:
(Compilation) For almost all fans of modern film music, trailers have
become a source of double pleasure. Not only do we get to see a preview
of the new film to be released, but we also get to hear the use of some
great (and sometimes frustratingly unknown) music in the trailers. Some
studios, depending on the budget of the project, will license the
recording of a previously available film score theme or classical piece.
Others save money by asking a composer to emulate a well-known piece of
existing music with one that is just barely altered to avoid legal
confrontations. And even others receive completely original music.
Considering the frighteningly bloating prices of licensing fees --some
of which in the hundreds of thousands of dollars-- it is no surprise
that film producers are turning to artists like John Beal to produce
quality original music for their frantic 2-minute creations. As these
producers lean further towards largely orchestral original trailer
scores (with a 90-piece orchestra or more), new challenges are placed on
the shoulders of Beal and other trailer artists. For Beal, however, the
job of completing the best quality trailer in this environment of
lightening speed is just part of the fun. His career includes a handful
of scores for mostly unknown films, only a few of which have been
pressed by the Intrada label. The mass of his contribution to the
trailer realm specifically was the inspiration for a 1998 Sonic Images
2-CD compilation of about 130 minutes of these ideas, taken directly
from source tapes.
This album, which compiles a surprisingly broad collection
of Beal's compositions, is perhaps one of the most creatively ingenious
soundtrack-related sets to be released in a long time. Not only was it
the first such commercial release of its kind, but very few similar
promotional products have ever been attempted. It does not play like a
promo, nor does it sound like a unified score, but what "The John Beal
Trailer Project" has going in its favor is its distinct curiosity
factor. With 80 demos, unused, and used selections, the wildly shifting
genres of each track forbid you from truly enjoying the album
chronologically. For every trailer with a vibrant orchestral recording,
there are two that consist of synthesizer arrays and colorful soloists.
You can't dismiss the trailers that feature uncontrolled, wailing
electric guitars, despite the fact that they quickly irritate you in
their sudden bursts. Also important to remember is the time frame in
which this music is recorded. Thus, the album is a useful resource and
fascinating volume of the film music industry as of the late 1990's.
Most film music collectors will be amused by the predictably bizarre
requests of the film producers upon a composer like Beal. The issue of
plagiarism is always discussed in regards to these requests, but rather
than blame the composer for doing his job, notes need to be made about
Beal's ability to very creatively and quickly adapt a previous score's
theme into a new setting. It takes a significant amount of skill to not
only assemble a recreation of another work, but to alter its rhythms and
progressions to such an extent as to relieve the legal departments of
the studios.
While there are some sparse highlights in the largely
electronic, completely original works by Beal, the interpolations will
be the main attraction. The following is a rough estimate of some of the
films with trailer music adapted by Beal from other sources:
Black
Beauty (CD1, track 1, from Trevor Jones'
Cliffhanger),
Chaplin (CD1, track 7, from James Horner's
The Rocketeer),
Deadly Blessing (CD1, track 14, from Jerry Goldsmith's
The
Omen),
Heathers (CD1, track 21, from Danny Elfman's
Beetlejuice),
Sarah & Jack (CD1, track 27, from
Goldsmith's
Gremlins and the theme for
Terms of
Endearment),
Miracle on 34th Street (CD2, track 5, from
Elfman's
Edward Scissorhands and John Williams'
Home
Alone),
The Pagemaster (CD2, track 11, from Williams'
Hook),
Quiz Show (CD2, track 14, from Ennio Morricone's
The Untouchables),
School Ties (CD2, track 16, from Robert
Folk's
Toy Soldiers),
Species (CD2, track 22, from
Williams'
Close Encounters of the Third Kind),
Steel Magnolias
(TV) (CD2, track 23, again from
Terms of Endearment),
The
Mask (CD2, track 28, from early Elfman works like
Pee-Wee's Big
Adventure and
Face Like a Frog), and
Under Siege 2: Dark
Territory (CD2, track 32, from Williams'
JFK).
In some cases, Beal has applied this inspiration to
original demo recordings that feature a generic genre sound. These
include "The Cutthroat" (CD1, track 12, from Mark Knopfler's
The
Princess Bride), "Last Dogman" (CD1, track 32, from John Barry's
Dances With Wolves), "Manhattan Night" (CD2, track 7, from
Williams'
Nixon and David Newman's
Hoffa), "I'll Always
Fall in Love with Love" (CD2, track 10, from Enya's "Caribbean Blue"),
and "Ocean Song" (CD2, track 30, in part from Horner's
Titanic
but mostly owing Enya's "Book of Days"). Two specific cues are
acknowledged as being direct adaptations of Jerry Goldsmith, including
trailers for both
Basic Instinct and
Judge Dredd (a film
for which Goldsmith eventually did not actually write a score) that
required re-recordings for varied trailer lengths. As for the integrity
of the albums as a whole, there are a few really noteworthy tracks (and
sequences), topped by the tracks between
Flight of the Intruder
and
The Hunt for Red October on the first disc. There are other
gems mixed within that are certainly worth copying into a collection of
your own. Beal's sense of humor is a definite plus, especially in the
interpolations; "Three Blind Elfmen" is not to be missed. The rock,
disco, and metal genre tracks are unlistenable, but the beauty of this
album lies in the fact that you can always be certain that there's
another good selection to fast forward to. Overall, it will be
interesting if not downright fun, though don't expect many repeat
listens.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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