Filmtracks: Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter/Alan Howarth)

Big Trouble in Little China: (John Carpenter/Alan Howarth) Combining the experience of a singer/composer/director and a sound effects editor, the team of John Carpenter and Alan Howarth brought a wealth of knowledge to the scoring (and other audio details) of Carpenter's films. Their electronic style of music was especially suited for the snazzy, synthesized decade of the 1980s and, consequently, Howarth and Carpenter's scores for such films as Big Trouble in Little China and Escape from New York became instant cult classics with a strong and devoted following. Carpenter's films themselves were a hit and miss affair, and he had suffered several misses by the time his reuniting with Kurt Russell for Big Trouble in Little China would punch him back into the mainstream. The film was a sloppy but nevertheless fun action flick featuring the no-nonsense Russell as a man sucked into the world of Chinese black magic in the process of helping a friend. Bordering on the fantasy genre, Carpenter leaves behind his usual, glum synthetic droning in favor of a hip, straight forward rock score that emphasizes the film's action more than anything else. Even though many traditional score fans remember the 1980's as a time when large, orchestral scores saw a rebirth, electronic scores like the one for Big Trouble in Little China were just as important. They held their own, despite the failure by most traditional orchestral score fans to grasp it. To such listeners, Big Trouble in Little China will more closely resemble a series of moody sound effects than a collection thematically driven, connected cues. A rock band and keyboards perform the vast majority of the score, with various electric guitars and pulsating bass beats usually propelling the action. For the mystical side of the film's story, Carpenter and Howarth employ woodblocks, xylophones, kotos, and other individual accents for authenticity. The best parts of the score are those that balance the two elements without losing touch with either influence.

Carpenter and Howarth may have never had a chance to equal the skill with which Lalo Schifrin merged East Asian and Western rock elements during the same era, but they make a valiant attempt at it. One of the best techniques Carpenter uses is a sliding electronic and choral effect in "Into the Spirit Path," yielding a very spooky, mystical atmosphere. Otherwise, though, Big Trouble in Little China is best defined by its slapping rhythmic ruckus on drums, cymbals, and keyboards. Mainstream listeners will most likely identify the title song, performed by Carpenter's "The Coupe de Villes," a piece extremely dated by its shameless 80's sound and exposing the general lack of vocal abilities by its performers (including Carpenter). On album, Big Trouble in Little China was released in 1986 by the Enigma label and fell completely out of print. In 1999, SuperTracks released a limited promotional album with even more music from Big Trouble in Little China, as well as some token inclusions from Alan Howarth's Backstabbed (a 1996 Danish thriller) and Carpenter and Howarth's more famous Escape from New York. In the Big Trouble in Little China portion of the promo, a few minutes were added to "Lo Pan's Domain" and "Escape from Wing Kong," although it was reportedly Howarth's decision to still withhold some material from the album (causing some irritation with die-hard fans). It does include a reprise version of the catchy title song. The three cues from Backstabbed fit seamlessly with the electronic atmosphere of the previous score, but it's largely unremarkable by comparison. The track from an edited scene in Escape from New York is a treat (similar to the action material in the latter half of that score), though its analog sound quality is significantly poorer than that of the rest of the album. On the whole, the promo features above-average sound quality and flows well between the three scores represented. Its length makes it a must-buy for fans of the Carpenter/Howarth collaboration and their extremely specific 1980's electronic style.

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