{"id":3695,"date":"2011-10-25T10:22:49","date_gmt":"2011-10-25T14:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3695"},"modified":"2011-10-25T10:22:49","modified_gmt":"2011-10-25T14:22:49","slug":"cd-commando-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3695","title":{"rendered":"CD: Commando (1985)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>C<\/a><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Rating: Very Good<\/p>\n

Label:\u00a0La-La Land Records<\/a> \/ Released: September 6, 2011<\/p>\n

Tracks & Album Length: 24 tracks \/ (61:48)<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

Special Notes: 24-page colour booklet with liner notes by Jeff Bond \/ Limited to 3000 copies..<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

Composer: James Horner<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

Review:<\/p>\n

Although he\u2019s responsible for several iconic large-scale orchestral scores of the eighties and nineties \u2013 Wolfen<\/strong> (1981), Aliens<\/strong> (1986), Brainstorm<\/strong> (1983) \u2013 James Horner was easily able to write hard action scores for some of the eighties\u2019 most popular and violent films.<\/p>\n

Unlike the cheap synth scores that permeated slasher and action films, Horner\u2019s classical background often had him use electronics and rock instruments as separate colours of a score\u2019s design, which explains the often meticulous integration of each idiomatic instrument.<\/p>\n

During the eighties, the fusion was both novel and not always welcome by critics \u2013 Roy Budd tried a bit of jazz, rock, synth, and orchestral in The Final Option <\/strong>with middling results \u2013 and veteran composers such as Jerry Goldsmith tended to use electronics to mimic orchestras (Runaway<\/strong>) if not fixate on specific sounds that rendered a score cheesy (witness Link<\/strong>, or even Exreme Prejudice<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Horner\u2019s guilty of overusing the Japanese shakuhachi flute, maniacal clusters of thudding synth drums, and echoplexed metallic stabs (not to mention wailing saxophone), but perhaps like the urban jazz scores of the seventies, his approach will become equally memorable and retro among newer directors wanting a distinct eighties sound which perfectly matched the decade\u2019s brutal screen violence.<\/p>\n

The score to Commando<\/strong> isn\u2019t wholly original \u2013 the echoey bow hits and bell chimes stem from the suspense actioner Gorky Park <\/strong>(1983), and the Jamaican metal drums (duplicated almost note-for-note) dominate 48 Hrs.<\/strong> (1982) \u2013 but as music designed to support lengthy action scenes involving running, driving, and combat, it works. Horner would later refine his action sound for Red Heat <\/strong>(1988), porting over everything except the metal drums, but adding a harder rock style with a jazzier sax component.<\/p>\n

Unlike the prior Varese Sarabande CD from 2003, La-La Land\u2019s disc features the complete score with alternate bonus cues, and fans will be delighted they also get the goofy \u201cSomeday, Somehow, Someone\u2019s Gotta Pay\u201d song by The Power Station; as the End Credit music, it formed the cherry on the icing to one of Arnold Schwarzenegger\u2019s most brainless, violent, yet amusing action films.<\/p>\n

In terms of the score proper, there\u2019s little variation between extended drum cues, except in instrumentation or emphasis on keyboards, but this CD is clearly designed for the film\u2019s fans who\u2019ve wanted every note of music, and they seem to have been rewarded for their enduring patience.<\/p>\n

Important as the music are the superb liner notes, which feature plenty of background info on the film and score, plus lengthy comments from former Power Station member \/ occasional B-movie actor Michael Des Barres, who describes the genesis of the kitschy, catchy song with minimal lyrics. La-La Land tends to treat their CDs as Criterion editions of soundtracks, and their well-researched, in-depth booklets demonstrate the label\u2019s devotion to getting as much ephemera and history in print before it all disappears into the ether of history.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still Commando<\/strong>, but why not treat every score with that level of professionalism?<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2011 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

External References:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack Reviews<\/a> <\/em>\/\u00a0C<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to:\u00a0Home \/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews \/ C . Rating: Very Good Label:\u00a0La-La Land Records \/ Released: September 6, 2011 Tracks & Album Length: 24 tracks \/ (61:48) . Special Notes: 24-page colour booklet with liner notes by Jeff Bond \/ Limited to 3000 copies.. . Composer: James Horner . . Review: Although he\u2019s responsible for several […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[819,820,327],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-XB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3695"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3698,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3695\/revisions\/3698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}