The trick to appreciating Mancina in his action mode is
accepting the accentuated rock percussion elements, occasional electric
guitars, and the somewhat simplistic orchestration of brass that causes
his melodies to sound rather generic or synthetic at times. For some
listeners, his music fails to excel at neither the orchestral nor the
electronic realms, but the composer, like other early colleagues of
Zimmer, occasionally does flash greatness. To his credit, though,
Twister remains superior in intelligence to both the composer's
Speed scores, at least making a substantial attempt to weave
melodic and textural complexity into the otherwise rather stale sound of
slapping percussion and staccato string rhythms. Mancina applies
woodwinds extremely well in the score, everything from flutes to
bassoons performing whirling motions to reflect wind. And the electric
guitar, while sometimes exposing itself as a simple tool of masculinity
(it's hideously out of place in "Walk in the Woods"), embodies a keen
sense of dread in a cue like "Cow" that melds well with the orchestra to
reach the desired, gut-sinking effect. There exist several themes and
secondary motifs in
Twister, the main Copland-inspired theme
matching Bruce Broughton-like Western bravado with snazzy appeal in the
score's highlights. Heard immediately in "Wheatfield," a favorite cue of
the composer, this idea permeates several later cues and switches to
minor for suspense purposes. The theme, representing the landscape's
immense beauty, introduces the most impactful secondary idea in the
score, Mancina's noble action theme, at 1:24 into "The Hunt Begins." By
"House Visit," this second theme takes on a purely militaristic tone in
its percussive marching. These two themes are interwoven into nearly
every cue in the score, and they are frequently joined by the composer's
third identity, a bass region growl at 1:58 into "The Hunt Begins" that
is often the domain of bass strings as a tool of instilling a feeling of
doom. While Mancina does rely heavily upon these identities in between
the songs, he does offer the theme some diverse development at times, as
in the softer tones for the main theme in "Futility" with the help of
acoustic guitar. The chorus supplies a two-note motif of wonder at times
("The Sky" and "Drive-In Twister") for shots of ominous clouds, and the
choral shades become more traditionally apocalyptic as the story
proceeds. The groan bass motif remains more effective to the very end,
however, at conveying fear at any synchronization point necessary.
While most listeners are likely to remember the score
for
Twister by the snazzy electric guitars in the rousing chase
scenes and the occasional choral majesty, the more subtle orchestral
touches are certainly the real attraction in the work. These ominous
sounds often resemble snarling creatures when merged with the final
sound effects within the film and are a fantastically smart use of music
for the advancement of the story. The technique ends the film with a
faint, dying performance that reminds us well that there will indeed be
another tornado season next year. Mancina's use of tingling electronic
rhythms, akin to Jerry Goldsmith's of the era, is handled beautifully in
the full "End Title" cue at 1:07. The original 1996 album for
Twister was presented badly, several notable cues missing and
those included out of order and ending with a hideous duo of concluding
tracks. The comical "William Tell Overture/Oklahoma Medley" cue is an
unacceptably stupid and barely tolerable minute of mutation between the
William Tell Overture and the title song to the musical
Oklahoma.
Why it was necessary to include this terrible vocal performance here
instead of additional Mancina cues was beyond reason. Likewise, the Van
Halen written and performed track at the end of the album (one of two
such contributions to the film), while beginning with a promising
transition from orchestral and choral style to hard guitars, is simply
too long. It languishes in false dramatics for a whole eight minutes of
guitars that don't match any of those used in tandem with the other
players throughout the score. In 2017, La-La Land Records supplied a
proper release of Mancina's score, really allowing the composition and
sharp recording to shine. The quality of the mix on both albums is
strong, but the expanded product especially exposes the nuances of the
recording. The guitars and chorus in "Cow" are particularly layered
magnificently. The 2017 album is highly recommended, and it will help
Twister cement its place as one of Mancina's most memorable and
defining scores. The raw enthusiasm of "Wheatfield" (which features an
abbreviated opening and some stage sounds at the start of the 1996
album; this is supplied as a bonus on the 2017 product) and beauty of
"Downdraft" ("The Big Suck") were a surprisingly impressive introduction
to the composer for listeners who never caught on to
Speed, and
the score still remains a fan favorite. The score gets caught in a
whirlwind of noise with the sound effects and songs in context, but the
2017 album finally clears the skies on this somewhat repetitive but
impressively enjoyable hybrid work.
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