Christine Soundtrack CD

Christine Movie Soundtrack
1983, Columbia .
John Carpenter.
Verese Sarabande, CD, 1991, VSD-5240.
Rating:

John Carpenter’s horror, based on a novel by Stephen King, about a car possessed, may not be the scariest movie ever made but its convincing evocation of teenage life in 1950s America distracts from its more ridiculous moments. Carpenter’s cold, electronic score is perfect in the film (used in conjunction with a roster of songs from the era) as school nerd Arnie (Keith Gordon) falls under the spell of an abandoned flaming red Plymouth Fury with a dark past. Though the score also works well away from the film, some the cues are ultimately little more than stingers used to punctuate dramatic moments. Clever use of ‘Here Comes The Bride’ to accent the ‘love affair’ between man and car is particularly effective in ‘Show Me’. Beyond this, the best cues are chase (to the death) sequences, ‘Moochie’s Death’, ‘Buddie’s Death’ and the excellent ‘Christine Attacks’, the only track from the score used on the original release of the soundtrack back in 1982, mainly populated by the likes of Buddy Holly, Danny and the Juniors and Little Richard. A chilling, effective cruise through Carpenter’s filmic landscape.
Christine Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.

Track Listing:
1. Arnie’s Love Theme
2. Obsessed With The Car
3. Football Run
4. Kill Your Kids
5. Rape
6. Discovery
7. Show Me
8. Moochie’s Death
9. Junkins
10. Buddie’s Death
11. Nobody’s Home
12. Restored
13. Car Obsession Reprise
14. Christine Attacks (Plymouth Fury)
15. Talk On The Couch
16. Regeneration
17. Darnell’s Tonight
18. Undented
19. Moochie Mix Four

Other Versions Available:

Motown, LP, 1983, ZL 72139.
Rating:
Though John Carpenter created an atmospheric score to accompany this Stephen King adaptation, it failed to evoke the 1950s period in which the film is set. This collection of pop classics from the era feature the likes of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Danny And The Juniors, along with the atmospheric ‘Harlem Nocturne’ by The Viscounts and 1980s rocker ‘Bad To The Bone’, that opens the movie. A great collection deserving a re-release.

Side Two:
6. I Wonder Why (Dion & The Belmonts).
7. Harlem Nocturne (The Viscounts).
8. Little Bitty Pretty One (Thurston Harris).
9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here To Stay (Danny & The Juniors).
10. Christine Attacks (John Carpenter/Alan Howarth).
11. Bony Moronie (Larry Williams).

Back To The Future Soundtrack CD

Back To The Future.
1985, Universal.
Alan Silvestri/Various.
MCA, CD, 1985, MCAD-6144
Rating:

Robert Zemeckis’ time travel actioner starring Michael J. Fox remains as much fun as it was on release, with hero Marty McFly attempting to save time while ensuring his mum and dad get hitched. Alan Silvestri’s score is perfectly matched to the movie’s energetic, good-natured feel, though this is primarily a pop album, whether the songs hail from the 1950s (‘Johnny B. Goode’, ‘Earth Angel’) or the 1980s, most notably, chart smash, ‘The Power Of Love’ performed by Huey Lewis and The News (see YouTube clip below). Fortunately, some good compiling has left us with a worthwhile, well-judged album; the score deserves a separate release.
Back To The Future Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.

Track Listing:
1. Power Of Love - Huey Lewis & The News.
2. Time Bomb Town - Lindsay Buckingham.
3. Back To The Future - Alan Silvestri.
4. Heaven Is One Step Away - Eric Clapton.
5. Back In Time - Huey Lewis & The News.
6. Back To The Future Overture - Alan Silvestri.
7. Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry) - Etta james.
8. Night Train - Marvin Berry & the Starlighters.
9. Earth Angel - Marvin Berry & the Starlighters.
10.Johnny B Goode - Marty McFly & The Starlighters.

Airplane Soundtrack CD

Airplane.
1980, Paramount.
Elmer Bernstein.
La-La Land, CD, 2009, LLLCD 1093.
Rating:

This spoof disaster movie proved a good opportunity for Elmer Bernstein (also responsible for writing scores for comedies ’Ghostbusters’ and ’Trading Places’) to poke affectionate fun at the music that accompanied the originals, including the ‘Airport’ series and ‘Jaws’. While he manages to raise a few chuckles, particularly in cues ‘Resolution/Tag’ and the ‘Jaws’ inflected ‘Main Title’ however, this is largely a functional score written to accompany on-screen action, with plenty of bite sized cues that provide little cohesion. ‘Lisa/Farewell/Takeoff and ‘Zip/Eggs/Roger, Take Off’ bring it up a few notches, along with some exciting and effective action cues but there aren’t enough of these to do the score as a whole justice. This may be a definitive edition, packed full of material, including some cues not used in the final film, but as a complete listening experience it remains a hit and miss affair with only Bernstein’s ample abilities to keep its head above the clouds.
Airplane Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.

Track Listing:
1. Airplane! Main Title
2. Kiss Off
3. Ambulance Arrives*
4. Hari Krishna/Ticket/Nervous**
5. Lisa/Farewell/Take Off**/ Another Meeting
6. Fighting Girls
7. Love Theme from Airplane!
8. From Here to There
9. Head/Memory
10. Shimmer/Molumbo
11. Zip/Eggs/Roger, Take Over
12. Wild Violins/Sickness/Idea 
13. Thar She Blows!/Flash/Panel
14. “Where the Hell is Kramer?”*/Trouble
15. Mayday
16. Punch-Up/Kramer
17. Clumsy
18. Dog Fight/Failure/Pep Talk/ Notre Dame Victory March/Master
19. News
20. “Runway is Niner”*/”The Gear is Down and We’re Ready to Land”*
21. Crasher
22. Resolution/Tag
23. Notre Dame Victory March
24. Tavern
25. Everything’s Coming Up Roses*
26. Instruments
27. Disco**
28. Kiss Off (Alternate)*
29. Fighting Girls (Alternate)*
30. From Here to There (Instrumental)
31. Molumbo (Alternate)*
32. Zip (Original Version)
33. News (Alternates)*
34. Dog Fight (Short Version)
35. “Runway is Niner” (Alternate)*
36. “The Gear is Down and We’re Ready to Land” (Alternate)*
37. Tag (Instrumental)

* track not contained in film
** contains music not used in film