Batman (Complete) - Danny Elfman

Batman by Danny Elfman is one of his finest scores, one of the most well regarded superhero scores and the breakthrough effort that put him well and truly on the map. Therefore, if you don't own it already, shame on you. Still, you can atone for your oversight by acquiring La-La Land's lovely expanded version containing both the original album, the music as heard in the film and a few additional bits and bobs. In fairness, Batman shows just what a really good editor can do for a soundtrack album since most of the excised music is actually short phrases here and there which reduce repetition within a track or cut a short noodle before the real meat of the cue starts. By that token, it is mildly disconcerting to hear the album track you know and love to appear from some previously unfamiliar few bars or for it to go off on a brief tangent for 20 seconds.

Sure, there are a few completely new tracks, notably the additional action passages towards the end, although again, they don't really add much to the material previously released. Perhaps a little disingenuously, the track listing marks every cue from the film version as being previously unreleased. I don't deny the listing being factually accurate, but it's more that they are different takes and/or mixes than being entirely different. For example, the Main Title, Descent into Mystery, Finale and End Credits are basically the same music, just different mixes; the choir in Descent into Mystery is mixed further back in the film version, but is otherwise the same. Still, the liner notes do helpfully explain the differences, while relating the music to the film itself. I'm being fussy, of course, but don't expect it to be startlingly different.

The music itself remains memorable and exciting; while I'm very enthusiastic about Elfman's Spider-Man scores, Batman is certainly a lot more upfront in its aspirations and melody. There's less of the arrangement clutter that makes the Spider-Man main titles (for example) seem rather busy, even though in many ways, it's really just a good deal more sophisticated than Batman. The remixing of the original album does give it a little more punch, which is saying something as the original album sounded pretty marvellous, highlighting the expert performance of the Sinfonia of London. I guess if you're equipped with the original album and aren't a die hard Elfman fan, it's not an essential expansion given the rather limited amount of truly unreleased material, but for everyone else, yeah, go buy it. Great stuff.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Complete) - Jerry Goldsmith

All I ask for is a tall ship and a star to sail her by, although what I actually want is a starship to travel to the centre of the galaxy to find god. The sad thing is, the concept of The Final Frontier is pretty sound, very much in keeping with Star Trek lore and aspects of it are very well rendered. However, the kind of concepts it dealt with are perhaps better within the confines of TV; one can imagine Sybok having taken control of the Enterprise and set course for Sha Ka Ree as an end of season cliffhanger. It would be every bit as exciting as Picard turning up as Locutus. Also, the rather talky resolution would be far more acceptable to a TV audience than those expecting an exciting battle on the big screen. Alas, it was not to be. The film has plenty of other problems, but I still have a bit of a soft spot, although maybe Goldsmith's music just made it seem better than it was. Entirely possible.

One comment I made in my review of the Star Trek: Nemesis (the last and most disappointing Next Generation movie) score was that Star Trek no longer had spectacle. I don't mean amazing space ship battles, more an attempt at awe and wonder. V'Ger in The Motion Picture might have been on screen for way too long, but it oozed atmosphere. Same goes for the Enterprise. She seems like a real, huge star faring ship, not just an impressive effect. So it is with Goldsmith's Nemesis score, it's a perfectly robust action/adventure score, but little else. The Final Frontier may not have been the best movie, but it had bold ideas and ideals, plus at least some attempt at spectacle. God was never going to look amazing on an effects budget of £9.23, but Goldsmith writes as though we're witnessing something as eye popping as Avatar or Lord of the Rings, even when it's clearly a patch of dirt, some plastic rocks and god (i.e. some alien) looking like a PowerPoint presentation.

Goldsmith doesn't just reserve his awe and wonder for god, but also for the natural splendour of Yosemite where Kirk is (somewhat unrealistically) mountain climbing. The opening is rightly held as another of Goldsmith's finest moments, a gorgeous trumpet melody that could so easily have been fairly non-specific and throwaway. You just don't get that kind of compositional thought very often. Naturally, the action scoring is excellent, some of his finest. The raid on Nimbus III deftly weaves the various themes into some prototypical 5/4 action measures. This expanded release expands some of this, notably Without Help which has a few more dramatic pauses than the original album.

One nice thing about expanded discs such as this is you get those short cues that often never make it to a 40 minute album, the short passages for the Enterprise's departure at the start have some lovely versions of the main theme woven in. Again, awe and wonder, giving the Enterprise a mystical quality rather than just being a hunk of metal and implying a grandeur which (if we're honest) isn't really there in the effects. Star Trek V has long been one of my most desired expanded releases and La-La Land have la-la lavished  (there's a gag I can only use once) their usual level of expert production. Comprehensive liner notes, great sound (not that the original had any issues), the complete score as in the film (more or less), the original album presentation, plus some additional tracks to fill out a nice package. As it were. Goldsmith does old school Trek movie. You really ought to have it, so what are you waiting for? A tall ship? Pfft!


Purchase it from La-La Land or Screen Archives.

Home Alone (Expanded) - John Williams

Snow is falling, trains are cancelled, pavements are treacherous (those deceiving bastards) and Britain is more or less closed. What better time to frolic in the white stuff while listening to some delightfully festive John Williams? After the double disc release of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York a couple of years ago, La-La Land have furnished us with an expanded release of the original Home Alone score. In fairness, this release adds less new of note than Home Alone 2, but is still plenty welcome and reorders the score into film order and replaces some repeated material and non-Williams songs with previously unreleased music.

It's probably pointless summarising the music given that most Williams fans are already likely to own the original album; from the charming Somewhere In My Memory (even if the lyrics are a trifle treacly), the Nutcracker pastiche of We Slept In (although it appears in surprisingly small chunks), mock scary music for the villains and all the bells and celeste you could want. It's delightful hearing the composer having such fun.


Perhaps the only downside is reading the liner notes and feeling bad for Bruce Broughton who was originally set to provide the music but pulled out due to a scheduling conflict. I wouldn't trade in a Williams score for the world, but Broughton is a great composer in need of more recognition and a hit like Home Alone might have been just the boost he needed. Ah well. Detailed liner notes and splendid sound round out a great package.