he hoopla surrounding SCI FI's recent Dune miniseries has clearly reinvigorated interest in both author Frank Herbert's novel and director David Lynch's 1984 movie adaptation. The music for that picture--a mix of orchestral and electronic sounds supplied by the rock group Toto--was
just one of the film's many contentious elements. Those tunes, along with over a dozen cues not available on the original soundtrack album, can be heard on a newly remastered CD devoted to the band's controversial compositions.
Somber strings dominate "Prologue/Main Title," the first cut on the recording, and remain prominent throughout such formerly unreleased numbers as "House Atreides," "Paul Atreides" and "Destiny." Synthesized noises and Gothic bells give "The Floating Fat Man (The Baron)" a sacrilegious feel, with more ethereal chimes providing both "Paul Takes the Water of Life" and "The Sleeper has Awakened!" with a mystical, reverent tone. Meanwhile, menacing drums and horns slowly build to a grand crescendo on "Sandworm Attack," and an appropriately militant meter merges with a majestic chorus on "Big Battle." The band's rock 'n' roll pedigree is also evident:
Electric guitars punctuate orchestral melodies like "Riding the Sandworm" and "Reunion with Gurney" and permeate the pop-tinged "Dune (Desert Theme)."
Toto keyboardist David Paich wrote the liner notes, which include a lengthy history of the group's involvement with the project. This version of the CD, obtainable through soundtrack specialty dealers such as Super Collector, corrects a number of audio problems that plagued a nearly identical recording issued in 1997.
A spicy score for a classic tale
Although Dune devotees have vociferously debated the quality of Lynch's movie for years, most fans have for some reason failed to notice the excellence of the film's musical accompaniment. Following the director's single command, which demanded only "low and slow" themes, Toto--with limited assistance from ambient music master Brian Eno--generated a score that
successfully captured not only the dark, mysterious tone of the desert planet Arrakis, but also the vigorous spirit of the story's complex characters.
Keyboards and delicate strings create a somewhat supernatural setting for the tender "Paul Meets Chani," which intermingles a beautiful but bittersweet motif with slightly enigmatic effects. "The Box" possesses a metaphysical milieu too, with haunting violins and a didgeridoo-like sound producing an uneasy atmosphere. More dynamic elements are evident on "Sandworm Chase," which features quivering strings accentuated by ominous horns and percussion, and the hard-driving ticktock beat of "Robot Fight." It's also enjoyable--and, from an artistic standpoint, quite educational--to compare the relatively unadorned and heavily synthetic "Dune Main Title-Demo Version" with the rich, orchestral "Prologue/Main Title."
Yet the 30-tune disc isn't perfect. It lacks Eno's admittedly sparse contributions to the score, and a few of the cuts, such as the schmaltzy "Take My Hand" and the ho-hum "Dune (Desert Theme)," sound rather dated. However, especially in light of SCI FI's lauded Dune miniseries, this album serves as an important reminder that, even though the motion picture failed to receive extensive accolades, Toto's music remains pleasurable and praiseworthy.
