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Review of Watch the Skies (Compilation)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are a fan of John Beal, Alien-related
music, or seek Elliot Goldenthal's Roswell title piece as the
hidden gem of the album.
Avoid it... if you already own most of this album's major orchestral performances on other products that had already released the same cover versions.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Watch the Skies: (Compilation) In the late 1990's,
the Sonic Images label tested the waters in the growing soundtrack
compilation market, typically licensing orchestral performances from the
same catalogs as other, more readily known labels and combining that
material with original cover versions of a few items per CD. For the
"Watch the Skies" compilation of 1999, among the later Sonic Images
entries, fans would hear a science-fiction and fantasy compilation of
film, television, and ride music that is constructed in much the same
way the Sonic Images' "Heart of the Ocean" release was presented the
previous year. The same eclectic approach of including previously
existing recordings from sources like Silva Screen, Telarc, and
Intersound (always previously released on other CD albums) with fresh
single-artist performances and a few original recordings is utilized.
Not unexpectedly, what results is an album that contains some old
favorites and introduces some new surprises, depending on how deep your
soundtrack compilation collection already is. Despite the common thread
that binds all of this music together, the tracks vary greatly in mood
and scope, ultimately causing an inconsistency in flow that keeps "Watch
the Skies" from achieving as high a rating as other compilations
available from competing labels. Most tracks, in and of themselves, have
their virtues. Bernard Herrmann's prelude to The Day the Earth Stood
Still is a classic, and the Cincinnati Pops, although underestimated
by many as a group talented only in jazz, performs it with excellence.
This recording had been around for more than a decade on one of Telarc's
old compilations, though, and the significantly older age of the piece
sets it as an awkward distance from the remainder of the album's
selections.
The following two tracks shift to the immensely huge City of Prague Philharmonic and Crouch End Festival Chorus, as heard many times on the Silva Screen label. This version of Danny Elfman's Mars Attacks! features a fuller chorus than the original. Even better is the icy, haunting performance of Christopher Young's Species, available in original form only on a promotional release. These two selections, as well as those from Alan Silvestri's Contact and David Arnold's Independence Day, can also be found on the "Space & Beyond" and "Alien Invasion" products released by Silva in just the prior two years. Thankfully, Sonic Images decided to use the Cincinnati Pops/Telarc version of The Day the Earth Stood Still instead of that which appears on Silva's "Alien Invasion" release; Kunzel's recording has far more personality. The album takes a curious turn at this point; instead of more robust, traditionally orchestral selections, John Williams' E.T. and Silvestri's Contact slow the album's pace and mellow the mood considerably. The piano performance of E.T. takes two minutes to get kicking, finally reaching the memorable end credit arrangement and reaching for some extra gusto. Contact is also a lightweight, and while pretty, doesn't sit well with some of the larger and more horrifying tracks on the CD. The album then turns to original performances by artists associated with Sonic Images, and for those who have heard the previous, well-known performances before, these new tracks are the treasures of the CD. John Carpenter and Alan Howarth's They Live has a swinging country attitude perhaps too fun in this context, though the following two performances by John Beal are as intriguing as his highly acclaimed work typically is. Beal's rendition of Men in Black is remarkably enjoyable, and his talent for accurately recreating even the snazziest and strangest Elfman theme is amazing. His performance of Silvestri's Predator theme is put at a disadvantage, however, because the cue has received such fantastic acoustic treatment through the years from large ensembles that anything less than ripping, live percussion just doesn't sound right. The suite from the Aliens amusement park ride, composed by Richard Band, combines a snippet of Horner's Aliens theme with a few Goldsmith-like orchestrations. Jerry Goldsmith's reflective finale cue from Alien follows, and is performed well by the Orchestra of the Americas. The original recording of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, although similar in theme to the other selections, is strikingly different; its sound quality is considerably muddier than the others, and Zeitlin's poorly electronic remake music is one of the few regrettable inclusions on the CD. Elliot Goldenthal fans are treated to the original recording of his electronic score for the cable show Roswell, and it is a spooky cue that probably would have worked wonders in Sphere, strangely enough. The Tommyknockers had been composed recently by Sonic Images founder Christopher Franke; his lengthy suite here isn't too much different in style from his Babylon 5 works, with a theme at its heart that is a cross between progressions heard in Mark Snow's The X-Files and Williams' JFK. The superb stereo sound on this track is particularly unnerving. Michael Hoenig's performance of the Dark Skies TV series epilogue sounds remarkably similar in style to Christopher Franke, easing the transition. It features an impressively rumbling electronic timpani sequence in its midsection. The Hollywood Chamber Orchestra's performance of the heavily rearranged theme from The X-Files doesn't do Mark Snow's composition any justice. Its withdrawn, lightly orchestral feel doesn't produce much frightening or creepy emotion at all, and the theme seems to be better served by going into further electronic depth, as it did in the motion picture. The elevator music treatment, even with an elegant solo trumpet performing the theme, is simply too awkward to enjoy. The CD ends appropriately with David Arnold's rousing end titles suite from Independence Day. Both the City of Prague Philharmonic and Cincinnati Pops have performed this piece from ID4, the former with a real chorus and the latter with a synthesized one. They're equal in quality, though fans will likely prefer the City of Prague Philharmonic version that appears here because the real choral ensemble at the end makes for an excellent finale to the album. Overall, the worth of this album, as per usual with most compilations, comes down to your interest in the individual selections included on it. The performances of E.T. of Contact aren't indicative of the whole album, nor should anyone purchasing it solely for the track representing The X-Files. However, it you're an Elfman fan, Alien enthusiast, or generally enjoy the electronic atmosphere traditionally created by Christopher Young, John Carpenter, or John Beal, then it'll likely do. For hardened listeners, the Goldenthal title cue to Roswell is probably the hidden gem. "Watch the Skies" may lack the consistency of "Heart of the Ocean," simply because the tracks so wildly vary in style and quality. But Sonic Images' technique of combining previously established performances of big name titles with those of their more obscure, featured artists and original recordings was an avenue of production that has gone missed in the years since the label ceased these endeavors. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 73:31
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert notes contain very brief information about each track. The packaging
consistently neglects to include the exclamation mark in the Mars Attacks! title.
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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 Watch the Skies are Copyright © 1999, Sonic Images Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 2/1/99 and last updated 11/2/07. |
