Wall·E
Thomas Newman
" The fun tribute he offers on some tracks are ones you'll want to listen to over and over. "Written by Thomas Kiefner - Review of the regular release
"What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?" This is the latest wild and wacky scenario Academy Award winner writer/director Andrew Stanton has come up with in the Pixar/Walt Disney animation film Wall·E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class). When EVE, a search robot, discovers that Wall·E has stumbled upon a cure for the future of the planet, (abandoned 100's of years ago) EVE rushes back to tell humans that it will be safe to return to Earth. By this time Wall·E has fallen in love with EVE and chases her across the galaxy in this romantic action comedy.
Featuring the song "Down To Earth" (sure to be an Oscar nomination), sung by Peter Gabriel, two songs from Hello Dolly performed by Michael Crawford, a Louis Armstrong standard "La Vie En Rose" and the Thomas Newman score add up to an entertaining hour of listening pleasure. Stanton, who also worked with Newman on Finding Nemo, had approached Thomas with the idea of this picture being a combination of Hello Dolly and science fiction in 2004. While many would have scratched the hair on their head, Thomas agreed.
Known for his use of quirky instruments, Thomas Newman doesn't disappoint in this score with an impressive array, many of which have never been heard of by this reviewer before. The result is a score that has a sound and a unique style that is a complete departure from the typical generic/landscape music so prevalent in much of the soundtracks from the 21st Century. Thomas brewed a mixture of science fiction, comedy, Broadway, romantic, his own style and sound, and a generous portion of overdubs and mixing from his staff to create a one of a kind signature score, one that won't be forgotten easily.
The opening orchestral track "2815 AD" with its opening of strings and harp offer mysticism and suspense as you would expect any science fiction score to sound like but it segues into the romantic Newman, one is accustomed to hearing from Thomas. Also on the romantic side are the two cues "EVE" and "Define Dancing" co-composed with Peter Gabriel. Thoughts from Meet Joe Black were conjured up in my head as I listened to the soft easy listening tracks. "BNL" is a short parody on Wal-Mart Superstores with lyrics by Bill Bernstein.
"72 Degrees and Sunny" has that quirky style that many of us are accustomed to with a melody that is sure to put a smile on your face as you look at Wall·E, tractor parts with binoculars as eyes rotating on a ball head. Keeping in mind that Newman like Herrmann writes a lot of shorter cues (38 over 62 minutes for Wall·E) a 3 minute track from Thomas is a long one and very nice to listen to! "Rogue Robots", "Tilt" and "Hyperjump" are just fun action/comedy tracks to listen and enjoy. The fun tribute he offers on these and other tracks are ones you'll want to listen to over and over.
Something of a genetic nature must be in the blood of the Newman's when it comes to melodies, especially from the heart. This reviewer often ponders what Alfred would have come up with had he been given the technology of the mixing and overdubs his son has had available to him. Just take a moment and consider Alfred, Lionel, David, Randy, and Thomas, all from the same family, and the wonderful music they have contributed to Hollywood over the past 70+ years. It is quite astounding! Add one more excellent soundtrack to the list and don't be surprised if the score receives an Oscar nomination as well as the song (it's a lock). Highly recommended!
Tracklisting
1. Put On Your Sunday Clothes: Michael Crawford & Company (1.17)
2. 2815 A.D. (3.28)
3. WALL•E (2.00)
4. The Spaceship (1.41)
5. EVE * (1.02)
6. Thrust (0.41)
7. Bubble Wrap (0.50)
8. La Vie En Rose: Louis Armstrong (3.24)
9. Eye Surgery (0.40)
10. Worry Wait (1.19)
11. First Date (1.19)
12. EVE Retrieve (2.19)
13. The Axiom (2.24)
14. BNL ** (0.20)
15. Foreign Contaminant (2.06)
16. Repair Ward (2.20)
17. 72 Degrees and Sunny (3.12)
18. Typing Bot (0.47)
19. Septuacentennial (0.15)
20. Gopher (0.40)
21. WALL•E's Pod Adventure (1.13)
22. Define Dancing * (2.23)
23. No Splashing No Diving (0.47)
24. All That Love's About (0.37)
25. M-O (0.46)
26. Directive A-113 (2.05)
27. Mutiny! (1.29)
28. Fixing WALL•E (2.08)
29. Rogue Robots (2.02)
30. March of the Gels (0.54)
31. Tilt (2.00)
32. The Holo-Detector (1.07)
33. Hyperjump (1.04)
34. Desperate EVE (0.56)
35. Static (1.43)
36. It Only Takes a Moment: Michael Crawford (1.07)
37. Down to Earth: Peter Gabriel *** (5.58)
38. Horizon 12.2 (1.27)
* Composed by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel
** Written by Bill Bernstein and Thomas Newman
*** Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyrics by Peter Gabriel, Performed by Peter Gabriel
Total Length: 61.50
Featuring the song "Down To Earth" (sure to be an Oscar nomination), sung by Peter Gabriel, two songs from Hello Dolly performed by Michael Crawford, a Louis Armstrong standard "La Vie En Rose" and the Thomas Newman score add up to an entertaining hour of listening pleasure. Stanton, who also worked with Newman on Finding Nemo, had approached Thomas with the idea of this picture being a combination of Hello Dolly and science fiction in 2004. While many would have scratched the hair on their head, Thomas agreed.
Known for his use of quirky instruments, Thomas Newman doesn't disappoint in this score with an impressive array, many of which have never been heard of by this reviewer before. The result is a score that has a sound and a unique style that is a complete departure from the typical generic/landscape music so prevalent in much of the soundtracks from the 21st Century. Thomas brewed a mixture of science fiction, comedy, Broadway, romantic, his own style and sound, and a generous portion of overdubs and mixing from his staff to create a one of a kind signature score, one that won't be forgotten easily.
The opening orchestral track "2815 AD" with its opening of strings and harp offer mysticism and suspense as you would expect any science fiction score to sound like but it segues into the romantic Newman, one is accustomed to hearing from Thomas. Also on the romantic side are the two cues "EVE" and "Define Dancing" co-composed with Peter Gabriel. Thoughts from Meet Joe Black were conjured up in my head as I listened to the soft easy listening tracks. "BNL" is a short parody on Wal-Mart Superstores with lyrics by Bill Bernstein.
"72 Degrees and Sunny" has that quirky style that many of us are accustomed to with a melody that is sure to put a smile on your face as you look at Wall·E, tractor parts with binoculars as eyes rotating on a ball head. Keeping in mind that Newman like Herrmann writes a lot of shorter cues (38 over 62 minutes for Wall·E) a 3 minute track from Thomas is a long one and very nice to listen to! "Rogue Robots", "Tilt" and "Hyperjump" are just fun action/comedy tracks to listen and enjoy. The fun tribute he offers on these and other tracks are ones you'll want to listen to over and over.
Something of a genetic nature must be in the blood of the Newman's when it comes to melodies, especially from the heart. This reviewer often ponders what Alfred would have come up with had he been given the technology of the mixing and overdubs his son has had available to him. Just take a moment and consider Alfred, Lionel, David, Randy, and Thomas, all from the same family, and the wonderful music they have contributed to Hollywood over the past 70+ years. It is quite astounding! Add one more excellent soundtrack to the list and don't be surprised if the score receives an Oscar nomination as well as the song (it's a lock). Highly recommended!
Tracklisting
1. Put On Your Sunday Clothes: Michael Crawford & Company (1.17)
2. 2815 A.D. (3.28)
3. WALL•E (2.00)
4. The Spaceship (1.41)
5. EVE * (1.02)
6. Thrust (0.41)
7. Bubble Wrap (0.50)
8. La Vie En Rose: Louis Armstrong (3.24)
9. Eye Surgery (0.40)
10. Worry Wait (1.19)
11. First Date (1.19)
12. EVE Retrieve (2.19)
13. The Axiom (2.24)
14. BNL ** (0.20)
15. Foreign Contaminant (2.06)
16. Repair Ward (2.20)
17. 72 Degrees and Sunny (3.12)
18. Typing Bot (0.47)
19. Septuacentennial (0.15)
20. Gopher (0.40)
21. WALL•E's Pod Adventure (1.13)
22. Define Dancing * (2.23)
23. No Splashing No Diving (0.47)
24. All That Love's About (0.37)
25. M-O (0.46)
26. Directive A-113 (2.05)
27. Mutiny! (1.29)
28. Fixing WALL•E (2.08)
29. Rogue Robots (2.02)
30. March of the Gels (0.54)
31. Tilt (2.00)
32. The Holo-Detector (1.07)
33. Hyperjump (1.04)
34. Desperate EVE (0.56)
35. Static (1.43)
36. It Only Takes a Moment: Michael Crawford (1.07)
37. Down to Earth: Peter Gabriel *** (5.58)
38. Horizon 12.2 (1.27)
* Composed by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel
** Written by Bill Bernstein and Thomas Newman
*** Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyrics by Peter Gabriel, Performed by Peter Gabriel
Total Length: 61.50