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Review of Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album (Compilation)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if your film score collection is limited and you could
use fine samplers such as Silva Screen's themed compilations to expand
upon your enjoyment and knowledge of the genre.
Avoid it... if you're seeking a replacement for your blood pressure medication (because the set probably won't chill you out) or if you already own a significant number of these recordings on other compilations from the same label.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album:
(Compilation) By 2004, it had been several years since Silva Screen's
collaboration with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Crouch
End Festival Chorus yielded the original "Cinema Choral Classics" albums
and many other highly successful ventures. Despite the efforts of Silva
Screen producer James Fitzpatrick, which yielded several magnificent
albums during that time, one had to begin wondering in the mid-2000's if
the magic was starting to run out for the label's offerings, especially
given that most of the sellable material worth re-recording was already
existing in their library of previous offerings. While their production
together had slowed since those glorious days of the late 1990's, that
didn't mean that this extensive library of recordings couldn't be
plucked for yet another new combination of these renditions along a new,
common theme. Some of these compilations of the 2000's have been
suspicious in their inclusion of some recordings while they omit others,
and perhaps it's not surprising that many of their most effective
products are those devoted to a single score (such as the fantastic
Raise the Titanic) or a very specific theme (such as The Lord
of the Rings trilogy set or the James Bond-related albums). The 2004
"Reel Chill" album from Silva Screen looks to have the ice cube
philosophy at work, with the selection of cues this time seemingly
centered on those soundtrack themes deemed soothing and relaxing. You
used to see redundant compilations arranged along a similar theme in the
"Various" area of music stores' soundtrack sections all the time, but
the good thing about Silva Screen albums is that there is actually a
real (and often a very good) orchestral and choral ensemble behind those
recordings. Seeing one of these Silva Screen compilations sitting next
to "Classics Performed by Neil Norman and His Cosmic Orchestra" does put
the situation into perspective. Even so, albums like "Reel Chill" are
aimed at film music novices more than hardened critics of the genre, and
the label's honorable intent with this album is to get people either
hooked on film music or hooked on their re-recordings of it, and either
is a positive goal. Whether it actually chills you out is an entirely
other matter. Learned film music collectors are often driven nuts by
these compilations, because they could argue for hours about the merits
of the inclusion of music on them. With two CDs in the case of "Reel
Chill," there's plenty to consider.
The product seems heavily weighted with material by Ennio Morricone and John Barry, the former dominating the end of the first CD and the latter no surprise given the label's deepest regards and prior success with re-recording his music. The absence of material by classic romance writers of the modern age, including Patrick Doyle, Rachel Portman, and Georges Delerue, blows a huge hole in this compilation, however, and exposes the fact that this label and ensemble pairing had long neglected especially the works of Delerue and Portman. Perhaps they're just not marketable enough, though few would argue their ability to lull a person into a slumber. Another interesting aspect of "Reel Chill" is that the selections have been made for their aural beauty outside of context rather than the content of the movies they originally accompanied. If you're the type of person who pictures Anthony Hopkins eating a person's brain when hearing any music from Hannibal or envisions Willem Dafoe needlessly riddled with bullets when hearing Samuel Barber's depressing "Agnus Dei" for Platoon, then "Reel Chill" might not function correctly for you. Even if you're one of those hard ass personalities, however, a set like this does offer you a chance to hear the ensemble's more recent recordings. In this case, you get a glimpse into their interpretations of The Lord of the Rings (released together on a separate, concurrent album that is far superior to this one) as well as items such as A.I. Artificial Intelligence by John Williams and Gladiator by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard (this version of "Now We Are Free" starts over again for some reason halfway through and repeats itself). Despite its somewhat awkward suite arrangement that diminishes the oboe performances, it's always nice to hear The Mission (despite, once again, its gloomy implications). Likewise, the You Only Live Twice suite is among the label's best James Bond offerings. The hidden gem of the set may be the lovely "Woman of Ireland" from Barry Lyndon. One thankful omission is Dances With Wolves, the classic already badly overexposed. Overall, the "Reel Chill" set, unlike some of Silva Screen's other, more highly targeted compilations, is aimed at the mainstream listener rather than the film score collector. The stock photography on these albums is always curious, with an ice cube all over the outside and a picture of some bald, vascular dude in Zen meditation on (far too much of) the inside. No meditation is likely for the listener of the album, though, for the performances are strong and the selections are varied enough to keep you pleasantly awake and lucid. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 149:01
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the scores or films.
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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 Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album are Copyright © 2004, Silva Screen Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/12/04 and last updated 10/17/11. |
