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Review of Frontiers: Jerry Goldsmith (Compilation)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you consider yourself any remote collector of Jerry
Goldsmith's works, for "Frontiers" is an outstanding survey of the
composer's science fiction scores in crystal clear, precisely
re-recorded sound quality.
Avoid it... if you've never found merit in Goldsmith's music for the Star Trek franchise and have no interest in the composer's obscure sci-fi works of the 1970's.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Frontiers: (Jerry Goldsmith) With so many
composer-specific compilations available to collectors in the late
1990's and 2000's, it's to believe that at one time in the mid-1990's
the only composer who received any form of regular compilation treatment
was John Williams. Despite a dozen compilations of re-recordings for
Williams, both of the mainstream's other big names, Jerry Goldsmith and
James Horner, had never been treated to regularly available commercial
compilations. The Silva Screen label largely solved this problem in
1998, though late in the previous year, Varèse Sarabande debuted
the first commercial compilation of re-recorded Goldsmith music ever to
hit the market. It was producer Robert Townson's idea to approach
Goldsmith about the idea of conducting the Royal Scottish National
Orchestra's performances of the composer's wide variety of science
fiction music. The September 1997 recordings offered, at the time,
selections from several Goldsmith scores that were unreleased in their
original form, and despite their later release on specialty labels (and
in the hyperactive bootleg market), the vastly improved sound quality
and precision of the recordings continues to impress. Among the ten
scores represented over 47 minutes on "Frontiers," three come from the
infamous world of Star Trek. Due to the recent success of both
the film and its score, Star Trek: First Contact opens the album
with its "End Title" arrangement to address both the franchise theme and
the eighth film's own, majestic theme. The performance of this suite
here seems to offer greater clarity in instrumental enunciation than the
original recording... definitely an improvement.
The classically elegant cue "The Enterprise" from Star Trek: The Motion Picture is nestled in the middle of the product. The diversity in the thematic playfulness of this cue provides refreshing variations on a now-tired idea that are always welcome. The Emmy-Winning French horn salute to "Star Trek: Voyager" is given a robust stature here that eclipses all other performances of the theme. The non-Trek-related selections on the album are among the more enticing treats for film score collectors. The music from Twilight Zone: The Movie is arguably more interesting than any of the usual Star Trek material. The "Overture" presented here represents themes from three of the four distinct mini-scores that accompanied each portion of the film. These performances are more authentic than the much earlier-recorded Erich Kunzel version that had been available on the Telarc label for a number of years. The inclusion of the "Main Title" from Capricorn One is welcome on any compilation, and its performance here, especially in the gorgeously layered love theme interlude, is the highlight of the collection. What you hear on this album is far superior to the original, but not as immense as the performance on Silva's Space and Beyond release earlier in 1997. It's rare that a different conductor can beat the original in any re-recording, but the City of Prague Philharmonic did it there. Perhaps the most anticipated tracks on this release were those from the scarce Logan's Run. The score combines fantasy elements from Legend and Poltergeist, its playful moments counterbalanced by stern, brass themes. The second track, "End of the City," is one of the best finales of Goldsmith's career, and it was a key initial advertising point of this release. The selection from The Illustrated Man may not impress many, with bland vocals and woodwind ramblings that promise more than they deliver. The opening of Damnation Alley is very suspenseful, with jarring brass themes that hint of Capricorn One; the "End Title" cue is more thematically pleasant and was, at the time, a target of many Goldsmith collectors. This performance of the unused finale cue from Alien was also available on Varèse's Alien-related compilation from the previous year. The only suspect performance on "Frontiers" (aside from The Illustrated Man, which isn't a strong score to begin with) comes with Total Recall, for which the lack of synthesizer accents in the rhythm and a brass flub on the second note of the theme cause problems. Goldsmith attempted to replace the electric bass rhythm with low strings, oboes, and drums, and it simply doesn't work. The concert ending of this piece differs from others. Overall, the album is an outstanding collection of Goldsmith themes ranging from the famous to the obscure. Only two notable omissions plague this collection. First, the lack of the suite from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier deprives the album of Goldsmith's popular, percussion-driven Klingon theme. Additionally, the finale cue from Outland would have been a welcomed inclusion; Townson originally intended for it to appear on this compilation, but the inability to find any copies of the original score (or its notations or sketches) prevented this desire. Aside from these minor problems, "Frontier" remains a fantastic album ten years after its release, despite the greater availability of the scores it represents. While Goldsmith would conduct the RSNO again for Varèse, a subsequent compilation of the composer's scores in other genres was never organized. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 47:38
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a lengthy commentary about Goldsmith's career and the selections
included on this album. It also contains a healthy number of pictures of the composer, including
one of him being attacked by birds. This was the first Varèse Sarabande album to
switch its spine color from the traditional deep red to the white and red standard that
would accompany all of the label's soundtracks starting in 1999.
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1997-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Frontiers are Copyright © 1997, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/4/97 and last updated 3/9/08. |
