The infamous brass fanfare from Rocky and its pseudo-song variation, "Gonna Fly Now," both return in full glory, though Conti does make some interesting alterations to them. The song has been increased in tempo, treated to more blatant disco effects, and accompanied by children's choir (the last an important change to reflect the crowd that Rocky draws while training in the film). In many ways, this version is more obnoxious than the original (if you consider all of these performances badly dated now), though Conti does compensate by giving the theme a prominent role in several cues in the score. The suite-like "Overture," combining the themes of the first and second films satisfactorily, opens with the traditional fanfare and extends to a more palatable disco version later on. The composer often alludes to the theme in his material for Adrian and Rocky's infant son, usually on elegant piano ("All of My Life") or in plaintive strings ("Vigil"). The new, primary identity for Rocky II, "Redemption," uses fragments of the fanfare extensively. That redemption theme doesn't receive enough airtime on the soundtrack to really establish itself as the heart of this score, though its determined, minor-key progressions have better stood the test of time than the title fanfare. Outside of the opening performance on album, this deliberate theme is given an instrumental variation in the last two minutes of "Overture." All three of the secondary themes from Rocky return as well, mostly encapsulated in the lengthy "Overture" recording. That track transitions to the adversity theme (which had closed the first film, strangely) right after the primary fanfare, and this idea is also played as an interlude to the new material in "Conquest." The more exuberant victory theme, heard best in the second half of "Going the Distance" and "The Final Bell" in the previous score, is the third theme to hold any length of time in "Overture" here. The love theme carries over in striking variations throughout the first two sequels, informing "All of My Life" in its structure and "Vigil" in its sincere symphonic tone. Ironically, like the adversity theme, there are even more coincidental similarities to Howard Shore's later The Lord of the Rings themes in the horn solos of "Vigil." For casual listeners, the progressions of "All of My Life" are unique enough to qualify it as an entirely new theme representing Rocky's new family and its challenging circumstances. Outside of this and the neglected redemption theme, the only other new motif of note in Rocky II is the disparate fight music heard in "Conquest." This piece, hinted in fragments in the first few minutes of "Overture," explodes with classical force in "Conquest," a cue reprised in full in Rocky III.

There has always been something odd about the tone of the standout "Conquest" cue; it represents the ultimate in showdowns between Rocky and Apollo, but the cue's driving string and snare rhythms, punctuated by heroic brass hits, expose a troubling Star Wars influence (as well as occasionally bizarre Latin flare in some of the trumpet accents that don't reference the adversity theme) that still sounds more appropriate for Conti's later Masters of the Universe score. Honestly, some of this music will make you think that Rocky is fighting Skeletor rather than Carl Weathers. The interludes of quietly whining strings and burping tubas in this cue are equally strange. It's impressive in the whole, and it makes for great listening on album in parts, but it's just too monumental for even the heavyweight bout on screen. Aside from the score, there are the usual song contributions to be expected in any Rocky soundtrack. Nothing here lit up the charts like "Eye of the Tiger" would in Rocky III, though Rocky II would still break into the top 200 on the charts for five weeks in America. Vocalists DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford perform the pop variation of "All of My Life" in equally badly dated form. Stallone's brother Frank had an increasing role in the soundtracks, and his throwback tune "Two Kinds of Love" in the first sequel is likeable but completely out of place. The album as a whole will require some shuffling and combining with the other soundtracks in the initial Rocky trilogy (like the others), though this one has the extra perk of the beautiful "Vigil" and "All of My Life" instrumental tandem. The nine minutes in these two cues is as lovely as Conti music gets, especially with the horn solos that have defined some of his more memorable works. A rolling piano performance of the title fanfare in the last minute of "Vigil," with the "All of My Life" (and related love theme) material as counterpoint on strings, is fantastic. Add the track "Mickey" from Rocky III to these two cues and you have the best strictly orchestral music from the franchise's early years. The muscular "Conquest" cue will be of interest to some score collectors as well, but it really does sound misplaced in this context. The long "Overture" recording, expertly summarizing all of the themes from the first two films, is the key to this album's recommendation, for it clinches a strong rating for those seeking their first Rocky album. This is for casual listeners who weren't old enough to remember the hoopla surrounding Rocky in the 70's; otherwise, purists will prefer the arrangements of the first score. If you can't tolerate the pop or disco tones of that era encroaching upon the orchestra at all, however, then the issue is moot. This is, after all, vintage mainstream Bill Conti music.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download