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The Hunt for Red October
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Composed, Co-Orchestrated, Conducted, and Produced by:
Co-Orchestrated by:
Greig McRitchie
Richard Stone
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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The 1990 MCA album is a regular U.S. release. The bootleg
floated around the secondary market throughout the 2000's, always
consistent in track selection and sound. The 2013 Intrada Records album
was a limited product of unspecified quantities, originally available
through soundtrack specialty outlets for $20. The expanded 2025 La-La
Land Records product is limited to 3,000 copies and available primarily
through those same outlets for an initial price of $32.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... only on the 2025 expanded set to hear this score in
satisfying sound quality, Basil Poledouris' intelligent blend of
orchestra, synthetics, and choir yielding a uniquely dynamic sonic
environment.
Avoid it... if you expect the full score to match its memorable
highlights due to the studio's withholding of the money needed to record
pivotal cues with an orchestra.
BUY IT
 | | Poledouris |
The Hunt for Red October: (Basil Poledouris) Among
the many major big-screen adaptations of Tom Clancy's novels about
American intelligence agent Jack Ryan, The Hunt for Red October
is almost unanimously considered the highest achievement. With both
critical and massive popular acclaim as a summer blockbuster in 1990,
the finely crafted John McTiernan film would stir Paramount's interest
in creating a film franchise around the Ryan character, though by The
Sum of All Fears over a decade later, the idea had arguably worn out
its welcome. There was a plethora of reasons why The Hunt for Red
October succeeded so well, both on campy pop levels and at highly
skilled technical ones. Its story's intrigue speaks to the novel's
bestseller status; in the waning days of the Cold War, the Soviets' top
submarine commander violates orders and sails his revolutionary new and
'silent' nuclear submarine on a direct course for the United States,
with the Americans not knowing whether he intends to launch his nuclear
arsenal or defect for the cause of peace. The cast of the film begged
early questions, especially with Sean Connery, Sam Neill, and Tim Curry
in primary Soviet roles, but if you look past their sometimes waning
control over their accents, the supporting players put the sequel
ensembles to shame. A thrilling story and outstanding art direction are
joined by an undeniably masterful job of sound production for film.
Winning the Oscar for "Sound Effects Editing" and nominated for "Best
Sound" and "Film Editing," the aural soundscape of the film was well
beyond its time for a 1990 production, and part of the success in The
Hunt for Red October's appeal to the ears is owed to composer Basil
Poledouris, who won a BMI Film Music Award for his score for the
picture. The assignment was a dream come true for Poledouris, whose
capability in scoring raw action films and the threat of devastating
Soviet attacks on America was only eclipsed by his love of the
sea.
It's no coincidence that many of Poledouris' most
cherished scores exist for films that involve the ocean. His knowledge
of sailing and desire to be oceanside have figured into some of his most
creative film scores, and The Hunt for Red October rivals the
lesser-known, sailing-inspired Wind as the pinnacle of these high
seas inspirations. Several unique challenges were posed to Poledouris
when tackling The Hunt for Red October, ranging from the prestige
of the Russian military to the techno-thriller elements begging for
synthetic treatment. Add to this equation a director obsessed with the
composer's prior music (which had been tracked into early edits of the
film) and a dwindling music budget as the film's overall production
costs ballooned, and there was ultimately procedural discontent
expressed by the composer that led, in some part, to his eventual
abandonment of the industry. His score balances an ethnically
appropriate chorus (to provide the Russian hymns) with a full orchestra
and Poledouris' expected range of trademark electronics. Among these
elements, the orchestra seems to simply be along for the ride, with the
chorus and, primarily, the synthetic elements navigating the score's
sound, the latter forced into a more pervasive role as studio money was
pulled away from the recording sessions. The most remarkable aspect of
Poledouris' efforts for The Hunt for Red October is the fact that
he intentionally blurs the lines so effectively between a standalone
melodramatic score and the kind of source music that a film like this
requires. Not only does hymnal material receive a source-like
performance in the context of the film's story alongside the Soviet
anthem, but Poledouris' array of synthetic sounds, developed over the
course of the 1980's, merges with the sound effects so well that it's
difficult to distinguish between the music and the effects in the film.
Not even Jerry Goldsmith could compete with the creativity and
application of these sounds alongside an ensemble at the time.
The most memorable music from The Hunt for Red
October for a majority of listeners will be the choral sequences,
led by the title hymn in particular. While speculation has raged for
years that Poledouris used a Russian national anthem or a traditional
Red Army hymn as the basis for the "Hymn to Red October," the truth is
that Poledouris' material is his own. The director originally insisted
upon the use of a traditional folk song as the inspiration for the
theme, but Poleoduris eventually convinced him that originality, along
with a better ability to integrate the theme into the remainder of the
score, was a superior plan. Despite some typical references to classic
Russian composers, such comparisons are expected given the constructs of
the music, and Poledouris should be commended for both his melody and
lyrics for the hymn, the latter a source of much toil. The falling
"Oktyabreh" segment of the theme is used during the heroic moments of
the Russian crew during the film, both with and without the choir,
providing an effective and lyrical title identity for the story to
revisit for grand occasions. Outside of the main hymn, the remaining
thematic material in The Hunt for Red October exists in mostly
simple motifs of harmoniously elegant chord progressions. One of the
better developed motifs exists in the form of a graceful choral movement
for the title submarine itself, used repeatedly during underwater shots
of the ship's movements. The crescendo heard in "Course Two-Five-Zero"
is a teaser for the ballet-like sways of "Red Route I," during which the
ease with which the massive sub navigates treacherous depths is given an
almost effortless poise and flow. While the choral majesty of "Course
Two-Five-Zero," the longer version of similar ideas in "Two-Five-Zero,"
and "Red Route I," as well as the curiously subdued variant of the hymn
for a more pensive choir in "Ancestral Aid," have the most dramatic
impact on the film's visual beauty, Poledouris' action material offers a
far more technologically cold and echoing, sonar-inspired side to its
precision.
As in many of the composer's works, rhythm is key to
The Hunt for Red October, launching cues like "Nuclear Scam" and
"Kaboom!!!" with unabashed vigor and attitude. Many of the same sound
effects that Poledouris later used in Free Willy and his other
intelligent synthetic/orchestral combo scores were utilized in full for
this occasion. The early cue "Putin's Demise" presents the methodical
rhythmic incorporation of the upper ranges of these keyboarded effects,
while the brilliantly paced evacuation sequence in "Nuclear Scam" shifts
this application to a lengthy, nearly solo portion in the resounding,
lower ranges of the same effect. Many of Poledouris' other effects
utilized sounds manipulated for underwater imitation or pressurized air
release. For instance, the most obvious sound effect used by Poledouris
is an echoing synth orchestra hit that bounces between the left and
right front speakers, dissipating like an underwater signal bouncing
through the ship and mirroring the ping-like variant used as a sound
effect in the film. An interesting but barely noticeable sound effect in
the score is the use of a "release of air" sound heard at the end of
"Putin's Demise," though it's not as clearly audible in subsequent cues.
Some of the action sequences in the score feature a more traditional set
of synthetic aides, including the use of somewhat tired drum pads in
"Chopper" and "Kaboom!!!." The latter track is evidence that Poledouris
was forced to abandon the orchestra in the later action sequences due to
disappearing recording funds; for the final battle involving the Red
October and two other submarines, Poledouris approaches the cue from an
almost completely synthetic approach, recording nearly all of these cues
by himself at his home studio. While effective in the context of the
action of The Hunt for Red October, the synthetic choral
substitute in "Kaboom!!!" is legitimate reason for dismay. The emergency
surfacing of the American submarine in this scene is given the best
majesty that Poledouris can muster given the tools at hand, but the cue,
despite some good low-range rhythmic pulsing later in the recording, is
cheapened by the embellished drum pads and fake orchestra hits.
The lingering elements of minor dissatisfaction involving
the score for The Hunt for Red October don't stop there, either.
Some of the work was removed from the film and several other cues were
rearranged and inserted repeatedly where Poledouris probably didn't
intend them to be. As many as ten major cues were either removed
completely, such as the opening moments of the film that featured
silence instead, or cut short, including some of the score's major
action pieces. The dual-purpose scene depicting a discussion between
Sean Connery and Sam Neill's characters about their personal lives,
interspersing shots of submarine navigation, replaced Poledouris'
original cue ("Two Wives") with one from the composer's No Man's
Land, a McTiernan favorite. Some of the lesser conversational cues
utilized the limited orchestral time in the score rather than leaving
that session money for the important scenes at the end of the film. Even
the end credits features music consisted of a highly rearranged version
of "Ancestral Aid," the hymn, and "Nuclear Scam," the budget for
Poledouris' more unique "New World" cue for that conclusion not
available. Listeners looking for answers to questions about the score on
its initial, woefully short commercial album were not greeted kindly.
The 30-minute album was nothing short of a disgrace, partly due to the
music not included in its length, but mostly because of a truly terrible
quality of sound that fluctuates wildly from track to track. For a film
with such glorious surround mixes, including a superior presentation of
the score's recording in the movie, The Hunt for Red October
teases you with musical creativity on screen that you were not destined
to hear with the same vibrancy on album. On that MCA product,
Poledouris' recording is muffled and dry, with poor balance between
synthetic and orchestral, orchestral and choral. That disservice is
exactly what this finely tuned score does not need, and if you
read criticisms of this score from other reviewers who don't appreciate
all the hoopla about it, then rest assured that those writers probably
haven't considered this massive difference in quality between the film
and album presentations.
Through the years, soundtrack collectors turned to
bootlegs with over an hour of music from The Hunt for Red October
that began to surface a decade after the MCA product's debut. This
arrangement never solved many of the sound quality issues, however,
which is why an official 2013 Intrada Records expansion of the score was
so highly anticipated. This limited CD does offer the complete score
with some alternates (though not everything included on the bootlegs,
interestingly), and the highlights of the newly released material
gravitate towards the early, orchestral portions, as in the impressive
"Tupolov." The illuminated late action and suspense cues reveal
secondary, relatively sparse rhythmic devices that Poledouris relied
upon to supply depth to the final cat and mouse chasing game in the
story, though these slapping and tapping pulses are not as satisfying
apart from the film as other sequences. The late torpedo cue, for
instance, is rather tepid in its rendering. By contrast, the earlier
character-building scenes feature equally minimal but much more
interesting orchestral tones similar to what Michael Kamen provided to
the director's original Die Hard. The 2013 album has a pair of
brutal flaws, however, that make it only a marginally recommended
product. First is the lack of improvement in sound quality. The score
still sounded muffled in much of its length, a result of the decision by
the album's producers not to attempt a full remastering of the score.
Apparently, Poledouris tweaked the complicated merging of orchestra,
synthesizers, and chorus so many times in his mixes that a recreation of
them from the separate elements was deemed too daunting. This choice,
while perhaps practical, doomed the score to continued mediocrity in its
album sound quality. The other flaw of the album is the poor attempt to
reassemble the end credits arrangement of the film for this product. For
many years, fans had taken this rearrangement of the title hymn and
"Nuclear Scam" (minus chorus for part of it) from the DVD directly, and
when you compare the DVD's distilled stereo sound with that of the
Intrada album, you'd be astonished by the difference. The 2013 album's
assembly of the "End Credits" suite is thus inferior to what comes off
the DVD in the finesse of the fades between cues.
Having a muted mix of The Hunt for Red October
on album completely defeats the purpose of the synthesizers' intentional
movements across the sonic spectrum, encouraging Poledouris enthusiasts
to appreciate the stylistic leftovers on the better presented Free
Willy album from 1993, which continued the use of many of the upper
range synthetic rhythm-setters heard here. Thankfully, the La-La Land
Records label finally sourced proper masters for the score for a 2025
2-CD set, providing the entire score presentation as recorded for the
film and adding the original album versions and 42 minutes of alternate
mixes and other bonus material on a second CD. The contents of the
proper film version aren't significantly different from those provided
on the 2013 product, and the wealth of alternate mixes isn't
particularly illuminating despite a few completely different alternate
recordings of note for "Putin's Demise" and "Ancestral Aid." (Hearing
various cues without the chorus, aside from the engaging interior of
"Nuclear Scam" as heard in the end titles, isn't really all that
attractive.) The improvement in sound quality is the highlight of the
product, however, the recreations of the composer's mix superb and the
end credits assembly highly commendable. No superior master and mixing
job can solve the issues with the cheapness of synthetics in "Kaboom!!!"
and a few other percussively bland portions in the latter third, though,
and enthusiasts will simply have to accept that reality forced upon the
composer by the studio. But the orchestral and choral portions, and the
synthetics that tingle and thump and bounce alongside them, sound
fantastic on the 2025 product in those portions, and they confirm that
"Nuclear Scam" is one of the best single achievements of Poledouris'
career. Historically, The Hunt for Red October stands alongside
Ice Station Zebra and Crimson Tide as a thoroughly
enjoyable submarine score of immense popular appeal to its generation.
Those who have always admired the sonic spread of the music in the film
finally have, in the 2025 set, the best presentation they will hear of
the original recording. Only a re-creation of the entire work with an
orchestra, choir, and emulations of Poledouris' unique synthetics could
better serve the music for this classic film.
@Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Written for Film: *****
- Music as Heard on the 1990 to 2013 Albums: ***
- Music as Heard on the 2025 La-La Land Album: ****
- Overall: ****
| Bias Check: |
For Basil Poledouris reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.54
(in 35 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.29
(in 37,988 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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Missing lyric
Coldwarshot - August 8, 2012, at 6:15 a.m. |
1 comment (1635 views) |
Audio Samples
▼
• 1990 Album:
• 2000 Bootleg:
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| 1990 MCA Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 30:11 |
• 1. Hymn to Red October (Main Titles) (5:04)
• 2. Nuclear Scam (7:17)
• 3. Putin's Demise (0:54)
• 4. Course Two-Five-Zero (0:21)
• 5. Ancestral Aid (2:10)
• 6. Chopper (2:52)
• 7. Two Wives* (2:41)
• 8. Red Route I (3:28)
• 9. Plane Crash (1:46)
• 10. Kaboom!!! (3:15)
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* Contains music not used in film |
| Bootleg Albums Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 61:25 |
• 1. Polijarny Inlet*/** (0:44)
• 2. Hymn to Red October (Main Title) (5:06)
• 3. Putin's Demise* (1:01)
• 4. Graving Dock #4/Two Keys** (1:41)
• 5. Dallas' Sonar** (1:17)
• 6. Course Two-Five-Zero/On Course** (1:02)
• 7. "Let Them Sing" (Soviet Hymn)/U.S. National Command Meeting** (1:22)
• 8. Three Days Only*/** (0:43)
• 9. The Chase Begins** (2:05)
• 10. "Buckaroo"** (0:24)
• 11. Jonesy's Theory*/** (0:38)
• 12. Red Route 1 (3:34)
• 13. Ancestral Aid (2:07)
• 14. Plane Crash (1:54)
• 15. Ryan Leaves to Dallas** (0:53)
• 16. Ryan Leaves to Dallas (Alternate)*/** (0:52)
• 17. Two Wives* (2:46)
• 18. Turbulence**/Chopper (4:10)
• 19. New Orders** (0:37)
• 20. Red Alert*/** (2:31)
• 21. A Chance** (2:15)
• 22. Nuclear Scam* (7:17)
• 23. Americans!** (3:24)
• 24. Konovalov's Attack** (3:02)
• 25. Torpedo Impact... Now!** (0:40)
• 26. Torpedo, Bullets, and the Cook**/Kaboom!!! (6:17)
• 27. The New World/End Titles** (3:41)
• 28. Demo Theme #1*/** (0:40)
• 29. Demo Theme #2*/** (0:21)
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* Contains previously unreleased material
** Contains music not used in film |
| 2013 Intrada Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 70:01 |
• 1. Never Happened (0:41)
• 2. Hymn to Red October (Main Titles) (5:08)
• 3. Putin's Demise (1:04)
• 4. Tyler's Office/Ramius and the Doctor/Dallas Listens (2:44)
• 5. Course Two-Five-Zero/Interlude/Two-Five-Zero/Padorin Reads (1:25)
• 6. Ryan's Wheels (Original Version) (0:39)
• 7. Ryan's Wheels (Revised)/Tupolov/Buckaroo (3:17)
• 8. The Line/Red Route I (4:15)
• 9. Ancestral Aid (2:16)
• 10. Plane Crash (1:51)
• 11. Ryan Lifts Off/Emergence (1:35)
• 12. Two Wives (2:45)
• 13. Chopper (4:09)
• 14. Submarine Dive/Necessary Force (2:50)
• 15. Outer Doors (2:14)
• 16. Nuclear Scam (7:22)
• 17. Mini-Sub/Contact (3:18)
• 18. Tupolov's Torpedo/Torpedo Hits (3:29)
• 19. Kaboom!!! (6:21)
• 20. End Title (Ancestral Aid/Hymn to Red October/Nuclear Scam) (4:36)
The Extras: (7:58)
• 21. Putin's Demise (Album Version) (1:03)
• 22. Red Route I (Album Version) (3:33)
• 23. Necessary Force (Alternate Mix) (2:23)
• 24. The Anthem of the Soviet Union (Vocal) (1:06)
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| 2025 La-La Land Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 135:44 |
CD1: (63:14)
• 1. Never Happened (0:43)
• 2. Hymn to Red October (Main Title) (Film Version) (5:09)
• 3. Putin's Demise (Film Version) (1:00)
• 4. Tyler's Office/Ramius and the Doctor/Dallas Listens (2:47)
• 5. Course Two-Five-Zero (0:25)
• 6. Interlude/Two-Five-Zero/Padorin Reads (1:10)
• 7. Ryan's Wheels/Tupolev/Buckaroo (3:22)
• 8. The Line (0:36)
• 9. Red Route I (Film Version) (3:48)
• 10. Ancestral Aid (2:19)
• 11. Plane Crash (Film Version) (1:57)
• 12. Ryan Lifts Off/Emergence (1:38)
• 13. Two Wives (2:47)
• 14. Chopper (Film Version) (4:13)
• 15. Submarine Dive/Necessary Force (3:18)
• 16. Outer Doors (2:17)
• 17. Nuclear Scam (Film Version) (7:24)
• 18. Mini-Sub/Contact (3:14)
• 19. Tupolev's Torpedo/Torpedo Hits (3:32)
• 20. Kaboom!!! (Film Version) (6:26)
• 21. End Title (Ancestral Aid/Hymn to Red October/Nuclear Scam) (4:41)
CD2: (72:30)
Original Soundtrack Album: (30:19)
• 1. Hymn to Red October (Main Titles) (5:04)
• 2. Nuclear Scam (7:17)
• 3. Putin's Demise (0:54)
• 4. Course Two-Five-Zero (0:21)
• 5. Ancestral Aid (2:10)
• 6. Chopper (2:52)
• 7. Two Wives (2:41)
• 8. Red Route I (3:28)
• 9. Plane Crash (1:46)
• 10. Kaboom!!! (3:15)
Additional Music: (42:11)
• 11. Hymn to Red October (Main Title) (Orchestra Only) (5:06)
• 12. Putin's Demise (Alternate) (1:00)
• 13. Putin's Demise (Alternate Mix) (1:06)
• 14. Tyler's Office (Alternate Mix) (0:47)
• 15. Course Two-Five-Zero (Orchestra Only) (0:25)
• 16. Two-Five-Zero (Shorter Alternate) (0:20)
• 17. Ryan's Wheels (Original Version) (0:43)
• 18. Ryan's Wheels (Alternate Mix) (0:49)
• 19. The Line (Alternate Mix) (0:36)
• 20. Red Route I (Alternate Mix) (3:46)
• 21. Ancestral Aid (Alternate) (2:08)
• 22. Plane Crash (Alternate Mix) (1:56)
• 23. Necessary Force (Alternate Mix) (2:26)
• 24. Outer Doors (Alternate Mix) (2:17)
• 25. Nuclear Scam (Orchestra Only) (7:24)
• 26. Mini-Sub (Alternate Mix)/Contact (Alternate) (3:21)
• 27. Kaboom!!! (Alternate Mix) (6:24)
• 28. The Anthem of the Soviet Union (Vocal) (1:18)
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The inserts of the 1990 MCA and bootleg albums contain no additional information
about the score or film. That of the 2013 Intrada album offers notes about the film,
score, and recording, including an explanation for the lack of improvement in sound
quality. The information contained within the 2025 La-La Land album is also extensive.
Unofficial Lyrics for the "Hymn to Red October:"
HYMN TO RED OCTOBER
Lyrics and Music by Basil Poledouris
Russian Translation by Herman Sinitzen
Holodna hmoora. -- Cold, hard, empty.
Eemruchnoh v'doosheh -- Light that has left me,
Kak mohg znat ya shtoh tee oomriosh? -- How could I
know that you would die?
Do svidonia, byehreg rodnoy -- Farewell again, our dear land.
Kak nam troodnag pridstahvit shtoh eto nyeh sohn. -- So hard for us to imagine that it's real, and not a dream.
Rodina, dom radnoy, -- Motherland, native home,
Do svidonia Rodina. -- Farewell, our Motherland.
Ay. Avepakhod, avepakhod, nass val nahmarskaya zhdyot nyehdazh dyotsyah.
-- Let's go; the sea is waiting for us.
Nass zah vootmarskaya dah, ee preeboy! -- The
vastness of the sea is calling to us, and the tides!
Salute otsam ee nashem dedum -- Hail to our fathers and forefathers.
Zahvietum eekh fsigdah vierney. -- We are faithful
to the covenant made with the past.
Tepierre nichtoh, nee astanoivit, -- Now nothing can stop
Pabiedney shark, radnoy straney. -- Our Motherland's victorious march.
Tiy pliyvee, pliyvee bestrashna, -- Sail on fearlessly,
Gordest say viernykh marieye. -- Pride of the Northern Seas.
Revoluytziye nadezhdah sgoostk vierif sekh luydeye. -- Hope of the Revolution, you are the burst of faith of the people.
The last two stanzas repeat a couple of times, then:
V'oktyabreh, v'oktyabreh,-- In October, in October,
Rahpar tu ium miy nashe pabiediy. -- We report our victories to you, our Revolution.
V'oktyabreh, v'oktyabreh, Novie meeir fahli numnashy dehidiy. -- And to the heritage left by you for us.
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