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Music for a Darkened Theatre, Volume 1
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Orchestrated by:
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Steve Bartek
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Produced by:
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Richard Kraft
Bob Badami
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Release Date:
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October 15th, 1990
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Elfman | |
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Music for a Darkened Theatre: Volume I: (Danny Elfman)
Even the biggest fans of Danny Elfman will admit that the composer has
produced some strange music in his career. This compilation of early Elfman
film and television music, covering 1985 to 1990, serves up a healthy dose
of vintage Elfman material, much of which difficult or impossible to find in
other commercial form. A second volume of "Music for a Darkened Theatre"
would feature samplings of Elfman scores mainly from 1991 to 1996 on two
CDs. Fifteen years after the fact, you cannot say that Elfman's music has
followed a distinct pattern as he has matured in the role of film music
composer. But in 1991, all one would have to do is listen to Edward
Scissorhands and Music for a Darkened Theatre: Volume I to see an
early pattern. From the rock elements of Oingo Boingo, Elfman was on a
course in 1990 to vault himself into the stars of orchestral soundtrack
legends, with Batman CDs alone flying off of music store shelves in
record numbers. But, as Elfman would have it, his career would proceed like
a whirlwind of stylistic experimentation and ventures into the unknown. His
knack of unpredictable consistency remains. On Music for a Darkened
Theatre: Volume I, though, you hear an excellent cross-section of this
talent across the entire range which brought Elfman into the forefront in
the first place. Suites from Batman, Nightbreed, and
Darkman provide the bulk of the serious, orchestral material, and are
all well assembled. Every time you see another performing group kill one of
these scores in a poor arrangement --and Batman especially-- you have
to wonder why they just don't take a cue from Elfman's own choices for
suites here. He does a remarkable job of choosing the most interesting and
superior cues for inclusion, with the little evidence of editing well
masked.
For strictly orchestral fans who will mostly appreciate the
above-mentioned scores, there is a significant amount of Elfman's
pop-inspired electronic material on this compilation of which to be weary.
The 1986-1988 pieces, such as Midnight Run and Wisdom present
the more hip side of Elfman, though these degenerate in Hot to Trot
and Face Like a Frog. The latter score is described by Elfman as
"midnight madness" and must be one of the most unstable, deranged pieces of
film music to ever be recorded. The television score selections are each
interesting in their own right, but often last too briefly to establish a
distinct mood. Thus, the latter half of the album is as inconsistent of a
listen as you might expect. The Pee Wee music on the album is
certainly creative, if not in a sick, carnival sort of atmosphere. Why is it
that the title "Pee Wee's Love Theme" just strikes an off chord? Could it be
that all Pee Wee music reminds most people of perverts? The album
finishes with one of Elfman's most sought after early scores, unavailable on
commercial album and very foreshadowing of Beetlejuice in its morbid
styles. The suite from Scrooged will service the needs of most Elfman
collectors for music from that early orchestral work. On the whole, both
"Music for a Darkened Theatre" albums are the equivalent of promotional
samplers for the composer, packaged neatly into commercial form. As
listening experiences (as is the case with most samplers), it is difficult
to sit down and enjoy the album from beginning to end unless you are among
the most devoted fans of the composer. For more casual Elfman fans, as well
as the film music collector in general, the second "Music for a Darkened
Theatre" 2-CD set would be more advisable, because it presents a wider range
of works with equally strong selection choices by the composer himself. For
the Elfman fans specifically, you can't go wrong with Music for a
Darkened Theatre: Volume I. It's a whole lot of fun and will reaffirm
why you love the guy's music. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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Pee Wee's Big Adventure (6:59) - 1985
• 1. Overture/Breakfast Machine/Clown Dream/Drive-In
Batman (8:23) - 1989
• 2. Main Titles/Up the Cathedral/Descent Into Mystery
Dick Tracy (3:01) - 1990
• 3. Main Titles
Beetlejuice (3:41) - 1988
• 4. Main Titles/End Titles
Nightbreed (7:01) - 1990
• 5. Main Titles/Meat for the Beast/End Titles
Darkman (6:52) - 1990
• 6. Main Titles/Woe The Darkman, Woe
Back to School (1:28) - 1986
• 7. Study Montage
Midnight Run (4:41) - 1988
• 8. Walsh Gets the Duke/Main Titles/Diner Blues
Wisdom (4:37) - 1986
• 9. Change of Life/Close Call in Albuquerque
Hot to Trot (2:20) - 1988
• 10. Main Titles/Wandering Don
Big Top Pee Wee (5:23) - 1988
• 11. Main Titles/Rise'n Shine/Pee Wee's Love Theme
The Simpsons (1:29) - 1989
• 12. Theme
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Jar (3:19) - 1986
• 13. Suite
Tales from the Crypt (1:27) - 1989
• 14. Theme
Face like a Frog (2:07) - 1987
• 15. Suite
Forbidden Zone (1:14) - 1980
• 16. Love Theme
Scrooged (8:42) - 1986
• 17. Main Titles/Show Time at IBC/Elliot Gives Blood/Walter
Ablaze/Asylum/Crematorium
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The insert notes include Elfman's personal feelings about each selection, and
he throws in some explanation for those tracks that most listeners have never heard of.
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