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Remastered reissue of impressive Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack! 1985 Disney live action dinosaur adventure arrives ahead of its time, before Jurassic Park and similar fare became hot property the following decade. William Katt, Sean Young, Patrick McGoohan perform alongside Brontosaurus family, John Alcott shoots rich outdoor jungle photography, Jonathan Taplin & Roger Spottiswoode (who's Under Fire resulted in one of Goldsmith's all-time great scores) produce, B.W.L. Norton directs and Disney's adult theme-oriented Touchstone Pictures presents. Discovery of dinosaurs during expedition in Central Africa leads to family antics followed by treachery, kidnapping, military conflict, pursuit and exciting rescue - all set to powerhouse Jerry Goldsmith score! Initial ideas color outdoor terrain, expedition itself. Discovery of dinosaur "family" inspires Goldsmith to write not down to but upwards towards majestic, magnificent sauropods: powerful French horn/trumpet statement of their theme over massive major chords in low brass, swirling strings above makes for one of composer's grandest moments ever! Other highlights abound: tuneful "Baby" theme underscores playful antics in contrast to initial bold material, jungle setting garners array of electronic colors amidst complex orchestration. Spotlight goes without doubt however to propulsive, thundering action cues. Foreshadowing Goldsmith's very next project - Rambo: First Blood Part II - exciting pursuit, rescue scenes ("The Cave", "Mother Is Free") feature composer in his most ferocious, mixed-meter action mode with tour-de-force writing for entire orchestra. When all is said and done, Goldsmith offers dynamic final cue ("Baby's Alive") which re-unites mother and baby, leading to end credits. In epic finish, when medley of themes reaches conclusion, Goldsmith adds magnificent fortissimo coda proclaiming his initial dinosaur theme in triumphant brass, trumpets in the lead. Spectacular ending! Previous release of score (a fast sell-out) was presented from two-track mixes made from 32-track masters vaulted at Disney, then dubbed down to analog for composer who later transferred elements back to DAT for his own storage, a copy of which was subsequently made for use with Intrada's presentation many years ago. In somewhat convoluted process, somewhere along the way, pitch anomalies arose on a couple of tracks, especially lengthy finale. New Intrada remastered release was prepared from Disney's original elements including 32-track session masters and Shawn Murphy's first generation multi-track film mixes. New elements also allowed for a pair of previously unreleased source percussion pieces recorded by Goldsmith at his sessions plus three source numbers composed by his son, Joel Goldsmith, which appear very briefly in truncated fashion in film but play here in their entirety. Flipper-style booklet designed by Kay Marshall, notes by Jeff Bond. Recorded by Shawn Murphy on September 24-26, 1984. Arthur Morton & Alexander Courage orchestrate, Jerry Goldsmith composes and conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while quantities and interest remain!
- Intrada
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