Two important aspects of the recording process for The Iron Giant have an impact on its character as well. First, its performance by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, which contained mostly the same musicians as the City of Prague Philharmonic that soundtrack compilation fans were already well familiar with, is top notch. The recording of the enthusiastic ensemble is impressively balanced, prevailing over the brief moments of synthetic contributions. During the sequences of full ensemble bombast, the resounding depth and clarity of the percussion and brass sections specifically are astonishing. Secondly, Kamen conducted the score without using a screen with which to synchronize the music with the scenes for each cue. This was done in part because of the musicians' lack of film-scoring experience but also due to Kamen's style of writing for the film was that of a free-flowing symphony rather than a Carl Stalling method of exactly matching the action on screen. (This is despite the playful, Stalling-like "Come and Get It" and "Car and Mouse" cues.) When you step back and try to define The Iron Giant as a whole, you don't have the luxury of hearing themes and motifs integrated obviously into the fabric of the score. There is little coordinated development or foreshadowing that occurs throughout the work. Instead, Kamen tackles the needs of each scene individually, using a "stream of consciousness" kind of process to address the emotions of a situation rather than an overarching concept. That said, Kamen does create recurring themes for the robot and for the little boy. The former is given a four-note motif that is heard in "The Eye of the Storm," "You Can Fix Yourself?," and "The Last Giant Piece," while the latter receives a theme in "Hogarth Hughes" that melds into several forms that make up "Bedtime Stories" and other sensitive entries. Both of these themes are typically addressed by woodwinds and other lighter instruments that, with the help of the ample reverb mixed into the score, causes their statements to be masked by surrounding material. They do converge technically as the bond between the characters grows. If you're looking for obvious superhero-like thematic development, or even any easily discernable motif to take with you from The Iron Giant, you'll be disappointed.

Two additional, more general styles inhabit the middle and latter portions of the score for The Iron Giant. The militaristic sequences are given flute-wailing, snare-ripping marches that play well to the generic, faceless nature of the force. The jazz elements, highlighted by the contributions of a single bass, represent the government agents investigating the robot. Beginning in "We Gotta Hide" and representing the middle section of the album that ties to the Dean character, these modestly swinging vintage jazz cues are incongruous with the surrounding material, and while there's nothing inherently wrong with the way Kamen handled these passages, they do beg to be skipped for the sake of a consistent listening experience. That experience is still, in general, very impressive. One of the problems that Kamen often suffered with his action material of the 1990's was a lack of powerful depth; this was painfully evident outside of the "Overture" in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and in the Die Hard and Lethal Weapon sequels. He finally burst out of that rut with his splendid replacement score for What Dreams May Come, and that hair-raising atmosphere, both tonal and dissonant, continues in The Iron Giant. It's disappointing to look back and see that these two superior scores didn't translate into widespread success for X-Men shortly thereafter. The Iron Giant is an awfully impressive album experience on either its 1999 product (a 50-minute presentation due to lower re-use fees of the Czech performers at the time, with a hidden surprise at the end of the final track) or Varèse Sarabande's limited, 2022 "Deluxe Edition" expansion that adds filler cues and demos. A curiosity on this album is a rough instrumental demo of an abandoned song for the film as performed by Kamen and Eric Clapton. The longer product maintains the score's appeal, though there will always be lingering questions about the lack of obvious melodic integration and development. The music relies on its sheer weight to define itself, and because of its great recording and creative orchestrations, it works. But it remains difficult not to speculate about how immensely rewarding The Iron Giant might have been if the themes for the boy and robot were better enunciated. Some might say that such catering is unnecessary and the vagueness is an impressive attribute. But without readily identifiable themes, the score has no calling card outside of its huge heart.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download