally give you all those treasured moments from the film, because it still stands today as timeless, fun music. Like the film, The Goonies soundtrack never says DIE.
Tracklisting
1. Fratelli Chase (2.48) Excellent track
2. Map and Willie (2.16)
3. The Goondocks (Goonies Theme) (2.05)
4. Doubloon (1.47)
5. Lighthouse (1.19)
6. Cellar and Sloth (1.41)
7. Restaurant Trash (0.56)
8. The "It", Fifty Dollar Bills and a Stiff (4.36)
9. It All Starts Here (1.30)
10. Plumbing (1.25)
11. Skull and Signature (3.25)
12. Boulders, Bats and a Blender (2.33)
13. Wishing Well and the Fratellis Find Coin (2.50)
14. Mikey's Vision (1.53)
15. Oath and Bobby Traps (1.07)
16. Tripple Stones and a Ball (2.11)
17. Pee Break and Kissing Tunnel (2.06)
18. They're Here and Skull Cave Chase (3.03) Excellent track
19. Playing the Bones (4.20) Excellent track
20. Water Slide and Galleon (1.38) Excellent track
21. Octopus (1.03)
22. The Inferno (1.14)
23. One Eyed Willie (3.06)
24. Treasure, Data & Mouth and Walk the Plank (3.19)
25. Sloth & Chunk (1.58)
26. Mama & Sloth (1.58)
27. The Fighting Fratellis, Sloth's Choice and Ultimate Booby Trap (3.24) Excellent track
28. The Reunion and Fratellis on Beach (3.39)
29. No Firme and Pirate Ship (2.42) Excellent track
30. End Titles (Goonies March) (3.11)
Bonus Tracks
31. Fratelli Chase (original version) (3.30)
32. Tripple Stones and a Ball (original version) (1.54)
33. They're Here and Skull Cave Chase (original version) (1.55)
34. Octopus (original version) (1.03)
Total Length: 79.17