lthough John Carpenter's career as a science-fiction filmmaker has been spotty, audiences can invariably count on hearing inventive and intriguing tunes accompanying his productions. That's because, with relatively few exceptions, the multitalented director also writes the score for each picture. The Essential John Carpenter Film Music Collection brings together motifs from some of his most famous movies, offering an opportunity to hear a cross section of melodies culled from nearly two decades—and 13 films—of compositional creativity.
Two different renditions of the Escape From New York main title are presented, along with a pair of Halloween "theme" mixes and a couple of cuts, "Main Title" and "Julie's Theme," from Assault on Precinct 13. An additional track from Halloween, titled "Haunted
House" is also included, in company with solitary numbers from Dark Star, Halloween II, The Fog, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live and Village of the Damned. A few non-Carpenter-penned pieces are featured, too. An excerpt from The Thing showcases Ennio Morricone's menacing music, and there are two versions—synthesized and orchestral—of Jack Nitzsche's majestic Starman end titles. The album even contains an instrumental performance, complete with harmonica and wailing saxophone, of George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone," from the film Christine.
Most of the selections, which are clearly recreations of original soundtrack cues, are played by Gareth Williams or Nick Watson, with the "symphonic version" of the Starman cut performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus. The liner notes consist of a succinct biographical essay plus a brief chronology of the various films represented on the CD.
Enlightening, but certainly not essential
Upon its release in 1978, Halloween was lauded by critics and fans alike for its spare, synthesized soundtrack. It was considered quite radical at the time, but The Essential John Carpenter Film Music Collection cleverly reveals that the moviemaker had not only experimented with a similarly sparse approach on earlier pictures, but also continued to incorporate minimalist melodies on subsequent productions. While for the most part these other works aren't nearly as memorable as his signature score, the package provides a passable, though inexcusably incomplete, overview of the
director's notable musical oeuvre.
Sinister creaks and eerie electronic noises dominate the composition from Dark Star, forging a daunting atmosphere that's both claustrophobic and creepy. The equally artificial "Julie's Theme," from Assault on Precinct 13, is much more melodic, using soft keyboards to generate a distinct emotional element without diminishing the piece's pervading sense of isolation. These disparate components come together quite effectively in cues crafted for later movies, such as Escape From New York's "Main Title," which is simultaneously threatening and thrilling, and the bittersweet suite from Village of the Damned.
Nonetheless, the assemblage is far from perfect. Watson's take on "Bad to the Bone" is awful, and the shoddy guitar and keyboards of Big Trouble in Little China's "Pork Chop Express" are outright irritating. Meanwhile, in spite of the fact that the disc was recorded earlier this year, the
producers fail to include any excerpts from such relatively recent pictures as Escape From L.A., Vampires or Ghosts of Mars. Though dedicated devotees of the director may want to purchase The Essential
John Carpenter Film Music Collection, for the average movie-music aficionado the package is enlightening but, despite the title, clearly non-essential.
