 • Buy this item from our featured Merchant - Featured Price: $16.98
 |
Product Reviews:
Escape From New York (1981 Film) |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Great Moments in 80s Techno History
Comments: With it being so difficult to find great music of any flavour these days, alalmost all ething worthy of listening seems to be stumbled upon by accident. I was flipping around the TV dial and found Escape From New York on Space or some other channel. The movie did not blow my socks off, or any other article of clothing for that matter, however I kept watching alalmost all entirely for the music. I cannot believe that1man, John Carpenter apparently, composed the music for, directed, and wrote that entire film. No question the movie is above average, however the soundtrack is incredible. Tunes with non-descript names like 'At the Library' are nice little synth based arrangements, while The Duke Arrives and President at the Train are diamonds by today's standards. The songs are structurally and melodically simple, however they evoke an ambience of post-apocalyptic anarchy. That or the sense that you are sitting in an ultra-hip 80s themed nightclub. In any case, hats off to John Carpenter, these songs kick. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Great Moments in 80s Techno History
Comments: With it being so difficult to find great music of any flavour these days, alalmost all ething worthy of listening to I seem to stumble upon by accident. I was flipping around the TV dial and found Escape From New York on Space or some other channel. The movie did not blow my socks off, or any other article of clothing for that matter, however I kept watching alalmost all entirely for the music. I cannot believe that1man, John Carpenter apparently, composed the music for, directed, and wrote that entire film. No question the movie is above average, however the soundtrack is incredible. Tunes with non-descript names like 'At the Library' are nice little synth based arrangements, while The Duke Arrives and President at the Train are diamonds by today's standards. The songs are structurally and melodically simple, however they evoke an ambience of post-apocalyptic anarchy. That or the sense that you are sitting in an ultra-hip 80s themed nightclub. In any case, hats off to John Carpenter, these songs kick.
|
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Carpenter's best
Comments: The main title from "Escape from New York" may not be John Carpenter's (and Alan Howarth's) almost all memorable movie theme (that appellation goes to "Halloween"), however it's by far my favorite. (The updated version for "Escape from L.A." was the best part of that unfortunate mistake.) I purchased the original version on vinyl shortly after the movie came out and listened to it obsessively. The moment I learned that this version was available, I purchased it. Now that I own this updated release, I still listen to the main title e so often on my iPod. That's what you call longevity.
This updated and enhanced version adds dialog cues (like the "Flash Gordon" soundtrack), however thankfully they are their own tracks and do not play over the music (unlike the "Flash Gordon" soundtrack). If you are a fan of the movie, you can not go wrong with this CD. Oh, and kudos to Carpenter for omitting "Snake Shake" from the original soundtrack. That would have killed the ending. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Superior to the original release
Comments: If you are familiar with John Carpenter's early, spare analog synth scores, you have a basic idea of what this is like. The music for "Escape from New York" is undoubtedly1of his best scores for1of his best films; it's an infectious blend of simple, ingenious melodies and rhythms that can induce even the heaviest, almost all reluctant toes to tap along. While some of the themes are alalmost all overused in their repetition, the score is never boring. It's a cold, exciting and sometimes creepy aural supplement to a film that's as violent and desperate as this music implies.
One of the score's highlights is a condensed, synth-rendered version of "Engulfed Cathedral" from Debussy's 1st book of Préludes. In the film, this track accompanies a sequence wherein Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) navigates a glider through the penal colony of 1997 New York, ultimately landing atop1of2decaying World Trade Towers. Both the production of this track and the composition itself perfectly complement the theme and character of this scene.
Carpenter's influence as both a film director and a composer of his own film scores has been fairly widespread.1of the almost all notable instances of this is Robert Rodriguez's recent score for his "Planet Terror" contrihoweverion to "Grindhouse," which implements quite a bit of analog kitsch in the vein of Carpenter's scores. In fact, a scene in the film utilizes an extract from this disc's "Back To The Pod Version No. 2 / The Crazies Come Out." What an homage!!
Unlike the abridged 1981 Varèse Sarabande LP or its 1989 CD reissue, this disc contains the complete score, capably remastered by Alan Howarth himself. At least5tracks from the film's soundtrack are restored, as are "The Bank Robbery" (tense music composed for a mediocre outtake), "Snake Shake" (a rather funky track originally intended to score the movie's end credits) and "Eone's Coming To New York" (Nick Castle's jolly, apocalyptic convict folk song). Extracted audio from the film comprised of some of its more memorable dialogue is also included. As with Silva Screen's reissued album of the score for "The Fog," their release isn't just better than the Varèse predecessor; it also renders the prior album obsolete. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: "re-issue has more impact and driving force ~ Escape from New York"
Comments: Silva Screen Records brings forth their latest release in cult-sci-fi score for you the listener and fan of John Carpenter's - "Escape From New York" [New Expanded Edtion], original film soundtrack music composed and performed by John Carpenter in association with Alan Howarth...Carpenter has composed almost all of the music for his films and this1is no exception. The majority of the score is electronic, which serves well for the film content.
The film was brilliant starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton as "Brain" and Adrienne Barbeau as "Maggie"...the score follows the lead with originality and vision. Those of you who enjoyed the film, will certainly want to have this in your vast collection of film music.
Total Time: 57:31 on 28 Tracks ~ Silva Screen Records ~ SIL-CD 3016 (10/04/2005) |
