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Review of Judas Kiss: The Film Music of Christopher Young (Compilation)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... only if you consider yourself a truly avid fan of
Christopher Young's works, for this odd compilation is nevertheless
interesting testimony in support of his diverse talents.
Avoid it... if you can't imagine anything worse than hearing Young's writing for Hammond organ and accordion for half an hour before a collection of well-meaning but poor performances of his classic works by a college ensemble ensues.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Judas Kiss: The Film Music of Christopher Young:
(Christopher Young) By 2000, Christopher Young was in the process of
reinventing his career. When he first blasted onto the scoring scene in
the 1980's, he stunned audiences with his magical and robust horror
scores, many of which produced the kind of massive orchestral terror not
ever heard in film. His Hellraiser scores alone put him on the
map in Hollywood, leading to several years of producing quality horror
and suspense scores for such films as Copycat and Species.
The year 2000 saw confirmation that Young was branching out into new
realms, including a number of comedies and light dramas that required a
far different style of music. The 1999 disaster Judas Kiss was
among these films. Shot in 1998 but orphaned without a distributor, the
Sebastian Gutierrez film was eventually picked up by a television
company in Britain in 1999 before making an obscure, direct video
release in America later the same year. It had star power, surprisingly,
in the form of Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson, who play New Orleans
police (is that strange or what?) on the hunt for murderers and
kidnappers that lead all the way up to the Governor of Louisiana. Young
decided to tackle the project with an extension of the jazzy sound that
he had provided for Rounders and The Big Kahuna, which is
interesting because while there are significant similarities in
instrumentation and attitude between this score and Wonder Boys,
the bluegrass score for Wonder Boys seems as though it would be a
better match for this Deep South film (and, vice versa, the mostly jazz
score for Judas Kiss might have worked in the Pennsylvania
setting better). In any case, Young once again incorporated a Hammond
organ and accordion into the mix, which will immediately (and
appropriately) turn off a fair share of potential listeners. The light,
foot-tapping jazz is consistently well meaning, though it doesn't
compete with the two mambo cues that are far more memorable. Simply put,
if you appreciate the stylish small ensemble sound that Young employed
for Wonder Boys and other similar entries, then you'll find
pleasure in the short Judas Kiss score.
The Citadel album on which Judas Kiss appears turns out to be a strange collection of Young's works. Perhaps the most confusing aspect of this album is the awkward combination of Judas Kiss and the amateur live performances of four of Young's horror and suspense scores. The live recordings that occupy the last four tracks on this album were performed by The Butler Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at Butler University in Indianapolis on Halloween night in 1997. While it is, in concept, entertaining to hear Young's music conducted live with a youthful group of players and singers, the recording (as Young admits) is vastly lacking in a few areas. The sound quality is actually fine, despite some heavy edits that had to be done to filter out flubs, instrument clangs, and audience screams. You still hear ambient stage noise in all four tracks. The strings seem to be slightly muted, while the brass is accentuated in the mix (then again, that could simply be due to the number of players in each section). The piano, which is vital in Copycat, is decently balanced, and the voices are quite good. As for the performances, it's evident at nearly all times that the percussion players are excellent and the brass players definitely have problems with Young's complexity, especially with the eleven minute suite from the Hellraiser scores. The endless brass mistakes in that suite make it marginally listenable. The surprise of the live suites, though, is Getting Even, for which all of the orchestral sections put out a strong effort. The 1986 score's chase music is very reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's 1970's efforts in the same genre, and the propulsive percussion (including rambling piano) is very impressive. The Copycat selection is adequately performed, though the arrangement from Species is as much a detraction as its performance. Ultimately, it's important not to forget that it's the enthusiasm of the players that counts the most, and for the true Young fan, this could still be an enjoyable listening experience. In the larger picture, though, this album simply wanders too far in genre and performance quality to be a solid listen, and if you happen to get your hands on a copy, you will likely discover only one or two tracks to your liking. Young has always deserved a competent compilation of re-recordings performed by professionals, and this album proves that point. **
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 67:49
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert contains extensive notes written by Vance Brawley and Nathaniel Thompson
(who ran the composer's official site at the time). As usual for a private Young release,
the track titles are quite humorous.
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