Despite some slower, ethereal material representing its
contemplative moments,
Explorers is a likable score all around,
with typically lightweight character and low impact intentions. It's
another case in which Goldsmith perfectly captures the tone of a film
without compromising his own inherent styles. There exist four main
themes in
Explorers, one an anthem of great strength and
determination for the spacecraft and technology, one of innocent
character friendship for the children's bond, another of airy five-note
phrases that could be termed the "whimsical dream motif," and finally a
wacky comedy theme for the alien kids. On the original 30-minute
presentation of score that existed on the early LP and CD releases of
Explorers, these themes seem significantly self-contained until
"Have a Nice Trip" wraps them neatly for the finale and end credits,
though when appreciating the full 70+ minutes of Goldsmith's
composition, you can hear them mingling far more frequently. Clearly the
most memorable of these themes is the one representing the boys'
innovative inclinations, developed in its fullest form in "The
Construction," the highlight of the score that was moved to the start of
the original album presentations. Also anchoring "First Flight," several
other moments of journeying excitement, and the conclusion of "Have a
Nice Trip," this idea falls under the classification of infectious
Goldsmith rhythmic propulsion, creating a clear and bold rhythm on
thumping piano or bass strings while developing a truly inspirational
theme on brass, cellos, and synthesizers on top. The first minute of
"The Construction" is incredibly motivating, following the technique of
adding the various lines of the theme "from the bottom up" (as Goldsmith
says). The driving piano is joined by low strings and the theme unfolds
as higher elements eventually add their voices to the performance. The
conclusion of "The Construction" contains one of Goldsmith's most
robust, concert-like arrangements, with broad brass strokes firmly
bringing the score's most attractive cue to an ambitious end. In the
middle of this performance, the composer utilizes an exuberant version
of the "dream motif," more often expressed with subdued whimsy
throughout the rest of the score. Introduced subtly in the opening two
cues, really taking flight in "Sticks and Stones," and reaching soaring
heights on violins and light electronics in the latter half of "First
Flight," this pensive theme is often responsible for the more restrained
and sad material Dante requested of the composer. It also receives by
far the most treatments by light synthesizer tones, often in conjunction
with fluttery synthetic effects emulating the aliens' own noises.
Accompanying the dream motif in "Sticks and Stones" and
other cues is the similarly rendered friendship theme for the children,
and in several cues thereafter, you hear Goldsmith express this material
with harmonica in Americana tones reminiscent of Arthur B. Rubenstein's
just previous equivalent usage for
WarGames. It's somewhat
generic, wholesome Goldsmith writing, but it's welcome none the less.
The final major theme in
Explorers is the one for the primary
alien child the boys encounter in outer space, hence its silliness.
Smartly hinted by Goldsmith to suggest that this wacky alien is
responsible for the dreams experienced by the humans, the pure fluff of
this idea finally stomps in full in "She Likes Me" with electronic
keyboards and live percussion a merging of Goldsmith's usual comedy
tones (similar to
I.Q. and other early 1990's works) and always
reminiscent of Henry Mancini in a twisted way. It turns dark in "Fast
Getaway" and "Space Pirates" for light mystery and temporary fright. In
between full and lofty performances of the score's other main themes in
"Have a Nice Trip," Goldsmith allows this prancing piece a few minutes
of unadulterated fun as the alien child initiates another round of
contact. It's corny to the max, but you really couldn't have expected
Goldsmith to complete a score for a Dante film like this without some
wild elements rolling over from
Gremlins. The material in between
these thematic explorations is really no different from
Innerspace, usually easy on the ears but not often reaching
memorable heights. Goldsmith does twist the dream motif into the minor
key in "I Want to Live" and "More Dreams" to represent an adult in the
story who never realized his own dreams, and, by "Let's Go," this
material, exudes a feeling of deeper, melodramatic whimsy that is a
welcome shift of tone in the score. On the whole,
Explorers
features fifteen to twenty minutes of highly engaging fantasy material
from Goldsmith, a worthy entry in any collection rich with scores from
this fruitful period in the composer's career. It was first released on
CD by Varèse Sarabande in 1990, with three pop songs moved to the
end of the product (the 1985 LP record had scattered them throughout).
The songs, the first of which did not appear in the film, are typical
rock affairs that have nothing in common with the score. In 2011,
Intrada Records released the full score without the songs (but with all
of the film's source recordings), its stunning sound quality and
completion of the narrative flow of the music meriting significant
praise. Goldsmith collectors will almost uniformly recall
Explorers fondly, and though few will rate it amongst his best,
the 2011 album is a lovely presentation of this highly effective,
brightly optimistic, and thematically rich score.
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