Like many synthetic scores of its era, Escape From New York is remembered and defined in its success by the innovation of its equipment. As a musical score of functional structure, it's a simplistic and often poor composition, with very little narrative development. Some listeners won't be able to hear past that undeniable attribute of the recording, but to completely dismiss the work because of its somewhat aimless personality is not entirely fair, either. Decades later, Howarth still owned some of his collection of equipment used for this score. Between the Prophet-5, ARP Avatar, and ARP Quadra synthesizers with a Linn LM-1 drum machine, the tones were cutting edge, and enthusiasts of vintage synths soak up every moment of their use in this score. Howarth also threw in an acoustical piano and electric guitar to round out the soundscape. The former has its undampened strings pounded on for effect ("Descent Into New York") and the latter is abused with slide techniques to yield the horror of the zombie-like prisoners ("The Crazies Come Out"). For the most part, however, Escape From New York has the distinctive sound of a synthetic Carpenter work, regardless of the breadth of tones applied. The keyboarded elements, interestingly, don't make as much of an impact on the soundscape as the drum machine, which can shift its programming five or six times in one short cue to denote changes on screen. Regardless of the unique character of the score for its era, the structures of the work are minimally connected, Carpenter exploring them in ad hoc jam sessions with Howarth. They vary from awkward intervals in the melodic parts to simplistic rhythmic formations. None of the motifs on top of these rhythms is easily accessible, making their demeanor define them instead. The main theme of the score is highly popular but confined in its fullest to "Main Title." Its primary phrase is highly awkward, especially in its descending secondary lines. A following B theme of sorts serves as an interlude and explores more tonally pleasing and memorable progressions, but this idea also doesn't figure as a defining force in the rest of the score. Ironically, the most memorable motif is a simple two-note thumping for the concept of the prison state in "He's Still Alive," "Orientation," and "Police Action," though this idea is dripping with Ennio Morricone connections.

The relative ambiguity of the constructs in Carpenter and Howarth's music causes Escape From New York to be a remarkably anonymous score. It's also unyieldingly drab. For the purposes of suspense and future dystopic setting, the oppressive personality is to be expected, but the lack of genuine excitement in the action portions is not. The conclusive "Over the Wall" uses a rising pitch-aligning effect as a tool of resolution at the very climax of the tale, but the technique has always sounded rather cheap in context despite fitting with the persona of the synthetics. Most of the score is simply uninteresting for those without a stake in the synthesizers employed, and the lack of consistency in structure and style, especially in the more prevalent presence of the music in the final escape scenes, is nearly fatal to the work. A Claude Debussy adaptation in "Engulfed Cathedral" doesn't help that fragmentation. Carpenter devised a rather upbeat new theme in "Snake Shake" for the end credits, but this recording was ultimately considered too positive for the placement. Those appreciating that theme, however, could hear it loosely adapted into Carpenter's sequel score for Escape From L.A., for which he collaborated with Shirley Walker for a score that only barely touches upon the main title theme from this one. The album history for Escape From New York is messy because two mixes for the score exist. Howarth re-mixed the bulk of the work for the LP presentation at the time of the film's debut, and this version informed early CD releases. In albums from 2000 to 2021, Silva Screen provided the film version of the mix in fuller form, and listeners will note that the film variant has a brighter ambience beyond just its better stereo separation. Not only do the various Silva albums sound significantly better, but the sounds emphasized in that mix can be quite different. Some re-arrangement of the cues is also apparent. Notable about all the releases of the film version is Howarth's incorporation of sound effects and dialogue into the presentation, a plus for fans of the film but an annoyance that sends others back to the music-only album mix. (The dialogue and music are largely provided separately, though.) Howarth himself released a remastered and limited 2-CD set of both mixes in 2018, and for purists, this product remains the superior find of the whole lot. In the end, Escape From New York has suffered from time more than most Carpenter scores, and it struggled to maintain cohesion even at its prime. Approach it with a specific appreciation for its synthetics in mind.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download